The S5

The Underestimated.

People say the best entry level camera is Canon R6. I say $2500 is no price for entry level. The $600 LUMIX FZ1000 is overall a better choice, with a 25-400 Leica (Panasonic made) lens you don’t normally see.

However, when it comes to the battleground of full frame camera, Panasonic seems so quiet, mostly due to its unusable autofocus, and I love it.
Panasonic S5 has the best image quality among all full frame camera at its price range. The rich and deep colors bring out outstanding textures of the picture yet keep its authenticity.

The Unbranded.

When you are holding an S5, you don’t feel like holding a Panasonic, I mean, as a brand. S5 feels like a camera, nothing more, nothing less. It is definitely not Leica or Fujifilm, not with a strong sense of belonging. S5 is the extreme opposite, the stealth, the nothingness. It doesn’t even try to make a statement.
When you are holding an S5, you carry no mission. You photo or video is given no meaning beforehand. No one bothers what you are up to. You are alone, yet free.

The Unfavorable.

People get scared hearing about the S5 taking photos. Sometimes it is that bad, and it is 100% because of its horrible autofocus. You would have to get used to manual focus if you plan to own one.

Time seems to slow down with the S5.

It could surely let you miss a lot of great scenes, because of the frustrating focus system. One of the good way to use the S5 is to wait for the best part of the story to happen.

Leica’s Perfect Buddy.

With a cheap, simple M-L adapter, S5 evolves into a total beast with Leica M-mount Lenses.

S5 is like a slightly bigger M10 in size, which means it’s fairly portable with Leica lenses. Panasonic and Leica share a lot of things these days. They partnered up, along with Sigma, and came out with their exclusive L-mount lenses. The Leica SL series are basically Panasonic cameras (literally).

I’ve only tried using the Leica Summicron 50mm F2 V4 on my S5, and the results are just superb. Summicron’s unparalleled sharpness takes the image to a different level. The colors become so infused and authentic through Summicron on an S5. Light seems to be peeled off of the object, revealing its volume and mass.

Overall

Panasonic LUMIX S5 is a fun tool to use. It provides authentic, yet dynamic images. It is best suited for practicing manual focusing skill, which means it is a torture for those who rely on autofocus.

To put it in a subjective way,

the one thing I love about the S5 is what everyone hated about:

It makes me forget about what’s in front of me now, and I’m constantly aware of the surroundings, waiting and looking forward to the unforeseen stories.
And when that moment finally comes, I know I am ready to receive this gift of time, with all my appreciation.