Sony indeed perfected their autofocus over the years so it's quite understandable for Panasonic to struggle autofocus wise. I'm so excited about Panasonic as they're now on the road to rule the camera world as they should have long ago 💯
Problem is the real competition is Sony. I for one bought in Sony system for the autofocus only. Menu is crap, video capabilities are limited and stabe is a joke, unless you have unlimited time to play with their Catalyst frame cropper. So I would buy this right away if Sony lenses would be suitable to it anyhow. On the other hand I also have a ton of m43 lenses and a focus hunting g9. Another option would be to have a proper focusing m43. But I think this is what they give and nothing else.
@@ÁzsiábaSzakadtam Hopefully Panasonic will release a m4/3 body with phase detect AF. I think most people are hoping for a GH6 ii or GH7 type camera, but I'd personally like to see a G10 with a 40+ MP sensor for better sports/wildlife photography.
I don't really understand your comments about all the many things you can't and can not do, and not knowing what can be done and what not? In my experience with both Sony Canon and Panasonic, Pana is the brand that gives you the moest features and the most possibilities. There's very little things this camera can not do, while there's been many times I've been surprised with certain features a Sony didn't let me do. For example, lack of amount of aspect ratio markers, using aspect ratio markers and frame guides at the same time, not being able to monitor your own lut, poor IBIS, etc.
Wow, it finally happened after all those years! Unfortunately, I'm deeply invested in the Sony system. I kept the GH5s for the good old love and memories of Panasonic (also, I couldn't sell it for at least a respectable price on the second-hand market).
Yup. I will always use my GH5, but I bought into the Sony ecosystem with the A7siii (that doesn't crop 4K60) like a lot of people, and am not coming back. People were telling Panasonic to do this for almost a decade and they lost a TON of people by dragging their heels on this.
His last points digging panasonic for not having apsc compatible lenses sounds personal for some reason. Pana not having as much "panasonic" lenses...It's part of the L mount alliance, which is apsc compatible for the dozens of people who need full frame and apsc compatible systems. so it doesn't make sense considering canon r lenses have no third party manufacturer and is perhaps even more limited. That part makes him sound like a Sony elitist coping to a degree. Bc it's not like fuji makes ff cameras but he would make a dig against fuji for not having ff compatible lenses.
Panasonic AF struggles and not reliable > shows one EXAMPLE ONLY LoL! Are you serious? Also 130 lens are available for L mount on b&h??? What lens is lacking really? Its more than nikon Z or Canon Rf...first time i watch one of your videos and since the start we can already feel you being bias..are you under sony now lol?
RUclipsrs : "Panasonic has the best video features out there, with good autofocus they will destroy the competition". The moment they come up with a great value camera with good video features and good autofocus : "I'm torn..." I personally don't thing Panasonic ever needed autofocus but that's what the competition (and RUclipsrs) force them to do. Will be interesting to see what'll happen next.
Yeah, they keep pushing the goalpost. Now that the autofocus is almost on par, he needs slow motion to show that the sony has a whoping 3 frames advantage here and there. Oh and panasonic doesn't have all those lenses too, etc. Baffling.
my thought exactly...first time I see a review where in video they actually slowed down the footage to show that sony is 1 frame better LOL but if you watch his other links, you will see that panasonic tracking is actually faster than sony, of course that will be not included in the video haha. Also the af struggles and shows 1 example only LOL
@@cedricavi4514 I call them RUclips scrubs, they are spoiled brats who think even physics itself doesn't exist. For example, if they wanted all features for video autofocus on the S5 II in say 1080p 180fps, the processor would have to be more powerful most likely, increasing the cost of the camera, then they'd be complaining about the cost. Panasonic foolishly listened to the dynamic range scrubs for the GH6, sacrificing that camera on the RUclips alter to provide the scrubs with the best DR out of MFT video but ... the camera has streaking and other issues. They should have just given us good old VLOG-L (want top DR go to full frame), same other specs in the GH6 for the most part along with tried and true dual native ISO ... and perhaps on sensor Live ND in at least 1, 2 and 3 stop increments. Way, way more useful than "best" dynamic range. I could get a standard exposure for the scene at say 4K30, then switch to 4K60 for some slow motion and reduce the built in ND by 1 stop with a custom button. 4K120? Reduce by 2 stops. All using shutter angle of course, maintaining all exposure settings by using the Live NDs, and while still using proper NDs but just less switching of them. But you hear few on RUclips talking about that, after all they put variable NDs (absolutely disgusting polarization artifacts and color shifts) on their expensive video setups and utterly destroy the colors in their footage. I personally use proper NDs in 1,2,3,4 stop increments and can stack two for up to 7 stops. I have these square NDs from when PolarPro released the BaseCamp matte box system. Oh, don't try to go buy them now. PolarPro stopped selling them over a year ago (guess no one was buying) but of course they sell variable NDs with mist crap (you can achieve same effect in post) built in to appease the scrubs. Disgusting. I used to watch most new camera reviews out of curiosity but stopped for a long time. With the S5 II being a big deal for Panasonic, I watched a lot of reviews lol. This is an excellent camera and of course Panasonic will improve on the autofocus in time, but autofocus has never been critical for me in video, like ... give us Live NDs at the sensor level please. I'd pay $200 more in a Panasonic mirrorless camera for that, even $300 more. The Olympus has it so I know Panasonic can do it. When you can manually focus on woodpeckers doing their thing between tree branches and track them yourself, you realize that even the very best autofocus can't do that: ruclips.net/video/PXma1Z631pQ/видео.html - The new autofocus will surely make it into future Panasonic cameras and will definitely allow us to use autofocus in more situations (which is fantastic), but I do not die on the autofocus or dynamic range hills like most of the RUclipsrs do. It's really sad.
