PANASONIC S5II REVIEW | Is this their best camera ever?

[@AllThingsFilm1]

The S5ii might be just the camera to bring me back to Panasonic. Even though the S5ii is a hybrid camera, I am mainly interested in video/filmmaking. The one thing - important to filmmakers - is the inclusion of shutter angle and waveforms on Panasonic cameras. A feature that most other brands only include in their expensive cinema cameras. I'm currently shooting with the Sony FX30. Which is a great "prosumer" cinema camera. Much more capable than many reviewers are suggesting. But, for me, Panasonic has always had better skin tones than most other brands. Right now, the reviews on the S5ii are using pre-production versions of the camera. I'm betting that Panasonic will fine tune the PDAF in forthcoming firmware updates. So, I'm confident that the AF for the S5ii will be greatly improved. Regarding slow motion features, I personally don't shoot a lot of that. And I see responses from others that make a big deal about what they consider to be limitations on the slow motion features. I think slow motion makes up a very tiny niche of filmmakers. Mostly wedding videographers and probably some sports shooters. So, I'm not concerned about that aspect. I'm grateful that you pointed out that the AF is quite dependent on the lenses being used. This has been ignored - or not mentioned - in 99% of the reviews I've seen on the S5ii, and is relevant to most cameras not just the S5ii. Rolling shutter? ZZZzzzzzzz. I personally do not find this an issue. At least in the cameras I've owned. If you're dumb enough to whip your camera left and right for no reason then you deserve bad rolling shutter. If you're doing a whip pan, from one subject to another subject, then what happens between the subjects really doesn't matter to me - or most audiences. I think the S5ii and S5iix are going to have a dramatic boost to Panasonic's market share. And that is a good thing. It might scare other brands into developing cameras around the same price point and with similar features. I mean. Shutter angle? Waveforms? Come on, Sony. Canon. Share the love. Bring these features to your more price friendly video/mirrorless cameras.

[@alfredpoopykins8264]

For filmmaking at this price range and for hybrid/mirrorless cameras, Panasonics are the best bet for sure!

[@thedanpalen1]

They did it. They finally did it. This will be a game-changing trend. I’ve been talking about that for years... the ability to make your own custom LUTs for photos.

[@raredreamfootage]

I just need Prores LT internal to CFexpress B added to the S5iiX and I will be happy!

[@Yupthereitism]

For sure

[@ericcoen8894]

@@raredreamfootage no C Express B needed

[@AbdonPhirathon]

Real Time LUT is gonna make life so much easier! Can’t wait to get my hands on the S5II.

[@vistek]

Absolutely! Very exciting!

[@dmp0x]

i have the S5, and both a blackmagic 4k and a 6k g2, and panasonic could learn a few things on how to present frame rate/codec/bit depth options from blackmagic. and yeah i'm waiting for the s5iix. just love my S5!

[@germancreatives88]

Mindblowing for 2K dollars!

[@vistek]

Agreed! Thanks for the comment GC!

[@Aviciiz]

Excellent review as always, this makes me very excited for the S1Hii

[@vistek]

Thanks AVICIIZ! I agree - could be a very exciting release!

[@ApostolosFilms]

I hope information on the S1H mk ii comes out very soon. If it has 4K 120 I’ll be sold

[@bigdhav]

LUT on photos is revolutionary. Absolutely awesome 👍🏾

[@vistek]

Totally agree!

[@kostasssss]

Excellent review! Did you notice moire patterns on the s5ii due to the lack of AA filter to the sensor?And if so is it going to be a problem on professional work?

[@vistek]

Thank you for your comment! I don’t recall checking for moire or noticing it. Have you seen any other examples of moire showing up? I find that it usually only shows up in a significant way now in slow motion/downscaled video. I rarely see it in any significant way in full sensor readouts.

[@eyeballbilly]

Panasonic hit back hard, excellent features amazing value.

[@marin_real_estate_photography]

So tempted to get the S5 II but trying to hold off till the IIX comes out.

