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Panasonic S5 II Review: The Camera That Hangs with Canon, Sony, and Nikon

Chris Gampat
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Last updated on 01/30/2025
01/28/2025
4 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Nikon Zf with D3s profile Panasonic S5 II product photos 41-250s400NIKKOR Z 40mm f-2 8
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Last Updated on 01/30/2025 by Lara Carretero

The Panasonic S5 II has to be done of the most versatile cameras on the market. For the price point too, we’re really of the belief that it’s the best hybrid camera out there. This camera solidifies the fact that Panasonic, Sony, Canon, and Nikon can all do anything a photographer or a videographer would really want to do. And with the latest firmware updates, photographers got even more stuff that they can enjoy. So we updated our Panasonic Lumix S5 II review.

We’ve also added in images with content credentials. The Phoblographer is the only photo-specialty publication that’s part of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. And so, we’re going to only upload images with these in the future to our reviews.

For the full review, you can check out this link to read the entire thing. Want a Panasonic S5 II? Check it out here on Amazon. But for the specific changes to the review, take a look below:

Ease of Use Update January 2025

The image features the back of a Panasonic S5 II digital camera displaying a menu screen. It lists subject detection options: Human (Eye/Face/Body), Animal, Airplane, Car, Motorcycle, Train, Bird, and Insect. The camera rests on a wooden surface.
The image features the back of a Panasonic S5 II digital camera displaying a menu screen. It lists subject detection options: Human (Eye/Face/Body), Animal, Airplane, Car, Motorcycle, Train, Bird, and Insect. The camera rests on a wooden surface.

Here are the details of the latest firmware, which you can download at this link.

  1. Enhanced subject detection
    • [AIRPLANE] and [TRAIN] have been added to subject detection modes.
    • [Target Parts] option has been added for [CAR][MOTORCYCLE] detection modes.
  2. Multiple frame marker display feature has been added
    • Up to 3 selected frame markers can be displayed simultaneously.
  3. Crop Zoom feature has been added
    • The Crop Zoom feature allows extracting the central part of an image and enhancing the zoom effect without degrading the image quality.
  4. Hybrid Zoom feature has been added
    • The Hybrid Zoom offers enhanced convenience by seamlessly combining optical zoom with electronic zoom.
  5. Compatible to the recording format “MP4(Lite)”
    • The option for the low-bitrate video format “MP4(Lite)” can now be selected.
    • 3.8K (3840×2560) 29.97p 50Mbps
  6. Picture size [XS] option has been added
    • The option to select the smaller file size image [XS] is now available.
  7. Compatible with the new features on LUMIX smartphone app “LUMIX Lab (Ver.1.3 or higher)”
    • Remote shooting is now available.
    • Shutter remote control is now available.
    • Transferring images selected on camera is now available.
  8. Feature changes due to security enhancements
    • When directly connecting the camera and smartphone via Wi-Fi, the connection has been changed to always require password authentication. (The [Wi-Fi Password] menu has been removed.)
    • The [TKIP] encryption method is no longer supported when connecting to Wi-Fi via an access point.
    • The [No Encryption] option in network authentication is no longer supported when connecting to Wi-Fi via an access point.
    • The image transfer feature to PC via Wi-Fi has been removed. (Only European models)
  9. Other improvements
    • Improved operational stability.

The Panasonic S5 II adds new subject detection in the form of trains and airplanes. I never felt like I needed these – especially with living in NYC and with how large the trains are. But it’s nice that Panasonic is adding in new features like this.

The new XS small images are really nice for when you want to simply port an image to social media. This size is essentially 1920×1280 – which is the same size as HD video. In fact, Panasonic is specific in pointing out that this size is designed for viewing the photos on HDTVs. So you can basically shoot in RAW and then XS, port the XS images to your phone, and then upload to your favorite platform.

A Panasonic S5 II camera with a large lens rests on a wooden surface. Its flip-out screen displays settings and a focus point, while the camera strap lies nearby. Sunlight elegantly illuminates part of the lens, highlighting its advanced features.
A Panasonic S5 II camera with a 50mm lens rests on a round wooden surface. The cameras numerous dials, buttons, and top-viewfinder are prominently visible. A strap is attached to the sleek design, while the lighting artfully casts shadows across the wood.
A Panasonic Lumix S5 II camera with a large lens rests on a wooden stool. The camera strap is draped around it. Sunlight casts shadows on the stool and floor, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere.
A Panasonic S5 II camera with a 50mm lens rests on a round wooden surface. Pictures by Chris Gampat.

Using the new features on the LUMIX Lab app are welcome – but some some odd reason, I couldn’t update the firmware this time. So I did so using my computer. It was simple enough as it always has been. The remote control feature and a few other things are very fast with there almost being no lag that anyone will complain about.

But the best part is being able to log into LUMIX lab and then looking at all the creative LUTs available for photography. So I ended up downloading a bunch and adding them to my library. I love the fact that there’s community support for this camera so much.

The first part of change 8 is not something I saw. It states, “When directly connecting the camera and smartphone via Wi-Fi, the connection has been changed to always require password authentication.” But when I connected, it didn’t have that issue.

The S5 II is surely one of the best hybrid cameras on the market. Panasonic, Sony, Canon, and Nikon can surely do literally everything that you’d need professionally in terms of video and photography. And I’m so elated that it’s still receiving so much support.

airplanes autofocus ease of use humans lumix s5 ii panasonic Panasonic S5 II review trains
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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