Big fan but when the company flies you to Tokyo and you get to walk around the city with your wife it's a free vacation and that's a sponsorship bud. I'm not even mad that's impressive.
I've been a Panasonic shooter for over a decade, started with the GH series and currently own an EVA1 and S5 mk1. I love their cameras and esp. their colours - for me they've always seemed to have a strong video-first approach which has kept me shooting with them. I've never been too fussed about auto-focus which is probably why I've stuck with Panasonic over the years. Early reviews seem to show big improvements in their AF but it's still not at the level of Sony and Canon - so I don't know whether it'll be enough to tempt these shooters over - although the price point really is aggressive! I wish Panasonic would update their compact cine cam line - we need a successor to the EVA1 - hopefully LUMIX have plans for an L-mount cine cam...
I would like to see them do something like the Sony FX3 or FX30. I love the hybrid all in one capabilities of this cam, but I think a straight pocket cinema shooter would be a welcome addition to their line.
@@extramedium3920 yeah that would be great - I guess as Sony has more of a market share it can afford to diversify it's line a bit. Even with the S5's small size, I'd really love a powerful compact, video only cine cam. I'm excited to see what else Panasonic has on the horizon in 2022 - I'm sure we'll see an S1H ii or S2H - if the specs were right I think that'd convince me to upgrade from my S5 (which I use as a B-cam to my Komodo).
I'm in the same boat, shooting on an S1H and two S5s. I am not reliant on AF but I am certainly happy to have it. I shoot a lot of events and festivals and would definitely love to have AF for certain B-Roll shots and other occasional situations like a group of attendees walking toward the camera being silly, it usually happens with little warning and can make a great shot. I've watched a ton of reviews on this camera and most of them, except this one, DO seem to think it's damn near on par with Sony and Canon, so I dunno. He only provided one clip of it losing focus and it did it on an area with complicated text and lines. Out of all the shooting he must have done in Japan, I imagine he'd have more than one clip if it was really a persistent issue. Nonetheless, it (and the telephoto lens issue) definitely looks like something that can (and probably will) be fixed with firmware. Personally, I already pre-ordered the X version and will be replacing both of my S5s with the S5iix. Once they release the S1Hii(x?) I can't imagine I will be left wanting for any features.
Phase detect! This is the one thing that stifled Panasonic from competing with Sony and Canon for video. I feel like they were ahead of everyone with 4K 60, no record limits, 10-bit video, & industry-leading IBIS with the GH5. And after taking so long to finally change, they’re now playing catch-up. But I think they are the leaders in video innovation and have an opportunity to really compete again. I have been rooting for them and after the GH6 still with the old contrast-based auto-focus wondered if they were just stubborn to their own demise. Very glad to see they finally adjusted!
Maybe they didn’t have the funds to develop that then? It does not have anything to do with stubbornness. We will never know the work and money they go into good autofocus algorithm and coding. Just adding “phase” autofocus in the description doesn’t mean they have perfect autofocus yet. The technology costs a lot of money. And they plan cameras years in advance. Plus the GHx was always a more filmmaker camera. You would add a cine lens and manually focus anyways. The thing that saved them was going full frame. Now they can afford to truly invest in phase detection autofocus. The GH8-10 might one day be on par with Sony. Don’t expect that from next FIRST phase detect model.
I don't think any of the competitors match Panasonic whatsoever in video features. I don't think Canon has a mirrorless camera (outside their cinema line) that can continuously record in any resolution for longer than about 15 to 30 mins without either hitting a software limit, or overheating.
Before making any claims it would be best to test the cameras first. In other reviewers' tests with the cameras in hand the new Panasonic Autofocus is better than the Canon autofocus.
.... also if you say that the Panasonic L-Mount system has few optics you should honestly say what is missing, there are more than 60 optics available and many also anamorphic ..
Hey Caleb, any idea how the IBIS on the Sony FX30 compares to the Lumix S5 II? Apart from the APSC sensor and no EVF, the FX30 seems like a much better value: It's $400 less than the S5 IIX and, unlike the S5II, shoots 4K up to 120fps (the S5IIX only does a max of 4K 60fps in APSC crop mode). If the IBIS on the FX30 is close to the S5II, IMO, the frame rates alone make it a better value.
Impressive! Ive been using the original S5 since release as a B-cam next the BMPCC4K (later the 6KPRO) end ended up getting a second S5 in 2021. These are some very welcome upgrades! Might have to think about upgrading :)
I love what this means for future Leica cameras. The Q3 maybe? The Q2 has hilariously overpowered video features (internal 10bit C4K recording) but no usable AF-C at all. If this tech makes it into the full frame cameras of the alliance, this will be awesome.
It's nice to know with all the insane hyperbole that RUclipsrs are using when a new camera comes out (like now, everybody has titles like "The best AF" and "Better Than Sony") this channel is more level headed and logical and spits facts.
I got interested in video production when the GH5 was the best in the industry and all the people are waiting for PDAF in panasonic bodies. Now, finally, we see that 😄 Considering what Panasonic has achieved with contrast-based detection only for the past decade, I think they can resolve the issues you have found fairly quickly.
S&Q is not a new mode, it’s on the original S5. Also the original could do 4:2:2 10 bit (it’s the main reason I bought the thing lmao) while you said it couldn’t.
Panasonic jumped straight to 3rd / 2nd best Auto Focus only slightly behind sony. And the video capabilities provided in the body for a fraction of the cost blows all the competitors out of the park. Well done panasonic
So Caleb, Sounds like you are shooting this video with the Sony a7iv. Okay, so why aren't you as hard on that camera as you have been on this review? The Sony a7iv has a rep for being one of the worst ever overheating cameras ever released by Sony in the last few years when shooting video. Hope that you do a complete review of the Sony a7iv and get Sony engineers and techies to do all of the reforms that you expect Panasonic to make for you after they gave you a paid four day whirlwind tour of Japan!
