Panasonic LUMIX DC-S5M2K Mirrorless Camera Standard Zoom Lens Kit Blac

[This review was collected as part of a promotion. ] This is my first ever full frame camera and I bought it for my trip to the Tour de France and the Olympics. It's a trip of a lifetime and I used the camera for both shooting videos and photos. I am a beginner photographer so the camera is for my personal use only. The kit lens that came with the camera has a good range (20-60) but I will definitely be buying a zoom lens at some point in the future. I actually used the camera in the rain to film and photograph the start of a stage in the Tour de France as well as the Olympics men's cycling time trial event and the camera was able to operate in both the wet conditions with no problems. The lens hood was particularly useful for keeping raindrops away from the glass. ... More[This review was collected as part of a promotion. ] This is my first ever full frame camera and I bought it for my trip to the Tour de France and the Olympics. It's a trip of a lifetime and I used the camera for both shooting videos and photos. I am a beginner photographer so the camera is for my personal use only. The kit lens that came with the camera has a good range (20-60) but I will definitely be buying a zoom lens at some point in the future. I actually used the camera in the rain to film and photograph the start of a stage in the Tour de France as well as the Olympics men's cycling time trial event and the camera was able to operate in both the wet conditions with no problems. The lens hood was particularly useful for keeping raindrops away from the glass. I was of course worried about using the camera in the rain as I'm a beginner with quite an expensive camera, so I think I will be looking to buy a rain cover at some point in the future too. The only negative I can think of is that when holding the camera in portrait orientation at eye level or higher, my hand position sometimes hits a button that brings up a settings menu and I have to press the back button to go back. It's annoying when I want to capture a moment quickly but luckily that has happened infrequently so far. I appreciate that there are two card slots, which I have chosen to use one for photos and the other for videos. My favourite feature are the LUTs, which is a bit like filters on phone cameras but much more technical and customisable (but can still be relatively simple and straightforward for beginners like me to preset and forget).

Compact and high performance

Owner of a Leica SL2, Leica S Apo Asph f2 fix lenses, and the Lumix Leica certified pro zooms. I use the Leica/Lumix SL system for my most advanced pro. work (architecture, landscape, social events). The black lettering is helpful for me to avoid equipment questioning during social events (I know who would have guessed!). The new Lumix S5II, is a great 2nd body for me. Super light and compact (compared to the Leica SL2), fully compatible with the state-of-the art Leica S lenses. I use the new handheld 100 Megapixel multi shot super high resolution mode: no tripod, no noise, high resolution, and you get a huge raw file ready to handle in Lightroom when necessary. The new AF is excellent and so fast! As usual Lumix buttons and interface are almost perfect (I do prefer ... MoreOwner of a Leica SL2, Leica S Apo Asph f2 fix lenses, and the Lumix Leica certified pro zooms. I use the Leica/Lumix SL system for my most advanced pro. work (architecture, landscape, social events). The black lettering is helpful for me to avoid equipment questioning during social events (I know who would have guessed!). The new Lumix S5II, is a great 2nd body for me. Super light and compact (compared to the Leica SL2), fully compatible with the state-of-the art Leica S lenses. I use the new handheld 100 Megapixel multi shot super high resolution mode: no tripod, no noise, high resolution, and you get a huge raw file ready to handle in Lightroom when necessary. The new AF is excellent and so fast! As usual Lumix buttons and interface are almost perfect (I do prefer the Leica interface, though). The LUMIX app is also working just fine with geotagging, exporting files to your phone, and wireless shooting (iPhone 15 Pro). Thumbs up for Pana/Lumix engineers! Keep up the good work.

Good but control quality Lumix please!

