The first reviewer that takes the autofocus debate to where it belongs: effective storytelling. Thanks for doing this instead of 20 minutes of people walking towards a camera.
Hi Dave, hope you're well? I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 'look'... they do manage to achieve a very cinematic feel. I know with all the 'Log' footage and grading on other cameras, it should't matter that much, but this S5 (and the S1H) just seem to handle the highlights in a very pleasing way.
I have the same experience, Dave. If you haven't already done it, check out the camera reviews on Park Cameras youtube site. Most recent, back to back, are the Sony a7sIII and the S5, with the same model, in the same environment, at the same time of day. The Sony looks great in several clips, but IMO, the S5 makes the model's skin tones look much more attractive, and the shadow fall offs are so much more graceful and beautiful. Sony has improved skin tones (they'd have to) but they're still not there from what I see. Lots of bells and whistles, amazing features on the Sony, but skin tones especially remain, as far as I can tell, problematic in most of the videos I've seen. I mean, everyone can't be that bad at color grading.
I came here for S5 review but I was gifted with more... 1. A Great review 2. Art of Content Creation 3. Subtle use of music 4. Tone of voice and 5. A story line on top of a fantastic review. Not to mention..."The Intelligent Squirrel"
extrashot - It WAS a very enjoyable video, for all the reasons mentioned. Thanks for cobbling together such a professional presentation. I’m a photographer looking to upgrade to full frame from my G9, but still want great video capability. This looks like a good bet.
I like your style. I don’t feel rushed and nervous watching your videos. Others are talking so fast and are so noisy my brain can’t keep up sometimes🤦🏾♂️👌🏾
Your sonorous voice, your demeanour, your sample seafront footage, the scene with your cafe mates, your mini-doco with the props and models maker, the laser-focus jibe against Camera Conspiracies also side-swiped with an appreciation favouring English squirrels over Canadian, your measured assessment from the start to the final sentence, all together produced a beautiful and intelligent review.
One of the most sensible level headed and practical reviewers on the YT, always asks the right questions and works through the issue rather than trying to come across as smarter than they are. What a surprisingly strong contender of a camera the S5 is becoming.
Great video! I had heard so much about Panasonic's other offerings having issues with hunting, but the S5 is working really well. I would say now that no one should pass up on Panasonic on account of the AF. So many great scenes in this video, and the slo-mo was fantastic!
Hallelujah for a proper, real world, real use, review of the S5 AF & video capabilities!! I've seen numerous other S5 reviews where the only aim is doing stupid moves to catch out the AF, as if anyone ever films anyone running in zig zags and jumping in and out of frame... You know your stuff, so this review has genuine provenance. Quality!
I always prioritise the opinions of a true working cameraman before anyone else on camera reviews. Truly grateful for your experienced insight regarding this camera Paul. Cheers! 🙏🏾
This Review stands out of all the Panasonic S5 Reviews i Watched. This is absolute pure. Liked the way you explained AF on S5, where others quickly concluded it as not useful. Thnx
That was a phenomenal review and has convinced me to go with a S5. The Irwin doc at the end was great, the whole professionalism of the video is light years above others. Your skills with a camera really shine through.
Great work! Finally a review where the autofocus wasn’t deliberately shown as terrible, which it isn’t. With a pro lens it’s even better than with a kit lens. Would you use vlog in low light settings? Did you experience noise?
Thank you. I'm generally not a fan of using log in very low light settings... usually, the custom picture profiles will do a better job with less noise. shooting with log is great if you need to squeeze every last bit of dynamic range out of the sensor, but DR is not usually an issue when it's dark. Also log footage often has very little noise reduction built in, so you normally have to add quite a bit in the grade, even if you're ETTR to reduce noise. Obviously, all of this changes if you have a dark picture with strong highlights... then you might need the range again! Because the S5 has a very nice dual base ISO, the higher one looked surprisingly clean to me. Nothing beats doing your own tests though... shoot a really dark scene once with V-log and again with say Cine-D and see which grades better in the edit. Let us know which works best for you? Take care.
Thank you. As I said in the video, it's definitely not as good as the Canon or Sony, but I found it to be much closer than many other reviewers... like 90% there! I can only report the results as I found them. I have a feeling that there's something else going on here. The frame rate definitely makes a difference but also which mode you choose for what test also has a huge effect. I see some reviewers have also tested with an external recorder recording the screen through HDMI. There is a suspicion that simultaneously outputting an HDMI signal effects the performance of the AF... which is why I had a wobbly shot of the rear screen from another camera! Sadly, we're going to have to do more testing and maybe a shootout !!!
Really appreciate these no nonsense, level headed, real world reviews. So many dismiss cameras based on 1 or 2 key spec points without actually using them. Would be very interested in hearing your take on the Sigma fp if you haven't already.
Thanks Alex, and yes... I'd love to take a look at the Sigma fp, very interesting concept. From what I've seen so far, it looks like a great RAW camera with onboard proxies?
@@extrashot Yes, 4k raw internal at 8 bit, HD internal at 10 and 12 bit depending on frame rate. External raw in a variety of options straight to ssd, in 4k cinema dng. Seems amazing, love the colors, but it requires a lot of accessories to make it a fully functional camera vs the S5
Man, I love your quirky and understated sense of humour, sometimes I feel like I'm watching a classic TV show like Take Hart or Michael Bentine's Potty Time (remember Morph?). Great to see Panasonic are recognizing your internet stature (haha) by supplying you with a review unit. With the Canon R6 and R5, and Sony A7S III around, the S5 is the camera I'm looking forward to. For my purposes, it's a full frame GH5 with S1 stills and S1H colour, and that's what I want. Lovely work with the puppet maker short doc, too.
Thanks for this excellent review! I'm really glad to see someone give this camera a fair shake. With everyone falling all over themselves about the A7SIII, it seems that no other camera can be accurately assessed for its own set of attributes. As a GH5 user, I have come to bond with the Panasonic system and really hope to see them make more cameras and lenses that will keep me inspired to stay with their brand - MFT or FF. You did a great job of illustrating the S5's particular, and considerable, qualities without automatically bashing it for not having phase detect AF. Great stuff!
Thanks Carl. It was great to see your comment on a day when I'm getting hammered for seeing different AF performance to many others! I'm still trying to get to the bottom of why, but thankfully, there are new reviews out there now, that also report seeing significant improvements. There is definitely an element of taking the time to learn and set things up... but then Panasonic could be criticised for not making it simpler to use?
@@extrashot You make a good point: the Panasonic AF system (in general) does require a little more setting up in order to get the best results under any particular conditions. And while it might still come up a bit short when compared to Sony and Canon AF, the Panasonic AF has more potential than most people think. And, more importantly, their cameras have many other fantastic and practical attributes. I keep thinking I would really like to have the Sony or Canon AF, but I haven't been able to convince myself to give up all the things I like about my Panasonic cameras (and, like most people, I can't afford to invest in multiple systems). Keep up the great work!
Great review, watched it despite all the negatives about the AF I’ve seen in the last few hours, but your review kept me watching and now I’m subscribing, even though I’m not going to consider this camera for now. One person vs the rest saying honestly they found it unreliable still leaves too many questions
Thanks for the comments, and the sub! It is a strange one... as I said in the video, it's definitely not as good as the Canon or Sony, but I found it to be much closer than many other reviewers... like 90% there! I can only report the results as I found them. I have a feeling that there's something else going on here. The frame rate definitely makes a difference but also which mode you choose for what test also has a huge effect. I see some reviewers have also tested with an external recorder recording the screen through HDMI. There is a suspicion that simultaneously outputting an HDMI signal effects the performance of the AF... which is why I had a wobbly shot of the rear screen from another camera! Sadly, we're going to have to do more testing and maybe a shootout !!!
extrashot looking forward to seeing more test with it, as if it was solved, by settings or firmware update, I’d be seriously looking to switch to it from one of my Z6 bodies, to vlog with specifically
So glad I saw this, I love how you went to the effort of creating a video with it. So much is lost in pure testing. I've watched a lot of the online videos and been shocked at the contrast in opinions.
It's true... there are some wildly different findings in many reviews. I'm still trying to work out why! Thank you for the kind comment though... It really helps when you're starting to question your own sanity !!!
@@extrashot a few factors i think but one thing we know for sure is that you don't need to know anything about how cameras work to be a successful reviewer, which is both good and bad for "real user" results. Can't wait to get my hands on on it again to test.
@@robmulally I been pleased to see there are some reviews that are starting to get results more like mine. Carl from ProAV did some good testing here: ruclips.net/video/sMyL5sE-m8A/видео.html
wow now I can keep my 4/3 stuff and just wait for GH6 which I guess will get the same autofocus system and then I think i have found my dream camera. And congratulation all S owners and panny you are back in the af game.
Thank you for this beautiful video. Im a subscriber although Im not a video maker. I've had my eye on this camera for over a year now, I really like it. But I this point I worry something better is already out there, for example the nikon z6 ii. Do you still like it as much? Cheers
I personally haven't tried any yet... and I've heard differing reports from those that have. Some people I respect are saying the Sigma L mount lenses are performing well... while other are saying everything L mount is rubbish !!! I think there's more testing to be done, but there is definitely a noticeable improvement.
Hi, the 20-60mm kit lens was the only L Mount lens I had with the S5. I had access to faster EF lenses with an adaptor, but there's no way the AF would compete with a native lens.
thanks for this video. I'm a GH5 owner with an S5 on its way to me tomorrow. I feel a lot happier now I have watched this video. If only Panasonic could update the AF on the gh5 to match this.
This was a fantastic review, the best I've seen on the S5! I really wanted the A7SIII but can't justify spending £3800 on the body alone. For that money I'm thinking to build a lens range with the S5. Ticks all the boxes and the only question mark was autofocus....you've surprised me! I'm leaning towards Sony but any A7III/A7C comparison will be against the S5 now.
Best review on the S5, yet. I'm actually taking a second look at the S5 thanks to this video. I think I will rent it when it comes out, and test it for myself. If it proves itself, I will definitely look into buying it. I've been a Panasonic user for a long time. I shot a feature film with the GH5, which was well received at several film festivals. Thanks for your review.
Hi Todd, thanks for that, very kind. It's definitely worth renting to see what you think. If you like the GH5 then the S5 will feel very familiar, full frame GH5 is the best way of describing it. The biggest issue for me is lens choice... luckily Sigma are also starting to offer some good value L Mount options.
Great video, and not trashing the AF. I got a S5 last month as my first enthusiast / pro / mirrorless camera and love the still photos working great with AF. It does focus hunt (or pulse) when I shoot at 4k30p but I didn't have the same AF speed settings you used. It did better at 4k60 but you lose that lovely 4.2.2 chroma. I will try your +2 / -3 settings and see what happens! Using the 20-60 kit lens and soon getting a Sigma 100mm-400m L-Mount lens.
Be good to know George... you'll definitely get more consistent results with the kit lens. My point wasn't that the AF was perfect, (it's great for stills)... just that it was now usable for video... which is an amazing achievement for a contrast based system. It's funny that some reviewers are now saying the same with the GH5II, despite it using the S5 AF system?