[@YaYousef5]

6:21 Thank you for sharing this screen! Super helpful! The focus is on your eyeglasses frames and chin hairs, not on your eyes. This is my experience with the S5 and why I returned it. The crosshair is on the eye, but when you upload the photo to the computer, it's actually on the eyeglasses rim or eyebrows. For video it isn't super critical, but for portrait photography is absolutely is. It looks like Panasonic didn't fix this issue with the S II.

[@vistek]

Thanks for the comment Ya. I don't know if I completely agree with you here. If I look super close at my original footage (I haven't deleted yet, fortunately), my eyes in this clip seem just about as sharp as the frames. At this close of a range - which is extremely close, and with a full frame sensor - there is going to be some tolerance in depth of field. I've shot with the original S5 and I can tell you the focus on this camera is light years better. It's a completely different system and the first time that Panasonic has used a hybrid PD/CD system. In all my tests I could simply not get the AF to produce undesirable results, except for the type of moments mentioned in the video when the settings were not suitable to the subject motion. And even then, once adjusted, it performed flawlessly. I'm trying to not be overly enthusiastic about the AF on this camera, but the fact that it not only kept up with Sony & Canon, but also surpassed them - for me, that's something to take note of.

[@YaYousef5]

@@vistek Thanks so much for replying! That's awesome that the S5 II has improved autofocus. In regards to 6:21, I'm seeing your glasses frames and chin hairs in focus, not your eye. A clear indicator of this is your chin hairs being shaper rather than the hairs on your cheeks. If the eye was properly in focus, the hairs of your cheeks would be sharper because it's on a closer plane to your eyes, not your chin hairs or front of your nose. You can even test this out yourself if you still have the camera! Put it in manual focus with peaking on, take a picture of your frames and then take a picture of your eyes. You'll be able to more easily see the difference, especially with facial hair to assist. It's pretty close and for video it's acceptable, but for portrait photography or critical eye focus in video, it looks like the camera is still front focusing. 😥

[@vistek]

It may be worth doing a test with Canon and Sony to see how they deal with glasses at close focus. When shooting the model, the focus was spot on and sharp on every eye, every time. Thus I'm now curious how other cameras treat glasses. Again, I think this also an issue of the narrow DOF and close focus. Little room for error. Perhaps this is something that I'll test this year for our channel.

[@YaYousef5]

@@vistek Yessss. That would be awesome to watch! 😁

[@donpepe9536]

@@YaYousef5 I tested the Sony A7 IV half a day with the GM 85mm and the focus was in 25% at the eye-lashes and not on the iris. And that was not a pre-production camera. Seems to be common...

[@CallMeChato]

Can it tether to computer as a streaming camera?

[@photogenic2010]

Your one complaint is easily fixed !: "Too many Frame rates + bit rates?" > Option 1: YOU can make a short list of the few settings e.g. 8 or 10 bit, mpeg or MOV etc.. and save them into the "'Short - list". it will only show your favorites, without the clutter. There is a second way of saving everything (that you like) and recall them with one just one button by saving them to C1, C2 or C3. So Panasonic always leaves stone un-turned.

[@vistek]

Thanks for the comment Rob. Also, please see pinned comment. 🙏

[@JustinVandergaast]

Great video Dale, really appreciate your take!

[@vistek]

Thanks Justin!

[@darealphantom]

The video you created with the fashion model was amazing 🔥🔥🔥

[@vistek]

Thank you darealphantom! 🙏🏼

[@darealphantom]

@@vistek you’re welcome

[@davidmultimedia2024]