Awfully interesting to eventually see everyone on-system who "Never uses autofocus why would you need autofocus" suddenly start saying how wonderful and essential the autofocus is once these ship.
It's a great camera and I had the original S5 but I just couldn't get a good lens for it that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The cheapest lens I could find that would actually allow me to take advantage of the Dual IS was a grand. So until that changes not for me I'm afraid.
Thanks for the review, Caleb! A few other side notes: S5 II now has TRUE 24fps (in addition to 23.98fps). Also line level audio input, and the MC-21 now provides CONTINUOUS autofocs with Canon EF / Sigma EF-mount lenses (whether it is usable or not kind of depends on the eye of the beholder). I think you mentioned the improved EVF. I am DEFINITELY going to get the S5 II X when it comes out... probably two of them.
Great video as always. Thank you for all the work putting this together. I have to say your "Issues" section is a bit...interesting. Dinging Panasonic, on the day they announce their first Phase Detect camera, for not having other Phase Detect bodies? Lol. And lens lineup? The L-Mount lineup is pretty good for hybrid shooters. Panny has always had very good kit zooms and the 20-60mm is great. Leica, Lumix and Sigma all provide Pro 24-70/90 options. Panny now has the full set of f1.8 primes, all with same physical design. It will be interesting to see if the new AF helps the Sigma lenses. I guess my needs are pretty basic. Honest question, what is missing? f1.2 primes?
Yeah, I agree. Caleb lost me with that lens lineup comment. I think Panasonic has been filling out its native lens lineup quite nicely over the past couple of years. I love how well throughout their L-mount primes are. And no, he should not have dinged them for not having more bodies with PDAF at this point. That was a bit odd.
Thanks for a good video, Caleb! Question: have you received any updates while you were making this video? I think Gerald Undone mentioned that there’s already been an update that apparently improved IBIS a bit, so I’m wondering if Panasonic perhaps worked already on some AF issues as well?
I love your reviews and advice. I've been using a LUMIX GH 4 for many years. It was fine for the videos I shoot for myself. But I'm ready to move to something better. I want auto focus for sure. The other thing I'm looking for is low light capability. Philip Bloom's review of the *Sony a7S iii* showed me a world in the dark that I never thought was possible. Yes, it's much more expensive but I don't care. So this is a long lead up to a question about the Panasonic S5 II: how is it in low light capability? (I imagine it isn't special or you would have talked about it, but I had to ask.)
@@SeezSantos 6K/60? 😆 Might wanna take a look at that spec sheet again. But you’re still missing the point that this camera shouldn’t have a problem with 4K/60 full frame.
so...at this point...Sony A7Siii is better (but more expensive) than this Panasonic? Is this panasonic "better" than the Sony FX30? for video only-I don't take pics at all-thanks!
Are you sure about ProRes internally on S5IIX? BH photo site says no "The Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX Mirrorless Camera does not have internal ProRes. ProRes is available while using an external recorder. Answered by Dennis A Staff Jan 4, 2023
Hopefully will update the S1H with phase detect autofocus...sounds trivial but I hate flippy screens or like the option of a tilt screen for run and gun.
I bought it for the stabilization - pretty good in that respect. I changed the autofocus setting to human - it still does head and eyes when in the frame but is much more reliable. As I was only buying one camera - I didn't care how many other models were available. Sigma makes some great lenses for this camera at a reasonable price - so its working out pretty well.
11:13 - For Sony in S&Q you need to increase the speed of the AF system to smooth out the focusing steps. Maybe this is the same solution for the S5ii?
Awesome review as always. What are your thoughts regarding image quality specially for those that have the S5 and mainly record in ProRes 422 and HQ? Worth the upgrade from that if you don't really care about Auto Focus?
When shooting 4K. S5II set to 50p + MC-21 + Canon 24-70 2.8 mark2 does not work well. S5II set to 50p + MC-21 + Sigma 18-35 1.8 works perfectly. S5II + MC-21 + Tamron 70-200 2.8 older version won't display an image. I hope this helps.
Is nobody going to talk about how the 4k 60 APS-C is a huuuge deal breaker? If you're filming any type of event, wedding, real state or whatever you'll get basically an APS-C camera 😩 Honestly, I would rather have uncropped 60p rather than 6k Pro Res... What do you think?
On my new S5II Sigma 28-70 autofocus, it only works well at 4k resolution and above. In FullHD, focus is very often lost, missed, or simply not focused. There is a feeling that the phase detection autofocus does not work in FullHD.
hello from france. thank you for this almost complete review (nothing on the isos for example). it is complicated!!! af tests are different from one tester to another. the youtuber from new zealand, made huge tests and the results are very close to the A7 IV and R6 II .... peros I only do video and was left pana (GH5) because of the rise in iso catastrophic and pitiful af. I bought a sony A7 IV and I find that it lacks character in video. I resell it for panasonic S5 II because it still has a great af, a good rise in iso and the C4K!!!!!! and 6K!!!! for me A7iv is hybrid still and video while pana S5 II is a video camera. thank you for your work.
How incredibly dumb is it that Panasonic doesn't release the X version - they stagger the release HALF A YEAR later smh. I almost bought this camera but I'm skipping it because the X isn't available .. Sony it is, Panasonic almost had me
Panasonic needs to work on eliminating limitations? Just don't shoot over 30p and there are basically none, which is totally okay for $2000. The A7 IV can't do opengate or DCI at all, for example.
I can’t afford a RED Komodo with global shutter presently so I’m happily in the “I have rolling shutter and I’m okay with it” camp. If there is a rolling shutter issue with high frequency camera vibration when the camera is mounted to a car or other vehicle, I suppose I could just rent a RED Komodo for that specific shot, or simply (more likely) as the director, cut that scene from the project.