@@extrashot I definitely didn't mean to sound like you were trashing the AF, exactly the opposite really, you didn't rip on it like so many reviewers. I agree photos have a great hit rate for focus. I'm renting the Sigma 100-400 lens this week for vacation and have already gotten some great shots even with the 2x teleconverter on top for 800mm shots of the Moon. Nice for long zooms on ducks and baby Swans from a long distance. Video at 800mm is a bit shaky but that's more the long zoom issue straining the IBIS or not a really smooth tripod mount for AF 😉
I'm very happy for having found this channel, you really transmitted me a sense of overall serenity, besides being very calm, passionate and prepared about the topic. I just sold my Sony A7III with Tamron 28-75 yesterday, as a concert pianist I needed a camera without recording limit, as my old GH5 had, and I hoped in an update fix from Sony which never arrived. Time to preorder this S5, it seems. Thank you for your honest and brilliant review, just subscribed!
I'm glad you found the channel too, welcome on-board. Interesting about the A7iii... I'm just about to sell mine... that time limit is a real issue for me now. You know that the S5 also has a 30 minute limit at 4K 10bit? Although there's no limit at 8bit or anything HD obviously. Just checking!
It's so great to see Panasonic arrive at the 'Autofocus Yeah!' Podium at last. While I'm sticking with my Sony A7Siii pre-order, it's wonderful that we're collectively a step closer to an era where brands are no longer a choice between the lesser of two (or more evils) or great cameras sporting significant Achilles' heels. Everybody wins, in that regard. Thanks for the excellent review (and artpiece with Ben)!
Thank you... very kind. That's exciting, I don't think anyone could be disappointed with the A7Siii. I'm starting to wonder, does anyone make a bad camera any more?
Great review, Way better than some of the more dare I say, Cam Cons and that Undone folk. This seems to be the only review where the focus settings are correctly set up. Looks a great camera and if I were so so heavily investing in MFT lenses would be a very tempting buy based on this review alone.
Ahh... the investment in MFT lenses makes it a much harder choice. In that case, what's the harm in waiting to see what a GH6 could bring? If only we knew how far away that was! Thank you Marc for the kind comment... it's appreciated.
I know what you mean... out of the box Panasonic just nails whatever 'cinematic' looks like! When you compare the cost to an A7SIII, it's no contest !!!
Hey Extrashot, Great review! I recently received my S5 and noticed a few flaws with the camera. I have a gh5 and Gh5s and one of my favorite features is the touch screen focus on MF mode. The S5 touch screen does not pull focus in this mode anymore. Also, when using 4k 60 FPS APS-C crop the screen display becomes slightly blurry and very hard to focus. I also bought an aps-c lens and it’s blurry in all framerates. Have you noticed this issues? Would love to get some help on this.
No, I certainly didn't notice the blurry crop mode? That sounds very strange because you normally have to be on quite a large screen to even see any difference with a crop. I also didn't notice the touch to focus in MF mode missing... in fact I thought I'd used it. Could that be a setup issue? sounds like something's wrong in the menu. The problem is... I don't have the camera any more, they wanted it back !!!
I was on the fence. Now I'm... on the fence. What's the one thing you can never fix in post? You babied the AF a little, and I can do that a lot of the time. I still worry about the times I can't. There is so much to like about this camera, though.
I don't know what it's like in Italy right now, but here in the UK we've got a few New Year sales with the S5 + 20-60 Kit lens now selling for £1699 inc tax. That's amazing value for a full frame camera of this quality!
Hey thank you this is a great preview and much needed context; really tastefully made too! It seems many reviewers have dismissed this outright for the autofocus, but here it seems ok to me. Most reviews seem to indicate that it still "hunts" between subjects all the time and I don't see that here as much. In truth I shoot more video than anything and it's for jobs so I NEVER use autofocus, but it's nice to have there occasionally. I bought an S1 shortly after it launched and it arrived to me with the screen not working... got another one and it was fine but as soon as I saw this I sold it to pre-order. I use a relatively small Gimbal (Zhiyun crane 2) that was amazing for GH4 shooting but the S1 was too large for it. Also I hated that screen that couldn't fold to the left or outward in any useful way, and seemed ready to break at any moment. I'm not a "vlogger' but I often operate to the left side of camera while monitoring other cameras and things. I still use a Gh4 sometimes and various lenses but I may need to sell it finally and get a second S5, since this finally fits all my GH AND full frame dreams at once.
Thank you for the great comment. It's funny, but some of the reviewers have been taking a second look at the autofocus and finding it better than initial thoughts. I think if you're going out to prove it's not as good as Canon or Sony then it's an easy video... but in the real world, the auto focus works surprisingly well for a contrast based system, and definitely better than GH5, S1H etc. My initial shot was on the Zhyiun Crane 2 and it was a good match. Enjoy.
S1H is Netflix approved camera, it's so amazing and people only complain about AF. I hope Auto Focus gets better like Sony so people consider buying it.
Thank you... the Panasonic colours are lovely... but then have you tried my Cinetone look on your A7C... ruclips.net/video/gRYG5QKXRS4/видео.html - there's a few who like it for that 'filmic' look? Bottom line is... it isn't the camera you've got... it's the content you shoot !!!
@@extrashot Indeed! I have seen both settings for A7siii and A7iii(2). Currently have the A7iii(2) on my A7c. I haven't had enough chance to shoot much though.
Thank you. The best S5 review I have seen (and I have watched many). I have just pre-ordered mine. That will give me 2 lenses to start with. Now I just need to work out how I am ever going to afford any of the other L mount lenses. I hope Panasonic bring out similar affordable lenses like the 20-60mm that are suited to the smaller form factor of the S5. The £2500 plus 70-200mm pro, etc lenses are just way out of my reach.
I picked up a mint 70-200 F4 Panasonic S lens on LensAuthority for $1300 with a 2 year warranty. Still pricey but it's a great lens. I now buy all my used gear on that site. Also got a Canon 70-200 F4 IS m1 for $550.
Thanks Brian, very kind! It looks like Sigma are starting to offer some better value L mount lens options as well. It's picking up... when I think back to the S1H launch, just a year ago, there was very little choice. I agree, we need more affordable (and lighter) lenses for the S5... maybe the sales of the S5 will encourage more development? This is what I see right now: www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/s/L-Mount.html
Wow I'm really glad I found your channel, I might actually get some of my questions answered here😂. I am seriously considering buying this camera, but I'm a bit confused with some of the compatability specs. So will the 5.9k raw work with ONLY the atamos ninja 5, or will it allow the 6k external to other recorder/monitors? Also, this is I believe l-mount, so is there an adapter you can recommend so I can put sigma ef lenses on it?
Hi, I'm glad you have found the channel... welcome! I believe the 5.9K RAW through HDMI is only going to work with the Atomos Ninja V... at least for the foreseeable future. It's quite a technical achievement and the software inside the recorder has to talk nicely with the camera... so that everything matches. The RAW that's output from most camera's isn't usually the same thing across different manufacturers or even models within a range... it's usually a proprietary format determined by the sensor etc. Atomos have been very clever in working closely with many manufacturers in order to get all the different RAW formats converted and recorded as ProRes RAW. I don't have personal experience of the best EF to L mount adaptors... but I keep hearing good things about the Sigma version... I believe the MC-21 ? I wouldn't expect the continuous AF to work well over any adaptor... single will work fine, but CAF is too much for non native lenses!
@@extrashot oh shoot sorry for taking so long to get back to you, my reply didn't send. Ok well it's not a huge deal having to get the atamos ninja 5, i needed a good external monitor/recorder anyways, I might get it in conjunction with this camera. As for the adapter, I was watching @parkcameras S1 video from last year, and he had the mc-21 and it wasn't for ef. Maybe it's the same model for all the different mounts, who knows. I can always look into that more. Do you guys have an Instagram account? I usually have a lot of questions, and you clearly put time into the answers, and it's just easier via direct message.
@@thomasgagel No worries... It looks like there maybe two versions of the MC-21, but what I was talking about is this: www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/accessories/mount-converter/#mc-21. Be aware though, they do say the Constant AF doesn't work on Lumix cameras although the single AF is fine. I do have an Instagram account (extrashotcafe) but must be honest... I don't use it as much as I should !!!
@@extrashot Sounds good! Plus, I'm leaning towards using the more for cinematography, so I'm going to get the atamos, a rail set, matte box, etc. When I get to that point, it's better I know how to use manual focus confidently than to rely on auto. Ok, wasn't sure if there were more versions of then adapter, or how those specifically worked. Until about three days ago I was going to buy the GH5, and a metabones speed adapter. The only reason I didn't get it was the crappy m4/3 system, and it was beginning to just not really feel like the right fit. So I was going to wait for the gh6, but I just can't afford that, so this is the perfect option for me I think. Ok, I will find you on Instagram, even if you don't use it. 😂
Thank you... yes the 20-60mm kit lens was the only L-Mount lens with the review camera. It's not the fastest lens around, but super sharp and a great usable range on full frame. Fantastic value if bought with the camera.
@@lionroots11 It depends on what mount they've got? You need L-Mount, so probably yes. Sigma do now make some great L-Mount lenses as they're part of the L-Mount alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma), so the choice is growing.
That was a very, but very important question at the end. Could it be possible that Panasonic bring an autofocus firmware upgrade to the existing systems (as the S1, S1R and the video beast S1H) if so, that will be an excellent step to getting those systems (mainly the S1H) close to perfection, though it will be almost impossible to have the perfect camera in our hands, Panasonic is bringing to the table lots of high end features (mostly for videographers)
Yeah, one pf the best reviews/early looks about this camera (I should know, I've watched all of 'em twice). The one big question I have is about color science, specifically if it's been improved over the GH5. I loved my GH5, but I felt like I was always fighting the color science. Never could get the colors to "sing" as it were. I don't want to grade but rather use a profile straight out of camera. So, all that said, how do you guys feel about the colors coming out of the S5? Liked/subbed BTW....
Thank you for the kind comment and the sub... it's appreciated. To be honest, I thought the colour science on the S5 was very similar to the GH5, (if not identical)... but then I'm a big fan of the GH5 'look'. If you want a nice standard look in camera, then I prefer the Cinelike D2. I tried all of them and also found the standard HLG was looking very good on the S5...with a slight twist of the contrast in the edit, it was very usable with great DR. What you will. notice with the S5, is the highlight rolloff looks lovely and is much easier to grade than the GH5. If you're thinking of a dedicated video camera to replace your GH5... it might be worth waiting a bit to see what Panasonic launch next week?
Yeah, I saw that they're announcing a MFT cinema camera. I'm guessing the S5 will do about as much (and maybe more) for less (and still be full framed). I picked up a Oly em1 MII to hold me in stead until the S5 is stocked here in the states (I pre-ordered on Sept 15th; still back ordered).
One of the best reviews.. Excellent narratives and real world use.. You have a "documentary" voice.. Beside ergo, The best part about S5 is "the color", simply the best.. Hope Panny continue to better its AF to the same level as competitiors..
@@kentmemories I've not tried the R6 yet... so difficult to know. Clearly, both cameras can produce stunning pictures. However, there's now a small dilemma with lens choices. While Canon have a great EF choice, I think the future for any system is mirrorless lenses without an adaptor... so R-Mount for the Canon. Luckily, Sigma are now offering some great value L-Mount lenses, so it's much closer than it was. If you think of the S5 as a full frame GH5, then it would seem to be ideal for hybrid travel, but then, if autofocus is important to you, the R6 is definitely ahead with the dual pixel stuff. Personally, I should admit I'm a little biased... not towards Panasonic, but against Canon for the way they've handled the R5/6 overheating issue!
