Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is a great camera with one major flaw and several tiny ones. This review is being expanded as I get time and is written from an enthusiasts viewpoint. The S5 met most of my expectations and exceeded several. The camera was being purchased for the use of family photography, family video, and photo/video for some work as well. Non Family Use The camera does really well in controlled environments. The ability to take stunning high res photos, landscapes, and videos (in a studio) are amazing. The camera is best utilized in a manual focus mode. When you take the time to manually set the focus and learn all the underlying settings for each mode, I found the S5 produced better photos and videos (unedited) than those of my friend shooting with a Sony A7riii. The color reproduction that the camera can do is great! Outside shooting seasonal changes is easy and enjoyable. Even taking videos in one of the many settings that the S5 can do, looks great and satisfying. I found myself really happy with the products I was producing even before editing the imagery. For an enthusiast that has no issues taking the time to master all the settings of the S5 and primarily using it in manual focus mode, the S5 is one of the best hybrid shooters out there. Family Use, here is why I returned the S5 With all I said above you can see where this is going. I took the better part of two weeks fine tuning the S5 for family use. I watched hours of tutorials, a lot of the Lumix Acadamy videos, and still found no perfect setting for the autofocus to produce predictable results. After week three I was extremely annoyed. This camera was meant for both work and family. The family side is where the S5 failed me. The camera had to be usable in my wife's hands and be predictable. It was far from that in both photography and videography. In post we reviewed the focus points and found that the S5 had a low hit % when using autofocus for capturing images of family members. Depending on the situation, the S5 ranged from a success rate of 30%-60%. The video mode did capture many priceless moments, but the rolling shutter, IBIS, and autofocus issues would randomly be an issue. Rarely was it all three at one time. There are videos of my children that far exceeded my expectations. But, and this one is huge, the background pulsing and loss of subject by the autofocus kills so many great moments. If only Panasonic had copied what Sony is doing for focus, I would still have the S5. I plan to upload a few sample images. All images are unedited.

I'm in love with the Panasonic S5!! I've been using m43 for a very long and loved it because of the size. I was using an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and started with the E-M5 Mark I. I've been wanting to explore the full frame world, and tried some cameras but none of them felt right. I bought the Sony A7R III and loved the lens selection, but the colors and IBIS weren't good or what I expected coming from Olympus. I love vivid colors and Olympus is good with that. I debated on the Panasonic S5 and was unsure because were saying that the autofocus was slow. I don't have a problem with the autofocus. It's fast enough for me. I love the size of the body, and I think from the other full frame cameras, this camera has the best IBIS. I'm able to take 1/15 pictures and they're sharp. I don't use video that much, but the videos that I've recorded are very sharp. If I pause the video, it looks like an image! Sigma is coming out with some small lenses if you want to keep the camera small. I'm currently using the S5 with the Sigma 24mm. The only problem I have is that some of the buttons started feeling sticky, and the power button doesn't feel stable. I'll probably have to contact Panasonic and get it fixed, but other than that the camera is amazing!

This is by far the most underrated mirrorless camera on the market today. When you think about a high end mirrorless camera you automatically think about Sony, Canon, or Nikon. But Panasonic has proven to be a real player in the game with their S Series of cameras. And the S5 is the complete package. It’s built extremely well, easy to hold and comfortable while shooting, and combined with that the menu system is easy to navigate which makes the S5 extremely easy to shoot with. I initially was sold on the GH5 or GH5s but as I continued my research I realized that I wanted a camera with a full frame sensor with the ability to shoot with micro 4/3’s as needed too. I also wanted a camera that could take stunning photos and the S5 had that advantage over the GH5 too. Plus they were nearly identical in price. The photo and video quality is stunning as well. I’m a small YouTuber and I film in v-log and color grade in Final Cut Pro X and I am floored with how the final product looks. If you’re trying to decide between this camera and the Sony A7 III or the GH5, the S5 will more than satisfy your needs in every situation. It’s one of the best in the market, and by far the most underrated camera today. Go ahead and pair it with the Sigma DC DN 30mm f/1.4 lens (L mount - just Google for it) like I have and I promise you that you’ll own the market and dominate your portfolio in every shot, every time - I guarantee it. You won’t be disappointed by this incredible camera.

At this price point, I would argue you cannot find any other camera that gives you as much features as this one. Loved the camera from the beginning. The only reason I upgrade it was because the S5ii to come out with more features that I needed.

Over 40 years in photography and this may be the finest camera I have ever shot with. Amazing image quality, endless features and a rock-solid build. Getting ready to purchase a second one.