So I guess Panasonic told the reviewers to avoid comparing it to the GH6. This camera likely exists to appease the full frame Sony crowd who won’t have it any other way. Then they are forced to undercut Sonys price, and the GH6 launch price, while still offering a better image than the GH6. A simple comparison appears to immediately make the GH6 irrelevant. Not a great practice with your lineups on Panasonics part.
Just can't touch Panasonic's stabilization. I'm using L-mount Sigma primes and it feels like I'm using a gimbal. I can easily do slider shots etc just with my body handheld now.
Panasonic shut up and take my money! Truth is this camera despite some of these subtle issues is set to take the world by storm and give real competition to the Sony mafioso. Good review. You also didn't mention about shooting in 6k at 4:3 and being able to crop that down to both vertical and horizontal formats for video. How about stabilization? The Panasonic s5II is a true hybrid camera. great at shooting photos with the rolling shutter and better image stabilization. At bellow $2k, this is currently the best camera to have for content creators. Periodt!
It's really funny how different the ratings of the SII's autofocus are among the various serious RUclipsrs. There are those who give an awful lot of bad reviews, like you, and then there are those who say AF hasn't even disappointed them in the last few weeks of work. You almost forgot about him. Then there are the same pictures as yours, towards the camera, away from the camera, and above all (which didn't work so well with you), quickly hold another camera in the picture and snap, the focus is right, take it away and the face is sharp again. A Ytouber woman did it 10 times in a row in Tokyo, and the autofocus was perfect every time. Not with you. I don't understand how you can get such different results. Could it be that the pre-production cameras were different from each other?
First thanks for the video Ive been looking for a hybrid and right now its down to fuji xh2, xh2s and panasonic s5 II and your video is helping out a lot. I would like to disagree on your second issue for the S5 II :D. i think the there are a lot lenses for consideration for the line there are the 1.8 lenses from lumix, then the Sigma art and contemporary l mounts which are very nice, the leica l mounts (if you have bank lol) and if you have the sigma mc 21 you have an option for canon ef glass. i think there are in a good spot like all the other companies they just need some time. again thanks for the video!!
Thanks for the video. The original S5’s peaking on the rear display was ok when shooting 1080, but the peaking worsened when shooting 4K. Can you tell if the peaking on the rear display is good when shooting 4K, or is there a difference between shooting 1080 vs 4k?
Sony indeed perfected their autofocus over the years so it's quite understandable for Panasonic to struggle autofocus wise. I'm so excited about Panasonic as they're now on the road to rule the camera world as they should have long ago 💯
Can you do a comparison between the S5 II X and the S1H?
Kai W's review showed that it actually works really well with adapted Canon EF lenses, so lens selection shouldn't be a problem.
Tony & Chelsea also demoed the Canon adapter
Problem is the real competition is Sony. I for one bought in Sony system for the autofocus only. Menu is crap, video capabilities are limited and stabe is a joke, unless you have unlimited time to play with their Catalyst frame cropper.
So I would buy this right away if Sony lenses would be suitable to it anyhow.
On the other hand I also have a ton of m43 lenses and a focus hunting g9.
Another option would be to have a proper focusing m43.
But I think this is what they give and nothing else.
@@ÁzsiábaSzakadtam Hopefully Panasonic will release a m4/3 body with phase detect AF. I think most people are hoping for a GH6 ii or GH7 type camera, but I'd personally like to see a G10 with a 40+ MP sensor for better sports/wildlife photography.
I don't really understand your comments about all the many things you can't and can not do, and not knowing what can be done and what not? In my experience with both Sony Canon and Panasonic, Pana is the brand that gives you the moest features and the most possibilities.
There's very little things this camera can not do, while there's been many times I've been surprised with certain features a Sony didn't let me do.
For example, lack of amount of aspect ratio markers, using aspect ratio markers and frame guides at the same time, not being able to monitor your own lut, poor IBIS, etc.
Wow, it finally happened after all those years! Unfortunately, I'm deeply invested in the Sony system. I kept the GH5s for the good old love and memories of Panasonic (also, I couldn't sell it for at least a respectable price on the second-hand market).
I hear ya man! Looking forward to seeing what they do with the lens/camera body lineup going forward!
The 2nd hand market is fine. Lmao.
Shame here. All Sony, but kept the gh5s for family stuff!
Yup. I will always use my GH5, but I bought into the Sony ecosystem with the A7siii (that doesn't crop 4K60) like a lot of people, and am not coming back. People were telling Panasonic to do this for almost a decade and they lost a TON of people by dragging their heels on this.
If you a hybrid Sony still the best. The pics on this camera look sub par. If your a video only then yeah this makes a lot of sense
I was never really interested in Panasonic cameras but this is the first one that I would like to try.
I feel there may be a lot of folks in the same boat!
@@dslrvideoshooterHey Caleb.. Can you share When is the S1H ii coming..?
His last points digging panasonic for not having apsc compatible lenses sounds personal for some reason. Pana not having as much "panasonic" lenses...It's part of the L mount alliance, which is apsc compatible for the dozens of people who need full frame and apsc compatible systems. so it doesn't make sense considering canon r lenses have no third party manufacturer and is perhaps even more limited. That part makes him sound like a Sony elitist coping to a degree. Bc it's not like fuji makes ff cameras but he would make a dig against fuji for not having ff compatible lenses.
Your wife is GORGEOUS 💐💐🔥
would love to see a auto focus test with the mc-21 adapter for sigma EF lenses 😉
Kai did on his video
Panasonic AF struggles and not reliable > shows one EXAMPLE ONLY LoL!