It's looking much better. But it did randomly loose you several times in the talking head walking shots in the opening. And it looked like the autofocs didn't end up exactly where you wanted on the narrative, like when he was pulling out that metal thingy from the drawer and a few other things. But def an improvement. I 3 GH5's and an S1H, I have ordered the S5 but also the a7SIII. I tried Sony once but didn't like it for video, so we'll see this time around. Now if they can only update the GH series with as much new AF algorithm as possible... And it's also not looking great for a GH6 (or GH5 mk II)
You're right, there was a point in the walking shot where it seemed to loose me for a second. I was shooting V-Log at that point, and as several other reviewers have noticed, the contrast based AF has a much harder job at focusing if there isn't a lot of contrast in the shot. The story piece with Ben was a really tough test. That was also V-Log, but only under available light. I had the kit lens wide open, with a fixed aperture and shutter, but let the ISO and focus run completely auto. Under the circumstances, I thought it coped really well. Not sure I would have nailed every shot manually either! Panasonic have assured us that the GH range is still being supported and developed... I think there's too much investment in MFT lenses for them to drop it. I'm still hopeful for a GH6. You buy a lot of cameras? 🤔
Thank you so much for posting such an informative and yet entertaining review! I'm currently a GH5 user but am considering moving to FF, specifically the S5. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind commenting on the S5 electronic viewfinder. I use the EV a lot for stills and am concerned about the lower resolution of the S5 as compared to the GH5. Thanks again!
It's true, the S5 EVF is lower resolution than the GH5, but I didn't really notice! To be fair, most of my work is using video and I tend to use the monitor screen more than the EVF. When I did use the EVF, I was disappointed that it wasn't the amazing image you get from the S1 (which has an exceptional EVF) but it didn't feel worse than the GH5. If stills and the EVF are important to you, have you seen some of the deals on the S1 right now? Panasonic are also upgrading the firmware across the S1 range so they've just got more attractive to video shooters as well. Sorry I can't be more help.
@@extrashot Your feedback is very helpful. Following up on your suggestion, I did review some of the S1 bundles and they do seem attractive. I'm not sure I can adjust to the larger size of the S1 as most of my photo/video needs are vacation/travel related, although not doing much of that these days!!! Its great to have options, albeit with inherent compromises. BTW...I'm very impressed with the number of replies that you make for your viewers' questions and comments. That must take a lot of your time. Well done. I subscribed.
@@DaMaxchi If you do a lot of travelling, worth remembering the S5 is actually smaller than the GH5 !!! Thanks for the sub... it's genuinely appreciated.
extrashot I don’t get why you think it’s so good Paul? It’s only passable with a really slow zoom lens with slow quiet motors made especially for this camera. I use Canon and Sony AF and I would literally say they are 100 times better because they are reliable and I can trust them.
@@philipbloom As you know... I'm a big fan of the Sony AF system and use it daily on the FX9. As I said in the the review, the S5 system is not as good... obviously... but I can only report my own experiences, and I found it surprisingly good. Like 90% there...
12:45 - I always thought the same when watching Kasey of Camera Conspiracies showing those ugly squirrels in Canada. Your British squirrels look a lot like what we have in the lower 48 states of the United States. Also, this was a fantastic review of the S5, the best one I've seen. My current setup is the HC-X2000 camcorder (you reviewed the AG-CX10 which is basically the same, just has some extra broadcast features), and the GH5 with the Leica 10-25mm f/1.7 lens and the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens. I'm extremely impressed with the autofocus on the S5. I don't need perfect autofocus, but I'm going to hold out and wait for the GH6. The S5 though is definitely better than the Sony A7C in my opinion; the only thing the Sony has going for it is the autofocus and is still using the old Sony AVC codecs from 2016. I know the GH6 may not happen but if the autofocus is as good as the S5, then I'll be very happy :)
Thanks Gary... you're not alone in holding out for the GH6. I'm in that queue as well. Hopefully Panasonic realise just how many people want it, and continue development. I still love the GH5. It funny when you hear all the Sony fans raving about 4K 10bit 4:2:2... like we haven't had that for years now!
I did see it miss focus on the squirrel quite a lot and there was some really weird macroblocking going on in the slo mo waves shots that I assume was just youtube compression. I think the problem has been the pulsing on autofocus on stationary talking head shots. I'd be interested if you tested for that @ 25P? Plus I don't want to shoot at 50frames a second unless I'm chroma keying or slo mo shooting. So I think the 4:2:0 limitation could hurt for technical shoots. It's a decent effort but why are Panny sticking with a contrast based system when the two best systems are hybrid? It's either very expensive to do or they are just being bloody minded.
I know what you mean... maybe it's a licensing issue with the sensors? ie. the amount you pay determines the availability? However, I still stand by my thoughts that it's noticeably better than anything they've done before with a contrast based system... and amazing value for such a great full frame mirrorless that looks like a cinema camera!
Thank great review - subbed - I got a recommendation to take a look at your channel from camera conspiracies channel were 1080p quality was being discussed. Question - is it easy to flip from video and stills - my work is hybrid event and my Nikon D750 has a video/photo switch that saves my last settings automatically.
Thank for the sub Mark, it's appreciated. With regard to switching between stills and video, the S5 doesn't have a dedicated switch, but it is just a case of spinning the mode dial to movie mode or back again. However, it does have a separate shutter and movie record button, so you can be recording a movie, press the shutter, and take a still in the middle! As far as I remember, all the camera profile settings are remembered when you switch between the two modes. I don't think the iris and shutter go back to where they were... but I may be wrong on that. Trouble is, I had to give the camera back, so I can't sit and play with it to give you the definitive answer! Sorry about that.
@@extrashot no problem thanks for the reply. On balance I think nikons switch is the fastest way to move back and forth. Im just sat waiting for them to produce a camera that will back up video. That was what I liked about the S5.
@@markshirley01 It's shame... Nikon's been close with video features a few times, and then slipped back. Weren't they the first to offer RAW over HDMI for the Atomos Ninja's?
I'm a Wedding V.O.G of a certain age who has been looking for an honest relatable you tube tech content for ages, my search is over, thank you.. Regards Pete
It's the first time I've been able to watch other reviews of this camera... and I notice some have had different results. I think the 50P or 60P, along with being in the right mode, is the key. As before, face detect isn't always the best... especially as half the population are wearing masks!
@@extrashot I watched ProAv Carol's review of S5.... the focus with fairy lights in the background was a great test but it is a worst-case stress test... though vlog performance was not great?? You managed to shoot a real-world mini-doc using S5 auto-focus completely without any problems.... which was not possible with GH5? The S5 seems to have very good video auto-focus (and may improve) .... even if not a match for Sony and Canon. Would you buy a S5 rather than a Canon R5 given a choice?
@@OhShiraz I would buy the S5 over the R5 given the choice... definitely, but there's a lot more to that decision than just the autofocus. However, if I can manage to get the expense authorised by the "Fun prevention Officer"... then I'd probably go for the A7Siii. And that particular choice is as much to do with matching my FX9 and E mount lenses... so not really a free choice!
@@OhShiraz I was pleased to see the Carl's review of the S5 autofocus... With everyone having a go at me, it was nice to see I wasn't alone in seeing a significant improvement!
Thank you Tomas, very kind. Up until now, I've only been concentrating on film/video simply because that's my background... as it has been since I left school. But you raise a good point. Many of the things that traditionally separated stills and video work, have been disappearing. It's not just the DSLR and mirrorless stills cameras that now shoot video... it's also that video quality has improved to the extent that we can now use lighting and exposure techniques that never worked when we had zero dynamic range! Just look at all the constant TV lights that now include the Bowens mount so we can play with all those lovely modifiers !!! I've also met a lot of stills guys who now regularly get asked by their clients to shoot video... it's like our worlds are merging!
Fantastic Review! But have you seen any artifacts, banding, loss of sharpness from the longgop 10bit codec in vlog compared to the all i codec on the s1h? And what profile did you choose for the slow mo shots, there were a ton of dynamic range and the colors looked lovely despite it being an 8 bit 24mbps codec.
I didn't see any artefacts on the longGOP. I think the extra compression just makes it harder to edit if you're on a slower machine. It's still 4:2:2 10bit just more difficult to get at it. I'm on FCPX, so once it's transcoded into ProRes, you'd struggle to spot the difference. The low (24mbps?) HD in slow mo, was shot on Cinelike D2. I wouldn't try Log at these data rates as there's just not enough data to do a meaningful grade. For the same reason, you really want to nail as much of the shot as possible in-camera. If you get the exposure and colour right, then a slight tweak in the edit will help without it falling apart. I too was surprised by how good the HFR looked... particularly for dynamic range!
Great rundown as always. I got my S1H, and what pains me most is the Auto Focus when using EF lenses to the point.. THERE IS NO AUTO FOCUS (well not continuous focus or focus transitions).. I use the Sigma EF adapter to mount my Sigma ART series of lenses. Pity as I didn't know this issue before buying into all that glass and not the more expensive L-Mount glass which works in AF. Hopefully your mentioned firmware update will address this issue? Now thinking about the S5.. I fully agree with you, it makes a perfect B-Cam to the S1H as an A-Cam
The problem is... AF is always best with native lenses. They just talk better to the camera! The fact that they are going to update the S1 series though is good news. It can only help.
The Conspiracy Guy does love the S5 .... he is just frustated over the "slow" autofocus. He is actually in love with Lumix and purhaps Fuji. He is so crazy but I love him. We need him, Panasonic need him in some way. We will se what they come up with... Anyhow I agree with you about the S5. I have had one for a month now. Although if its a "slowfox" focus it changes the sharpness in a beatuful way so it doesnt bother me to mutch, yet. The colors are the best together with Fuji.
Really nice review! I had almost bought this camera as an upgrade to my Sony a6000 but the AF fears alot of reviewers were spreading had me second guess myself and ultimately I bought the Fujifilm x-t4 with a nicer lens upon realizing I didn't need the full frame. Maybe one Panasonic!!! I'd argue that this is currently the best affordable full frame one can buy
@@extrashot going in line with what others have said, it's really fun to use. I love all the dials. I don't have to menu dive as often to make changes. Really great all-around camera for practically everything
Another question is are Panasonic going to upgrade the GH5 and G9 firmware with the improved AF algorithm rendering a GH6 unnecessary for another couple years.
Great review! How is Moiré? This is something that drives my nuts with my Blackmagic cameras, and if the S5 has none, then I'm definitely buying. Thanks.
I didn't see any... it looked to me as though the S5 had the same optical low pass filter of the S1H... but I may be wrong. I know the S1 doesn't have one as it's more for stills, but the S5 is definitely setup for great video. Which Blackmagic cameras are bad for aliasing? Could it be the resolution you're shooting? I've used a few and not really noticed any, so I'm genuinely interested.
@@extrashot thanks for the reply. According to what I've read, the S5 does not have and OLPF, that's why I was wondering. I have owned every Blackmagic camera except for the original Pocket and the giant URSA. All of them will exhibit moiré under certain circumstances, and almost always on my bread and butter shots of medium shots above the knees of business guys. In that scenario, moiré will pop up on the jacket, and on the tie. Always!!! I hate it, but I love the Blackmagic cameras otherwise. It is more obvious if one shoots in BRAW, but it still shows in ProRes. I ended up buying a RAWLITE OLPF for my Ursa Mini Pro. I was looking at the S5 to replace my Pocket 6K. I think that the lovely color and the built-in EVF and in-body stabilization of the S5 would be a great option. Your video footage looks wonderful and made me consider it. RAWLITE makes an OLPF for the Pocket 6K and I was thinking of buying it, but it's almost $500 dollars. So, if the S5 doesn't show moire, then I'm jumping ship. Thank you. Cheers!