11:54 Ahhh man... I totally agree on this! It's a barfing of uncategorized options and difficult to identify (I choosed 420 instead of 422 a few times by mistake). I understand that it's a mirrorless hybrid camera and not a true cinema camera... but please someone give me ONE good reason why the menu could not be more intuitive/purified/graphic instead of list-form, a bit more like Blackmagic. I know that as an hybrid camera, it needs to have so many features and options, but it could be split in 2 ''types'' of menus (one very graphic and simple for very fast and easy access that would have all most important options (a WAY better alternative to the Q menu).. and a more traditionnal list menu for the others options. Also... the WB button! WHY is there always so much navigating to do to have access to a quick WB card snapshot. All cameras (photo/video/hybrid/cinema) should have the Blackmagic WB feature, which is a press and hold that pops out the WB target, and as soon as you release the button, it applies the capture. Nooo.. we have to click the WB button, scroll through the built-in presets, find the 4 ''custom'' preset icons and choose one, then press UP to make the target appear, then press Enter to take the snapshot, then press Enter to select this snapshot, apply it and exit the WB menu. This is so ridiculous to me, especially since maintaining a neutral light temperature is one of the biggest challenge in a shooting day. Also, WHY is the target that big?! it's sometimes not even possible to fill the rectangle if you're using a small WB card like a ColorCheck Passport and a wide lens, especially if you're on a tripod and you don't want to move the camera ot get closer. In DaVinci Resolve, you can WB with a mouse-click on a single pixel.. so they could easily make the target smaller, at least a small circle like the spot meter target. At the moment, pressing and holding the WB button doesn't do anything (it enters the WB menu just like a regular press). They could simply keep the WB menu as is, but just add that press and hold quick capture and it would be PERFECT. Am I right guys?!

[@ThePoisonDrummer]

Love mine! Great review! The model is 🔥

[@vistek]

Thanks for the comment, TPD!

[@bamcameback]

I'd love the video focused version but with all my MFT lenses i'll wait for the GH7 with phase auto focus.

[@mugushi54]

I'm buying the S5iiX today.

[@jayforcinema]

I'm almost certain that I'll upgrade from my S1 to the S5II X, however the crop in 4K 60P is still the one thing that makes me wonder if it's worth the upgrade. All-I and articulating screen are nice, but not radical improvements over the S1. And I don't really need the PDAF, for most of my work I use single point AF (a habit developed with the OG Canon 7D) and the DFD is really quite usable in most scenarios. Is there the slightest chance that Panasonic can fix the 4K60P crop through firmware, even if just in Long GOP mode?

[@stevensakic4342]

Great Video. It really gives us insight on new technology. . What works and what doesn'. Thank you. .

[@vistek]

Thank you Steven!

[@NeroMMA]

Really considering this camera as my step up from Sony zv-1. This might be the one to give my IG content a facelift.

[@ishanagarwalphotography]

Does it have focus bracketting focus stack feature for photography i am really impressed by the video feature.

[@kingkaamaofficial3900]

Super pro as always mate !! Thanks a lot 🎉😅

[@wargreymon2024]

Real-time LUT is cool, but raw is raw, LUT is LUT. The reason or lack of reason for having LUT in a camera system bc the camera is supposed to be a hardware, which does one job, outputs a good raw. If LUT is introduced, the camera is really doing more than it is supposed to. It's cool nevertheless.

[@davidh3049]

If they didn't put PDAF, I was going to switch to Sony. Preordered s5iix and getting some glasses.

[@jinwang4905]

Another GREAT REVIEW BRO!!!! thank you!

[@vistek]

Thank you Jin!

[@jinwang4905]

@@vistek Hey Dale one more favor to ask, if you still have the Camera, can you test the S5Mark2 with MC21 adapter with canon lenses for AFC and VIdeo AF? Please :D thank you so much BRO!!!!!!

[@richard.robert]

Great video, very dynamic and well done!

[@vistek]

Thank you, Richard!

[@johndrew4689]

Loved your review and love this camera...so I bought it.

[@vistek]

Wonderful! Thanks for the great comment, John!

[@agenericaccount3935]

Won't be surprised if this release is what makes Sony give us waveforms and shutter angle. Cause I tell you what, if the S1ii comes out and has good AF and that Panasonic UX, I'll be super happy to dump my eMount stuff and migrate over if no support for similar featuresets happens.

