My first impressions of the Panasonic S5 ii

[jaapv]

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Obviously it will take a few months to familiarize myself with the camera, and the rather elaborate video options have little interest for me, but a few things are interesting at first sight when compared to the S5. 

The design has certainly been improved, clean, flat surfaces that make me suspect some influence from Leica, buttons, wheels etc. have been relocated end simplified, with all essential functions accessible by button, joystick and wheels in the right location. . Everything needed for straightforward photography has been ergonomically placed, very little need, if any, to delve into menus after the camera has been set up. Grip and handling match my hands perfectly

IBIS, including Dual IS, works as advertised which means amazingly well. 6.5 EV values stabilization is really something I have been looking for with focal lengths up to 900 mm handheld with just a chest pod.
AF is certainly improved, but it took me a bit to figure all the functions out completely. Quite fast and accurate. I look forward to test its tracking capabilities in combination with animal recognition.

A negative surprise was the absence of 6K photo implementation; although I did not use focus stacking, post-focus and pre-release very often  (pre-release not at all), it did come in handy a few times a year.

Dual ISO is impressive, 3200 is simply clean, 6400 still very good, 12.500 quite usable with AI postprocessing. Panasonic has provided elaborate colour tweaking in-camera, presumably part of the extensive video capability, but it might prove useful to match it to my Leica cameras' output.
In general the images look as sharp and good as I see here on the forum from the SL2S. Improved (slightly) over the S5.

I'll report - if anything to report- over time in this thread. 

 

[colonel]

Thanks, very interesting. You have upsized from the CL  qq. the S5's shutter was quite loud (not damped so much like the S1), is that still the case, or has it been improved ?

[jaapv]

That is rather subjective. I never paid much attention to the sound of the S5 as I mainly used it in silent mode (electronic shutter) But now that you mention it, the S5 ii appears to be more damped. It is certainly not a loud camera. But it brings me to the observation that the feel of the shutter button is improved. The S5 had a real hair trigger, much too light for my taste, the S5 ii is still very light, but the half-press can be clearly felt and it has more tactile feedback.  - The CL is not put on the back burner , and the M9 and M9M are still in regular use. The SL 601 might have to to take a step back, though. 

[jankap]

This is Sigma fp at 102,400 ISO.

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fp with Telyt MR 500mm f/8, 1/500 handheld, 104,400 ISO, living room, not cropped. Topaz Photo AI helped 

F-stop f/8 is the diameter/focal length measure. The exposure f-stop is around f/9.5, due to the mirror in the light path.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2024 by jankap

[Simone_DF]

Thank you, Jaap. Since I have very little interest in the SL3, I’m looking at the S5II as an upgrade to my SL2-S

[jaapv]

I don't usually go to extremes, so ISO 3200, f4.0, 1/60th. Normal ACR processing, (AKA minimal, mainly straighten), standard NR. I must say that the camera satisfies my needs for night shots. The DR is satisfactory for me.

 

 

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[jaapv]

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The AF is a great upgrade. It is fast, there is no pulsing any more and Panasonic has managed to suppress the PDAF drawbacks to a level close to insignificance (I could not induce banding or rastering)   The combination of effective subject recognition and AF on by well-placed control elements (except subject recognition on/off by touch screen) makes it easy to adapt the AF to any situation. One minor -but understandable- thing is that the box for subject recognition changes shape and size all the time But I can live with that. 

[Boojay]

9 hours ago, jaapv said:

The AF is a great upgrade. It is fast, there is no pulsing any more and Panasonic has managed to suppress the PDAF drawbacks to a level close to insignificance (I could not induce banding or rastering)   The combination of effective subject recognition and AF on by well-placed control elements (except subject recognition on/off by touch screen) makes it easy to adapt the AF to any situation. One minor -but understandable- thing is that the box for subject recognition changes shape and size all the time But I can live with that. 

Yes, AF for L mount is much improved though it will be interesting to hear/see if the SL3 and subsequent Panasonic bodies take it a step further, it still has some ground to make up compared to others.

Not sure if you realise you can turn on/off subject detect by use of the back wheel, pressing up.  Display button to switch between subject recognition.

Edited February 16, 2024 by Boojay

[jaapv]

Thanks. I’ll check whether I have that activated. 

