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Creatives demanding the very best Lumix has to offer should look no further.
The S5 II’s 6K open gate video and array of bitrates, frame rates and color profiles impress.
Following user feedback, Panasonic has introduced individual doors in the Lumix S1R II for each connection port
ThePanasonicLumix S1R II and S5 II look like twins but are more like cousins.
Both full-frame all-rounders, but one is altogether of a higher grade.
And the overlap between those two groups has never been greater.
Following user feedback, Panasonic has introduced individual doors in the Lumix S1R II for each connection port
We rate the Lumix S5 II as thebest video camera for most people.
This time around the only issue is the price.
If we could only have one, its thePanasonic Lumix S1R IIevery time.
You do have to pay for these extraordinarily tempting upgrades, though quite a lot too.
Lets look into what that extra spend actually gets you.
Panasonicss S5 II is a significantly older camera.
Since then the price has come down a little thanks to natural erosion.
They are much smaller and lighter than the original S1R from 2019, for example.
That is its operating temperature floor, while the Lumix S5 IIs range stops at zero degrees.
The newer camera is ready for a harsh winter.
Theres one slot for a CFexpress jot down B, a second for a classic SD card.
Sensor
These two cameras have full-frame sensors, but their specs otherwise belong to two different categories.
The Panasonic Lumix S1R II is a high-resolution sensor, one ideal for stills.
Higher resolution will provide much greater still cropping versatility when used with a good lens.
Theres even a 177MP high resolution mode, which Panasonic claims can be used handheld.
When shooting with the electronic shutter it can reach 40fps, compared to 30fps in the Panasonic S5 II.
Or 10fps with the mechanical shutter, 9fps in the Lumix S5 II.
The S5 II is not entirely blackout-free, and the effect is quite noticeable when using the mechanical shutter.
Panasonic only provides dynamic range numbers for its V-log flag video mode these days.
Its 14 stops for the Lumix S1R II, 14+ for the Lumix S5 II.
Its one of those areas where having lower resolution actually helps, due to resulting in larger sensor pixels.
Video
At first glance the Lumix S5 II provides the video modes most people need.
There are some compromises, though.
The S5 II can only capture 4K/60 at an APS-C crop.
The Panasonic Lumix S5 II also lacks ALL-Intra video compression, where each frame of video is compressed individually.
Panasonics Lumix S1R II, you guessed it, solves all these problems and raises the ceiling too.
It can shoot at 4K/60 at full sensor width, and can reach 120fps at 4K too.
If you need 60fps footage, the maximum resolution is 5.9K (5,888x3,312 pixels).
And, yes, ALL-Intra compression for the best quality results.
Open gate (3:2 aspect ratio) 8K capture at 30fps is also coming in a software update.
Its all looking very promising for the S1R II as a serious video capture tool.
IBIS (in-body image stabilisation) appears to have been improved too.
And it was and is fantastic in actual use.
The claim is even higher for the Lumix S1R II, though, at 8 stops.
Other core features are significantly better in the Lumix S1R II.
The EVF, for example, is in line with pricing much better.
Following user feedback, Panasonic has introduced individual doors in the Lumix S1R II for each connection port
The Panasonic Lumix S5 II X can record to SSD, the standard S5 II cannot.
Its no bigger, no heavier not to a meaningful degree and yet is more capable in every area.
Burst shooting is faster despite the much higher sensor resolution.
The ceiling on video modes is raised to 8K, or 4K at 120fps.
This is not a no-brainer buy, though.
An alternative to the Lumix S5 II is the Lumix S5 IIX. It’s practically the same camera save for some video-specific upgrades. Check out ourLumix S5 II vs S5 IIXarticle for more details.