[@vistek]

I totally get that and I’m on side with you. It’s a bit of a head scratcher as to why Sony hasn’t done this yet. Fujifilm, I get - because they have no products with this feature to port over at no additional r&d cost. But Sony has those features in every video camera since…well, forever. The fact that they don’t even have them on their cinema “FX3/30” is also baffling. My only guess is so that they don’t eat into the fx6/9 line. But that’s just a completely uninformed guess.

[@MickaelFjaerePhotography]

What third-party WiFi apps are compatible with the Lumix S5ii camera, and how do they work in terms of range and control over features such as shutter, ISO, aperture, and more?

[@garageworker]

Can it transfer photos to a computer while your taking them? I know Sony does wireless tethering, can’t seem to find out if the S5II does it.

[@vistek]

Hi Garageworker, off the top of my head, I don’t have an answer. I suspect doing a search for the pdf manual will answer this. ✌🏼

[@kentmemories]

Excellent review narrative. Very beautiful color, second to only Leica.

[@vistek]

Thank you KN!!

[@MayurMahapatraFilms]

@6.00 are you saying we can shoot 4K 60 fps full frame but it will be 4.2.0 ? If we want 4.2.2 , it will be cropped Please confirm . Thank you. Looking forward to your long term review, if you are still using this camera.

[@vistek]

Yes this is correct. You trade the faster frame rate for less color information.

[@iSpike]

Brilliant video mate 👍🏻 Panasonic please make an adapter so that all my expensive MFT Pro glass will fit the L-mount system - then I’ll 100% upgrade my GH5 II to the S5 IIX. Cheers from Western Australia 🇦🇺

[@Ulisesdimensiondelarte]

That was a good review ,thanks

[@vistek]

Thank you!!

[@edohd5016]

thanks for such an in depth presentation. But i could easily tell in 2 seconds which one was 4:2:2 clip. Anyone who pays attention will notice, except for consumers who cant even tell difference between film and digital.

[@vistek]

Please spill the tea on what you see. I’m sure we could all learn something.

[@dharmani_youtube]

@@vistek I'm still learning about the differences between the 2, but I guessed it based on the slight variation of vibrance on your nose. It's too subtle though and could be a post fix from looks of it

[@AlessandroAbatePhotography]

Excellent review

[@markshirley01]

How does the S52 switch from photo to video, is it a simple process, are your last settings saved automatically

[@vistek]

The switch happens via the top dial. Most settings will retain in respect to their operation (being either photo or video). However, I did notice that picture profile does not change. In this case, I recommend using the custom banks.

[@markshirley01]

@@vistek id be shooting basic raw and rec709 baked in for video

[@terrydear4038]

I’m going to swim against the video tide here. This review (and every other) starts with ‘great hybrid camera, shoots stills and video equally’ then go on to describe every video feature but very little on stills. I shoot a bit of video and a lot of stills and it’s difficult to find anything other than vlogging focussed reviews.

[@vistek]

Thanks for the comment, Terry. I can appreciate your position and frustration. If I spent more time on video, it’s simply because I’m much more of a videographer than a photographer. I’d feel like it would be disingenuous to really pretend to be a deep expert on photo features. That said, I am a photographer and I did do a considerable amount of photography with the camera. If you have a specific question, I can do my best to speak to it.

[@CsiklosMiklos]

Something funky is going on with the audio when you are talking, sounds like soap bubbles popping in my ear. I checked my equipment and it only happens during your video :)

[@limagepicture9023]

Great Talent as Photographer 👏 Thank you for the Review 👍

[@vistek]

Thank you very much LP!

[@thejohnnybrooks]

Great review as always! Would love to download and play with some of your JPEG’s. 🙌

[@vistek]

Thanks Johnny! Sadly they’ve now all been deleted to save space. I should consider that for future videos.

[@spritual_enlightenment]

I appreciate your guidance.

[@vistek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jaywbus]

Any news on high res S1H2? Really. want to flip and tilt screen :)

[@vistek]

Hi Jay, I've heard nothing thus far.

[@risingsunadventuretravels9908]

Just excellent, thanks !

[@vistek]

Thank you!

