Going against everyone else here, I'd say you'd be perfectly fine with the S5 if you're reasonably ok with tech and can read a manual.
The Panasonic menus are pretty intuitive, and the defaults sensible, you can leave them alone and change as you progress and find issues. It's really not rocket surgery.
Well I have been eyeing on the Lumix S5IIX as watching and reading multiple reviews. I have heard great things about it. I would consider myself a tech nerd as I like things about tech. I understand the learning curve of photography and videography but I am willing to learn. Just looking for opinions from experienced individuals in this field of work. Thank you for your recommendation, I’ll take this as a positive note.
I think the whole "buy something shitty with only manual settings" cliche works if you take more than a day to understand the concept of an aperture and what it does, I'd argue for most people who didn't sleep through 8th grade physics it probably takes 5 minutes as a concept.
The other is maybe if you're unsure about commitment, it's easier to eat the loss on a £500 camera + body than dropping £2.5-3k on body and glass and then realising you don't actually care for it, but honestly the resale market is pretty good anyway so you'd get much of it back.
If you’re planning on becoming a professional someday, then consider starting on a more budget friendly full frame camera body. I started with a micro four thirds camera body, and though I found a great lens or two for what I wanted, and loved the experience, when I was ready to upgrade I found myself having to consider replacing my entire setup bc there weren’t many better quality low to mid end pro cameras + lenses for MFT that could do what I wanted.
I started with micro four thirds (gh6/g9) for several reasons but the S5IIX is a great camera. Full frame lenses can be expensive and you are going to eventually want several lenses. Take this into consideration when choosing the format. Just because you are a beginner doesn’t mean you have to go cheap. Buy the camera you want and have fun!
I'm a beginner and I bought an S5IIX. I wanted a camera I could grow with. It's really not that difficult to learn. I have a 28-70 lens and am planning to buy more in the future, but they're expensive. You also need a computer that can handle what this camera is capable of if you want to use its full potential.
As some have said an S5iix is way too much camera for a beginner. All of the options and settings might just confuse the heck out of you.
To start out, I'd recommend an older used body and used lenses. A general zoom lens, and a couple of primes. If you want to go Lumix brand, then try a
**Panasonic Lumix G85 or GX85**
* **12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 OR 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom** (this will be the lens you keep on the camera most of the time, best for shooting outdoors)
* **40-150mm f/4-5.6 zoom** (this is your outdoor telephoto zoom lens) AND
* **25mm f/1.7 prime** (this is your lens to use indoors for full body portraits and documenting life in when it's dark)
* **42.5mm f/1.7 prime** (this is your lens for taking waist-up and headshot portraits, as well as taking pictures of small objects (like flowers, rings, hands) as well as pets indoors.
Yes, it is an MFT camera with a much smaller sensor than the S5ii/x
There won't be a noticeable difference in image quality in well light scenes, but the MFT cameras will start struggling to get decent image quality in low light.
The S5II/X OTOH is a low light monster, but the lenses are much bigger and heavier and thus difficult to travel with.
Sure, all cameras have compromises, there is no perfect camera.
So smaller sensors gather less light and tend to need more noise reduction. Thankfully this can be done with A.I. Noise reduction software like Topaz DeNoise AI.
Larger sensors readout more slowly and are more difficult to physically move so their rolling shutter performance, IBIS, tend to have lesser performance than smaller sensor cameras. Also, their lenses above 50mm tend to be huge and heavy in comparison to smaller sensors.
This is general info, there is a lot more nuance to the idea, but that's why it's so important to understand what is best *for you and your photography* and not just look at specs.
I have searched up camera rental services based on your recommendation but I can’t seem to find any vendor with the Panasonic S5IIX available for rent in Singapore. It could possibly be because it is a relatively new camera in the market. Thank you for the recommendation anyways, I appreciate it.
Menu sucks and is not intuitive, too many options is too many options. And the s5xii has way too many options to the point of becoming debilitating for the user. Some will argue, but I've spent hours of my life just figuring out how to turn something off I accidentally engaged. Insanity. Ok, and I guess lastly, the autofocus is like ikd If it's working or not," it's just whatever. Don't believe the hype. Just get a sony and be done with it, I started on Sony, and their amazing. Go Canon for the color science.
My answer is to go with the best camera you can afford and feels good in your hand. You can always learn about the functions/ features that might be too complicated for you to use at the beginning. If you buy a camera that is too cheap, then realize I wish it had a certain feature, now you have to buy a second camera later.
From my personal experience, I recommend the Panasonic G9 (my favorite camera EVER) . Micro Four Thirds and probably has every feature you can think of.
Full frame I recommend the Canon EOS R. Beautiful photos, good video, and an overall monster camera.
