Panasonic has unveiled two new full-frame cameras with autofocus, which is estimated to pull up the Japanese brand’s rank closer to those of its rivals Sony and Canon.
The Panasonic Lumix S5II and Lumix S5IIX, which succeed the Panasonic Lumix S5, come with 24MP full-frame CMOS sensors which offer a hybrid phase-detect autofocus system (PDAF) for the first time.
This is expected to be a significant jump from the contrast-based detection system seen in its earlier cameras.
Both the Lumix S5II and S5IIX can shoot 6K/30p video (with 4:2:0 10-bit color depth). They can also record 4K/60p video using the full width of the sensor and serve up an APS-C mode for a narrower field of view. At the top of the camera, below its logo, is a new fan that powers the cameras for long video shoots in most frame rates and resolutions.
The lack of PDAF in Panasonic cameras was a major problem because it means their autofocus is more prone to hunting or ‘wobble’ than rivals that combine both phase-detect and contrast-detect AF.
Phase-detect autofocus is typically faster than contrast-based AF for tracking moving subjects.
While the cameras are predominantly designed for video, they also bring improvements for stills photography. Both can shoot at 9fps with the mechanical shutter, but manage an impressive 30fps when you switch to the electronic shutter.
There’s also a 96MP Pixel Shift mode for hi-res shots, which can be used in static scenes.
The Lumix S5II comes at $3520. The S5IIX is a little pricier at $4045, but brings some more pro-friendly video features including internal ProRes recording, raw video output, and the ability to record directly to an SSD drive over USB. But otherwise the two cameras are largely identical.
Panasonic also announced 2 new lenses with rugged designs: the Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 Macro, and LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT.
While the former is a lightweight ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with impressive macro capability with a magnification of 0.25x (at 14mm) – 0.5x (at 28mm), the latter is a micro four thirds lens with a 12-35mm zoom range and 58mm filter diameter.