@@willvazquez3218 Thanks for that... strange about the S5 OLPF, sorry if I misled you. I've just gone back through all the pre-release specs that Panasonic sent me, and can't find any mention of it.. so maybe there isn't one. I assumed it was there because the pictures look identical to the S1H to me. The S5 does do that 96MP pixel shift thing for stills, so maybe that wouldn't work so well with another filter? I feel your pain with the corporate stripy shirts... even better if you also have a brick wall or vertical blinds as the background! Are you shooting 1080 on the 4K or 6K sensors? I didn't see aliasing as an issue with the one's I've used. Do you see it to the same degree in the edit?
@@extrashot no worries, you always are a wealth of knowledge, because you're a real world shooter, not some kid that's doing skateboard videos. I use my gear to make a living too, so I appreciate your reviews, I even share your videos with my colleagues. I read about the lack of OLPF in the Newsshooter.com review by Matthew Allard. On the Pocket 6K and 4K you definitely see the moire in the edit, I'm not sure if you see moire in 1080p setting though. On the Pocket 6K, it doesn't matter of you shoot 6K raw or 4K prores, you still see it. It is rare on most shots, except for the shots I do all the time, which is the medium shot above the knees. If you stand the person a little further back or closer, the moire disappears. But there is always the fear. Sometimes you won't see it on the on-camera screen, and it will show up in the edit. I think I'm going to order the S5 anyway. I can always return it. :)
Your footage looks really good. I have a few questions. What picture profile did you shoot the segment with the puppet maker in and what in-camera adjustments did you make on the profile? Maybe I missed it, but what lens did you use to shoot it in. How much grading did you do?--I like the look. And finally, what profile did you use for your in-studio talking segments. Finally, I totally agree with you. The Panasonic AF is SO good now I think it's not an issue at all for those bound to the AF system and incapable of (or unwilling to learn) pulling focus. I pull focus all the time, so AF is almost never an issue. The questions I always have is how good is the Peaking feature, and is the lens mechanical focus of focus by wire??? Thanks for this video---very informative.
Everything I shot with the S5 was using the 20-60mm kit lens... it's the only L-Mount I had. The story with Ben was all shot using V-Log (probably a mistake in such low light), with the aperture wide open and the shutter fixed to 50th. I left both the ISO and Autofocus running in full auto. It was a tough test for the AF under available light, but I wanted to use the camera 'point and shoot' style. The whole piece was recorded (including Ben's voice interview) in less than two hours. In FCPX I just slapped the Panasonic V-Log LUT on as a starting point and tweaked the colours a little to balance out those horrible fluorescents. The kit lens is focus by wire, but it does have a lot of feel. I hated it at first... and then discovered there is a linear / non-linear choice in the camera menu. By default it's set to non-linear so be sure to swap that quickly! The in-studio taking head shots were all on my standard Sony FX9 as I needed to be holding the S5 and I only had one! Thanks for the kind comments William.
@@extrashot Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I wish other youtube presenters were so courteous. Very helpful. I really like the look you got in the Puppet maker clips. I agree about the Pani S5 AF now--if you can't shoot good video with that you might as well give up. I thought the way the camera controlled light in auto ISO was also impressive. I like using auto ISO in places with stable lighting. Works much better than Fuji's auto ISO. Great camera, great company, but they still haven't figure out how to eliminate the exposure stepping. It seems to me Panasonic is following suit with Fuji by putting these AF improvements in the S1H and S1. I wonder if they can also be added to the GH5??? And if they can be, will Panasonic do it? I also agree: after the S5 who needs a GH6? You took the words right out of my mouth. Isn't the S5 it?!? Panasonic V log is really great---IMO, second only to C Log I for ease in grading. You got great results with it. The FX9 in the talking head sections explains why I liked the skin tones/colors so much better in the video you did of the puppet maker. The exposure/focus sharpness of the image looked fine but Sony's magenta skin tones make me crazy. I'm just flat out allergic to magenta and have never been able to make S-Log II look right regarding skin tones----that is why I decided against the Sony A7SIII and have opted for the S5. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that Pani reds tend to lean towards yellow/orange---too much so IMO. live in the real world. The The guy who does the reviews for Park Cameras did back to back video reviews of the A7sIII and the S5, with the same model (beautiful gal) at the same time of day in the same environment---don't know how he ever got two days with beautiful sunsets in a row in England---and the Panasonic colors in the S5 video made the model's complexion look so much more attractive and beautiful than the Sony--love the soft shadows and gentle shadow fall offs---plus the warm red/orange tones and lovely skin texture. IMO far better than Sony. And, no. It's not just a failure of the guy at Park Cameras. He did a great job. I see the same skin tone/color/texture issues with all the Sony shooters on youtube, Phillip Bloom included. Just don't think Sony has a settled color science. Some love it. Not me. I pull out my Canon XF400--and bam!! Skin color/texture looks right with little or no work. Cancelled my Sony order. Ordered the S5 (I already own an S1H). Not a knee jerk decision. I shot nothing but Sony for 8 years and it drove me crazy with magenta skin tones then. Finally, someone put a Canon in my hands. But I digress. Really like your videos! Thanks again for your prompt response.
@@avarmadillo No worries, and thank you for the comments. I know what you mean about the magenta skin tones with Sony... the S-Cinetone (Venice look) has gone a long way to sorting that now, so maybe I should use that instead of S-Log3. The trouble is, I'm no grader !!!
@@extrashot Not sure grading is the solution for Sony. I see a lot of youtube videos and almost every time I see something I react to negatively regarding skin tones...sure enough it's a Sony. Maybe it's my problem---I'm just allergic to Sony. But to me the skin tones and the general colour rendition on the S5 in your video (and the Park Cameras video) was better and looked far more natural and pleasing than the Sony.
@@extrashot If you don't know this video from Caleb Pike I highly recommend it for color correction of skin tones--VERY easy in FCPX the way he does it in three simple steps. And it's a very short video. You can't miss getting it right the way he does it. ruclips.net/video/tA6i8wEpeCY/видео.html
I stumbled on your channel and glad I did. Very good review. Two questions please: Are all of the video clips straight out of the camera without any grading in post at all? And where is that beach spot in the UK? Looks like a nice area. Cheers from Germany, I subsrcibed :-))
Really sorry it’s taken so long to reply… I was taking a break from RUclips! Yes... all the video clips are straight out of the camera. No point in showing you my poor grading skills! Beach spot is near Bournemouth on the south coast. Thank you for the sub and the kind words... much appreciated
The first reviewer that takes the autofocus debate to where it belongs: effective storytelling. Thanks for doing this instead of 20 minutes of people walking towards a camera.
Thank you... that means a lot when I'm taking flack for not showing how it's possible for the AF to lose you!
@@extrashot you totally nailed this review. Real world use. I'm not interested in shooting in a lab. Beautiful content.
@@holycannoli64 Thank you... very kind of you to say so.
I really like the feel of the colors coming off this camera.
Hi Dave, hope you're well? I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 'look'... they do manage to achieve a very cinematic feel. I know with all the 'Log' footage and grading on other cameras, it should't matter that much, but this S5 (and the S1H) just seem to handle the highlights in a very pleasing way.
I have the same experience, Dave. If you haven't already done it, check out the camera reviews on Park Cameras youtube site. Most recent, back to back, are the Sony a7sIII and the S5, with the same model, in the same environment, at the same time of day. The Sony looks great in several clips, but IMO, the S5 makes the model's skin tones look much more attractive, and the shadow fall offs are so much more graceful and beautiful.
Sony has improved skin tones (they'd have to) but they're still not there from what I see.
Lots of bells and whistles, amazing features on the Sony, but skin tones especially remain, as far as I can tell, problematic in most of the videos I've seen. I mean, everyone can't be that bad at color grading.
I came here for S5 review but I was gifted with more...
1. A Great review
2. Art of Content Creation
3. Subtle use of music
4. Tone of voice and
5. A story line on top of a fantastic review.
Not to mention..."The Intelligent Squirrel"
What a lovely comment... so nice of you to appreciate the work and much appreciated. Thank you.
extrashot - It WAS a very enjoyable video, for all the reasons mentioned. Thanks for cobbling together such a professional presentation. I’m a photographer looking to upgrade to full frame from my G9, but still want great video capability. This looks like a good bet.
@@mediamannaman It's great value at the moment... and thank you for the kind comment.
I like your style. I don’t feel rushed and nervous watching your videos. Others are talking so fast and are so noisy my brain can’t keep up sometimes🤦🏾♂️👌🏾
Thank you... I get so many complaints that my delivery is too slow... nice to hear something different!
Your sonorous voice, your demeanour, your sample seafront footage, the scene with your cafe mates, your mini-doco with the props and models maker, the laser-focus jibe against Camera Conspiracies also side-swiped with an appreciation favouring English squirrels over Canadian, your measured assessment from the start to the final sentence, all together produced a beautiful and intelligent review.
Wow... that's probably going to make me a little big headed.... but thank you for watching so closely!
That Irwin doc at the end was simply great. I totally forgot I was watching a camera review there.
Thank you... that's kind. He's a top bloke!
Beautifully made. Entertaining as well as informative. RUclipsrs, this is how it's done.
Thank you... really appreciated!
One of the most sensible level headed and practical reviewers on the YT, always asks the right questions and works through the issue rather than trying to come across as smarter than they are. What a surprisingly strong contender of a camera the S5 is becoming.
Thank you for the lovely comment... very kind and appreciated.
extrashot you’re very welcome.
Great video! I had heard so much about Panasonic's other offerings having issues with hunting, but the S5 is working really well. I would say now that no one should pass up on Panasonic on account of the AF. So many great scenes in this video, and the slo-mo was fantastic!
Thank you... very kind. The S5 certainly shouldn't be dismissed simply because of AF.
Hallelujah for a proper, real world, real use, review of the S5 AF & video capabilities!! I've seen numerous other S5 reviews where the only aim is doing stupid moves to catch out the AF, as if anyone ever films anyone running in zig zags and jumping in and out of frame... You know your stuff, so this review has genuine provenance. Quality!
Thank you Andrew, very kind. I suppose, if we ever need to film people zig zagging around a field it could be useful? 🤔
I always prioritise the opinions of a true working cameraman before anyone else on camera reviews. Truly grateful for your experienced insight regarding this camera Paul. Cheers! 🙏🏾
Thanks Eugene... very kind of you to say so!
This Review stands out of all the Panasonic S5 Reviews i Watched. This is absolute pure. Liked the way you explained AF on S5, where others quickly concluded it as not useful. Thnx
Really sorry it’s taken so long to reply… I was taking a break from RUclips!
Thank for the kind words... means a lot.
A+. This is the best youtube video I have ever watched.
That's ridiculous... can't be true... what about 'Chocolate Rain" ? 😂
That was a phenomenal review and has convinced me to go with a S5. The Irwin doc at the end was great, the whole professionalism of the video is light years above others. Your skills with a camera really shine through.
Thank you Darryl, that's exceptionally kind!
What a charming review.
Thank you Peter. Appreciated!
Calm, factual, well done. Subbed.
Thanks for the sub... welcome on board!