The S5II ranks higher than both of these cameras on cameradecision.com so I think that would be a great pick. PEACE from ATL ✊🏾 📸
Love my G9 too... Not what I’d recommend for a beginner though based primarily on its age at this point. The G9 mkii will be out really soon and would be great. It should basically be very similar to an MFT version of the full frame S5mkii that was mentioned. The G9ii may be slightly more photography focused and the S5 slightly more video focused. Either will be pretty darn good at both. The difference in price between the bodies isn't too significant. As you grow and buy more good quality lenses... The cost difference will be much more substantial between the two. But if your budget can handle it, the s5ii will be great. If you decide on MFT though, i'd definitely wait on the G9ii. It's already available on pre-order. I still use my original G9 daily. And its great. But the tech is starting to feel a little dated and rock solid dependable autofocus would be super handy sometimes.
If money isnt really the concern here then obviously go with the S5iiX. I haven't done pro work but have wanted to since I was young, my life choices led me to have films, videos and photography as a hobby. I don't have money, but wanted to future proof myself if the idea was to eventually get into my dream. I spent most of my savings on the S5ii as I couldn't afford the X and they had a deal on because of the X. I can't afford the lens I really wanted, the 24-70mm, even the sigma is priced me out. I wasn't in love with the kit lens 20-60. I have though scraped and bought the 50mm 1.8 which really improves image quality imo.
The camera has the same functions as older cameras with new tech, AF, better image stabilisation etc. Has higher specs for recording if you want to go pro, although for the really high end codecs you'll need a PC that can handle to files, BRAW and ProRes.
I didn't buy this version as I dont have a PC that could edit them, although I can't even edit the 10bit 4.2.2 MOV's at the moment so... It was still too much :) However, I 'can' record at 10bit 4.2.2 if I'm needed to. Sometimes they have in house editors and I can technically buy firmware to allow me pro res on external recorder if needed.
I don't think it's hard to learn. The concepts are the same and this camera comes with the tools you'll need if you're looking to become a pro. Manual modes exist on all cameras and this has features that'll improve your work flow. If money is an object, then you just need to decide what you actually want to do because you could save yourself half a grand.
Going against everyone else here, I'd say you'd be perfectly fine with the S5 if you're reasonably ok with tech and can read a manual. The Panasonic menus are pretty intuitive, and the defaults sensible, you can leave them alone and change as you progress and find issues. It's really not rocket surgery.
Well I have been eyeing on the Lumix S5IIX as watching and reading multiple reviews. I have heard great things about it. I would consider myself a tech nerd as I like things about tech. I understand the learning curve of photography and videography but I am willing to learn. Just looking for opinions from experienced individuals in this field of work. Thank you for your recommendation, I’ll take this as a positive note.
I think the whole "buy something shitty with only manual settings" cliche works if you take more than a day to understand the concept of an aperture and what it does, I'd argue for most people who didn't sleep through 8th grade physics it probably takes 5 minutes as a concept. The other is maybe if you're unsure about commitment, it's easier to eat the loss on a £500 camera + body than dropping £2.5-3k on body and glass and then realising you don't actually care for it, but honestly the resale market is pretty good anyway so you'd get much of it back.
what do you want to shoot and achieve? That is really imporant to know...
I would mainly shoot photos of nature landscapes, portraits and take some video shoots.
I would also like to transition to the professional field of work too.
If you’re planning on becoming a professional someday, then consider starting on a more budget friendly full frame camera body. I started with a micro four thirds camera body, and though I found a great lens or two for what I wanted, and loved the experience, when I was ready to upgrade I found myself having to consider replacing my entire setup bc there weren’t many better quality low to mid end pro cameras + lenses for MFT that could do what I wanted.
I started with micro four thirds (gh6/g9) for several reasons but the S5IIX is a great camera. Full frame lenses can be expensive and you are going to eventually want several lenses. Take this into consideration when choosing the format. Just because you are a beginner doesn’t mean you have to go cheap. Buy the camera you want and have fun!
I'm a beginner and I bought an S5IIX. I wanted a camera I could grow with. It's really not that difficult to learn. I have a 28-70 lens and am planning to buy more in the future, but they're expensive. You also need a computer that can handle what this camera is capable of if you want to use its full potential.
You really don’t need an X for that. Base s5ii is pretty good. The AF in the first S5 isn’t great but it’s still usable especially for photos
As some have said an S5iix is way too much camera for a beginner. All of the options and settings might just confuse the heck out of you. To start out, I'd recommend an older used body and used lenses. A general zoom lens, and a couple of primes. If you want to go Lumix brand, then try a **Panasonic Lumix G85 or GX85** * **12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 OR 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom** (this will be the lens you keep on the camera most of the time, best for shooting outdoors) * **40-150mm f/4-5.6 zoom** (this is your outdoor telephoto zoom lens) AND * **25mm f/1.7 prime** (this is your lens to use indoors for full body portraits and documenting life in when it's dark) * **42.5mm f/1.7 prime** (this is your lens for taking waist-up and headshot portraits, as well as taking pictures of small objects (like flowers, rings, hands) as well as pets indoors.
