Panasonic’s new digital camera tries to repair its autofocus woes

Panasonic’s new cameras are lastly making the leap to a brand new autofocus system, doubtlessly placing them according to the most recent choices from Sony, Canon, and Nikon. At CES, the corporate is asserting the Lumix S5II and its stealthy, blacked-out cousin, the S5IIx — a duo of 24-megapixel full-frame mirrorless hybrid cameras for each stills and video, due out in January for $1,999 and May for $2,199, respectively. Also introduced alongside them is a $799 14-28mm f/4-5.6 S Macro lens, arriving in February.

Unsurprisingly for Panasonic cameras, the S5II pair have plenty of video options, like 6K recording with real-time LUTs. This 12 months, they ditch the dated and clunky contrast-detect autofocus for a brand new hybrid phase-detect system Panasonic claims can observe a number of individuals. That may make these new cameras extra dependable and as much as the duty for fast-action stills, which has been a sticking level of Lumix cameras for years now.

Aside from new autofocus, the S5II brings a wide range of little enhancements over the two-year-old S5 that it appears almost similar to. It’s acquired a brand new sensor and quicker processor, so it will probably obtain as much as 30 fps with focus monitoring in digital shutter mode (the mechanical shutter tops out at 7 fps with steady focusing). Since the sensor will not be a stacked design, you might get rolling shutter results from panning or transferring topics in case you shoot that quick — although Panasonic says the photographs are “skew-corrected” within the digital camera.

The S5II additionally options limitless video recording with a brand new inside fan design that Panasonic says ought to maintain it rolling with out a lot worry of overheating in warmth as much as 104 levels Fahrenheit. Its digital viewfinder has been improved to an OLED panel with 3.68 million dots of decision, reaching parity with many different cameras on the market. And along with a brand new eight-way rear joystick, the HDMI port is now a full-size connector as a substitute of Mini HDMI.

If that’s not sufficient options for you, as soon as May rolls round Panasonic can even promote a $200 software program replace that permits Apple ProRes Raw video recording to an exterior Atomos Ninja V recorder. Though, in case you want that paid replace I really feel the higher purchase is to carry out for the S5IIx: at simply $200 greater than the S5II, you get the software program replace built-in, in addition to another small enhancements like USB tethering to a smartphone and wi-fi / wired IP streaming. But, frankly, the actual improve of the S5IIx is you could lastly get a digital camera that’s absolutely blacked out prefer it must be. This factor appears sick, and I want all digital camera producers would cease worrying in regards to the self-promotion and depart their front-facing wordmark in a classy and discreet black.

Panasonic has been in an odd place with its Lumix digital camera lineup for a short time now. It went from being a pioneer of mirrorless and taking probabilities to achieve new segments by means of a partnership with Leica and Sigma to seemingly stalling out. You’d be forgiven for believing Panasonic was resigned to leaning on video-centric cameras and able to let Canon, Sony, and Nikon have all of the photographers and hybrid customers. But hopefully, this can be a signal that the corporate is righting itself and getting again within the sport as a result of the extra competitors, the merrier.

While this launch reveals Panasonic lastly giving its customers the tech everybody has been asking for, there are nonetheless some unusual oversights in its digital camera lineup to handle. For instance, the S1 and S1R cameras of 2018 first jumpstarted the full-frame choices for the Lumix line, and but they’ve been left to languish whereas a newer mannequin now will get the massive autofocus improve first. And whereas the L-Mount Alliance with Sigma and Leica is ongoing, the brand new S5II and S5IIx are claimed to be merchandise of a newer partnership solely between Lumix and Leica — dubbed the extremely imaginative L2 (L-squared) Technology. When I requested Panasonic what the L2 partnership meant for the event of those new cameras, I acquired principally advertising fluff that didn’t actually inform me something stable.

Despite all these oddities, the S5II appears like an intriguing digital camera — particularly that S5IIx as a result of I’m a sucker for all issues all-black.