Great work! Finally a review where the autofocus wasn’t deliberately shown as terrible, which it isn’t. With a pro lens it’s even better than with a kit lens. Would you use vlog in low light settings? Did you experience noise?
Thank you. I'm generally not a fan of using log in very low light settings... usually, the custom picture profiles will do a better job with less noise. shooting with log is great if you need to squeeze every last bit of dynamic range out of the sensor, but DR is not usually an issue when it's dark. Also log footage often has very little noise reduction built in, so you normally have to add quite a bit in the grade, even if you're ETTR to reduce noise. Obviously, all of this changes if you have a dark picture with strong highlights... then you might need the range again! Because the S5 has a very nice dual base ISO, the higher one looked surprisingly clean to me. Nothing beats doing your own tests though... shoot a really dark scene once with V-log and again with say Cine-D and see which grades better in the edit. Let us know which works best for you? Take care.
Really nice review! Sadly other RUclipsrs seems not to know how to use the auto focus correctly. Very mixed results on their side..
Thank you. As I said in the video, it's definitely not as good as the Canon or Sony, but I found it to be much closer than many other reviewers... like 90% there! I can only report the results as I found them. I have a feeling that there's something else going on here. The frame rate definitely makes a difference but also which mode you choose for what test also has a huge effect. I see some reviewers have also tested with an external recorder recording the screen through HDMI. There is a suspicion that simultaneously outputting an HDMI signal effects the performance of the AF... which is why I had a wobbly shot of the rear screen from another camera! Sadly, we're going to have to do more testing and maybe a shootout !!!
Really appreciate these no nonsense, level headed, real world reviews. So many dismiss cameras based on 1 or 2 key spec points without actually using them. Would be very interested in hearing your take on the Sigma fp if you haven't already.
Thanks Alex, and yes... I'd love to take a look at the Sigma fp, very interesting concept. From what I've seen so far, it looks like a great RAW camera with onboard proxies?
@@extrashot Yes, 4k raw internal at 8 bit, HD internal at 10 and 12 bit depending on frame rate. External raw in a variety of options straight to ssd, in 4k cinema dng. Seems amazing, love the colors, but it requires a lot of accessories to make it a fully functional camera vs the S5
@@alexcorll90 I need to borrow one!
Thanks for the review and the upbeat view of the autofocus. Looking forward to your autofocus shootout with Philip Bloom!
He'll be running scared soon! 😂
An excellent and succinct review covers the bases of what the viewer likes to know about new kit.
Thank you Gary, very kind of you to mention.... it's appreciated !!!
I love the spot on Ben Irwin. I learned a lot by watching this about a dozen times.
Man, I love your quirky and understated sense of humour, sometimes I feel like I'm watching a classic TV show like Take Hart or Michael Bentine's Potty Time (remember Morph?). Great to see Panasonic are recognizing your internet stature (haha) by supplying you with a review unit. With the Canon R6 and R5, and Sony A7S III around, the S5 is the camera I'm looking forward to. For my purposes, it's a full frame GH5 with S1 stills and S1H colour, and that's what I want. Lovely work with the puppet maker short doc, too.
Thank you... and yes I do remember Morph! Makes me feel old, but I was very young! Simpler times! 😀
@@extrashot I.used to love Take Hart and Morph. Simpler times, indeed. Have a great weekend! 😊
i usually dont watch this long video, but your video from 1st minute got me hooked ... great review and to the point .. thankyou for sharing it
Thank you, very kind of you to comment and really appreciated!
@@extrashot 🙏
The color science is perfect 👌
Thanks for this excellent review! I'm really glad to see someone give this camera a fair shake. With everyone falling all over themselves about the A7SIII, it seems that no other camera can be accurately assessed for its own set of attributes. As a GH5 user, I have come to bond with the Panasonic system and really hope to see them make more cameras and lenses that will keep me inspired to stay with their brand - MFT or FF. You did a great job of illustrating the S5's particular, and considerable, qualities without automatically bashing it for not having phase detect AF. Great stuff!
Thanks Carl. It was great to see your comment on a day when I'm getting hammered for seeing different AF performance to many others! I'm still trying to get to the bottom of why, but thankfully, there are new reviews out there now, that also report seeing significant improvements. There is definitely an element of taking the time to learn and set things up... but then Panasonic could be criticised for not making it simpler to use?
@@extrashot You make a good point: the Panasonic AF system (in general) does require a little more setting up in order to get the best results under any particular conditions. And while it might still come up a bit short when compared to Sony and Canon AF, the Panasonic AF has more potential than most people think. And, more importantly, their cameras have many other fantastic and practical attributes. I keep thinking I would really like to have the Sony or Canon AF, but I haven't been able to convince myself to give up all the things I like about my Panasonic cameras (and, like most people, I can't afford to invest in multiple systems). Keep up the great work!
Great work video & content
LOVE your story telling
Thank you... glad you enjoy it.
Excellent! And the music selection is spot on!
Thank you... and all the music is from Artlist !!!
Great review, watched it despite all the negatives about the AF I’ve seen in the last few hours, but your review kept me watching and now I’m subscribing, even though I’m not going to consider this camera for now. One person vs the rest saying honestly they found it unreliable still leaves too many questions
Thanks for the comments, and the sub! It is a strange one... as I said in the video, it's definitely not as good as the Canon or Sony, but I found it to be much closer than many other reviewers... like 90% there! I can only report the results as I found them. I have a feeling that there's something else going on here. The frame rate definitely makes a difference but also which mode you choose for what test also has a huge effect. I see some reviewers have also tested with an external recorder recording the screen through HDMI. There is a suspicion that simultaneously outputting an HDMI signal effects the performance of the AF... which is why I had a wobbly shot of the rear screen from another camera! Sadly, we're going to have to do more testing and maybe a shootout !!!
extrashot looking forward to seeing more test with it, as if it was solved, by settings or firmware update, I’d be seriously looking to switch to it from one of my Z6 bodies, to vlog with specifically
@@LondonViewpoints Hopefully talking to people who can help me get to the bottom of what's happening here!
"All I want is the perfect camera" 2x
PanasOlypuNiSoCanokon
wonderful video very well done very well elaborated also convey very good confidence about the camera.
Thank you Paulo... and yes it's a great camera and amazing value!
So glad I saw this, I love how you went to the effort of creating a video with it. So much is lost in pure testing. I've watched a lot of the online videos and been shocked at the contrast in opinions.
It's true... there are some wildly different findings in many reviews. I'm still trying to work out why! Thank you for the kind comment though... It really helps when you're starting to question your own sanity !!!
@@extrashot a few factors i think but one thing we know for sure is that you don't need to know anything about how cameras work to be a successful reviewer, which is both good and bad for "real user" results. Can't wait to get my hands on on it again to test.
@@robmulally I been pleased to see there are some reviews that are starting to get results more like mine. Carl from ProAV did some good testing here: ruclips.net/video/sMyL5sE-m8A/видео.html
Well shit. That's the best camera review I've seen. If I ever make it across the pond, I'm buying you a pint.
Well comments like that are just going to make me big headed.... but thank you!
wow now I can keep my 4/3 stuff and just wait for GH6 which I guess will get the same autofocus system and then I think i have found my dream camera. And congratulation all S owners and panny you are back in the af game.
Well, Panasonic did say they were fully committed to supporting the GH series... so yes, we can hope!
Thank you for this beautiful video. Im a subscriber although Im not a video maker.
I've had my eye on this camera for over a year now, I really like it. But I this point I worry something better is already out there, for example the nikon z6 ii.
Do you still like it as much?
Cheers
AF looks much better now. Great work! Have you tried the AF with 3rd party L-mount lense like sigma ones? Will the AF hold up to this performance?
I personally haven't tried any yet... and I've heard differing reports from those that have. Some people I respect are saying the Sigma L mount lenses are performing well... while other are saying everything L mount is rubbish !!! I think there's more testing to be done, but there is definitely a noticeable improvement.
The winning combination is actually the camera review plus your really good humor!
Oh thank you! Appreciated.
Brilliant review, Thanks. Have you tested the autofocus with any f2.8 or f1.4 lens?
Hi, the 20-60mm kit lens was the only L Mount lens I had with the S5. I had access to faster EF lenses with an adaptor, but there's no way the AF would compete with a native lens.
@@extrashot Thank you for you reply
thanks for this video. I'm a GH5 owner with an S5 on its way to me tomorrow. I feel a lot happier now I have watched this video. If only Panasonic could update the AF on the gh5 to match this.
Hey... enjoy the S5. It's a great camera and those cinematic Panasonic colours are worth all the pain !!! 😂
Great Review!!! Can't wait to get my hands on my S5! Still waiting for it to ship from Panasonic 😁
Enjoy it... it's worth the wait!
Best s5 review so far!
Wow... thank you!
This was a fantastic review, the best I've seen on the S5!
I really wanted the A7SIII but can't justify spending £3800 on the body alone. For that money I'm thinking to build a lens range with the S5. Ticks all the boxes and the only question mark was autofocus....you've surprised me!
I'm leaning towards Sony but any A7III/A7C comparison will be against the S5 now.
It's definitely worth comparing... won't be for everyone but shouldn't be ignored!
For that price you can get the S5 with very good lenses, high resolution mode, 6k photo, 24mp stills, better IBIS, sharper 4K etc
Best review on the S5, yet. I'm actually taking a second look at the S5 thanks to this video. I think I will rent it when it comes out, and test it for myself. If it proves itself, I will definitely look into buying it. I've been a Panasonic user for a long time. I shot a feature film with the GH5, which was well received at several film festivals. Thanks for your review.
Hi Todd, thanks for that, very kind. It's definitely worth renting to see what you think. If you like the GH5 then the S5 will feel very familiar, full frame GH5 is the best way of describing it. The biggest issue for me is lens choice... luckily Sigma are also starting to offer some good value L Mount options.
Great video, and not trashing the AF. I got a S5 last month as my first enthusiast / pro / mirrorless camera and love the still photos working great with AF. It does focus hunt (or pulse) when I shoot at 4k30p but I didn't have the same AF speed settings you used. It did better at 4k60 but you lose that lovely 4.2.2 chroma. I will try your +2 / -3 settings and see what happens! Using the 20-60 kit lens and soon getting a Sigma 100mm-400m L-Mount lens.
Be good to know George... you'll definitely get more consistent results with the kit lens. My point wasn't that the AF was perfect, (it's great for stills)... just that it was now usable for video... which is an amazing achievement for a contrast based system. It's funny that some reviewers are now saying the same with the GH5II, despite it using the S5 AF system?
@@extrashot I definitely didn't mean to sound like you were trashing the AF, exactly the opposite really, you didn't rip on it like so many reviewers. I agree photos have a great hit rate for focus. I'm renting the Sigma 100-400 lens this week for vacation and have already gotten some great shots even with the 2x teleconverter on top for 800mm shots of the Moon. Nice for long zooms on ducks and baby Swans from a long distance. Video at 800mm is a bit shaky but that's more the long zoom issue straining the IBIS or not a really smooth tripod mount for AF 😉
I'm very happy for having found this channel, you really transmitted me a sense of overall serenity, besides being very calm, passionate and prepared about the topic.
I just sold my Sony A7III with Tamron 28-75 yesterday, as a concert pianist I needed a camera without recording limit, as my old GH5 had, and I hoped in an update fix from Sony which never arrived. Time to preorder this S5, it seems.
Thank you for your honest and brilliant review, just subscribed!