Pretty easy to learn on, and good starter qualities

This camera takes great pictures and the video quality is amazing. The Lumix S5 is a full frame camera and there are a number of L mount lens options for almost any photography situation. I purchased the camera mainly for sports photography and I'm still getting used to all of the features, but the price point for this camera makes it a huge value compared to the Sony A7iii and the Lumix S1.

I’m a Sony user and got this camera for a backup and for video . The S5 is a killer camera! Great value and L-Mount lenses are fantastic! Panasonics lenses have that “pop” and micro contrast. Very please with this camera! Get one !

Before this I had Panasonic GH4, but I was looking for full frame. Using Sigma MC 21 adapter with Canon EF lenses. That’s a game changer. Autofocus is good for photos, but I always use manual focus for video productions. Overall very Happy with this Camera and love it.

Im a Sony shooter decided to test the S5 and i was pleasantly surprised the quality/colors of the images/video from the camera

Great camera at an even greater price! Takes excellent pictures but the main reason I purchased it was because of its video capabilities.

This camera it’s the best hybrid camera and to be honest I really love bestbuy deals

Taking all factors into consideration, this is a Fabulous camera!

Excellent product for learning how to take photos and videos

This camera is amazing, the colors the ease of use,small and light doesnt feel cheap. Amazing in low light, best ive ever used, autofocus is pretty good but not the best can record up too 4k 60 no problems with over heating despite not having a fan, amazing camera in such a small and light package.

I've been using this camera for almost a year, it's my first Panasonic, and I'm impressed with the quality of the videos and photos, now I got my Atoms Ninja 5 and I can shoot at up to 6k, that's crazy, for a camera of this price. there are many positive points .. including the stabilization that is better than the new Sony a7iv , I think the quality of the videos is also better .. it would need better auto focus but you can use it with peace of mind . it could be even better if it had the big HDMI but not everything is perfect, in short this camera is really good.

I loved this camera. It felt durable and pleasant in the hands and took great pictures. I did, however, end up returning this camera. I have invested in the Sony camera/lenses and still use them, so it was hard to justify jumping to Panasonic when I would have to buy into the L-Mount lenses. Panasonic lenses are great (the kit lens is amazingly sharp), but they are a little more expensive, especially when you consider how Sony has a lot of third-party options such as Tamron, Sigma, Samyang, etc. The Sony comparable camera to this would be the A7 IV, which is more expensive. So the value, especially when on sale, is much better with the Lumix S5. Of course, the autofocus isn't as great as the A7 IV, but you can still take great pictures nonetheless. As for shooting video, if you have to depend on auto-focus, this probably isn't the best buy for you. I am sad that I had to return it, but I can see myself repurchasing this in the future when I have more money to invest in lenses for its ecosystem.

The Lumix S5 takes incredible photos and even better ones when putting it in High Resolution Mode, capturing much larger and detailed images. Ive had this camera a week and already bought another lens a Lumix S 50mm F.18 I love this camera that I sold my Lumix G85 and what was once my favorite daily(Fujifilm X100V) has now become my secondary camera.

As a hobby-level photographer I do have a lot of love for this camera. Coming from a Panasonic G9 it was familiar enough to just feel my way around the button layouts and figure it out. I don't know that the screen is as good as the G9, it seems to struggle in sunlight where I don't remember the G9 doing so. The included 20-60mm lens seems pretty capable. It focuses quickly though I still struggle with liking Panasonic's DFD, seeing the camera struggle on nailing focus with some static objects. I wish the continuous focus was more consistent. Coming from a m43 camera the advantage of a full-frame camera in low-light was a bigger difference than I anticipated. I've already purchased some older manual focus lenses (a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 micro) and it does very well with the S5 and an Urth f-mount to L-mount converter. I have not done a lot of exploring on the video side but what I've shot and watched I am pleased with the results as someone that isn't a professional. Noticeably better video than what I'd shoot on my phone ha!

This camera is such a gem. Amazing full frame sensor. Basically a full framer GH5. Except its lighter than a GH5 and its usually right around the same price. Kit lens is actually really good. Not as good some high end Leica glass but pretty impressive. The fact that this camera and lens regularly are on sale for around 2 grand is one of the better buys you can make in the mirrorless market. IF your willing to deal with 2 things. The auto focus system, while being totally usable, is not as good or as fast a Sony or a Canon. and the selection of lenses for the L mount system isnt nearly as vast as sony. If those 2 things arent mission critical to you then this is the best 2000 dollar camera on the whole market. 6k 10 bit 60 fps 422 video recording externally!! without overheating, looking at you sony, or time limited. Is simply unbeatable. If you watched Bo Burnhams "Inside" it was filmed on the S1H which is just this things bigger brother. Same sensor ,same video format same lenses. In short incredible for anyone looking to take incredible video or stills.