Are you serious? Also 130 lens are available for L mount on b&h??? What lens is lacking really? Its more than nikon Z or Canon Rf...first time i watch one of your videos and since the start we can already feel you being bias..are you under sony now lol?
RUclipsrs : "Panasonic has the best video features out there, with good autofocus they will destroy the competition". The moment they come up with a great value camera with good video features and good autofocus : "I'm torn..." I personally don't thing Panasonic ever needed autofocus but that's what the competition (and RUclipsrs) force them to do. Will be interesting to see what'll happen next.
Yeah, they keep pushing the goalpost. Now that the autofocus is almost on par, he needs slow motion to show that the sony has a whoping 3 frames advantage here and there. Oh and panasonic doesn't have all those lenses too, etc.
Baffling.
Really depends on your needs. Some ppl are full manual so this update don't matter much to them
@@takoflame4948 Exactly. But RUclips is obsessed with sensor size and autofocus. It can confuse viewers into thinking it's a big deal.
my thought exactly...first time I see a review where in video they actually slowed down the footage to show that sony is 1 frame better LOL but if you watch his other links, you will see that panasonic tracking is actually faster than sony, of course that will be not included in the video haha. Also the af struggles and shows 1 example only LOL
@@cedricavi4514 I call them RUclips scrubs, they are spoiled brats who think even physics itself doesn't exist. For example, if they wanted all features for video autofocus on the S5 II in say 1080p 180fps, the processor would have to be more powerful most likely, increasing the cost of the camera, then they'd be complaining about the cost. Panasonic foolishly listened to the dynamic range scrubs for the GH6, sacrificing that camera on the RUclips alter to provide the scrubs with the best DR out of MFT video but ... the camera has streaking and other issues. They should have just given us good old VLOG-L (want top DR go to full frame), same other specs in the GH6 for the most part along with tried and true dual native ISO ... and perhaps on sensor Live ND in at least 1, 2 and 3 stop increments. Way, way more useful than "best" dynamic range. I could get a standard exposure for the scene at say 4K30, then switch to 4K60 for some slow motion and reduce the built in ND by 1 stop with a custom button. 4K120? Reduce by 2 stops. All using shutter angle of course, maintaining all exposure settings by using the Live NDs, and while still using proper NDs but just less switching of them. But you hear few on RUclips talking about that, after all they put variable NDs (absolutely disgusting polarization artifacts and color shifts) on their expensive video setups and utterly destroy the colors in their footage. I personally use proper NDs in 1,2,3,4 stop increments and can stack two for up to 7 stops. I have these square NDs from when PolarPro released the BaseCamp matte box system. Oh, don't try to go buy them now. PolarPro stopped selling them over a year ago (guess no one was buying) but of course they sell variable NDs with mist crap (you can achieve same effect in post) built in to appease the scrubs. Disgusting. I used to watch most new camera reviews out of curiosity but stopped for a long time. With the S5 II being a big deal for Panasonic, I watched a lot of reviews lol. This is an excellent camera and of course Panasonic will improve on the autofocus in time, but autofocus has never been critical for me in video, like ... give us Live NDs at the sensor level please. I'd pay $200 more in a Panasonic mirrorless camera for that, even $300 more. The Olympus has it so I know Panasonic can do it. When you can manually focus on woodpeckers doing their thing between tree branches and track them yourself, you realize that even the very best autofocus can't do that: ruclips.net/video/PXma1Z631pQ/видео.html - The new autofocus will surely make it into future Panasonic cameras and will definitely allow us to use autofocus in more situations (which is fantastic), but I do not die on the autofocus or dynamic range hills like most of the RUclipsrs do. It's really sad.
If you are looking for an unbiased review, skip this video. It is just 19 minutes of Panasonic bad, Sony good. Haters going to hate.
Big fan but when the company flies you to Tokyo and you get to walk around the city with your wife it's a free vacation and that's a sponsorship bud.
I'm not even mad that's impressive.
I've been a Panasonic shooter for over a decade, started with the GH series and currently own an EVA1 and S5 mk1. I love their cameras and esp. their colours - for me they've always seemed to have a strong video-first approach which has kept me shooting with them.
I've never been too fussed about auto-focus which is probably why I've stuck with Panasonic over the years. Early reviews seem to show big improvements in their AF but it's still not at the level of Sony and Canon - so I don't know whether it'll be enough to tempt these shooters over - although the price point really is aggressive!
I wish Panasonic would update their compact cine cam line - we need a successor to the EVA1 - hopefully LUMIX have plans for an L-mount cine cam...
I would like to see them do something like the Sony FX3 or FX30. I love the hybrid all in one capabilities of this cam, but I think a straight pocket cinema shooter would be a welcome addition to their line.
@@extramedium3920 yeah that would be great - I guess as Sony has more of a market share it can afford to diversify it's line a bit. Even with the S5's small size, I'd really love a powerful compact, video only cine cam. I'm excited to see what else Panasonic has on the horizon in 2022 - I'm sure we'll see an S1H ii or S2H - if the specs were right I think that'd convince me to upgrade from my S5 (which I use as a B-cam to my Komodo).
I'm in the same boat, shooting on an S1H and two S5s. I am not reliant on AF but I am certainly happy to have it. I shoot a lot of events and festivals and would definitely love to have AF for certain B-Roll shots and other occasional situations like a group of attendees walking toward the camera being silly, it usually happens with little warning and can make a great shot.
I've watched a ton of reviews on this camera and most of them, except this one, DO seem to think it's damn near on par with Sony and Canon, so I dunno. He only provided one clip of it losing focus and it did it on an area with complicated text and lines. Out of all the shooting he must have done in Japan, I imagine he'd have more than one clip if it was really a persistent issue.