I ordered a pack of the Lumix s5IIX and the first thing that comes to mind, B&H protects the shipments well! Much better than its competitor Adora.. and their shipping is ultra fast! Thanks to them. First thing is to beware of packs, and offers sold by Lumix, this does not come as a gift! because often these packs have defects not visible to the naked eye, such as not perfect screen, with strong light, if you look at the sides, you can see the effect of a spot or cloud, I have the exchange, with new but which also has this kind of aesthetic defects. There are much fewer of them but it is still visible!, we will say that it works... something that I did not have on the s5IIX order on Amaz... which was perfect for my sense. that said B&H have nothing to do with it, ... MoreI ordered a pack of the Lumix s5IIX and the first thing that comes to mind, B&H protects the shipments well! Much better than its competitor Adora.. and their shipping is ultra fast! Thanks to them. First thing is to beware of packs, and offers sold by Lumix, this does not come as a gift! because often these packs have defects not visible to the naked eye, such as not perfect screen, with strong light, if you look at the sides, you can see the effect of a spot or cloud, I have the exchange, with new but which also has this kind of aesthetic defects. There are much fewer of them but it is still visible!, we will say that it works... something that I did not have on the s5IIX order on Amaz... which was perfect for my sense. that said B&H have nothing to do with it, it's rather the quality control of Lumix which leaves something to be desired., apart from that BH always at the top for me, fast shipping, RMA services at the top, with a new exchange, or everything at least no sign of use as one might read on the review forums. Otherwise the S5IIX is really great, an excellent case, with crazy features., so yes the packs have small flaws, but the price of the packs puts it into perspective, I gained almost 900usd, if I would have bought from another competing site!

Great Camera for Videos

An upgrade to my Nikon D5500 was a long time coming, and after months of looking into different cameras (Sony A7S II mainly) I came across the Lumix S line, Never looked outside the big 3 manufacturers, so I was cautious, but the more I read about the S5iiX I was constantly surprised. ProRes recording, phase auto focus, Log recording, and more. I’ve used a lot of different cameras over the years for videos (C100/200, BMD PC4K/6Kpro, Sony A7S’) and all were acceptable, but never seemed to have everything I wanted, but the S5iiX comes the closest. Only been using this camera 5 months or so, but put it through the paces. If you’re shooting without a focus puller, the AF-C is really good in the right lighting. Darker or underexposed shots might have issues, but overall ... MoreAn upgrade to my Nikon D5500 was a long time coming, and after months of looking into different cameras (Sony A7S II mainly) I came across the Lumix S line, Never looked outside the big 3 manufacturers, so I was cautious, but the more I read about the S5iiX I was constantly surprised. ProRes recording, phase auto focus, Log recording, and more. I’ve used a lot of different cameras over the years for videos (C100/200, BMD PC4K/6Kpro, Sony A7S’) and all were acceptable, but never seemed to have everything I wanted, but the S5iiX comes the closest. Only been using this camera 5 months or so, but put it through the paces. If you’re shooting without a focus puller, the AF-C is really good in the right lighting. Darker or underexposed shots might have issues, but overall it gets the job done. If you're worried about the focus throwing to backgrounds, there’s AF Lock, but also a handy feature that allows you to set the minimum and maximum focus points for auto focus, meaning you eliminate the focus throws to backgrounds if subjects walk out of frame, get to close, etc. Honestly, while people say the autofocus isn’t as great as sony or canon, I think it’s blown out of proportion. The ProRes recording options are awesome, giving you 1080p all the way to 5.8k. One downside ins the internal codec recording. The bitrates on the internal is pretty lacking. While you have the choice between All-Intra and LongGOP, even on All-I average bitrates are 200Mbps, for comparison the ProRes C4K 23.967 bitrate is ~700Mbps. This is especially a downside when the only way to film open gate (using the full 3:2 sensor area) is available in the internal recording and not ProRes. Overall, this is a great camera for videos/movies, giving you lots of features, even more I didn’t highlight, but is lacking in some choices. Still, if you’re stuck in the past like I was, this is a huge upgrade, and well worth the money, especially if you find it used like I did.

