L-Mount Panasonic S5 mark II

[pdk42]

There's now a lot of leaked information on the S5 II. It looks like it's the same body size and shape as the current S5 with the same sensor, but now with PDAF, an improved EVF, and a few other tweaks. In a strange twist, it's now available in two forms - the S5II and the S5IIx. The X variant adds some video stuff that I don't understand (IP Streaming and some Apple ProRes format) but removes a few photo things like 6K photo and live composite. Seems they've added a fan too, but the vents are hidden under the "pentaprism".

Overall, I think it's a solid upgrade, but the only thing that would tempt me is the new EVF. The current AF is perfectly fine for what I use the camera for.

There's also a new lens - 14-28 f4-5.6, which I think I will pre-order - it suits my needs well.

Specs are:

DC-S5M2

24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
AR coating
Sensor shift type dust extraction unit
14+ stops in V-log
JPEG / RAW / MOV / MP4
H.264 / H.265
6K 30p 200Mbps LGOP
3.68M dots OLED viewfinder 0.78x 120fps
Free-angle monitor 3.0", 1.84M dots
Image phase detection AF / Contrast AF
DFD Technology
AF -6EV - 18EV
ISO 100-51200
Extended ISO 50-204800
Dual Native
Normal ISO 100/640
V-Log ISO 640/4000
HLG 400/2500
Mechanical shutter 1/8000 - 60 sec.
Electronic shutter 1/8000 - 60 sec.
Continuous shooting speed
Mechanical: max. 9 frames sec.
Electronic SH 30fps H 9fps
USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
HDMI A
3.5mm microphone Headphone
SD Card Dual Slot
5GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
2200mAh battery
Battery grip DMW-BGS5
Dustproof and drip-proof
Size 134 x 102 x 90 mm
Weight 740g

DC-S5M2X

Full-size sensor with 24.2 effective megapixels
6K30P video (full size)/4K60P video (APS-C size)
Supports Apple ProRes recording
IP streaming function support (Wi-Fi, USB, wired LAN)

LUMIX S 14-28mm F4-5.6 MACRO

Lens construction: 14 elements in 10 groups (1 aspherical ED lens, 1 aspherical lens, 3 ED lenses, 1 UHR lens)
Minimum focusing distance：0.15m
Maximum magnification: 0.5x (at 28mm)/0.25x (at 14mm)
Filter size: 77mm
Size：φ84 x 89.8mm
Weight: 345g
Dustproof, drip-proof, and low-temperature resistant specifications

 

[pdk42]

A few pics:

 

[rayvonn]

Seems like the smart buy would be the first S5 either new or used then?

 

[pdk42]

The S5iiX has stealth mode grey lettering:

 

[Brian]

The Nikon Z5 is now discounted to $1K, and has the 3.7MDot finder in it. Also has a 24MPixel CMOS sensor, not BSI. The 3.7MDot finder is nice.

The S5 MK2 will need to come in at the present $1500 discounted price of the current S5. The current S5 has the 2.5MDot finder- which was high-end Ten years ago,

 

[pdk42]

Seems like the smart buy would be the first S5 either new or used then?

Yes, some of the prices I've seen these last few days are excellent. Amazon on Dec 27th had a time-limited £200 off voucher against the S5 + 20-60 + 50/1.8 at £1499 - so £1299 for the S5 plus two really good lenses. Quite astonishing.

 

[pdk42]

The Nikon Z5 is now discounted to $1K, and has the 3.7MDot finder in it. Also has a 24MPixel CMOS sensor, not BSI. The 3.7MDot finder is nice.

The S5 MK2 will need to come in at the present $1500 discounted price of the current S5. The current S5 has the 2.5MDot finder- which was high-end Ten years ago,

It'll be $2k. Can't see them discounting for a while. Grab yourself an S5 now while they're on fire-sale!

 

[pdk42]

And on the Panasonic Instagram page, they're pushing an announcement event on Jan 4th - "New Year, New Phase". Subtle huh?