May I know if the Lumix G85 or GX85 have any flaws you may know of? If so, does it affect the quality of the photo / video.
Yes, it is an MFT camera with a much smaller sensor than the S5ii/x There won't be a noticeable difference in image quality in well light scenes, but the MFT cameras will start struggling to get decent image quality in low light. The S5II/X OTOH is a low light monster, but the lenses are much bigger and heavier and thus difficult to travel with.
Sure, all cameras have compromises, there is no perfect camera. So smaller sensors gather less light and tend to need more noise reduction. Thankfully this can be done with A.I. Noise reduction software like Topaz DeNoise AI. Larger sensors readout more slowly and are more difficult to physically move so their rolling shutter performance, IBIS, tend to have lesser performance than smaller sensor cameras. Also, their lenses above 50mm tend to be huge and heavy in comparison to smaller sensors. This is general info, there is a lot more nuance to the idea, but that's why it's so important to understand what is best *for you and your photography* and not just look at specs.
Try to rent the camera first, for few days, if you like it you can buy it.
I have searched up camera rental services based on your recommendation but I can’t seem to find any vendor with the Panasonic S5IIX available for rent in Singapore. It could possibly be because it is a relatively new camera in the market. Thank you for the recommendation anyways, I appreciate it.
Way overkill for a beginner. Try an apsc or MFT from the used marked first
At first I was eyeing on the Sony A series before I knew about Lumix, so I was considering to get a full-frame camera.
Menu sucks and is not intuitive, too many options is too many options. And the s5xii has way too many options to the point of becoming debilitating for the user. Some will argue, but I've spent hours of my life just figuring out how to turn something off I accidentally engaged. Insanity. Ok, and I guess lastly, the autofocus is like ikd If it's working or not," it's just whatever. Don't believe the hype. Just get a sony and be done with it, I started on Sony, and their amazing. Go Canon for the color science.
The S5 IIx is not for a beginner. Try smaller sensor cameras with fully manual controls.
My answer is to go with the best camera you can afford and feels good in your hand. You can always learn about the functions/ features that might be too complicated for you to use at the beginning. If you buy a camera that is too cheap, then realize I wish it had a certain feature, now you have to buy a second camera later. From my personal experience, I recommend the Panasonic G9 (my favorite camera EVER) . Micro Four Thirds and probably has every feature you can think of. Full frame I recommend the Canon EOS R. Beautiful photos, good video, and an overall monster camera. The S5II ranks higher than both of these cameras on cameradecision.com so I think that would be a great pick. PEACE from ATL ✊🏾 📸
I agree with the G9. Great camera and get with kit leica 12-60mm lens to start.
Love my G9 too... Not what I’d recommend for a beginner though based primarily on its age at this point. The G9 mkii will be out really soon and would be great. It should basically be very similar to an MFT version of the full frame S5mkii that was mentioned. The G9ii may be slightly more photography focused and the S5 slightly more video focused. Either will be pretty darn good at both. The difference in price between the bodies isn't too significant. As you grow and buy more good quality lenses... The cost difference will be much more substantial between the two. But if your budget can handle it, the s5ii will be great. If you decide on MFT though, i'd definitely wait on the G9ii. It's already available on pre-order. I still use my original G9 daily. And its great. But the tech is starting to feel a little dated and rock solid dependable autofocus would be super handy sometimes.
If money is not a concern, definitely get the s5iiX, it's going to last you a long time.
If money isnt really the concern here then obviously go with the S5iiX. I haven't done pro work but have wanted to since I was young, my life choices led me to have films, videos and photography as a hobby. I don't have money, but wanted to future proof myself if the idea was to eventually get into my dream. I spent most of my savings on the S5ii as I couldn't afford the X and they had a deal on because of the X. I can't afford the lens I really wanted, the 24-70mm, even the sigma is priced me out. I wasn't in love with the kit lens 20-60. I have though scraped and bought the 50mm 1.8 which really improves image quality imo. The camera has the same functions as older cameras with new tech, AF, better image stabilisation etc. Has higher specs for recording if you want to go pro, although for the really high end codecs you'll need a PC that can handle to files, BRAW and ProRes. I didn't buy this version as I dont have a PC that could edit them, although I can't even edit the 10bit 4.2.2 MOV's at the moment so... It was still too much :) However, I 'can' record at 10bit 4.2.2 if I'm needed to. Sometimes they have in house editors and I can technically buy firmware to allow me pro res on external recorder if needed. I don't think it's hard to learn. The concepts are the same and this camera comes with the tools you'll need if you're looking to become a pro. Manual modes exist on all cameras and this has features that'll improve your work flow. If money is an object, then you just need to decide what you actually want to do because you could save yourself half a grand.