Panasonic S5 II vs Panasonic S5. Is it worth upgrading?

In these crazy economic times one has to take a really hard look at what camera one invests in. The Panasonic S5 (Amazon, B&H) is a worthy camera for a lot of work. It has its flaws, but in this article we’ll compare it with the newly announced Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) to see if it’s worth the upgrade.

Looks-wise they are about the same. The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) is slightly larger but ergonomically they’re pretty much identical for all practical use scenarios.

Does autofocus matter to you?

The original S5 sucked big time for video autofocus, let’s be honest. It’s nowhere near other cameras like the Sony a7 series or Canon R6 series cameras.

The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) promises to change all that. It is the first camera to adapt phase hybrid AF with 779 AF points.

Check out this official video by Panasonic on how it works:

Obviously we have to get our hands on the camera first before testing this, but it’s definitely a massive improvement.

If video autofocus and tracking are important to your work then the decision is an easy one. Get the Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H).

If you’re still on the fence, read on.

Quick menu

• Comparison of sensors and video features
• Exposure, focus and ergonomics
• The costs of media and batteries
• Which is cheapest to own?
• Verdict. Who wins?

Comparison of sensors and video features

Here’s how the camera sensors compare for video:

Camera	Internal Resolution	Maximum FPS	Video ISO Range^
Panasonic S5	4096 x 2160	30 fps	640-51,200
Panasonic S5 II	5952 x 3968	30 fps (60 fps)*	640-51,200

*Maximum fps in 4K is 60 fps, though if you want 6K the maximum fps is 30 fps.

^in V-Log, which offers the greatest dynamic range from both cameras.

Both the Panasonic S5 and the Panasonic S5 II have dual native ISO of 640 and 4000 in V-Log.

What about 4K frame rates?

Camera	Max fps at 4K	Dynamic Range	Max fps at 1080p
Panasonic S5	30 fps	14+ stops	60 fps
Panasonic S5 II	60 fps*	14+ stops	120 fps

*In APS-C mode. You don’t get 60p in full frame mode, unfortunately.

The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) has a built-in heat dispersion fan system for longer duration recording. The camera will still overheat in modes above 4K. Modes above 4K also have a recording limit of 30 minutes, while in 4K there is no recording limit.

Next, the codecs and color information:

Camera	Panasonic S5 II	Panasonic S5
Best Internal Codecs	H.264/H.265	H.264/H.265
Best Data rate in 4K	200 Mbps	150 Mbps
Internal Color Information	10-bit 4:2:2^	10-bit 4:2:2
Best External Codec	Prores RAW*	Prores RAW
External Color Information	12-bit RAW	12-bit RAW

*It’s a paid future firmware upgrade using Software Upgrade Key DMW-SFU2 (S5II).

^10-bit 4:2:0 in 6K, 10-bit 4:2:2 in 4K.

The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) has faster USB 3.2 readout speeds if you’re transferring data that way.

S5 has ProRes RAW recording of 5.9K via HDMI output when connected to an Atomos Ninja V for RAW.

Regarding rolling shutter performance the Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) has to be tested. We’ll get back to you once we get our hands on a review sample.

Focus and exposure aids, and ergonomics

Both cameras have similar exposure tools:

Camera	Exposure
Panasonic S5 II	Waveform, Zebras, Histogram, Meter
Panasonic S5	Waveform, Zebras, Histogram, Meter

Both cameras have an OLED EVF but the Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) has a 0.78x EVF with 3680K dots compared to a 0.74x EVF with 2360K dots on the Panasonic S5.

Here’s a summary of the ergonomics:

Camera	Ergonomics	Weight
Panasonic S5 II	Fan, 8 directional joystick, Full Size HDMI port, better EVF	657g (Body Only) 740g (With Card & Battery)
Panasonic S5	4 directional joystick, Mini HDMI port	630g (Body Only) 714g (With Card & Battery)

Image Stabilization

The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) has Active IS technology. The bottom line is this technology facilitates walking shots during video recording.

Panasonic claims the IS in the Panasonic S5 II is 200% better than the Panasonic S5. In all other respects they seem to be the same.

Batteries and media cards

Here’s a look at the media situation:

Camera	Panasonic S5 II	Panasonic S5
Dual card slots	Yes, SDHC/SDXC, UHS-II	Yes, SDHC/SDXC, UHS-I and II
Price per GB	$0.63/GB	$0.63/GB
Data Rate (Mbps)	200	150
Data on a 128 GB card	87 minutes	116 minutes
Equivalent Price*	$267	$200

*This is the difference between the card size required for the same format. It doesn’t mean the S5 is better, just cheaper. 200 Mbps is better.

Let’s also forget the Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) can record to two UHS-II cards while the S5 can only take one UHS-II card.

What about battery life?

Camera	Battery life^	Cost one one battery	Cost of 6 hours of operation
Panasonic S5 II	45 minutes	$67.50	$540
Panasonic S5	55 minutes	$67.50	$445

^According to Panasonic’s official data. Regular usage mode, not continuous recording mode. The higher heat generated by the sensor along with the fan should account for this difference.

Which is cheaper to own?

Let’s just add up the costs:

Camera	Panasonic S5 II	Panasonic S5
Camera body	$1,999	$1,697
Media	$267	$200
Batteries*	$540	$445
Total	$2,806	$2,342

The difference in cost of ownership (roughly) is $464, which isn’t much, considering everything.

Recap

First, a recap:

Feature	Winner
Sensor and ISO	S5 II
Video features	S5 II
DR and Color	Tie
Rolling Shutter	TBD
Exposure Aids	Tie
Media	S5
Ergonomics	S5 II
Ports and Monitoring	S5 II
Audio	Tie
Autofocus	S5 II
Battery life	S5

Before we take our final decision, we’ll let the cameras tell us what they offer that the others don’t:

Camera	USP	Major Cons
Panasonic S5 II	Better IS, Better AF, Unlimited recording time in 4K, 6K, 60p	Fan noise, worse battery life
Panasonic S5	Cheaper, better battery life	Only up to 30p in 4K, recoding limit in 4K

My Verdict

The Panasonic S5 II (Amazon, B&H) wins clearly. I believe the added features more than enough make up for the price difference. It would be be really stupid to buy an S5 at this time. Seriously, if the price difference is too much just buy a used S5 II.

What do you think?