Panasonic S5 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in September 2020 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic S5 a good camera? The S5 has a Camera Elo of 2912. This rating puts the S5 among the top 30 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the S5 ranks among the top 40 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Panasonic S5 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic S5 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R6	138 mm	98 mm	88 mm	680 g	360	Y	Jul 2020	2,499	amazon.com
3.		Nikon Z6	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	310	Y	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon Z6 II	134 mm	101 mm	70 mm	705 g	410	Y	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic GH5 II	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	727 g	400	Y	May 2021	1,699	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S1	149 mm	110 mm	97 mm	1017 g	400	Y	Feb 2019	2,499	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S1H	151 mm	114 mm	110 mm	1052 g	400	Y	May 2019	3,999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S5 II	134 mm	102 mm	90 mm	740 g	370	Y	Jan 2023	1,999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
11.		Sony A9 II	129 mm	96 mm	76 mm	678 g	690	Y	Oct 2019	4,499	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic S5 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check S5 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic S5 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic S5 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
2.		Canon R6	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4k/60p	24.2	14.3	3394	90
3.		Nikon Z6	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	3299	95
4.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
5.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
6.		Panasonic GH5 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.7	13.1	1136	79
7.		Panasonic S1	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.2	14.5	3333	95
8.		Panasonic S1H	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.2	14.2	2805	94
9.		Panasonic S5 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.6	3158	96
10.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
11.		Sony A9 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.0	3434	93
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The S5 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the S5 can use is 4K/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the S5 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.74x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic S5 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
2.		Canon R6	3690	n	3.0 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
3.		Nikon Z6	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
4.		Nikon Z6 II	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
5.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic GH5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic S1	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
8.		Panasonic S1H	5760	Y	3.2 / 2330	swivel	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
9.		Panasonic S5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
10.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A9 II	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One feature that differentiates the S5 from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The S5 reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon R6	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Nikon Z6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Nikon Z6 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
5.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Panasonic GH5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic S1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic S1H	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
9.		Panasonic S5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
10.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony A9 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y

It is notable that the S5 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the S5 can be found in the free online Panasonic S5 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the S5 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R6	5/5	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2020	2,499	amazon.com
3.		Nikon Z6	5/5	..	5/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon Z6 II	4.5/5	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic GH5 II	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2021	1,699	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic S1	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	2,499	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S1H	..	..	4/5	90/100	..	..	May 2019	3,999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S5 II	4.5/5	+ +	5/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2023	1,999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
11.		Sony A9 II	..	..	5/5	90/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2019	4,499	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check S5 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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