Panasonic has launched its first full-frame mirrorless cameras with hybrid phase-detect AF. The company has announced LUMIX S5II and the S5IIX with a focus on video recording.
Both cameras feature an all-new 24.2-megapixel sensor with 779 phase-detect AF points and 315 contrast points. The primary difference between the S5II and S5IIX is that S5IIX is capable of RAW video output over HDMI and all-intra and ProRes recording on SSD.
Panasonic has also added a new chip to these cameras. This chip features Dual Native ISO branding from 100-51200. It also adds a new L2 Engine that claims to process twice as fast as before.
The company has also introduced Active IS, a new in-body stabilization system, to shoot videos with proper stabilization. This system includes a 5-axis Body IS and a 2-axis lens-based OIS. Panasonic claims that the new Active IS can compensate approximately 200 percent more than conventional systems.
These cameras can record 6K 3:2 video, 4K 30p supersampled video using full sensor width, 4K 60p with an APS-C crop, and FHD at up to 120p with a 1.5x crop. The company has also added a new heat dispersion method that includes a built-in fan and heat sink. This system enables non-stop 4K recording without overheating.
Both the cameras feature a large 3,680K-dot OLED live viewfinder along with a three-inch rear LCD touch display. These cameras also support USB 3.2 Gen 2 and double card slots (UHS-II x 2). They also include a 3.5mm stereo mic and headphone jack. There is also support for WiFi 5Ghz and 2.4 GHz along with Bluetooth 5.0.
Panasonic LUMIX S5II is priced at $2000 and will be available this month. The S5IIX costs $2200 and will be available in May 2023.
