So which are you—a photographer or a videographer? In an age when you can do serious work in still and video capture using only a single hybrid camera like the Panasonic Lumix S5IIX that is capable of knocking it out of the park in both, your answer can now be “All of the above!”
There was a time when superb still cameras might also happen to shoot video, and high-end video cameras might also enable you to shoot still images or grab them from the footage. In both cases, these added features often felt like an afterthought. Still cameras tended to produce ho-hum video, and video cameras tended to produce ho-hum still images. It was fun and cool that each type of device could serve as a kind of pinch hitter in the other medium, but you probably wouldn’t use them on their own for serious work in both still photography and video.
Not anymore.
The last few years have seen huge strides in the evolution of hybrid cameras that are capable of holding their own in both still and video capture, to the point that almost all modern mirrorless cameras can now be considered hybrid cameras to some extent. There are certain cameras however, like the Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX featured in this video, that have taken these hybrid capabilities to a whole new level and offer truly outstanding performance in both areas.
In his excellent and informative video review of the Lumix S5IIX, Linus Söderlund shares his experience of using the S5IIx for 6 months, taking us through some of the things he really likes about this camera, along with a few of the frustrations that he encountered with it. There are plenty of cool sample clips shot using the S5IIx that feature the beautiful landscapes of Sweden where Linus lives. There’s also a section of the video where Linus shoots at night to capture some very atmospheric scenes in thick fog. Some of these clips are reminiscent of the night photography work of one of my favorite photographers, Todd Hido, and they nicely demonstrate the performance of the S5 IIX in low light.
Although this review focuses largely on the videography capabilities of the S5 IIX, it has the advantage of being informed by a few months of actual experience using the camera in the field, in contrast to one of those unboxing-and-quick-trial-photo-shoot reviews that don’t give the reviewer the time to really get to know the camera and evaluate it in daily use. As such, I think it will be very helpful for anybody thinking of using this camera for their own work in either still photography or video.
