Today, Panasonic have launched their new S5 mark II, a nice step up all-round over the
original S5, and their first mirrorless camera with hybrid phase detect autofocus which is
a huge deal for the brand.
I have a hands on video putting each new feature to the test which I will link to below.
But alongside that, they also announced the S5 mark 2 X, a very stylish looking matt black
version which will be available later on in the year.
Its not all just about the paint job though, although I do really like the way it looks
and i’m sure I won’t be alone in that.
Essentially, this X version is the pro-video version of the same camera.
Really simply, it adds all-I recording support internally when the regular model is long-gop
only, this is only up to 4K though you can’t do the 6K modes in All-I. It will record prores
in 5.8K to external SSD drives over its USB-C connection.
It has raw video output over the HDMI port enabled straight away with no extra licences.
And it also has some extra wired and wireless IP streaming and tethering functionality like
we saw them bring to cameras like the GH5 II.
Apart from those things, they are the same camera.
Same sensor, same log formats, same image quality, same image stabilisation.
Same everything.
So the big question if you are interested in this camera, is do you go for the regular
one which is available sooner and slightly less money.
Or do you wait for the X version.
Well firstly I think that the extra cost of the X is a very reasonable price, you are
getting a lot for that extra £300.
But who should actually go for it.
At first glance its simple, if you do professional video work you get the X and if you don’t
you get the regular one.
But I don’t think its that clean cut at all.
Really, you’d be stepping up to the X for one of two reasons, codec’s, so to get the
all-I, prores or raw output.
Or connectivity, to get the streaming and tethering options.
Or I guess there will be a third group that will just buy it for the matt-black look which
is completely fair enough.
If you are after the extra connectivity options and thats the reason you would be looking
at the X, its definitely worth it.
The regular one is just a regular camera while the X should have a big upgrade in connectivity
options.
We don’t know the exact details on that, but if its similar to what they did with cameras
like the GH5 II then we can expect wireless streaming over wifi directly to platforms.
Better quality over a wired connection.
Or even doing simple multicamera projects with their Lumix tether software.
You’ll also be able to tether it to your phone in the field for streaming and FTP connections
over mobile data.
So even though we don’t know the full details.
It should be much more capable.
Where things are a bit more grey are the codec upgrades.
Because I think a lot of people will think they need the improvements that the X brings,
when actually they won’t.
Some people will, don’t get me wrong.
If you make content for broadcasters or want the absolutely most robust files for grading
in post production, then you should definitely go for the X.
All-I, Prores and the Raw output over HDMI are all much more robust and industry standard
codec options.
And adding them all for only £300 is a fantastic deal.
But those kind of markets are not the most common that you see cameras like this used
in.
I think its much more likely that people will be using this camera for work that ends up
on youtube, social media, company websites or internal corporate video, wedding videos.
And for those kinds of work, I think the internal codecs of the original will be absolutely
fine.
Before H.265 codecs and the computers that could handle them came along I would be saying
differently, and that everyone doing video work would benefit from having All-I and prores
options.
But now, the H.265 workflow is very smooth if you have the right kit.
We use H.265 for everything on this channel now and have done for months.
We edit on a range of Macs with various levels of M1 chip and it all works seamlessly.
We get lower file sizes because of H.265 and no playback or grading issues at all.
The h.264 options will slow your computer right down still, but the internal 6K H.265
recording will be absolutely fine on a modern computer like the new macbook pro’s which
we use for example.
Yes theres an argument that you might as well be using the highest quality possible.
But remember the file size difference.
For 25p video the internal H.265 6K is 200 Mbps.
With the S5 mark 2 X, the 5.8K Prores will be 1.6 Gbps, and the 4K All-I will be 400Mbps.
So thats a really sizable difference which will have a big impact your workflow and how
much storage you need.
Which for work like I mentioned earlier, wedding videos, corporate videos, social media, things
like that, means I would recommend people stick with the H.265 now.
In which case, you would only need to for the X if you want the streaming options or
of course that matte black paint job.
But one things for sure, the regular S5 II already offers a huge amount of value for
money and the S5 II X takes that even further.
But what do you think?
Do you think the X will be more popular or do you think the regular one will be?
And which would you go for?
Let me know in the comments and if you want to preorder either the S5 II or S5 II X head
over to proav.co.uk.
Thanks for watching and i’ll see you in the next one.