Panasonic just release the S5iiX. Let’s talk about its specs, what it brings to the market and how it compares to the competition.
The Panasonic S5ii
Panasonic announced the S5ii in January of this year and has been received pretty well among creators. The camera did not bring a huge upgrade in terms of image quality but brought a new AF system, 4K/C4K60p, Dual Native ISO, 6.2K30p and more. It is a great tool for content creators who need both vertical and horizontal format.
But what was missing from the Panasonic S5ii was the more pro features.
What the Panasonic S5iiX brings
Now the Panasonic S5iiX, for only 200$ more, brings all the pro features needed. It supports all Intra C4K, 4K and 3.3K at up to 600Mbps internally and at 800Mbps via USB-C to an SSD. To be able to connect directly via USB-C to an SSD is a great feature. You are able to scale your production and adapt to different needs and even fully rig your Panasonic S5iiX. Life gets easier for any content creator by simplifying their workflow. The new camera also supports ProRes for up to 5.8K and RAW video output included in it, which is not the case in the Panasonic S5ii.
So if you are serious about video and want to use the Panasonic S5iiX on mid-budget productions, I think that the 200$ difference (2,200$ price mark) makes it a not brainer. It is a better, more future-proof solution compared to the S5ii.
Panasonic S5iiX vs the competition
Around this price point you have the Canon R6ii, the Sony A7iv , the FUJIFILM X-H2S or the ZV-E1.
When it comes to stabilization, the Panasonic S5iiX wins overall here. And that is not a surprise, as we all know Panasonic for its stabilization.
Color wise, working with Panasonic VLog or Fujifilm Flog is what I personally prefer. It is easier to have beautiful colors or to create a specific look. Working with other brands demand a bit more work.
When it comes to AF, the Sony ecosystem seems to be still slightly better than Panasonic but as mentioned before the AF is a huge upgrade compared to the first gen.
Open gate is only available for 2 of those cameras, the X-H2S and the S5iiX. And while I love Fujifilm, but one big advantage that the Panasonic S5iiX is the dual native ISO that allows you to output true RAW. And it is also full frame.
And I am even talking about the monitoring features such as the histogram that only this camera has, such as vectors, custom LUTs, anamorphic support and more…
You can see where I am going with that…
The Panasonic S5iiX is the best value video camera
At this price point, overall, the Panasonic S5iiX is on top at pretty much every categories and even compete with cameras above this price point with features like monitoring, output to SSD and more.
And now that it has been released, the Panasonic S5iiX will definitely become the new video king.