[Boojay]

9 hours ago, jaapv said:

Thanks. I’ll check whether I have that activated. 

Pretty sure it's set by default Jaap, I'm always more likely to follow/learn defaults than confuse any system with my own settings😀.

Once AF Detection setting in main menu in set to ON (Camera/Tab3/Focus) pressing AF Mode button, then Up on back control dial switches detect on/off.  Using Display button I then usually just switch between Human and Animal Human, rarely Face/Eye as when subject is close enough camera looks to the eye anyway.

When I first used the S52 all the dials and switches felt a bit cluttered and overwhelming but when I switch to another body now I find myself missing them, especially the burst mode dial and the switch for S/C/MF, these of course are pretty general on all the Lumix bodies it seems.  It might not look as pretty as the sleek and beautifully designed CL but very useful none the less.

 

[jaapv]

Yes you were right. Thanks for the tip, Jayne! 
I agree with you about the no-nonsense design of the camera. I think that Panasonic gives the camera a bit of an analog feel. Once set up you rarely need the menu and when you do there is the Q button for the basic one. I normally ( already did with the S5) have the LCD closed. 

[jaapv]

Just found out, the camera does have focus stacking, post focus and pre-release; it is just buried in the menu. 

[o2mpx]

B&H delivered used S5ii last week and still dreading needing to dig into the menu settings, despite knowing it’s just one time. Found Panasonic has LUMIX live channel on YT with episodes specifically on menus. Will need to dig into them next week. 

Does anyone know of recommended settings posted online or on YT?

[jaapv]

As mentioned above, the camera is a delight to use for night photography. Set Auto ISO and Dual ISO, mount a fairly fast lens, I used the Sigma 28-70 2.8 A setting and your preferred AF Control exposure to the front wheel and aperture by the rear and the camera guarantees 100% perfect shots. The only thing responsible for a failure is the photographer. 

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[jaapv]

23 hours ago, o2mpx said:

B&H delivered used S5ii last week and still dreading needing to dig into the menu settings, despite knowing it’s just one time. Found Panasonic has LUMIX live channel on YT with episodes specifically on menus. Will need to dig into them next week. 

Does anyone know of recommended settings posted online or on YT?

Actually it is exceedingly simple. Start at the top of the settings menu and with each item set it to your preference for general shooting. Save to C1 and you have your basic settings. Start shooting and when you decide that you want an item to be different change it and resave your profile. 
Now you can change your basic profile for spefic uses. E.g. long tele, or Macro or whatever and save those profiles to C2,C3, etc. 
I know I am repeating myself, but you will find that the camera can be controlled effortlessly by the wheels and just a few buttons, giving it an analog feel. Should you want to change a menu item you can use the Q button and do so in one step without taking the camera from your eye. It sure beats the press-long press-double press interface of my SL601. I can never remember which does what.
I’llpost a link tomorrow if I can find it again for a video that gives a quick run through. 

[o2mpx]

@jaapv thanks for the reply; will dive into the menu as suggested. 

When done and saved to C1, is the profile stored on the memory card and need to be resaved as it will be deleted after card formatting?

Thanks in advance if you find the video link.

[jaapv]

No it is stored in the camera and can be accessed by the function wheel to the right of the viewfinder. If you want to make permanent changes set the camera to C1, adjust the settings to your liking and overwrite C1 in the menu. Or save the new settings to C2 or the next. c3 has an endless number of subprofiles but I don’t use them. You can name it to avoid confusion. 

[jaapv]

Found the link:

 

https://ewenbell.com/blog/LUMIX_S5II_Custom_Settings

[o2mpx]

@jaapv many thanks! Beats ready the 800+ page user manual!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[RoySmith]

18 hours ago, jaapv said:

Found the link:

 

https://ewenbell.com/blog/LUMIX_S5II_Custom_Settings

Thanks for everyone’s useful posts about the S5II.

I’ve placed my order for it. I’m looking forward to the low light capability, and the IBIS.

I’ve got 2 older Canon EF lenses so I’ve ordered the Sigma MC-21 EF-L as well.
Hoping the IBIS will work with the Canon EF 300/2.8 and the EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 II

If these work I can retire the Canon 7D MkII

 

Edited March 12, 2024 by RoySmith