Panasonic Lumix S5 Mirrorless Camera with 20-60mm Lens

Featuring a full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor and an updated Venus Engine, the S5 balances high sensitivity, a wide dynamic range, and speed. The sensor-processor combination enables a useful ISO 100-51200 range, which can be expanded to ISO 50-204800, to suit working in a variety of lighting conditions. For working with fast-moving subjects, the S5 also enables full-res shooting at up to 7 fps with AF-S or 6 fps with AF-C, or up to an impressive 60 fps continuous shooting when using 6K or 4K PHOTO modes.

In addition to stills, the S5 also sports highly capable video recording assets, including full-frame UHD 4K30p internal recording with 4:2:2 10-bit color and UHD 4K60p recording using an APS-C sensor area and 4:2:0 10-bit color. Full HD recording at 60 fps, as well as 4K at 30 fps, is also supported with 8-bit color and no recording time limits. Also, high-speed recording is possible, up to Full HD at 180 fps, and anamorphic recording is also available.

Borrowing from Panasonic’s broadcast line of video cameras, Dual Native ISO helps to achieve a balanced combination of low noise and high sensitivity to better suit working in a variety of lighting conditions. Two dedicated circuits are provided for each pixel: a Low ISO circuit provides base sensitivities of ISO 100 for normal use, ISO 640 when V-Log is applied, ISO 400 when HLG is applied, and ISO 200 when Cinelike D2/V2 is applied; a Low Noise circuit provides base sensitivities of ISO 640 for normal use, ISO 4000 when V-Log is applied; ISO 2500 when HLG is applied, and ISO 1250 when Cinelike D2/V2 is applied.

Optimizing your recording for post-production color adjustment, the S5 also features a pair of gamma settings suited to capturing a wide dynamic range. V-Log has been pre-installed on this camera and is used to capture a flat, neutral gamma curve and an equivalent 14+ stops of dynamic range, making it well-suited for grading. Additionally, a High Dynamic Range mode, and Hybrid Log Gamma, can be used to record greater detail in both the shadow and highlight regions of a scene. Additional picture styles are available to provide a more gradable image, such as Cinelike V2 and Cinelike D2, as well as an in-camera LUT to make monitoring easier. Additionally, recording to an optional external recorder is possible, via the HDMI Type D port, and support for an external microphone and headphones are also available via dedicated 3.5mm jacks.

Helping to achieve the utmost sharpness when photographing handheld, Dual I.S. 2 combines the S5’s 5 stop-rated 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization technology with lens-based 2-axis image stabilization to compensate for a broader range of movement types to render sharper, clearer imagery. Dual I.S. 2 requires the use of compatible Lumix lenses featuring O.I.S. This stabilization system is able to compensate for approximately 6.5 stops of camera shake.

For accelerated autofocus performance, the DFD (Depth-From-Defocus) technology quickly calculates the distance to subjects and adjusts the focusing position in as little as 0.08 seconds, with sensor and lens communication occurring at rates up to 480 fps. This contrast-detection type focus method benefits both still and video recording modes, as well as subject tracking applications, using Advanced AI Technology, where subject type, color, size, and motion vectors are used to intelligently lock-onto the moving subjects and ensure precise focus. When working with portrait subjects, face, eye, head, body, and animal detection capabilities make it easier to prioritize focusing on specific areas of the subject. The focusing sensitivity and speed can be adjusted to further improve performance with certain subjects. It also features 225 AF areas, which provide excellent control over where the camera will focus. Additionally, supporting working in low-light conditions, a Low Light AF feature enables accurate AF performance down to -6 EV.

Benefitting manual focus operation, focus peaking is available that highlights bright edges of contrast with a colored outline for quickly recognizing your focus point, as well as Touch MF Assist for touch-to-focus operation. Other AF features include an AF Point Scope setting that temporarily magnifies the subject by 3x to 10x for confirmation of the focus position and a custom selectable AF zone for Multi AF / Custom Multi AF.

Utilizing the S5’s video recording capabilities, a trio of still shooting modes are available for recording continuous 3:2 or 4:3 8MP stills at a 60 or 30 fps shooting rate or 18MP stills at a 30 fps shooting rate:

• Burst: This mode will allow you to continuously record, making it ideal for instances where you need a fast frame rate in order to capture the best moment.
• Pre-Burst: This mode is ideal for times when you’re unsure of the critical moment to press the shutter button and will record images one second prior to and one second after pressing the shutter button in order to give you 60 frames to choose from.
• Burst (S/S): This mode most closely follows the video recording process, and allows you to playback your video, pause at the chosen moment, and use the shutter button to mark a chosen frame from the video and save it as a single 8 or 18MP frame.

Bluetooth Low Energy (4.2) provides constant connection between your smartphone or table and the camera with minimal power consumption. For more robust wireless activities, IEEE 802.11ac and b/g/n support is also available for faster transmission and more fluid remote control and monitoring.

Complementing the camera’s wireless connectivity, Lumix Sync is an iOS and Android app designed to pair with the camera for smartphone or tablet-based remote shooting control and wireless image transferring.

Included with the camera body is the ultra-wide to short portrait-length Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom. The distinct range of focal lengths is complemented by impressive close-focusing capabilities, which permit working with subjects as close as 5.9″ with a 0.43x magnification for near-macro performance. In terms of optics, the lens incorporates a series of aspherical, high refractive index, and low dispersion elements to control a variety of aberrations and realize a high degree of clarity and sharpness. A fluorine coating has been applied to the front element to reduce smudging and make it easier to clean and then lens also features a weather-sealed design for working in harsh environmental conditions. Additionally, suiting both photo and video applications, a stepping motor is featured, which affords fast, precise, and near-silent autofocus performance.