Nonetheless, it (and the telephoto lens issue) definitely looks like something that can (and probably will) be fixed with firmware. Personally, I already pre-ordered the X version and will be replacing both of my S5s with the S5iix. Once they release the S1Hii(x?) I can't imagine I will be left wanting for any features.
I really wish they had included the tilting/rotating screen from the GH6... it would have been an almost perfect camera.
It would have been nice to have the tilting/rotating screen, but they need to give people reasons to buy an S1H mark II.
Phase detect! This is the one thing that stifled Panasonic from competing with Sony and Canon for video. I feel like they were ahead of everyone with 4K 60, no record limits, 10-bit video, & industry-leading IBIS with the GH5. And after taking so long to finally change, they’re now playing catch-up. But I think they are the leaders in video innovation and have an opportunity to really compete again. I have been rooting for them and after the GH6 still with the old contrast-based auto-focus wondered if they were just stubborn to their own demise. Very glad to see they finally adjusted!
Maybe they didn’t have the funds to develop that then?
It does not have anything to do with stubbornness.
We will never know the work and money they go into good autofocus algorithm and coding.
Just adding “phase” autofocus in the description doesn’t mean they have perfect autofocus yet.
The technology costs a lot of money. And they plan cameras years in advance.
Plus the GHx was always a more filmmaker camera.
You would add a cine lens and manually focus anyways.
The thing that saved them was going full frame.
Now they can afford to truly invest in phase detection autofocus.
The GH8-10 might one day be on par with Sony.
Don’t expect that from next FIRST phase detect model.
I don't think any of the competitors match Panasonic whatsoever in video features.
I don't think Canon has a mirrorless camera (outside their cinema line) that can continuously record in any resolution for longer than about 15 to 30 mins without either hitting a software limit, or overheating.
Before making any claims it would be best to test the cameras first. In other reviewers' tests with the cameras in hand the new Panasonic Autofocus is better than the Canon autofocus.
.... also if you say that the Panasonic L-Mount system has few optics you should honestly say what is missing, there are more than 60 optics available and many also anamorphic ..
Nice review Caleb. Don’t forget we are in the beginning of 2023 though 😅
The S5 IIX is definitely the way! Great start for lumix! Hopefully the can fix most of the autofocus problems with firmware.
Yes, I will definitely be switching out my S5 for S5IIX
@@Fedorevsky Same here. I'll also be swapping out my GH5 once they have a new version of that camera with PDAF as well.
Really hope they spoil us with the 5.76 EVF from the S1.
Hey Caleb, any idea how the IBIS on the Sony FX30 compares to the Lumix S5 II?
Apart from the APSC sensor and no EVF, the FX30 seems like a much better value: It's $400 less than the S5 IIX and, unlike the S5II, shoots 4K up to 120fps (the S5IIX only does a max of 4K 60fps in APSC crop mode). If the IBIS on the FX30 is close to the S5II, IMO, the frame rates alone make it a better value.
Fx30? Not even Fx3 or A7S iii is close
Impressive! Ive been using the original S5 since release as a B-cam next the BMPCC4K (later the 6KPRO) end ended up getting a second S5 in 2021. These are some very welcome upgrades!
Might have to think about upgrading :)
It's funny how nobody ever critiques the BMD cams for not having autofocus.
@@extramedium3920 It's one thing not having autofocus. It's another thing having BAD autofocus. ;P
I love what this means for future Leica cameras. The Q3 maybe? The Q2 has hilariously overpowered video features (internal 10bit C4K recording) but no usable AF-C at all. If this tech makes it into the full frame cameras of the alliance, this will be awesome.
The image looks fantastic.
Love me some V-Log!
It's nice to know with all the insane hyperbole that RUclipsrs are using when a new camera comes out (like now, everybody has titles like "The best AF" and "Better Than Sony") this channel is more level headed and logical and spits facts.
The RUclipsr‘s test with recording the screen via HDMI is nonsense. It surely degrades AF capabilities. Cameras are not designed for that.
I got interested in video production when the GH5 was the best in the industry and all the people are waiting for PDAF in panasonic bodies. Now, finally, we see that 😄
Considering what Panasonic has achieved with contrast-based detection only for the past decade, I think they can resolve the issues you have found fairly quickly.
Something not many people are talking about, but between better focus and loading your own LUTs, they basically just killed Fujifilm.
"...here at the beginning of 2022" Khm... Freud would like a word, when did you get this camera? lol
This complaining on the af is nitpicking to me. Any af system has its quirks at times and this is the first firmware.
i'll wait for the gh7 with these upgrades XD
Forget the camera, you lost weight and you look great bro. Props.
You just want to make people spend money. This channel is bad.
For being first gen AF it’s really impressive and i thi k they csn even improved it by firmware updates.
S&Q is not a new mode, it’s on the original S5. Also the original could do 4:2:2 10 bit (it’s the main reason I bought the thing lmao) while you said it couldn’t.
Panasonic jumped straight to 3rd / 2nd best Auto Focus only slightly behind sony. And the video capabilities provided in the body for a fraction of the cost blows all the competitors out of the park. Well done panasonic
Need this in M4/3 camera!!!!!!
rofl those are dead foo
Well you got it! G9ii and GH7!
All I heard was Sony A7iv is better
So Caleb, Sounds like you are shooting this video with the Sony a7iv. Okay, so why aren't you as hard on that camera as you have been on this review? The Sony a7iv has a rep for being one of the worst ever overheating cameras ever released by Sony in the last few years when shooting video. Hope that you do a complete review of the Sony a7iv and get Sony engineers and techies to do all of the reforms that you expect Panasonic to make for you after they gave you a paid four day whirlwind tour of Japan!
so salty!
Amazing! Ibis seems incredible too, Panasonic keeps impressing me. Might want to sell my S1 for this!!
