Panasonic Second Generation Full-Frame Launch

2023.01.06

Panasonic is one of the dominant brands present at CES 2023 this week in Las Vegas. They showcase a huge lineup of products across a range of markets. The Lumix brand is a small part of the enterprise yet got the most exciting digital camera news of the show this year.

Panasonic launched two new Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Cameras and one compatible Full-Frame lens as the first second-generation models of cameras built by the company around the Leica L-mount. Two nearly identical models, the Panasonic Lumix S5 II and S5 II X were released, along with a Lumix S 14-28mm F/4-5.6 ultra-wide compact zoom lens.

The more capable Panasonic Lumix S5 II X is getting a new Pentax-inspired black-on-black design that stands out among the series of otherwise extremely similar mirrorless digital cameras. This model enters the lineup just below the aging 47 megapixels flagship Panasonic Lumix S1R which still leads in terms of resolution.

Panasonic built the S5 II X around an all-new 24 megapixels Full-Frame CMOS sensor mounted on an improved 5-axis image-stabilization system. The headline second-generation feature is that these new sensors have 779 Phase-Detection Areas, a first among Panasonic cameras. This new capability works in tandem with DFD which calculates focus-distance from blur to speed up Contrast-Detect AF. The autofocus system of the S5 II X works down to -6 EV, making it among the most sensitive on the market.

The Panasonic S5 II X specifically delivers incredible processing power and throughput. It can stream almost the entire content of its sensor as RAW video at 30 FPS. The capture area is very slightly cropped along the width and then frames into a 16:9 area for a resolution of 5888 x 3312. There are also cropped RAW video modes of 4128 x 2176 @ 60 FPS which has a 17:9 aspect-ratio and 3536 x 2656 @ 30 FPS with a 4:3 aspect-ratio. This is output as 12-bit LPCM along with 48kHz stereo output over HDMI. Audio can also be output at 4-channel 96kHz over line-out or through an optional XLR adapter which is sold separately.

Encoded 10-bit video capabilities are shared with the S5 II. This is covers a hugely impressive range of video formats, from 6K @ 30 FPS to Full HD @ 120 FPS. 6K video can be recorded at 5952x3968 with 3:2 aspect-ratio, 5952x3136 at 17:9 and 5888x3312 ar 16:9. Additionally Cinema 4K and 4K Ultra HD are supported at 60 FPS. Recording is encoded as Quicktime, an unusual departure for Panasonic, with the choice of H.264, H.265 and ProRes compression.

Photographic features are identical to the Panasonic S5 II, detailed below. Suffice to say, both these cameras are full-featured professional-grade mirrorless models with triple control-dials in a weatherproof and freezeproof body. There are plenty of external controls and huge array of ports, including symmetric SDXC UHS-II memory-card slots, a welcome change from the original S5.

The more typically styled Panasonic Lumix S5 II is equally performant in all photographic areas as the S5 II X. A new 24 megapixels Full-Frame CMOS sensor offers both a Dual-Gain design and a 779-Point Phase-Detect AF system with full tracking capabilities and extreme low-light sensitivity. The sensor sensitivity spans a standard ISO 100-51200 range which extends to ISO 50-204800. Up to 14-stops of dynamic-range is claimed. The IBIS system inside these new cameras compensates for 5-stop of shake, which is good yet definitely lag competition. It can combine with optical image-stabilization to reach 6½-stops which applies to a limited number of with builtin stabilization.

A hybrid shutter-mechanism provides shutter-speeds of 1/8000-60s, plus Bulb exposures up to 30 minutes. This mechanism can be driven at 30 FPS electronically or 9 FPS mechanically. Each mode can sustain bursts of 300 JPEG images or 200 RAW files which is a huge improvement over the first-generation. Continuous autofocus is only available up to 5 FPS though. A with most Panasonic cameras, the S5 II records with Time-Lapse and Stop-Motion and most likely features an Interval-Timer, even though it is not mentioned in official specifications.

Panasonic upgraded the viewfinders on these two cameras with a new 3.7 megapixels 0.5" OLED panel and optics to give it 0.78X magnification with 100% coverage. This are now conventional specifications among such high-end cameras and quite sufficient, despite lagging the competition which offers up EVFs with up to 9 MP. The rear LCD remains the same as previously with 1.8 megapixels. It remains mounted on a rotating hinge which is favored by videographers yet cumbersome for photography.

This camera is full-featured with advanced bracketing modes for exposure, white-balance and focus. A 96 MP super-resolution mode is available to capture extremely detailed image of static subjects. Fine control over color, rendition and white-balance make the S5 II extremely flexible.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 II X is scheduled for May availability at a retail price of $2200 USD, while the S5 II will be available this month for $2000 USD. It is already possible to preorder both these cameras:

• Panasonic S5 II X - Amazon - B&H Photo - Adorama
• Panasonic S5 II - Adorama - B&H Photo

• CES
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