Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Camera Review

Patrick May 19, 2021

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Camera Review:

If you’re looking to get into L mount, and you’re looking at Panasonic, I’m sure a lot of you know that there’s the S1 and S1R bodies. Both of those bodies are aimed at the higher end of the market, and with that comes higher price tags. If you’re not looking to spend that kind of money and at the same time, you want something more compact than those two options, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 might just be the camera that will fit your needs. I spent some time with it, and here’s what I think of it.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Camera Review:

So, let’s first take a look at the overall build and ergonomics. The S1 and S1R bodies are built really well but one complaint is that they’re not compact enough. The DC-S5 fixes this issue, and I have to say, Panasonic really did a good job. The dimensions of the S1 are 5.22 x 3.82 x 3.22″/132.6 x 97.1 x 81.9 mm, which actually makes it a bit smaller than the Panasonic GH5, which is not even a full frame camera but a micro four thirds one. It’s also a bit lighter. Speaking of its heft, the S5 weighs just 1.57 lb/714 g (with battery and memory cards), which make it considerably lighter than the S1, which weighs 2.25 lb/1021 g.

↑ Here’s the Panasonic DC-S5 with the Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens attached.

I just love how this camera feels in the hands. It’s compact but at the same time, it isn’t so small that it feels awkward holding the S5 when you have larger lenses mounted to it. For example, I had my Summilux-SL 50mm f1.4 ASPH mounted to it during a professional shoot, and the combo felt extremely balanced in my hands. The deep grip on the S5 helps quite a bit. However, when you do want to go light, this is definitely the camera you should consider. In fact, it matches well with the Sigma I Series compact lenses I was reviewing at the time.

With the Sigma I Series lenses, and maybe a few other more compact L mount lenses in your collection, it might make you wonder if you would even need to go down in sensor size just for a more compact system. It sure made me wonder. I was thinking to myself that if I were to invest in the S5, I can use the same lenses as my Leica SL2. It kind of makes sense for me, and it would be great to have a smaller second body like the S5 to use. As you can see in the photo below, the S5 isn’t really much larger than my Fuji X-T3, which as some of you know, has an APS-C sensor. Plus, in terms of price, they are very close. The Fuji X-T4 currently retails for $1,699, while the S5 retails for $1,997 (there’s a $300 rebate currently though knocking the price down to $1,697). Obviously, there are other factors involved besides size, and price when one purchases a camera but all I’m saying is I can see many considering the S5 as an alternative over an APS-C equivalent at this point.

↑ As you can see, the Panasonic DC-S5 isn’t that much larger than the Fuji X-T3, which has an APS-C sensor.

Speaking of, since I do blog quite a bit about Leica, and a few of you follow me for it, I will say that yes, the S5 makes a GREAT companion to the SL2. The Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 compliments it perfectly. Nothing against the SL2-S, which is a fantastic camera but I would’ve loved to see Leica build an S5 equivalent. I use my SL2 for professional work but when I’m off the clock, and I want something that can still use my L mount lenses but maybe not be as large and heavy, the S5 makes a fantastic option. Better yet, combine it with smaller glass like the Sigma I Series lenses I mentioned earlier, and you have a superb system that is pretty much up for anything.

With all that said, don’t think of the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 as just a sidekick to a better camera; on the contrary, the S5 can definitely hold its own. I will talk more about this later in my image quality section but the camera performs brilliantly, and can definitely produce professional results. In fact, I had two professional shoots scheduled, and decided to leave my SL2 at home, so I was forced to only depend on the S5. The camera did nothing but impress.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Camera Features:

Speaking of impressing, while the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is a more compact and cheaper camera than its siblings, don’t think it lacks in features. On the contrary, this camera is feature packed, and in my opinion, one of the more complete cameras in its price range and class. For one, everything about this camera is professional grade. It has a magnesium alloy chassis that is also dust and moisture sealed. The dials on the top plate have a great feel to them. They don’t feel hollow and cheap. They also have a nice resistance as you turn them. The placement of the buttons and switches, in my opinion, are in good locations. I never once felt like they were in the way or in places that didn’t make sense. All the essential controls, like ISO or autofocus modes, for example, are easily accessible. It’s also a camera that is easy to learn how to use quickly.

↑ Here’s how the top plate of the camera looks like.

In addition, there’s a 3.0″ 1.84m-dot LCD touch display that is bright, clear, and produces great color. It’s great to use for live view, playback mode or menu navigation. The screen can also rotate in several different ways working from high, low, and front-facing angles.

↑ Here’s the LCD display.

↑ You can flip the screen around.

↑ You can rotate it in several different directions.

Like other mirrorless cameras, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 also has an electronic viewfinder. The one in this camera is a 2.36m-dot OLED EVF. The EVF is bright, and produces great colors. It still isn’t as impressive as 5.76m-dot EVF in the S1 and S1R cameras. However, it is still in line with the S5’s competition, and it works great. I have the SL2, which has the same 5.76m-dot EVF as the S1R, and while it’s better than what’s in the S5, it’s not like I was missing my SL2’s viewfinder all that much. What I’m getting at is it’s plenty good. I find it to be even a bit better, at least in terms of color and what it produced, than the one in my X-T3, which is a 3.69-million-dot EVF. Plus, what really makes this view finder nice is the large 0.74x magnification and 60 fps or 120 fps changeable refresh rate.