I'm glad you found the channel too, welcome on-board. Interesting about the A7iii... I'm just about to sell mine... that time limit is a real issue for me now. You know that the S5 also has a 30 minute limit at 4K 10bit? Although there's no limit at 8bit or anything HD obviously. Just checking!
Another great review with a real world test with the short film at the end. Great news on the improvement in autofocus.
Thank you - very kind!
Thanks good review.
A few months ago I bought the a73 because of the autofocus.
Thank you (and me!)
It's so great to see Panasonic arrive at the 'Autofocus Yeah!' Podium at last.
While I'm sticking with my Sony A7Siii pre-order, it's wonderful that we're collectively a step closer to an era where brands are no longer a choice between the lesser of two (or more evils) or great cameras sporting significant Achilles' heels. Everybody wins, in that regard.
Thanks for the excellent review (and artpiece with Ben)!
Thank you... very kind. That's exciting, I don't think anyone could be disappointed with the A7Siii. I'm starting to wonder, does anyone make a bad camera any more?
This was very well done. Extra shot. You helped me made my decision in choosing the S5
Hope you enjoy it... great camera and great value (especially if you get the free lens!)
Great review, Way better than some of the more dare I say, Cam Cons and that Undone folk. This seems to be the only review where the focus settings are correctly set up. Looks a great camera and if I were so so heavily investing in MFT lenses would be a very tempting buy based on this review alone.
Ahh... the investment in MFT lenses makes it a much harder choice. In that case, what's the harm in waiting to see what a GH6 could bring? If only we knew how far away that was! Thank you Marc for the kind comment... it's appreciated.
Excellent video sir. Subscribed.
Thank you... your sub and comment is appreciated!
Wonderful review. Hats off to you, sir!
Thank you!
Panasonic has always had the most magically beautiful image. Looks better to me than the a7Siii.
I know what you mean... out of the box Panasonic just nails whatever 'cinematic' looks like! When you compare the cost to an A7SIII, it's no contest !!!
GREAT video! Very thorough information and entertaining! This is helping my buying decision.
Thank you... I appreciate the kind comment!
@@extrashot My pleasure. I am looking forward to learning more from you all! #aspiringvideographer
Enjoyed this, thanks, I am interested in the S5 but Panasonic's customer base would also like a camera to put our lovely little m43 lenses on too 👍
True... and Panasonic have reassured us that the m43 series will continue. I don't know anything, but I haven't given up hope for a GH6 👍
Hey Extrashot,
Great review! I recently received my S5 and noticed a few flaws with the camera. I have a gh5 and Gh5s and one of my favorite features is the touch screen focus on MF mode. The S5 touch screen does not pull focus in this mode anymore. Also, when using 4k 60 FPS APS-C crop the screen display becomes slightly blurry and very hard to focus. I also bought an aps-c lens and it’s blurry in all framerates.
Have you noticed this issues? Would love to get some help on this.
No, I certainly didn't notice the blurry crop mode? That sounds very strange because you normally have to be on quite a large screen to even see any difference with a crop. I also didn't notice the touch to focus in MF mode missing... in fact I thought I'd used it. Could that be a setup issue? sounds like something's wrong in the menu. The problem is... I don't have the camera any more, they wanted it back !!!
I was on the fence. Now I'm... on the fence. What's the one thing you can never fix in post?
You babied the AF a little, and I can do that a lot of the time. I still worry about the times I can't. There is so much to like about this camera, though.
Very well put.... I totally get where you are! 😀
Excellent work, thank you very much for this
Cheers Mark, very kind!
i'd love to get this camera+20-60 lens, gonna save a few years and wait for the price drops
I don't know what it's like in Italy right now, but here in the UK we've got a few New Year sales with the S5 + 20-60 Kit lens now selling for £1699 inc tax. That's amazing value for a full frame camera of this quality!
Hey thank you this is a great preview and much needed context; really tastefully made too! It seems many reviewers have dismissed this outright for the autofocus, but here it seems ok to me. Most reviews seem to indicate that it still "hunts" between subjects all the time and I don't see that here as much. In truth I shoot more video than anything and it's for jobs so I NEVER use autofocus, but it's nice to have there occasionally. I bought an S1 shortly after it launched and it arrived to me with the screen not working... got another one and it was fine but as soon as I saw this I sold it to pre-order. I use a relatively small Gimbal (Zhiyun crane 2) that was amazing for GH4 shooting but the S1 was too large for it. Also I hated that screen that couldn't fold to the left or outward in any useful way, and seemed ready to break at any moment. I'm not a "vlogger' but I often operate to the left side of camera while monitoring other cameras and things. I still use a Gh4 sometimes and various lenses but I may need to sell it finally and get a second S5, since this finally fits all my GH AND full frame dreams at once.
Thank you for the great comment. It's funny, but some of the reviewers have been taking a second look at the autofocus and finding it better than initial thoughts. I think if you're going out to prove it's not as good as Canon or Sony then it's an easy video... but in the real world, the auto focus works surprisingly well for a contrast based system, and definitely better than GH5, S1H etc. My initial shot was on the Zhyiun Crane 2 and it was a good match. Enjoy.
S1H is Netflix approved camera, it's so amazing and people only complain about AF. I hope Auto Focus gets better like Sony so people consider buying it.
Isn't it the only approved mirrorless? So underrated!
I think your epitaph will be "but we'll come back to that" :-)
Nice documentary content there at the end! I always feel like I should've gotten this instead of the A7c.
Thank you... the Panasonic colours are lovely... but then have you tried my Cinetone look on your A7C... ruclips.net/video/gRYG5QKXRS4/видео.html - there's a few who like it for that 'filmic' look? Bottom line is... it isn't the camera you've got... it's the content you shoot !!!
@@extrashot Indeed! I have seen both settings for A7siii and A7iii(2). Currently have the A7iii(2) on my A7c. I haven't had enough chance to shoot much though.
Thank you. The best S5 review I have seen (and I have watched many). I have just pre-ordered mine. That will give me 2 lenses to start with. Now I just need to work out how I am ever going to afford any of the other L mount lenses. I hope Panasonic bring out similar affordable lenses like the 20-60mm that are suited to the smaller form factor of the S5. The £2500 plus 70-200mm pro, etc lenses are just way out of my reach.
I picked up a mint 70-200 F4 Panasonic S lens on LensAuthority for $1300 with a 2 year warranty. Still pricey but it's a great lens. I now buy all my used gear on that site. Also got a Canon 70-200 F4 IS m1 for $550.
@@JimmySaul888 No used gear readily available here in UK. UK and European prices unfortunately are always much higher than US or elsewhere.
Thanks Brian, very kind!
It looks like Sigma are starting to offer some better value L mount lens options as well. It's picking up... when I think back to the S1H launch, just a year ago, there was very little choice. I agree, we need more affordable (and lighter) lenses for the S5... maybe the sales of the S5 will encourage more development? This is what I see right now:
www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/s/L-Mount.html
Brian Parr got mine second hand for £1400 at London Camera Exchange.....it’s an amazing Lens.
Wow I'm really glad I found your channel, I might actually get some of my questions answered here😂. I am seriously considering buying this camera, but I'm a bit confused with some of the compatability specs. So will the 5.9k raw work with ONLY the atamos ninja 5, or will it allow the 6k external to other recorder/monitors? Also, this is I believe l-mount, so is there an adapter you can recommend so I can put sigma ef lenses on it?
Hi, I'm glad you have found the channel... welcome!
I believe the 5.9K RAW through HDMI is only going to work with the Atomos Ninja V... at least for the foreseeable future. It's quite a technical achievement and the software inside the recorder has to talk nicely with the camera... so that everything matches. The RAW that's output from most camera's isn't usually the same thing across different manufacturers or even models within a range... it's usually a proprietary format determined by the sensor etc. Atomos have been very clever in working closely with many manufacturers in order to get all the different RAW formats converted and recorded as ProRes RAW. I don't have personal experience of the best EF to L mount adaptors... but I keep hearing good things about the Sigma version... I believe the MC-21 ? I wouldn't expect the continuous AF to work well over any adaptor... single will work fine, but CAF is too much for non native lenses!
@@extrashot oh shoot sorry for taking so long to get back to you, my reply didn't send. Ok well it's not a huge deal having to get the atamos ninja 5, i needed a good external monitor/recorder anyways, I might get it in conjunction with this camera. As for the adapter, I was watching @parkcameras S1 video from last year, and he had the mc-21 and it wasn't for ef. Maybe it's the same model for all the different mounts, who knows. I can always look into that more. Do you guys have an Instagram account? I usually have a lot of questions, and you clearly put time into the answers, and it's just easier via direct message.
@@thomasgagel No worries... It looks like there maybe two versions of the MC-21, but what I was talking about is this: www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/accessories/mount-converter/#mc-21. Be aware though, they do say the Constant AF doesn't work on Lumix cameras although the single AF is fine. I do have an Instagram account (extrashotcafe) but must be honest... I don't use it as much as I should !!!
@@extrashot Sounds good! Plus, I'm leaning towards using the more for cinematography, so I'm going to get the atamos, a rail set, matte box, etc. When I get to that point, it's better I know how to use manual focus confidently than to rely on auto. Ok, wasn't sure if there were more versions of then adapter, or how those specifically worked. Until about three days ago I was going to buy the GH5, and a metabones speed adapter. The only reason I didn't get it was the crappy m4/3 system, and it was beginning to just not really feel like the right fit. So I was going to wait for the gh6, but I just can't afford that, so this is the perfect option for me I think. Ok, I will find you on Instagram, even if you don't use it. 😂
Great Job! Did you use the kit lens for this video?
Thank you... yes the 20-60mm kit lens was the only L-Mount lens with the review camera. It's not the fastest lens around, but super sharp and a great usable range on full frame. Fantastic value if bought with the camera.
@@extrashot thank you so much. I have some sigma lens. Would i need a adopter?
@@lionroots11 It depends on what mount they've got? You need L-Mount, so probably yes. Sigma do now make some great L-Mount lenses as they're part of the L-Mount alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma), so the choice is growing.
@@extrashot i have sigma art 24mm prime. Would that work?
Okay i did some research i understand now. Thank you
Nicely done! Nice sample footage too
Thank you!
@@extrashot hope you can post more about S series
@@AlbertArt I'd like to... that one had to go back though !!! 😂
@@extrashot buy one. Your sample footage was great.
That was a very, but very important question at the end. Could it be possible that Panasonic bring an autofocus firmware upgrade to the existing systems (as the S1, S1R and the video beast S1H) if so, that will be an excellent step to getting those systems (mainly the S1H) close to perfection, though it will be almost impossible to have the perfect camera in our hands, Panasonic is bringing to the table lots of high end features (mostly for videographers)
I only know that the S1 series will definitely be retrospectively upgraded... but it certainly looks better for any future models.
Wonderful review!! The auto focus looks very promising and I appreciate the real world results too 😊 so excited to get mine later this month! 🐿🐿🐿🐿🐿
Nice one... the camera gets better the more you discover with it... so I hope you enjoy it.
You'll have to change your channel name to Full Frame Dame :)
Marticulate 🤣 So long as there’s still a pun in the name haha
@@MicroFourNerds Fool Frame? 😂
extrashot haha probably quite accurate for me 🤣
Yeah, one pf the best reviews/early looks about this camera (I should know, I've watched all of 'em twice). The one big question I have is about color science, specifically if it's been improved over the GH5. I loved my GH5, but I felt like I was always fighting the color science. Never could get the colors to "sing" as it were. I don't want to grade but rather use a profile straight out of camera. So, all that said, how do you guys feel about the colors coming out of the S5? Liked/subbed BTW....