Awfully interesting to eventually see everyone on-system who "Never uses autofocus why would you need autofocus" suddenly start saying how wonderful and essential the autofocus is once these ship.
Hehehehehehe
The Panasonic S5 Mark ii X might be worth it over the Panasonic S5 Mark ii
It's a great camera and I had the original S5 but I just couldn't get a good lens for it that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The cheapest lens I could find that would actually allow me to take advantage of the Dual IS was a grand. So until that changes not for me I'm afraid.
Thanks for the review, Caleb! A few other side notes: S5 II now has TRUE 24fps (in addition to 23.98fps). Also line level audio input, and the MC-21 now provides CONTINUOUS autofocs with Canon EF / Sigma EF-mount lenses (whether it is usable or not kind of depends on the eye of the beholder). I think you mentioned the improved EVF. I am DEFINITELY going to get the S5 II X when it comes out... probably two of them.
Great video as always. Thank you for all the work putting this together. I have to say your "Issues" section is a bit...interesting. Dinging Panasonic, on the day they announce their first Phase Detect camera, for not having other Phase Detect bodies? Lol. And lens lineup? The L-Mount lineup is pretty good for hybrid shooters. Panny has always had very good kit zooms and the 20-60mm is great. Leica, Lumix and Sigma all provide Pro 24-70/90 options. Panny now has the full set of f1.8 primes, all with same physical design. It will be interesting to see if the new AF helps the Sigma lenses. I guess my needs are pretty basic. Honest question, what is missing? f1.2 primes?
Yeah, I agree. Caleb lost me with that lens lineup comment. I think Panasonic has been filling out its native lens lineup quite nicely over the past couple of years. I love how well throughout their L-mount primes are. And no, he should not have dinged them for not having more bodies with PDAF at this point. That was a bit odd.
Thanks for a good video, Caleb! Question: have you received any updates while you were making this video? I think Gerald Undone mentioned that there’s already been an update that apparently improved IBIS a bit, so I’m wondering if Panasonic perhaps worked already on some AF issues as well?
I love your reviews and advice.
I've been using a LUMIX GH 4 for many years. It was fine for the videos I shoot for myself. But I'm ready to move to something better. I want auto focus for sure. The other thing I'm looking for is low light capability. Philip Bloom's review of the *Sony a7S iii* showed me a world in the dark that I never thought was possible. Yes, it's much more expensive but I don't care.
So this is a long lead up to a question about the Panasonic S5 II: how is it in low light capability? (I imagine it isn't special or you would have talked about it, but I had to ask.)
18:16 caleb trying to reach his minimum word count on good things to say 😂 - jk. much love to my lumix family, and great review brother!
I can wait for firmware update to solve the AF issue. I need a ton of time to save enough pennies for my next camera anyway.
6:22 The S5 can record in 4:2:2 10 Bit 4k and C4k
Yeah that confused me as an S5 owner lmao.
I’m still lost on 4K/60 needing to crop when the camera has a high temp mode AND a fan.
Just shoot in 6K 60p Down scale in post later 🤷
@@SeezSantos 6K/60? 😆 Might wanna take a look at that spec sheet again. But you’re still missing the point that this camera shouldn’t have a problem with 4K/60 full frame.
@@TwoOneSe7en haha yea I re read them shortly after sending that message, talk to the engineers they probably have a reason!
I also wouldn’t be surprised if they are holding out on that tech for the S1 and S1H.
so...at this point...Sony A7Siii is better (but more expensive) than this Panasonic? Is this panasonic "better" than the Sony FX30? for video only-I don't take pics at all-thanks!
Are you sure about ProRes internally on S5IIX? BH photo site says no "The Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX Mirrorless Camera does not have internal ProRes. ProRes is available while using an external recorder.
Answered by Dennis A Staff Jan 4, 2023
Hopefully will update the S1H with phase detect autofocus...sounds trivial but I hate flippy screens or like the option of a tilt screen for run and gun.
I bought it for the stabilization - pretty good in that respect. I changed the autofocus setting to human - it still does head and eyes when in the frame but is much more reliable. As I was only buying one camera - I didn't care how many other models were available. Sigma makes some great lenses for this camera at a reasonable price - so its working out pretty well.
Woah with the Panasonic colors and workable autofocus, this is going to be a BEAST
Which cameras would you say outperform the S5 in autofocus? Is it better than the a7iii? Thanks for the video
Timecode❓️🤕🥺
I am impatiently waiting for your Camera Guide and LUTs for this camera.
I think the camera was hungry,seeing that van
Hey Caleb, check the email I sent you!!!
its gone to his spam folder
I still think the Panasonic image rivals Sony and Canon. Glad to see them finally riding the AF train properly.
11:13 - For Sony in S&Q you need to increase the speed of the AF system to smooth out the focusing steps. Maybe this is the same solution for the S5ii?
It’s a big question also for me!!
4k60p crop? Hard pass.
Would love to see a deep dive on the Fuji XH2s from you. You have a great knack of giving a really balanced view for video shooters.
Nothing would be enough for some "creators" it seems...
Fujifilm just had an update for auto focus for the xh2s.......it's way better now
Awesome review as always.
What are your thoughts regarding image quality specially for those that have the S5 and mainly record in ProRes 422 and HQ?
Worth the upgrade from that if you don't really care about Auto Focus?
"The original S5 could not do 4:2:2 10 bit...." Hahahah. Unsubscribe
Man! If they had done this 3 years ago I would’ve stuck with their system. Already heavily engrained in song now
When shooting 4K.
S5II set to 50p + MC-21 + Canon 24-70 2.8 mark2 does not work well.
S5II set to 50p + MC-21 + Sigma 18-35 1.8 works perfectly.
S5II + MC-21 + Tamron 70-200 2.8 older version won't display an image.