[@LyndonPatrickSmith]

I’ve come back to this review a couple of times and for some reason KZbin spits out an incredibly low video quality on this particular video, and it says quality settings are “unavailable.” This is on a fast iPad Pro with tested 500Mbps download/21 Mbps upload speeds. The content is great, but I’m wondering if your KZbin upload spec could be better. On both occasions (different days) other videos were playing back fine at 1080p or higher.

[@vistek]

Thanks for letting us know Lyndon. The video was uploaded in 4K with H.265 codec. The only reason I could see that would be happening to you is either something with your iPad/browser or your internet speed. I’ve tested it across other devices and with other networks and I couldn’t detect any issues.

[@aiseurnae5976]

The S5II has certainly the best AF between all Panasonic cameras, but their new engine is worse than the one from the S1 and S5.

[@ParsclickTV]

king panasonic

[@skepsys]

do you mean applying lut in-camera to jpegs, while taking raws too? that is innovative, and very useful. is that what it does?

[@vistek]

Yes. That’s exactly it. That’s why it’s a big deal.

[@skepsys]

@@vistek very nice :D

[@raysmith5487]

can we shoot in 4:2:2 other than V-log?

[@vistek]

Yes you can shoot in any picture style you like. Bit depth and chroma are independent of those things. In fact there are some benefits to shooting in an altered 709 (aka hyper gamma) profile. Namely more dynamic range in the shadows and cleaner blacks.

[@raysmith5487]

@@vistek thanks for the reply ...so unlike canon R6 mark ii where you can only shoot 4:2:2 in c-log, here you can shoot in diff picture style in 4:2:2 in Panasonic. Is V-log easy to edit in Premiere Pro than C-log? ... Any idea?

[@vistek]

Editing any log profile will be the same. It's just a low contrast image until you grade it. Some log gammas are more contrasty than others - meaning you can probably edit just fine with some, where others it may be difficult to make important editorial decisions without adding a LUT. My advice is to proxy your footage and add a 709 LUT to the proxy. If what your asking is about "performance" - well, again - the experience should be the same whether your in S-Log, V-log, C-log, Log-C, etc etc. What changes performance is your codec. H.265 is hard on machines because there is a lot of math going on. H.264 is a bit better. Within those, you'll also want all-intra files versus the inter-frame Long GOP encoding. Best yet would be converting or shooting in ProRes, which is a very efficient (from a computer processing pov) codec for editing. Ultimately none of that matters if you just proxy your footage.

[@raysmith5487]

@@vistek thanks for the detailed reply. Can PS 5M II shoot 4k 4:2:2 in H264 codec or does it shoot in H265 only? Also can i shoot HD 4:2:2 in V-log?

[@slothlovechunk]

Are you middle eastern? The s5ii gives you an olive-y skin tone. Is that accurate?

[@martysender5539]

first off, yours is best review i've seen and ive seen a lot. still happy with my gh5, THIS camera is , finally, the ONE. and the X? wow. saving $. thnx. Marty Sender You Tube. great review, you touched on all the stuff I wanted to know. Only problem? NO TALLEY light. but hey....small sacrifice. just point a finger and say GO.

[@vistek]

Thank you Marty!

[@mikeyb6737]

great video

[@vistek]

Thanks!

[@Dstonephoto]

It’s definitely their most overhyped camera. They were so. Close. The rolling shutter performance hasnt improved since the original, meaning you need to scale down to an APSC crop. Suddenly we’re no longer talking about a true full frame camera. To make matters worse the lens selection is either overpriced or limited . Its not a bad video camera; its a bad video camera for the money. Oh, and then theres the moire issue. I suppose it all comes down to tradeoffs, but with its current price tag these tradeoffs shouldn’t be a thing.

[@straight-out-of-camera]

Nikon has been doing custom picture profiles forever. Same exact concept as the luts for jpgs as you just showed.

[@vistek]

This is something I've never seen on the Nikon cameras, but after doing some research - I can see that you are correct. I didn't do a deep dive, so I can't say how the Nikon system may differ from the Panasonic system. It looks like you have to use Nikon's proprietary software for it - where as with a LUT based system, you can use anything that generates a .cube file. In any case, I thank you for the comment!