Thank you for the kind comment and the sub... it's appreciated. To be honest, I thought the colour science on the S5 was very similar to the GH5, (if not identical)... but then I'm a big fan of the GH5 'look'. If you want a nice standard look in camera, then I prefer the Cinelike D2. I tried all of them and also found the standard HLG was looking very good on the S5...with a slight twist of the contrast in the edit, it was very usable with great DR. What you will. notice with the S5, is the highlight rolloff looks lovely and is much easier to grade than the GH5. If you're thinking of a dedicated video camera to replace your GH5... it might be worth waiting a bit to see what Panasonic launch next week?
Yeah, I saw that they're announcing a MFT cinema camera. I'm guessing the S5 will do about as much (and maybe more) for less (and still be full framed). I picked up a Oly em1 MII to hold me in stead until the S5 is stocked here in the states (I pre-ordered on Sept 15th; still back ordered).
@@evilgeniusentertainment wow... I that's a long wait, I thought they were coming through now. It's great camera, hope you enjoy it.
One of the best reviews.. Excellent narratives and real world use.. You have a "documentary" voice..
Beside ergo, The best part about S5 is "the color", simply the best..
Hope Panny continue to better its AF to the same level as competitiors..
Thank you. I don't know if contrast based AF can ever be same level... but every step closer is a step in the right direction!
S5 or R6, which one is better for hybrid travel gear? Thank you
@@kentmemories I've not tried the R6 yet... so difficult to know. Clearly, both cameras can produce stunning pictures. However, there's now a small dilemma with lens choices. While Canon have a great EF choice, I think the future for any system is mirrorless lenses without an adaptor... so R-Mount for the Canon. Luckily, Sigma are now offering some great value L-Mount lenses, so it's much closer than it was. If you think of the S5 as a full frame GH5, then it would seem to be ideal for hybrid travel, but then, if autofocus is important to you, the R6 is definitely ahead with the dual pixel stuff. Personally, I should admit I'm a little biased... not towards Panasonic, but against Canon for the way they've handled the R5/6 overheating issue!
It's looking much better. But it did randomly loose you several times in the talking head walking shots in the opening. And it looked like the autofocs didn't end up exactly where you wanted on the narrative, like when he was pulling out that metal thingy from the drawer and a few other things. But def an improvement.
I 3 GH5's and an S1H, I have ordered the S5 but also the a7SIII. I tried Sony once but didn't like it for video, so we'll see this time around.
Now if they can only update the GH series with as much new AF algorithm as possible... And it's also not looking great for a GH6 (or GH5 mk II)
You're right, there was a point in the walking shot where it seemed to loose me for a second. I was shooting V-Log at that point, and as several other reviewers have noticed, the contrast based AF has a much harder job at focusing if there isn't a lot of contrast in the shot. The story piece with Ben was a really tough test. That was also V-Log, but only under available light. I had the kit lens wide open, with a fixed aperture and shutter, but let the ISO and focus run completely auto. Under the circumstances, I thought it coped really well. Not sure I would have nailed every shot manually either! Panasonic have assured us that the GH range is still being supported and developed... I think there's too much investment in MFT lenses for them to drop it. I'm still hopeful for a GH6. You buy a lot of cameras? 🤔
Thank you so much for posting such an informative and yet entertaining review! I'm currently a GH5 user but am considering moving to FF, specifically the S5. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind commenting on the S5 electronic viewfinder. I use the EV a lot for stills and am concerned about the lower resolution of the S5 as compared to the GH5. Thanks again!
It's true, the S5 EVF is lower resolution than the GH5, but I didn't really notice! To be fair, most of my work is using video and I tend to use the monitor screen more than the EVF. When I did use the EVF, I was disappointed that it wasn't the amazing image you get from the S1 (which has an exceptional EVF) but it didn't feel worse than the GH5. If stills and the EVF are important to you, have you seen some of the deals on the S1 right now? Panasonic are also upgrading the firmware across the S1 range so they've just got more attractive to video shooters as well. Sorry I can't be more help.
@@extrashot Your feedback is very helpful. Following up on your suggestion, I did review some of the S1 bundles and they do seem attractive. I'm not sure I can adjust to the larger size of the S1 as most of my photo/video needs are vacation/travel related, although not doing much of that these days!!! Its great to have options, albeit with inherent compromises. BTW...I'm very impressed with the number of replies that you make for your viewers' questions and comments. That must take a lot of your time. Well done. I subscribed.
@@DaMaxchi If you do a lot of travelling, worth remembering the S5 is actually smaller than the GH5 !!! Thanks for the sub... it's genuinely appreciated.
Love your reviews. Thats what i was looking for ❤️
Thank you... appreciated!
wow great review ....and that voice of yours. You should be in movies
Too kind George!
Exactly what I expected from Panasonic. AF is a no go for me. The other specs are amazing .. Great review Sir.
It's 90% there for me... but if you need the other 10% then you have to look elsewhere. Thanks for the kind comment.
extrashot I don’t get why you think it’s so good Paul? It’s only passable with a really slow zoom lens with slow quiet motors made especially for this camera. I use Canon and Sony AF and I would literally say they are 100 times better because they are reliable and I can trust them.
@@philipbloom As you know... I'm a big fan of the Sony AF system and use it daily on the FX9. As I said in the the review, the S5 system is not as good... obviously... but I can only report my own experiences, and I found it surprisingly good. Like 90% there...
Such a balanced review! Thanks for making this!
Thank you... very kind!
12:45 - I always thought the same when watching Kasey of Camera Conspiracies showing those ugly squirrels in Canada. Your British squirrels look a lot like what we have in the lower 48 states of the United States. Also, this was a fantastic review of the S5, the best one I've seen. My current setup is the HC-X2000 camcorder (you reviewed the AG-CX10 which is basically the same, just has some extra broadcast features), and the GH5 with the Leica 10-25mm f/1.7 lens and the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 lens. I'm extremely impressed with the autofocus on the S5. I don't need perfect autofocus, but I'm going to hold out and wait for the GH6. The S5 though is definitely better than the Sony A7C in my opinion; the only thing the Sony has going for it is the autofocus and is still using the old Sony AVC codecs from 2016. I know the GH6 may not happen but if the autofocus is as good as the S5, then I'll be very happy :)
Thanks Gary... you're not alone in holding out for the GH6. I'm in that queue as well. Hopefully Panasonic realise just how many people want it, and continue development. I still love the GH5. It funny when you hear all the Sony fans raving about 4K 10bit 4:2:2... like we haven't had that for years now!
@@extrashot Exactly :)
Squirrel test failed but the best yet from Pana
Yes... but those UK squirrels move so fast! 😂
New here! And super impressed! Can’t wait to have a binge watch! Im a big Panasonic fan since G80! P.s. where do you live? Looks 😍 #subbed!
Glad you're here now!... and it's all around Bournemouth on the south coast. Thanks for the sub... appreciated.
I did see it miss focus on the squirrel quite a lot and there was some really weird macroblocking going on in the slo mo waves shots that I assume was just youtube compression. I think the problem has been the pulsing on autofocus on stationary talking head shots. I'd be interested if you tested for that @ 25P? Plus I don't want to shoot at 50frames a second unless I'm chroma keying or slo mo shooting. So I think the 4:2:0 limitation could hurt for technical shoots. It's a decent effort but why are Panny sticking with a contrast based system when the two best systems are hybrid? It's either very expensive to do or they are just being bloody minded.
I know what you mean... maybe it's a licensing issue with the sensors? ie. the amount you pay determines the availability? However, I still stand by my thoughts that it's noticeably better than anything they've done before with a contrast based system... and amazing value for such a great full frame mirrorless that looks like a cinema camera!
Thank great review - subbed - I got a recommendation to take a look at your channel from camera conspiracies channel were 1080p quality was being discussed.
Question - is it easy to flip from video and stills - my work is hybrid event and my Nikon D750 has a video/photo switch that saves my last settings automatically.
Thank for the sub Mark, it's appreciated. With regard to switching between stills and video, the S5 doesn't have a dedicated switch, but it is just a case of spinning the mode dial to movie mode or back again. However, it does have a separate shutter and movie record button, so you can be recording a movie, press the shutter, and take a still in the middle! As far as I remember, all the camera profile settings are remembered when you switch between the two modes. I don't think the iris and shutter go back to where they were... but I may be wrong on that. Trouble is, I had to give the camera back, so I can't sit and play with it to give you the definitive answer! Sorry about that.
@@extrashot no problem thanks for the reply. On balance I think nikons switch is the fastest way to move back and forth. Im just sat waiting for them to produce a camera that will back up video. That was what I liked about the S5.
@@markshirley01 It's shame... Nikon's been close with video features a few times, and then slipped back. Weren't they the first to offer RAW over HDMI for the Atomos Ninja's?
Great video. Thank You!
.. and thank you for the comment.
Really nice video. I wonder if they can rewrite the autofocus for the GH5 and others as well. Or I guess the question should be "Will they"...
They have said that the S1,S1R and S1H will be updated this year... but I'm not sure if it's possible on the GH5. Hope so!
I'm a Wedding V.O.G of a certain age who has been looking for an honest relatable you tube tech content for ages, my search is over, thank you.. Regards Pete
Thank you Pete, very kind of you to say so. It's appreciated!
Very tasty squirrel shots.... the S5 colours look lovely and not over processed... at last Panasonic has fixed autofocus in video...
It's the first time I've been able to watch other reviews of this camera... and I notice some have had different results. I think the 50P or 60P, along with being in the right mode, is the key. As before, face detect isn't always the best... especially as half the population are wearing masks!
@@extrashot I watched ProAv Carol's review of S5.... the focus with fairy lights in the background was a great test but it is a worst-case stress test... though vlog performance was not great?? You managed to shoot a real-world mini-doc using S5 auto-focus completely without any problems.... which was not possible with GH5? The S5 seems to have very good video auto-focus (and may improve) .... even if not a match for Sony and Canon. Would you buy a S5 rather than a Canon R5 given a choice?
@@OhShiraz I would buy the S5 over the R5 given the choice... definitely, but there's a lot more to that decision than just the autofocus. However, if I can manage to get the expense authorised by the "Fun prevention Officer"... then I'd probably go for the A7Siii. And that particular choice is as much to do with matching my FX9 and E mount lenses... so not really a free choice!
@@OhShiraz I was pleased to see the Carl's review of the S5 autofocus... With everyone having a go at me, it was nice to see I wasn't alone in seeing a significant improvement!
I really enjoyed this beautiful video. Thank you!
Are you making a more photo oriented one? Id love to jear your thoughts, for us stills users.
Thank you Tomas, very kind.
Up until now, I've only been concentrating on film/video simply because that's my background... as it has been since I left school. But you raise a good point. Many of the things that traditionally separated stills and video work, have been disappearing. It's not just the DSLR and mirrorless stills cameras that now shoot video... it's also that video quality has improved to the extent that we can now use lighting and exposure techniques that never worked when we had zero dynamic range! Just look at all the constant TV lights that now include the Bowens mount so we can play with all those lovely modifiers !!! I've also met a lot of stills guys who now regularly get asked by their clients to shoot video... it's like our worlds are merging!
@@extrashot both worlds mergieng, very true. In amy case I love your approach. Keep up the good work!