Great but still room for improvement

Honestly the best hybrid camera for the price but only given 4 stars for a few lacking things that could be improved in the future.I'll start with the good, the camera feels good in the hand, is pretty reliable except for a few moments it freezes and you have to restart it, and it has some of the best video features of any mirrorless camera at any price. It also is a great photo camera which I feel like gets overlooked a lot. Also the AF is pretty reliable and surprising how good it is for Panasonic's first try with PDAF. And all this for around $2000, you can't really ask for more.Now for the things that could be improved through future software updates, for some reason there is no option for in-camera multiple exposure, I know this is a niche thing but still fun ... MoreHonestly the best hybrid camera for the price but only given 4 stars for a few lacking things that could be improved in the future.I'll start with the good, the camera feels good in the hand, is pretty reliable except for a few moments it freezes and you have to restart it, and it has some of the best video features of any mirrorless camera at any price. It also is a great photo camera which I feel like gets overlooked a lot. Also the AF is pretty reliable and surprising how good it is for Panasonic's first try with PDAF. And all this for around $2000, you can't really ask for more.Now for the things that could be improved through future software updates, for some reason there is no option for in-camera multiple exposure, I know this is a niche thing but still fun to play around with and it was in the S5 so I am not sure why it isn't here. Also I don't know why the mechanical shutter only goes up to 7fps, I am sure the camera has the throughput for it since you can do 30fps electronic and every camera at this price range can do at least 10 mechanical so it would be nice to somehow unlock 10+fps without having to worry about rolling shutter. My last big feature I would like to see is a way to lock the sensor when the camera is turned off and for cleaning, it is nerve wrecking when trying to clean it and the sensor wont stay still and keeps wobbling and you can't get a good edge-to-edge clean in one swipe; going with this having the sensor cover the sensor when it is turned off would be nice to see as well. My last set of issues is with the selection of L-Mount lenses, I know there are quality options from sigma but it would be nice to see Lumix take more interest in developing lenses, there aren't many fast more speciality lenses and I am not sure if they don't see there being a market for that with their users but maybe they don't have any of those people because they have never given them the ability to so it is an endless cycle. There are a few hardware things like it would have been nice to have a CFast card slot in this so you didn't need an external SSD when recording higher video formats but it is nice that option is there, also the rubber on the grip is a little lose so that may be some quality control issue.Overall a very good camera that could be 5 stars if they bring some quality of life software updates and the L-Mount alliance start making lenses that can more closely rival the offerings of the other mirrorless brands.

Great camera that needs only minor improvements

Great camera for beginning videography. Has features enough to get you started on photography or videography, such as recording to ssd, 2 sd card slots, ability to choose shutter angle, and others. Colors come out looking great. Camera is fairly lightweight too but has enough heft to not feel like a cheap piece of plastic. My biggest gripe with it is it only supports a max framerate of 60 fps. 120 would have been better. Also the 60fps recording mode has a noticeable crop. You can of course work around this, but it'd be better if you didn't have to. I also wish it would do a sensor clean anytime you shut it off. Menu's can be a bit confusing and hard to find things but I suppose most cameras can have unintuitive menus. This camera has never overheated on me while ... MoreGreat camera for beginning videography. Has features enough to get you started on photography or videography, such as recording to ssd, 2 sd card slots, ability to choose shutter angle, and others. Colors come out looking great. Camera is fairly lightweight too but has enough heft to not feel like a cheap piece of plastic. My biggest gripe with it is it only supports a max framerate of 60 fps. 120 would have been better. Also the 60fps recording mode has a noticeable crop. You can of course work around this, but it'd be better if you didn't have to. I also wish it would do a sensor clean anytime you shut it off. Menu's can be a bit confusing and hard to find things but I suppose most cameras can have unintuitive menus. This camera has never overheated on me while recording which was a major concern for me. I've recorded for over a half hour at a time in 4k resolution in 30 fps and had no issues with usability. It of course gets warm like any electronic device will, but nothing to make it difficult or dangerous to hold. Still feel like I've just scratched the surface of what this camera is capable of and am excited to only get more familiar with it. This is certainly a device that will last me several years.

Most surprising camera I ever shot!