[@EricLouisYoung]

@@vistek yes, the panasonic lut based system is better. but also, there is a website that allows you to tweak and download picture profiles. just put them on the memory card and import them to camera. I'm not allowed to link you.

[@Mathew-vlogs]

I would definitely prefer the HEIF file over the jpeg, but you can’t everything I guess.

[@DrWNoLs]

420 10 bit is misunderstood. It's color resolution RELATIVE to luma resolutiion. Not absolute amount of color information. 422 4k can be downsampled to 444 1080p. 6k 420 has the same color resolution as 4k 422. You arent actually losing anything. You just dont have the same amount of color information in relation to that resolution, which only would be relevant for very specific scenarios with 6k as the exported format (and with grading too, given 4:2:0 is also what most video mediums support anyways).

[@wordlv]

The Sony FX30 can burn in custom Luts

[@vistek]

Really? I’d not heard of this, so I just read the user guide for the FX30. I found nothing that said you can use your custom LUTs for photography. Can you confirm this? The manual only suggests that it’s a video only function.

[@JesseSudich]

Great video but you left out Ayla's socials. Everybody loses 😔😋

[@vistek]

Hi Jesse, thanks for the comment. I do that intentionally. I never reveal our model’s info for security reasons. I only use professional models who don’t need the publicity because they have agencies working for them.

[@JesseSudich]

@@vistek but I thought all models enjoyed being cyberstalked by random creeps. My whole adult life is a lie 😞

[@vistek]

🤣🤣🤣

[@straight-out-of-camera]

a photo/video toggle switch is required for 2023

[@jaymills1720]

Can’t decide! S5II OR A7iv

[@ariruishalme4403]

S5ii for sure.!! It's several hundreds cheaper.. it better in low light. (Better than a7siii) .. colour science is better.. video features are better and the file sizes are smaller (better) it has 6k recording .. bla bla.. I have Sony and I used to have a gh5 .. that video quality was so professional ... I sold it ..kept my a7iii and this s5ii will be my main camera..

[@JholemanFlores]

If you’re doing more video than photo, then Panasonic ( Sony may overheat on you with video)

[@charliewilson3234]

So tired 0f watching these awesome promotional videos. But its working its creating that hype Lumix needs. Like with the GH3, 4, 5, 5S, 6....

[@himihub]

I could tell xD 422 vs 420

[@vistek]

How so?

[@thejohnnybrooks]

@@vistek not the original commenter - but I spotted it straight away just by looking at your lips! To me the 422 is more 10% more saturated and ever so slightly warmer looking, but it is a VERY minor difference and one I’d be willing to consider negligible on most non-colour critical work!

[@asmabi0003]

not happy with this autofocus 😭 (g85 user)

[@vistek]

In what way?

[@asmabi0003]

@@vistek it can't perform like a7iv, it missing fast moving subject (some times) i'm planing to upgrade my g85 but! , wating for the next firmware

[@iustitiaepervenit]

:D :D :D :D LMAO "Can yoou see a difference between 422 and 420" Man, It affects grading , not the original colors!! When you will grade the footage, you will see the difference :D :D. Why you wouldnt put an 8bit sample also? :D :D :D I can tell you there will be no difference also

[@vistek]

This was precisely my point.

[@GKhanKutar]

XH2-S is much better option compared to that limited FF camera

[@kingcutttt]

What do you mean?

[@skorskivideo2608]

Yep, explain pls ;)

[@Rsp42]

Nope. XH2-S has no baked in luts, worse video autofocus, worse ibis, worse low light, less shallow depth of field, less dynamic range, less photo and videography features and more expensive. Fuji fanboys be crying 😢

[@dedskin1]

There is no video , its 24 frames per second , you know how painfull it is to watch 24 frames per second , gets your head spinning . Do you know why 24fps is used , because they couldn't use 15 fps , they would use 1 FPS if you would watch it , for film is expensive , digital film is not , and you have there option of 60FPS , please use it , jesus christ .