Panasonic S5

[Peter C.]

Sony's glory years were 2014-2018. The a7III was great for its time (even just 2.5 years ago) but it's now bottom of the barrel by today's standards; 8-bit, no 60p, just okay AF, weak IBIS, questionable color.

Panasonic sells its cameras for those prices because it wouldn't be able to go any higher with its current formula.

IMO, Sony and Canon gave Panasonic 1 year with the S1H and now it's their turn. Even if the S1H had an EF mount, it would be a very tough sale for many considering other options.

Good points. The A7III only shoots 60p @1080 and 8bit. Yeah it's showing its age, but it's still attractive even at it's current price. I assume they'll maintain its price until the release of the A7IV then offer a discount to clear inventory before they discontinue it. S5 has better IBIS on a gimbal its moot. I think GH5 still has the best IBIS.

As far as the 10bit color, I was watching video comparing the two and surprisingly there was almost no difference between 10 and 8bit. Best explanation was with the high internal compression you end up losing much of the gained color. The effects of bit rate on color bit depth has been brought up in other threads. You can't make conclusions on specs alone.

 

[NorBro]

Most people can't tell the difference between RAW and 8-bit so there surely never was much of a difference between 8-bit and 10-bit...at least online.

The bits have always been for grading...or for forum nerds for discussing the paper value of cameras (which is valid because it is an important feature part of the overall system).

 

[jdv]

Best Buy has the kit in stock again (for shipping).

Thank you sir!

 

[Peter C.]

Most people can't tell the difference between RAW and 8-bit so there surely never was much of a difference between 8-bit and 10-bit...at least online.

The bits have always been for grading...or for forum nerds for discussing the paper value of cameras (which is valid because it is an important feature part of the overall system).

I found the video I was thinking of and it's comparing the Nikon Z6 vs A7III but it's still relevant @4:10 he actually is doing a mild grade. He is comparing 10bit externally recorded so 10bit wasn't limited by bit rate, unless the camera reduces hdmi output. Still isn't really a complaint against the S5. I've seen it graded in other video and it looks good. So if you aren't grading it won't matter if you do you'll gain an advantage.

 

[NorBro]

You should check out/look for a variety of some ungraded ALEXA footage.

Most of it looks extremely mediocre than what the final products in Hollywood end up looking like.

Will make you quickly forget about camera comparison videos.

 

[Peter C.]

You should check out/look for a variety of some ungraded ALEXA footage.

Most of it looks extremely mediocre than what the final products in Hollywood end up looking like.

Will make you quickly forget about camera comparison videos.

How would viewing the results of $100k camera make me forget about comparison videos of cameras I could afford?

 

[NorBro]

I said I thought the ungraded results looked extremely mediocre so that logic above doesn't work, which is my point.

 

[Brandon Rice]

I have one and I shot two weddings on them this weekend. I'll be potentially editing a teaser for one of them this week. Stay tuned. It'll be a mix of S5 and GH5/G85 footage though.

 

[Peter C.]

I have one and I shot two weddings on them this weekend. I'll be potentially editing a teaser for one of them this week. Stay tuned. It'll be a mix of S5 and GH5/G85 footage though.

It would be great to see the results. How easy was it to use. Did you use it's auto focus for tracking a person's face?

 

[Brandon Rice]

It would be great to see the results. How easy was it to use. Did you use it's auto focus for tracking a person's face?

It was a blast to use, I mapped some quick buttons out, including switching frame sizes, as I shoot primes, so having two frame sizes it super critical. I did not use auto focus, and again, I probably never will, it's just not something I'm used to, and who knows I may never be. I'm pissed that I forgot to change white balance for some shots that were absolutely beautiful... so yeah. I shot in the natural profile (which I use on my GH5) in order to match my GH5's and I'll be seeing if that is the case or not. Overall the highlights seemed a lot softer than the GH5 off first glance.

 

[Tom Roper]

I did not use auto focus, and again, I probably never will, it's just not something I'm used to, and who knows I may never be.

OMG, The Horror.

 

[ahalpert]

It was a blast to use, I mapped some quick buttons out, including switching frame sizes, as I shoot primes, so having two frame sizes it super critical. I did not use auto focus, and again, I probably never will, it's just not something I'm used to, and who knows I may never be. I'm pissed that I forgot to change white balance for some shots that were absolutely beautiful... so yeah. I shot in the natural profile (which I use on my GH5) in order to match my GH5's and I'll be seeing if that is the case or not. Overall the highlights seemed a lot softer than the GH5 off first glance.

You dont lose anything by not using autofocus now. You could always use it later if you wanted.

Have you used the S1? How does the s5 compare?

