Just over two years ago I switched to L-mount as my primary camera system. At the time I was doing a lot of video work using multiple micro-four thirds cameras. For a long time this was mostly G80 based, but ended up with GH5M2, GH5S, and a G9. I was tempted by the improved AF on the S5 II and gave it a go, the quality was a notable step up so went full L-mount from there.
Since then I’ve backtracked with the OM-5 and have partly sold out of L-mount, but still have the S5 II, S1 and some lenses.
The Good
The S5 II is a very solid camera. I feel about it similar to the way I felt about the G80, it’s a very strong sense of not being disappointed. It’s not the highest specification camera in the world, but everything it claims to do, it does well. There’s no feeling of it it being unfinished or half-arsed. The only niggle I have is the slow startup from cold, but it’s not a big deal in practice.
One of the real gains over my MFT cameras was the reliable continuous autofocus, which meant I could start to shoot videos with the expectation of just using the gimbal shot. I still have the S1 as a secondary angle, but that was more to cover my mistakes than the cameras. And because the AF is good, I can run the lenses a little wider which lets the benefits of that big sensor come through.
The S1 is a bit of a weird duck. It has the look and feel of a big serious photography camera and sits higher than the S5 II in the range, but the S5 II beats it at everything; same resolution, much better AF, better video modes and even better burst photo with AF, plus smaller and lighter. It does have a better viewfinder, controls and a more interesting design. Still, I got it for a good price and was a reasonable way of having a 5.9K B-cam on a tripod.
Panasonic’s firmware support is brilliant, just top tier. Turning the S1 into a mini S1H was such a consumer friendly bonus which they didn’t have to do. And the S5 II has already had some meaningful upgrades to keep it in line with newer products. Meanwhile Sony A1 users are putting out videos begging for updates like they’re addressing their daughter’s kidnappers.
On the lens side I love love love that they made all the F1.8 primes match. This has practical benefits for gimbal balancing but also demonstrates that they care about creating a matching set visually. A complaint I have about MFT is that the lens range (from both primary manufacturers) is all a bit random.
The Bad
A post like this should really feature lots of the photos I’ve taken on the platform, and that’s the problem – there aren’t any. Well, not quite, there’s some family stuff but nothing where I’ve gone out somewhere and taken the camera along.
The reason is simply that’s all too big. The S5 II is a little big, the S1 is far too big. The 20-60 is a bit big, the 24-105 is hefty. Those F1.8 primes being a consistent size is great, but that consistent size is too large. And I just don’t want to carry any of this around on an all-day trip as it’s awkward and annoying. And I’m not going to take the S5 II along to an event, “just in case”. Getting the OM-5 really reminded me of how much I’ve missed having a smaller camera.
Recently I’ve been playing with some vintage film cameras and the original film OM-1, which is full frame, is only a little bigger than the OM-5 digital. And other cameras from this era were a similar size, such as the Pentax MX and the Minolta XD. Cameras used to be this small, and started to bloat out into the AF era and then into digital. The difference in lens size is stark too:
OK, there’s a big difference in quality, especially wide open, but still. It would be nice to see some smaller primes, F2.8 would be fine, and give up a little performance if needed, just make them tiny.
The other criticism I would make of Panasonic is the cameras are all a bit boring from a design perspective, and getting more boring with each release. The S5 II is a perfectly usable body but it’s not very interesting, and Panasonic are adopting this as their standard camera design. Both the G9 and S1R had a bit of design edge to them, but have now been replaced with S5 shaped cameras. The S9 is a bit different but it’s hardly a X100.
The Future
I plan to keep the S5 II and S1 as a 99% dedicated video setup, with the 35/1.8 for gimbal use and 20-60 as a wide secondary angle. I might sell the 24-105 to reinvest in something else. It’s very unlikely I’ll upgrade the S5 II in the short to medium term, partly because of the amount it gets used, but also there’s nothing to upgrade to which is tempting. The S1R II is better, but I don’t need any of the features it offers. Cropping into 8K to keep a minimum 4K image is cool, but on YouTube no-one will ever notice or care. Swapping the S1 for a S9 to save some weight is possible, if the upgrade cost shrinks enough.
Jumping to another platform wouldn’t make any sense, it would cost a load of money, there would be trade-offs and the size problem (largely) remains for any full-frame system.
For photos the OM-5 will be my first choice. Although the S5 II is higher performance, it rarely matters and it’s not worth the usability cost.