LUMIX Official Instagram on Instagram: "JAN 4, 2023. NEW YEAR NEW PHASE. Check out the video from the below link: https://bit.ly/3hQOfxZ"

LUMIX Official Instagram shared a post on Instagram: "JAN 4, 2023. NEW YEAR NEW PHASE. Check out the video from the below link: https://bit.ly/3hQOfxZ". Follow their account to see 1158 posts.

www.instagram.com

 

[Brian]

I bought the Nikon Z5 this week- using for all legacy lenses, so the 3.7MDot finder and price were the two factors. After selling one of my Nikon F3HP bodies, cost me $20. I let the sales woman know her manager had offered me $125 for that camera, and that it sold for $1K. Asked about needing a lens- she laughed when I told her I bought an F->Z, M->Z, and Canon 7 Breech-Lock -> Z, for about 250 lenses to use on it. The Canon 50/0.95 is great on it, no viewfinder blockage...

 

[pdk42]

I bought the Nikon Z5 this week- using for all legacy lenses, so the 3.7MDot finder and price were the two factors. After selling one of my Nikon F3HP bodies, cost me $20. I let the sales woman know her manager had offered me $125 for that camera, and that it sold for $1K. Asked about needing a lens- she laughed when I told her I bought an F->Z, M->Z, and Canon 7 Breech-Lock -> Z, for about 250 lenses to use on it. The Canon 50/0.95 is great on it, no viewfinder blockage...

Wow - 250 lenses. Knock out the weekends and that's almost one a day!

 

[RichardC]

Is that yellow hot shoe contact significant?

 

[pdk42]

I bought the Nikon Z5 this week- using for all legacy lenses, so the 3.7MDot finder and price were the two factors. After selling one of my Nikon F3HP bodies, cost me $20. I let the sales woman know her manager had offered me $125 for that camera, and that it sold for $1K. Asked about needing a lens- she laughed when I told her I bought an F->Z, M->Z, and Canon 7 Breech-Lock -> Z, for about 250 lenses to use on it. The Canon 50/0.95 is great on it, no viewfinder blockage...

How are you liking the Z5? I ran a Z system for a little while and didn't 100% gel with it. No issues with the images from it, but I didn't find myself enjoying the user experience. But the Z5 does seem like superb value for money. For adapted lenses, I can see it makes a lot of sense. The Z mount does look very well designed and ideal for legacy adapters.

 

[pdk42]

Is that yellow hot shoe contact significant?

I was wondering that too. It might not be real of course - I think these images are computer renderings rather than photos of a real camera.

 

[pdk42]

It seems the II is a little larger than the original. Here's a side by side view:

Not sure how I feel about that. I like the size of the S5.

 

[JensM]

A few pics:

Photographed in 1:1?

 

[pdk42]

Now formally launched. Best review out there is from Richard Wong:

In a post on DPReview he said this:

The S5II has to be one of the most exciting camera and probably the best money for value camera I've reviewed!

And it is such a weird camera to review because if you look at the specs alone, it may look like "a nice small upgrade but finally with PDAF", however the actual performance improvments of the camera in a few areas are just as big as the new PDAF.

Other reviews all seem very positive too.

I can see me getting one in due course...

 

[Brownie]

I see Sigma is about to release a 60-600 sport for E and L mount. Found it on Sony Rumors, couldn’t find it at L-Mount Rumors, it’s still dominated by the S5II.

 

[pdk42]

I see Sigma is about to release a 60-600 sport for E and L mount. Found it on Sony Rumors, couldn’t find it at L-Mount Rumors, it’s still dominated by the S5II.

If it's any good, that will make long-lens photography easier with L-mount. To date the options have been limited and not really of sufficient quality. But I suspect a 10x zoom will be unlikely to deliver top-notch IQ.

 

[Brownie]

It’s in their ‘Sport’ line, which usually means better than a standard and not quite as good as Art. Superzooms have come a long way, and this doesn’t get very wide. Maybe?

 

[tommay80]

The new Lumix S5 Mark II is a remarkable camera in my opinion for videographers and also photograpers. A true hybrid camera that don't have to hide from the competition (Canon R6 II, Sony A7 IV especially).
And i hope the addition of PDAF and the competitive priceing will bring Lumix a nice bite of marketshare! A long needed step from Lumix.

Although I have to say for my needs DFD is more than capable, so I probably won't upgrade.
I more so am looking at a used S1R as they are down as low as 1599€... Very tempting for me. Let's see....

But nonetheless I am very pleased that Lumix stepped up the game and curious about future camera releases (S1R II etc.).