GEAR
PANASONIC LUMIX S5 II X
THE VERDICT Great footage, no overheating and an effective AF system are far more important than lots of high-end codecs for a workhorse camera, and the Panasonic Lumix S5 II offers this and more. Now, the S5 II X adds lots of high-end codecs like internal 4:2:2 10-bit All-Intra and ProRes, plus the option to record them to an external SSD. And if you must have Raw, you can export ProRes Raw and Blackmagic Raw, too – ticking the boxes for even the most discerning pixel-peepers and giving plenty of flexibility in post-production. AF is good, if not the best, but image stabilisation is incredible. This is a fantastic camera for filmmaking and at the price is a bit of a steal, leaving you with leftover cash to purchase a tiny pot of white paint and a small paintbrush to de-blackout those pesky dials!
More information
panasonic.co.uk
HOW IT RATES
Features: 9 Packed with incredible features for serious filmmaking professionals Performance: 9 Autofocus is now usable and the footage is simply excellent Handling: 9 The S5 II X is small, light, easy to use and has simple menus Value for money: 10 It might be a bit more pricey than the S5 II, but offers a lot more OVERALL RATING: 9/10 The best-value full-frame mirrorless for filmmaking Pros: Phase detection AF, top-quality codecs Cons: No 240fps HD or 4K/120p for slow motion
where video is concerned. The new phase detection AF system includes face, body and head tracking, multi- zones and multi-adjustable speeds. This is significantly better than the old system from any of the legacy S series cameras. Face detection works well – and human and animal detection is very good too – but it can get confused when objects come in front of the subject and sometimes struggles with a target. When we tested the S5 II, we said the system takes some getting used to, works well once you get to grips with it, but feels like it’s a firmware upgrade away from being on par with stacked-sensor rivals. We stick with that on the S5 II X. It’s very good, but not the best. What does impress is the in-body five-axis image stabilisation system that works with OIS lenses to provide smooth footage. A Boost IS setting works for video, which makes it look like it’s on a tripod. Turn this off for panning or moving the camera as it has the typical IS jerky frame. The sensor is a dual native ISO chip with bases at ISO 100 and 640
DRIVE TIME An inexpensive
SmallRig SSD holder clamps the Sandisk drive and mounts to a minimalist cage
“For quality filmmaking on a budget, the S5 II X has an impressive list of features”
in standard gamma settings, 640 and 4000 in V-Log as well as 400 and 2500 in HLG, and there is a new processor to drive it. Of course, it has all those robust codecs in All-Intra, 10-bit 4:2:2 and ProRes. These take up a lot of memory space, but it’s
worth it for the incredible quality and flexibility you get in post with such huge files. Not long ago, quality this good was only available to owners of expensive cinema cameras from boutique brands like Red and Arri. The standard colours might be a little too vivid for most, but they are easy to change. Plus you can use V-Log for maximum dynamic range and control of colours in post – or shoot Raw and have all the control you could ever want. The results are simply staggering, available in 6K open gate and anamorphic. All is not perfect, as you can access high-frame-rate settings up to 60p with no crop, but there is no audio recorded. Any normal 4K frame rates have an APS-C crop when going to any slow-motion settings. To go faster, HD offers 120fps with AF and audio, 150fps with manual focus only and 180fps where the image is cropped. It’s not the best camera for devotees of high- quality super slow- motion. For high-quality filmmaking on a budget, the S5 II X has an impressive list of features, performs well and offers incredible image quality.
IN A RUT The latest Lumix is a great all- round camera, but fast action isn’t its strong point
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