@@thb5505 Thank you!
Fantastic Review! But have you seen any artifacts, banding, loss of sharpness from the longgop 10bit codec in vlog compared to the all i codec on the s1h? And what profile did you choose for the slow mo shots, there were a ton of dynamic range and the colors looked lovely despite it being an 8 bit 24mbps codec.
I didn't see any artefacts on the longGOP. I think the extra compression just makes it harder to edit if you're on a slower machine. It's still 4:2:2 10bit just more difficult to get at it. I'm on FCPX, so once it's transcoded into ProRes, you'd struggle to spot the difference. The low (24mbps?) HD in slow mo, was shot on Cinelike D2. I wouldn't try Log at these data rates as there's just not enough data to do a meaningful grade. For the same reason, you really want to nail as much of the shot as possible in-camera. If you get the exposure and colour right, then a slight tweak in the edit will help without it falling apart. I too was surprised by how good the HFR looked... particularly for dynamic range!
Great rundown as always.
I got my S1H, and what pains me most is the Auto Focus when using EF lenses to the point.. THERE IS NO AUTO FOCUS (well not continuous focus or focus transitions).. I use the Sigma EF adapter to mount my Sigma ART series of lenses. Pity as I didn't know this issue before buying into all that glass and not the more expensive L-Mount glass which works in AF.
Hopefully your mentioned firmware update will address this issue?
Now thinking about the S5.. I fully agree with you, it makes a perfect B-Cam to the S1H as an A-Cam
The problem is... AF is always best with native lenses. They just talk better to the camera! The fact that they are going to update the S1 series though is good news. It can only help.
S5 Mark ii. Any news or updates? There might be phase detect af in there. Thank you for the review.
Amazing video 👍🏻... I will buy it ❤️
Even better value now as well... hope you enjoy it.
The Conspiracy Guy does love the S5 .... he is just frustated over the "slow" autofocus. He is actually in love with Lumix and purhaps Fuji. He is so crazy but I love him. We need him, Panasonic need him in some way. We will se what they come up with... Anyhow I agree with you about the S5. I have had one for a month now. Although if its a "slowfox" focus it changes the sharpness in a beatuful way so it doesnt bother me to mutch, yet. The colors are the best together with Fuji.
If Kasey from CC loves the S5 I'm sold... the colours are special.
Really nice review! I had almost bought this camera as an upgrade to my Sony a6000 but the AF fears alot of reviewers were spreading had me second guess myself and ultimately I bought the Fujifilm x-t4 with a nicer lens upon realizing I didn't need the full frame. Maybe one Panasonic!!! I'd argue that this is currently the best affordable full frame one can buy
I'd go with that argument... great value for a full frame! How are you liking the X-T4? ... Those colours always look impressive!
@@extrashot going in line with what others have said, it's really fun to use. I love all the dials. I don't have to menu dive as often to make changes. Really great all-around camera for practically everything
@@8bittim Nice... I need to borrow one asap!
12:30 I just posted on his S5 review your AF test. Let's see if he does another squirrel test.
We need a squirrel-off !!! 😂
Another question is are Panasonic going to upgrade the GH5 and G9 firmware with the improved AF algorithm rendering a GH6 unnecessary for another couple years.
I'm not sure they can... but Panasonic have said they're totally supporting the MFT series, so I'm still hoping for a GH6!
Great review! How is Moiré? This is something that drives my nuts with my Blackmagic cameras, and if the S5 has none, then I'm definitely buying. Thanks.
I didn't see any... it looked to me as though the S5 had the same optical low pass filter of the S1H... but I may be wrong. I know the S1 doesn't have one as it's more for stills, but the S5 is definitely setup for great video. Which Blackmagic cameras are bad for aliasing? Could it be the resolution you're shooting? I've used a few and not really noticed any, so I'm genuinely interested.
@@extrashot thanks for the reply. According to what I've read, the S5 does not have and OLPF, that's why I was wondering. I have owned every Blackmagic camera except for the original Pocket and the giant URSA. All of them will exhibit moiré under certain circumstances, and almost always on my bread and butter shots of medium shots above the knees of business guys. In that scenario, moiré will pop up on the jacket, and on the tie. Always!!! I hate it, but I love the Blackmagic cameras otherwise. It is more obvious if one shoots in BRAW, but it still shows in ProRes. I ended up buying a RAWLITE OLPF for my Ursa Mini Pro. I was looking at the S5 to replace my Pocket 6K. I think that the lovely color and the built-in EVF and in-body stabilization of the S5 would be a great option. Your video footage looks wonderful and made me consider it. RAWLITE makes an OLPF for the Pocket 6K and I was thinking of buying it, but it's almost $500 dollars. So, if the S5 doesn't show moire, then I'm jumping ship. Thank you. Cheers!
@@willvazquez3218 Thanks for that... strange about the S5 OLPF, sorry if I misled you. I've just gone back through all the pre-release specs that Panasonic sent me, and can't find any mention of it.. so maybe there isn't one. I assumed it was there because the pictures look identical to the S1H to me. The S5 does do that 96MP pixel shift thing for stills, so maybe that wouldn't work so well with another filter? I feel your pain with the corporate stripy shirts... even better if you also have a brick wall or vertical blinds as the background! Are you shooting 1080 on the 4K or 6K sensors? I didn't see aliasing as an issue with the one's I've used. Do you see it to the same degree in the edit?
@@extrashot no worries, you always are a wealth of knowledge, because you're a real world shooter, not some kid that's doing skateboard videos. I use my gear to make a living too, so I appreciate your reviews, I even share your videos with my colleagues. I read about the lack of OLPF in the Newsshooter.com review by Matthew Allard. On the Pocket 6K and 4K you definitely see the moire in the edit, I'm not sure if you see moire in 1080p setting though. On the Pocket 6K, it doesn't matter of you shoot 6K raw or 4K prores, you still see it. It is rare on most shots, except for the shots I do all the time, which is the medium shot above the knees. If you stand the person a little further back or closer, the moire disappears. But there is always the fear. Sometimes you won't see it on the on-camera screen, and it will show up in the edit. I think I'm going to order the S5 anyway. I can always return it. :)
@@willvazquez3218 Thanks for the comments... I bet you don't return it !!!
Oh, Dear - to upgrade or not to upgrade from my GH5 to this brilliant S5 hmm.?
Or wait for the GH6... ?
Your footage looks really good. I have a few questions. What picture profile did you shoot the segment with the puppet maker in and what in-camera adjustments did you make on the profile?
Maybe I missed it, but what lens did you use to shoot it in.
How much grading did you do?--I like the look.
And finally, what profile did you use for your in-studio talking segments.
Finally, I totally agree with you. The Panasonic AF is SO good now I think it's not an issue at all for those bound to the AF system and incapable of (or unwilling to learn) pulling focus. I pull focus all the time, so AF is almost never an issue. The questions I always have is how good is the Peaking feature, and is the lens mechanical focus of focus by wire???
Thanks for this video---very informative.
Everything I shot with the S5 was using the 20-60mm kit lens... it's the only L-Mount I had. The story with Ben was all shot using V-Log (probably a mistake in such low light), with the aperture wide open and the shutter fixed to 50th. I left both the ISO and Autofocus running in full auto. It was a tough test for the AF under available light, but I wanted to use the camera 'point and shoot' style. The whole piece was recorded (including Ben's voice interview) in less than two hours. In FCPX I just slapped the Panasonic V-Log LUT on as a starting point and tweaked the colours a little to balance out those horrible fluorescents. The kit lens is focus by wire, but it does have a lot of feel. I hated it at first... and then discovered there is a linear / non-linear choice in the camera menu. By default it's set to non-linear so be sure to swap that quickly! The in-studio taking head shots were all on my standard Sony FX9 as I needed to be holding the S5 and I only had one! Thanks for the kind comments William.
@@extrashot Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I wish other youtube presenters were so courteous. Very helpful.
I really like the look you got in the Puppet maker clips.
I agree about the Pani S5 AF now--if you can't shoot good video with that you might as well give up.
I thought the way the camera controlled light in auto ISO was also impressive. I like using auto ISO in places with stable lighting. Works much better than Fuji's auto ISO. Great camera, great company, but they still haven't figure out how to eliminate the exposure stepping.
It seems to me Panasonic is following suit with Fuji by putting these AF improvements in the S1H and S1. I wonder if they can also be added to the GH5??? And if they can be, will Panasonic do it?
I also agree: after the S5 who needs a GH6?
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Isn't the S5 it?!?
Panasonic V log is really great---IMO, second only to C Log I for ease in grading. You got great results with it.
The FX9 in the talking head sections explains why I liked the skin tones/colors so much better in the video you did of the puppet maker.
The exposure/focus sharpness of the image looked fine but Sony's magenta skin tones make me crazy.
I'm just flat out allergic to magenta and have never been able to make S-Log II look right regarding skin tones----that is why I decided against the Sony A7SIII and have opted for the S5. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that Pani reds tend to lean towards yellow/orange---too much so IMO.
live in the real world. The
The guy who does the reviews for Park Cameras did back to back video reviews of the A7sIII and the S5, with the same model (beautiful gal) at the same time of day in the same environment---don't know how he ever got two days with beautiful sunsets in a row in England---and the Panasonic colors in the S5 video made the model's complexion look so much more attractive and beautiful than the Sony--love the soft shadows and gentle shadow fall offs---plus the warm red/orange tones and lovely skin texture. IMO far better than Sony. And, no. It's not just a failure of the guy at Park Cameras. He did a great job. I see the same skin tone/color/texture issues with all the Sony shooters on youtube, Phillip Bloom included.
Just don't think Sony has a settled color science. Some love it. Not me.
I pull out my Canon XF400--and bam!! Skin color/texture looks right with little or no work.
Cancelled my Sony order. Ordered the S5 (I already own an S1H).
Not a knee jerk decision. I shot nothing but Sony for 8 years and it drove me crazy with magenta skin tones then. Finally, someone put a Canon in my hands. But I digress.
Really like your videos! Thanks again for your prompt response.
@@avarmadillo No worries, and thank you for the comments. I know what you mean about the magenta skin tones with Sony... the S-Cinetone (Venice look) has gone a long way to sorting that now, so maybe I should use that instead of S-Log3. The trouble is, I'm no grader !!!
@@extrashot Not sure grading is the solution for Sony. I see a lot of youtube videos and almost every time I see something I react to negatively regarding skin tones...sure enough it's a Sony. Maybe it's my problem---I'm just allergic to Sony. But to me the skin tones and the general colour rendition on the S5 in your video (and the Park Cameras video) was better and looked far more natural and pleasing than the Sony.
@@extrashot If you don't know this video from Caleb Pike I highly recommend it for color correction of skin tones--VERY easy in FCPX the way he does it in three simple steps. And it's a very short video. You can't miss getting it right the way he does it.
ruclips.net/video/tA6i8wEpeCY/видео.html
Great video!!!
I stumbled on your channel and glad I did. Very good review. Two questions please: Are all of the video clips straight out of the camera without any grading in post at all? And where is that beach spot in the UK? Looks like a nice area. Cheers from Germany, I subsrcibed :-))
Really sorry it’s taken so long to reply… I was taking a break from RUclips!
Yes... all the video clips are straight out of the camera. No point in showing you my poor grading skills! Beach spot is near Bournemouth on the south coast.
Thank you for the sub and the kind words... much appreciated
@@extrashot your are so nice, thanks and regards from German, too!