Another feature worth mentioning is the S5 does have 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization technology giving you 5 stops of camera shake. Overall, it works great as expected. With compatible Lumix lenses featuring O.I.S., you can bring that up to approximately 6.5 stops of camera shake.

Battery life is decent as well. According to the specs, the DMW-BLK22 rechargeable lithium-ion battery is rated for about 440 shots per charge when working with the rear LCD display, 470 shots per charge with the EVF, and 1500 shots per charge when Power Save LVF mode is on. In real life shooting, let’s just say I wasn’t too worried about charging the camera all the time. I even shot an entire 3/4 shoot on just one charge, and I wasn’t even making any real effort to conserve energy.

Furthermore, if you feel the need for more resolution than 24 MP, the S5 can also use sensor-shift stabilization to compile eight separate exposures to create one 96 MP RAW or jpeg file in High Resolution mode. You can really only do this with static subjects, and when working with a tripod but in the end, you can get an image with 12000 x 8000 resolution.

Other features that really make the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 such a complete package to me include dual SD memory card slots (one UHS-II-compatible slot, one UHS-I-compatible slot). There’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a HDMI Type D port, a 2.5mm port, 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, and USB Type-C port that allows for fast file transferring along with in-camera battery charging.

↑ Dual SD card slots.

↑ Several different plugs.

Lastly, while I don’t shoot much video but I know many do, and the S5 has some excellent video features. Some of these include full-frame UHD 4K30p internal recording with 4:2:2 10-bit color, and UHD 4K60p recording using an APS-C sensor area and 4:2:0 10-bit color. HD recording at 60 fps, as well as 4K at 30 fps, is also supported with 8-bit color and no limits to recording time. High-speed recording is also possible, up to Full HD at 180 fps. Three still shooting modes are also an option for recording continuous 3:2 or 4:3 8MP stills at 60 or 30 fps or 18MP stills at a 30 fps. Lastly, The S5 has 14 stops of dynamic range, and anamorphic recording is also available.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Camera Autofocus:

As for autofocus, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 uses DFD (Depth-From-Defocus) Autofocus System, which is contrast-detection based. The system features 225 AF areas, and according to Panasonic, you can get accurate AF performance down to -6 EV. In AF-S mode the S5 does 7 fps, while in AF-C mode, it does 6 fps.

AF performance can depend on the lens mounted as well but overall, I found the AF to be excellent. Focus was always fast, and accurate. I had my Leica SL lenses, and also the Sigma I Series lenses at the time when I was testing the S5. They all performed quite well on the S5.

Face detection was also great. As I mentioned earlier, I did bring the S5 along with me on some of my shoots. The face/body detection was really good at locking onto the subject even in difficult lighting. I was doing a boudoir shoot in an area with very harsh lighting, and dark shadows. The S5 was excellent at keeping up.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mirrorless Camera Image Quality:

Image quality wise, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 uses a full-frame 24.2 MP CMOS sensor and an updated Venus Engine. It’s the same sensor that can be found in the higher end S1 model. The ISO range is 100 – 51200, which can also be expanded to 50 – 204800 ISO.

↑ This was taken at the Oculus and WTC area with the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens. The settings were 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ Here’s one of Michelle (Instagram) shot at f2 with the Sigma 65mm f2. I used 100 ISO.

↑ This was taken with the Sigma 65mm f2 using 100 ISO and f5.6.

Overall, the image quality is superb. The sensor doesn’t have a low-pass filter, which only helps it to obtain that extra crispness in the already tack sharp photos that it produces. Photos have nice depth and have a rich look to them. The colors and the way contrast are produce look especially pleasing to my eye. Dynamic range is also excellent. I was doing that boudoir shoot with heavy shadows and harsh light I mentioned earlier, and I remember being really impressed with how much detail I was able to retrieve from the shadow areas, and how I could retain so much detail in the highlights. It’s also worth noting that if you don’t want to edit RAW files, you can definitely shoot in just jpeg mode because these files are great right out of the camera.

↑ Here’s a shot taken around the Lower East Side with the Sigma 65mm f2 using 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ Here’s a photo of the Manhattan Bridge taken under the FDR Drive with the Sigma 24mm f3.5. The settings were f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s another of Michelle (Instagram) shot at f2 taken with 100 ISO. The Sigma 65mm f2 was used here.

It’s also worth mentioning that the S5 has great high ISO capabilities. You can get clear and usable images all the way up to 6400. As you continue to increase the ISO, there will be a more noticeable difference once you hit 12800 ISO. Anything higher, of course, will affect the image quality like with any other camera. With that said, files from 12800 to 51200 ISO are still very clean to me. I am definitely impressed. The high ISO capabilities of the S5 are excellent, and in my opinion, it is one of the best in its class in this area.

↑ This was taken with the Sigma 35mm f2 set at f5.6. I was using 6400 ISO, and as you can see, it’s very clean.