Well-rounded, lightweight, and sleek, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 20-60mm Lens meshes capable video and photo capabilities with a portable body design. Featuring a full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor, the S5 is distinguished by its UHD 4K60 10-bit internal recording, Dual Native ISO, and wide 14+-stop dynamic range. Beyond video, it caters to a versatile range of stills applications with 7 fps continuous shooting, ISO 100-51200 native range, and even a 96MP High-Res Shot mode. Regardless if working with photo or video, the S5 maintains a quick and accurate 225-area DFD autofocus system with refined subject tracking, as well as 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization to minimize the appearance of camera shake.
In terms of physical design, the S5 borrows elements from the larger S1-series of cameras but has a smaller footprint and lighter weight profile for improved portability. The S5 incorporated a 2.36m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and a free-angle 3.0" 1.84m-dot touchscreen LCD, and it has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. Dual SD memory card slots are featured, too, for flexible file storage and the body also has a splash- and dust-sealed design for working in trying conditions.
24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor and Venus Engine
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.
UHD 4K HDR Video Recording
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.
Body Design
- Used in conjunction with other members of the L-Mount Alliance, the L lens mount is a versatile interface with a mount diameter of 51.6mm and a flange distance of 20mm for working with a broad range of optics.
- High-resolution 2.36m-dot OLED EVF offers a clear 0.74x magnification along with a smooth 60 fps or 120 fps changeable refresh rate.
- Rear 3.0" 1.84m-dot LCD is a bright, clear means for live view shooting as well as playback and menu navigation. The screen features a free-angle design to suit working from high, low, and front-facing angles, and its touchscreen design affords intuitive settings control.
- Durable, weather-sealed construction is splash and dust-resistant to accommodate working in harsh weather conditions and trying environments.
- Dual SD memory card slots—one UHS-II-compatible slot, one UHS-I-compatible slot—offer improved flexibility for image storage, allowing you to segregate raw and JPEG files to different cards, save duplicate files to both cards, or simply double your storage space with overflow recording.
- A USB Type-C port allows for fast file transferring as well as high-speed in-camera battery charging. Additionally, an HDMI Type D port benefits video applications, a 2.5mm port can be used with the optional DMW-RS2 Remote Shutter, and 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks suit advanced audio recording needs.
- DMW-BLK22 rechargeable lithium-ion battery is rated for approximately 440 shots per charge when working with the rear monitor, 470 shots per charge with the EVF, and 1500 shots per charge when Power Save LVF mode is on.
- High-precision shutter mechanism offers a top mechanical speed of 1/8000 sec and a flash sync speed of 1/250 sec.
Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
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.
DFD Autofocus System
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.
6K and 4K PHOTO
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 and Wi-Fi
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.
Other Camera Features
- By using sensor-shift stabilization technology, the S5 features a High Resolution mode to capture and compile eight separate exposure to create a single 96MP raw or JPEG file. Suitable for static subjects and when working on a tripod, this mode creates a more highly detailed and color accurate image than a single shot alone can produce and produces an image with a 12000 x 8000-pixel resolution.
- HLG Photo mode offers increased dynamic range for improved detail in shadow and highlight regions of the image. When working in HLG Photo mode, images can be saved as an HSP file in either 4K or full resolution, in addition to JPEG and raw formats, for vivid playback on 4K televisions.
- In addition to conventional 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, and 16:9 ratios, photos can also be recorded in 65:24 and 2:1 panoramic formats.
- Helping to contain bright highlights, Highlight Weighted Metering mode prioritizes highlight values when making an exposure metering in order to prevent scenes from blowing out.
- Offering more versatility than standard Auto White Balance (AWB), an AWBw setting will retain a reddish warm tint while AWBc offers a cooler, bluish tint.
- Photo Style modes: Standard, Vivid, Natural, Flat, Landscape, Portrait, Monochrome, L. Monochrome, L. Monochrome D, Cinelike D, Cinelike V, Like709, Standard (HLG), Monochrome (HLG), Like2100, and My Photo Style.
Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
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.