This camera surprised me the most out of all cameras I shot with, and I've shot them all, Canon DSLRs, Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Fuji (apsc and medium format), all the mirrorless that came out recently. Let me tell you why:1. Color science. They've been in partnership with Leica for a long time, it shows in this camera. For my taste, better than Canon for portraits, almost as good as Nikon for landscapes, years ahead of Sony, just as good as Fuji.2. Sigma prime lenses. I have the 24, 50, and 85 DG DN 1.4 lenses, and I've also shot with the 35 DG DN 1.4. Ultra sharp wide open, great rendering, my favorite bokeh quality of all lenses, and at a fraction of the price of what Canon, Nikon, even Sony charge for their top tier mirrorless lenses. Metal and glass construction, ... MoreThis camera surprised me the most out of all cameras I shot with, and I've shot them all, Canon DSLRs, Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Fuji (apsc and medium format), all the mirrorless that came out recently. Let me tell you why:1. Color science. They've been in partnership with Leica for a long time, it shows in this camera. For my taste, better than Canon for portraits, almost as good as Nikon for landscapes, years ahead of Sony, just as good as Fuji.2. Sigma prime lenses. I have the 24, 50, and 85 DG DN 1.4 lenses, and I've also shot with the 35 DG DN 1.4. Ultra sharp wide open, great rendering, my favorite bokeh quality of all lenses, and at a fraction of the price of what Canon, Nikon, even Sony charge for their top tier mirrorless lenses. Metal and glass construction, still all made in Japan. If you know you know.3. Accuracy of the Eye AF! This is by far the most accurate Eye AF camera i ever shot. It's only contrast detect, and while the S5II has both phase and contrast detect, the S5 is more accurate. Did a side by side comparison shooting the same lens. I shot the 3rd and 4th gen A7 series cameras from sony, not as accurate, and both Nikon and Sony have shutter lag in their mirrorless cameras. Canon does better, but still not as accurate (im coming from an R5 and the RF 1.2 lenses).4. Ergonomics for both photo, video, manual and AF shooting is by far the best, easiest to use, most intuitive. From menus to button placement, to automatically zooming in when manually focusing, this camera is simply a joy to use.5. Price and value for money. Nothing really beats this in my opinion. It's on sale at $1300 brand new, it's the showstopper camera for me when it comes to value, it's the one camera that i cannot jump ship from.6. L-mount alliance and Sigma primes are just unbeatable. They're sharper than canon RF 1.2 and Nikon 1.2 glass. Rendering and bokeh quality is subjective of course, but i prefer the sigmas the most, and again, at a fraction of the price.7. Looks. This is a cool little camera, from the grip to the red record button, the red accent under the left dial, the textures on both the grips and the metal casing, very nice touch.Weather sealing is awesome, battery life is great, accessories and everything around this camera is cheaper than other brands. You really cannot go wrong with this. If you need phase detect, and need AF for video, get the Lumix S5II. Otherwise, if you're either a professional or just a hobbyist like myself, especially if you do portraits, this camera will delight you!

Shutter button/failed completely within 15 months

Been incredibly happy with the performance of my s5m2Upon delivery I noticed the rubber wasn’t secure but didn’t want to be without this powerful camera due to work so just continued to use15 months later the grip has almost completely fell off through no fault of my ownAnd the shutter button has failed completelySo I am unable to use my shutter button through no fault of my own and have seen other s5m2 users complaining about similar issuesLukix is failing to accept that there are manufacturing issues and I have had a camera that doesn’t work for over 3 months while lumix asks me to wait for them to come back to me in regards to repairing manufacturing issuesI own a lumix s5 mk1 that I’ve had for a lot longer the the M2 but it’s still in perfect ... MoreBeen incredibly happy with the performance of my s5m2Upon delivery I noticed the rubber wasn’t secure but didn’t want to be without this powerful camera due to work so just continued to use15 months later the grip has almost completely fell off through no fault of my ownAnd the shutter button has failed completelySo I am unable to use my shutter button through no fault of my own and have seen other s5m2 users complaining about similar issuesLukix is failing to accept that there are manufacturing issues and I have had a camera that doesn’t work for over 3 months while lumix asks me to wait for them to come back to me in regards to repairing manufacturing issuesI own a lumix s5 mk1 that I’ve had for a lot longer the the M2 but it’s still in perfect conditionLukix not dealing with manufacturing issues is incredibly disappointingPlease refer to lumix instagram page and go to s5m2 posts to see other users complaining about manufacturing issuesI hope lumix sorts out my problems and stops pretending it’s an isolated issue

