Panasonic Doubles Down on Live Streaming and RAW Video With New Lumix S5 IIX

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: we’re truly living in a golden age of camera manufacturing. There are so many great digital video and photo (or both) cameras out there on the market right now. It’s honestly a bit hard to keep up with them all. 

To make things more difficult, exciting new cameras like the Panasonic S5 II (which was great and quite popular in its own right) already has a successor with this new Panasonic S5 IIX.

Now, if you’re Panasonic (or Sony or Canon or Blackmagic or Fujifilm or whomever), how do you kick things up a notch and make a new camera that stands out against the rest? Well, in this instance, the S5 IIX is all about sophisticated video-specific functionality, which we think many film and video professionals are going to explore.

So, without further ado, let’s check out this new Panasonic S5 IIX and see what it’s all about.

Introducing the Panasonic S5 IIX

Designed specifically with pro video content creators in mind, this S5 IIX is a straightforward upgrade of the already popular S5 II. While not a full next-level edition (like in the way the S5 II updated the S5), the S5 IIX does just enough to deserve its own “X” variation and a moderate price bump.

Still, the majority of the camera is the same, as the S5 IIX boasts a similar 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS sensor capable of 6K video at 30p in 4:2:0 10-bit recording. The S5 IIX also boasts a new sensor design along with an updated processing engine with L2 technology, making this the first Lumix camera to offer Phase Hybrid AF tailored for fast and precise autofocus performance.

What’s most interesting and new about the S5 IIX has to do with new sophisticated video features, which all come pre-loaded with this X edition. The S5 IIX offers HDMI RAW video data output and USB-SSD, ALL-Intra, and ProRes recording. It is also set to include new Live Streaming functionality that includes Wireless IP streaming, USB tethering to smartphones, and Wired IP streaming.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 IIXCredit: Panasonic

Specs and Pricing

Oh, we almost forgot. For those who are mostly interested in aesthetics, the Panasonic S5 IIX is also the first Lumix camera to feature its new refined and stealthy all-black design. Now you can really rub your stealthed-out S5 IIX in the face of all your S5 II friends.

In all seriousness though, here are the full specs and price for the new Panasonic S5 IIX.

• 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
• 6K30p 4:2:0 10-Bit Video Recording
• C4K/4K60p 4:2:2 10-Bit Unlimited
• 3.68m-Dot 0.78x-Magnification OLED LVF
• 3.0" 1.84m-Dot Tilt/Free-Angle Touch-LCD
• 779-Point Phase-Detection AF System
• 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
• ISO 100-51200, up to 30 fps Shooting
• Dual UHS-II SD Slots; Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
• Weather-Sealed Construction

Price: $2,197.99

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Panasonic S5 IIX seems like a moderately important upgrade to the S5 II. It’s aimed at a certain sect of working video professionals who might be leaning towards remote videography and live-streaming content. Which isn’t a bad direction to go with the way the industry is beginning to shift.

However, if you already have a Panasonic S5 II, this certainly doesn’t make your camera moot now. The S5 II (along with many other mirrorless digital cameras like it from Panasonic and other manufacturers) is still a great option and capable of nearly the same level of work and function.

Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX Mirrorless Camera

New Release!

• 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
• 6K30p 4:2:0 10-Bit Video Recording
• C4K/4K60p 4:2:2 10-Bit Unlimited
• 3.68m-Dot 0.78x OLED LVF
• 3.0" 1.84m-Dot Touch-LCD
• 779-Point Phase-Detection AF System
• 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
• ISO 100-51200, up to 30 fps Shooting
• Dual UHS-II SD Slots; Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
• Weather-Sealed Construction

Body Only

$2,197.99

Buy Now