 

[estarkey7]

As you can see, it's quite tiny compared to its big brother. Battery life is also ridiculously long, and you don't need a PD rated power bank to power it over USB. I ran the camera until both of my 128GB SD cards filled up with over 4 hours of 8-bit footage while hooked to a $10 10,000 mah USB battery bank.

 

[JonsMovies]

How does the EVF on this compare to the GH5? I know on paper it's lower res which concerns me as I use the EVF a lot when pulling critical focus on the GH5.

 

[estarkey7]

So has anyone in North America actually received one of this mythical cameras yet?

There's virtually no actual purchaser footage on-line, and none from this continent. Is this typically how Panasonic rolls out a camera, particularly one meant to save the line-up?

It's still not listed on Amazon, while B&H and Adorama apparently have no clue when they'll be getting units.

I remain interested in this camera, but time waits for no man... or his small production company.

Yup!
I have shot a wedding with it, but it was fully in stills mode. I have another shoot with it this weekend, that is pure video.

 

[estarkey7]

How does the EVF on this compare to the GH5? I know on paper it's lower res which concerns me as I use the EVF a lot when pulling critical focus on the GH5.

I think the EVF is fine. I shot wedding photography with the S5 and the S1H (yeah, I know) and the S5 was doing manual focus with the Canon 80-200 f/2.8 the whole time. I have no complaints!

 

[estarkey7]

In the case of mirrorless full frame cameras that shoot video, Sony has been miles ahead of the competition. The Sony A7iii that was released 2 years ago is selling for the same price. It is a highly desirable camera based on features it offers at that price. In comparison the S5 has some features that are better and other that are not. So the price makes sense. Panasonic is in a difficult position with the lens mount. All those people who bought the GH4/5 can't easily transfer over. If Panasonic wants to sell its L mount lenses they have to offer a camera body that a larger amount of people can afford. When people invest in a lens eco system it is difficult for them to change.

In regards to AF, it limits who would want to buy this camera and how it could be used. We are always thinking of our uses (video) but there is an equally large if not larger group of potential buyers are looking to take photos with these cameras.

Anyone who says the S series can't compete with stills autofocus from other manufacturers, has never shot with one. I have shot 10 photo weddings this year, all with my S1H, and one with the S1H and S5 doing manual focus duties. I've shot own native Panasonic L-Mount glass, Sigma L-Mount glass, Canon and Sigma adapted glass and old Canon FD adapted glass. The stills rock!

P.S. Of course, I had to shoot a few with my wife on the courthouse stairs, with her hot self rogar-Love(DBG):

 

[ahalpert]

Great-looking color. But I feel like all the brands' stills RAW files have loads of color info.

Does it have eye AF for stills?

 

[estarkey7]

Great-looking color. But I feel like all the brands' stills RAW files have loads of color info.

Does it have eye AF for stills?

For stills and video. It's just video isn't that good.

 

[Thomas Smet]

In the case of mirrorless full frame cameras that shoot video, Sony has been miles ahead of the competition. The Sony A7iii that was released 2 years ago is selling for the same price. It is a highly desirable camera based on features it offers at that price. In comparison the S5 has some features that are better and other that are not. So the price makes sense. Panasonic is in a difficult position with the lens mount. All those people who bought the GH4/5 can't easily transfer over. If Panasonic wants to sell its L mount lenses they have to offer a camera body that a larger amount of people can afford. When people invest in a lens eco system it is difficult for them to change.

In regards to AF, it limits who would want to buy this camera and how it could be used. We are always thinking of our uses (video) but there is an equally large if not larger group of potential buyers are looking to take photos with these cameras.

That may be true but the AF is not why the camera is more affordable. Like I said the S1H is expensive and uses the exact same AF system. The AF has absolutely nothing to do with the cost. The S5 is more affordable because it is using the same sensor as two other cameras and many of the same components. We saw the same thing with m43 cameras where a newer lesser model would be a killer choice for much less cost. It cut a few corners here and there but many swore the video looked better and actually preferred the cameras over the GH models.

Of course some users will not buy it because of the AF but that has absolutely nothing to do with the price point of the camera. The price is exactly what it would be even if Panasonic changed its AF system.

Like we both have said now many times its the L mount lens system that is holding back sales and the fact that it is Panasonic and not the first go to camera company for Photographers or film makers. Some of us were fans of Panasonic from the DVX100, ENG broadcast cameras and Varicam but most users were just amazed at how well Panasonic was able to get video to work on a DSLR camera. The S5 is at a more realistic price point but that's not going to make a Photographer suddenly think its no big deal to spend $5,000 on a Leica L mount lens. At least Canon and Nikon has affordable slow lens options in the $100-$300 range. The L mount lenses are good but priced very unrealistically for most people. Canon has award winning lenses under $3,000 which makes L mount even more ridiculous. I personally think Panasonic made a huge mistake with this lens mount.