Significant upgrade over original S5

Moved from S5 to S5II and very happy with the results. The upgrades in image stabilization and autofocus alone make this a much more capable hybrid camera, and come to bear in a wide variety of scenarios.Other things I like:- Easier use of Sigma lenses: with the original S5, the video autofocus performance of Lumix lenses was far superior to that of Sigma lenses. Now, the gap has been erased, making it much easier to use lenses interchangeably.- Open-gate recording! Huge for social first projects that need to be cut to different aspect ratios.- Fan to prevent overheating. Speaks for itself!- Despite all its improvements, the S5ii has basically the same form factor and weight of the original S5.One thing I don’t like:- Something unremarked upon in most ... MoreMoved from S5 to S5II and very happy with the results. The upgrades in image stabilization and autofocus alone make this a much more capable hybrid camera, and come to bear in a wide variety of scenarios.Other things I like:- Easier use of Sigma lenses: with the original S5, the video autofocus performance of Lumix lenses was far superior to that of Sigma lenses. Now, the gap has been erased, making it much easier to use lenses interchangeably.- Open-gate recording! Huge for social first projects that need to be cut to different aspect ratios.- Fan to prevent overheating. Speaks for itself!- Despite all its improvements, the S5ii has basically the same form factor and weight of the original S5.One thing I don’t like:- Something unremarked upon in most reviews is that the camera bizarrely reverts to contrast detect autofocus for 1080p 60p, which is a bummer since Sigma lenses don’t do as well with that system and 4K 60p has an ASP-C crop. Really hope this can be addressed in a subsequent firmware update!Overall, highly recommend.

The ONE Camera to Rule Them All

Having used full-frame mirrorless from Nikon, Canon and Sony (as well the S1R, S1H from Panasonic), and most refently the Sony A7iv, I can say with 35+ years of photography / videography experience that the S5iiX is a superb camera. Panasonic fixed the autofocus issue from the S5 (amd haunts the S1, S1R,S1H), and it removed the impediment to owning a Panasonic full-frame camera. What has this made the S5iix as result? The most well-rounded hybrid full-frame camera on the marker, especially for the price. 24MP is the sweet spot, but I wouldnt mind a few more. Everything about this model is just about right. The added featires for video-specific use (a big one is able to stream live from the camera!) makes the $200 premium of no consequence, they are really worth ... MoreHaving used full-frame mirrorless from Nikon, Canon and Sony (as well the S1R, S1H from Panasonic), and most refently the Sony A7iv, I can say with 35+ years of photography / videography experience that the S5iiX is a superb camera. Panasonic fixed the autofocus issue from the S5 (amd haunts the S1, S1R,S1H), and it removed the impediment to owning a Panasonic full-frame camera. What has this made the S5iix as result? The most well-rounded hybrid full-frame camera on the marker, especially for the price. 24MP is the sweet spot, but I wouldnt mind a few more. Everything about this model is just about right. The added featires for video-specific use (a big one is able to stream live from the camera!) makes the $200 premium of no consequence, they are really worth $500+ more. And, while minor, I appreciare the blacked-out subtlety of the S5iix as well. - In conclusion, do not overlook the Panasonic S5ii and iix. Sony, Canon, Nikon spend more moneu on adveetising and display space (and fund specialists at Best Buy too), overshadowing the Panasonic brand, and these cameras. But you, being a wise consumer can look past the advertising and promotion, and in doing so you will find the gem of full-frame mireorless cameras, and hybrid in the S5ii / iix.