I hope this helps.
Honest review, Sony still better for autofokus
Is nobody going to talk about how the 4k 60 APS-C is a huuuge deal breaker? If you're filming any type of event, wedding, real state or whatever you'll get basically an APS-C camera 😩
Honestly, I would rather have uncropped 60p rather than 6k Pro Res... What do you think?
Hey! Does 1080p with lower framerates like 50 or 24 fps look "less line skipped / pixel binned" ? Cheers :)
On my new S5II Sigma 28-70 autofocus, it only works well at 4k resolution and above. In FullHD, focus is very often lost, missed, or simply not focused. There is a feeling that the phase detection autofocus does not work in FullHD.
11:30 Is that barrel distortion I'm looking at? Or you maliciously set up the background that way?
hello from france. thank you for this almost complete review (nothing on the isos for example). it is complicated!!! af tests are different from one tester to another. the youtuber from new zealand, made huge tests and the results are very close to the A7 IV and R6 II .... peros I only do video and was left pana (GH5) because of the rise in iso catastrophic and pitiful af. I bought a sony A7 IV and I find that it lacks character in video. I resell it for panasonic S5 II because it still has a great af, a good rise in iso and the C4K!!!!!! and 6K!!!! for me A7iv is hybrid still and video while pana S5 II is a video camera. thank you for your work.
How incredibly dumb is it that Panasonic doesn't release the X version - they stagger the release HALF A YEAR later smh. I almost bought this camera but I'm skipping it because the X isn't available .. Sony it is, Panasonic almost had me
Panasonic needs to work on eliminating limitations? Just don't shoot over 30p and there are basically none, which is totally okay for $2000. The A7 IV can't do opengate or DCI at all, for example.
I can’t afford a RED Komodo with global shutter presently so I’m happily in the “I have rolling shutter and I’m okay with it” camp. If there is a rolling shutter issue with high frequency camera vibration when the camera is mounted to a car or other vehicle, I suppose I could just rent a RED Komodo for that specific shot, or simply (more likely) as the director, cut that scene from the project.
Hey, I realised that you never reviewed the Fuji XH-2 or XH-2s... Are videos about those coming or are you sticking with only Sony/Panasonic reviews?
Panasonic: hello we have made a very budget friendly camera with amazing video, photo and autofocus
RUclipsrs: yeah I dunno about this camera guys
LumixS52 over heating with 4k@30
Not super important but wow, I love the black on black. This might catch on with other makers… just saying :). Cool video!!!
So I guess Panasonic told the reviewers to avoid comparing it to the GH6. This camera likely exists to appease the full frame Sony crowd who won’t have it any other way. Then they are forced to undercut Sonys price, and the GH6 launch price, while still offering a better image than the GH6. A simple comparison appears to immediately make the GH6 irrelevant. Not a great practice with your lineups on Panasonics part.
Nice video as always! Would've been cool to spot you in Japan lol. Happy New Year man.
Just can't touch Panasonic's stabilization. I'm using L-mount Sigma primes and it feels like I'm using a gimbal. I can easily do slider shots etc just with my body handheld now.
Panasonic shut up and take my money! Truth is this camera despite some of these subtle issues is set to take the world by storm and give real competition to the Sony mafioso. Good review. You also didn't mention about shooting in 6k at 4:3 and being able to crop that down to both vertical and horizontal formats for video. How about stabilization? The Panasonic s5II is a true hybrid camera. great at shooting photos with the rolling shutter and better image stabilization. At bellow $2k, this is currently the best camera to have for content creators. Periodt!
It's really funny how different the ratings of the SII's autofocus are among the various serious RUclipsrs. There are those who give an awful lot of bad reviews, like you, and then there are those who say AF hasn't even disappointed them in the last few weeks of work. You almost forgot about him. Then there are the same pictures as yours, towards the camera, away from the camera, and above all (which didn't work so well with you), quickly hold another camera in the picture and snap, the focus is right, take it away and the face is sharp again. A Ytouber woman did it 10 times in a row in Tokyo, and the autofocus was perfect every time. Not with you. I don't understand how you can get such different results. Could it be that the pre-production cameras were different from each other?
Amazing review Caleb! Tho your wonderful wife clearly steals the show 😆 - Emily 📸
First thanks for the video Ive been looking for a hybrid and right now its down to fuji xh2, xh2s and panasonic s5 II and your video is helping out a lot. I would like to disagree on your second issue for the S5 II :D. i think the there are a lot lenses for consideration for the line there are the 1.8 lenses from lumix, then the Sigma art and contemporary l mounts which are very nice, the leica l mounts (if you have bank lol) and if you have the sigma mc 21 you have an option for canon ef glass. i think there are in a good spot like all the other companies they just need some time. again thanks for the video!!
Focus glitch is becouse continious af for movement, for still and little movement better flexible af.
panny had some really good camera with great video features,but the auto focus is always very unuseable.finally this gives some hope.
Why are you talking about a mirrorless camera on a channel named DSLR Video Shooter?
9:00 = Popcorns
Thanks for the amazing review Caleb!
Thank you for watching Luca!
18:41 - At the beginning of 2023 😅
Just normal things when year changes
@18:27: "Here, in the beginning of 2022"... Japan is still one full Year behind, right?!
Great review as always! Shame it doesn’t have the same flip and tilt LCD like the GH6. Any info on focus assist (magnification) during recording?
Thanks for the video. The original S5’s peaking on the rear display was ok when shooting 1080, but the peaking worsened when shooting 4K.
Can you tell if the peaking on the rear display is good when shooting 4K, or is there a difference between shooting 1080 vs 4k?
I think it's a big miss for them not to include 4k 120. Just seems they don't want to give one camera all the features.
No overheating alone destroys A74 for any professional work