Panasonic S5 User Experience

[Jermaine]

On 4/9/2021 at 11:02 AM, zerocool22 said:

Ok update ==> The S5 can only charge over usb-c when the camera is off, you can not continuously power it with usb C (S1 and S1H can....)
So just swap the batteries and ignore the notification. 

The S5 charges while off and gives it continuous power while on and in use, the only time I've seen the battery drain depends on the power source. If you plug it into a wall with something capable of suppling proper juice or a portable charger with pd power I even have a fx lion nano and use the usb c port on there to supply continuous power

[zerocool22]

9 hours ago, Jermaine said:

The S5 charges while off and gives it continuous power while on and in use, the only time I've seen the battery drain depends on the power source. If you plug it into a wall with something capable of suppling proper juice or a portable charger with pd power I even have a fx lion nano and use the usb c port on there to supply continuous power

thx, Through PC connection however it does not (for webcam/vlog or tether purposes)

 

[omega1978]

On 4/11/2021 at 3:34 PM, TomTheDP said:

Not on mine lol, I literally have it here in my hands. In HEVC MP4 you can only shoot HLG, no other color profiles. In regular 10 bit 422 H264 you can shoot HLG or VLOG or any color profile. 

You are right, i overlooked that 😂

[herein2020]

19 hours ago, Jermaine said:

The S5 charges while off and gives it continuous power while on and in use, the only time I've seen the battery drain depends on the power source. If you plug it into a wall with something capable of suppling proper juice or a portable charger with pd power I even have a fx lion nano and use the usb c port on there to supply continuous power

 

9 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

thx, Through PC connection however it does not (for webcam/vlog or tether purposes)

 

That is correct, I use it with a VMOUNT adapter and battery all the time, with 1 VMOUNT I can run for about 6hrs or more non stop. A PC USB port probably doesn't have anywhere near the required level of amperage.

 

 

[Geoffrey]

20 hours ago, herein2020 said:

Ok, its official....the XLR module combined with the S5 is a finicky setup. I had a shoot today, very important to nail the audio and the XLR module just wouldn't turn on. The talent was already mic'd up, I ran an XLR cable because I didn't want to fiddle with wireless in addition to the XLR module....and it took a good 5-10min of fiddling to get the XLR module to even turn on.  I never had these problems with the GH5.

I double checked my connection in the hotshoe, the XLR cables, the XLR jack for the mic....absolutely nothing. I then unplugged the XLR cable from the XLR module...and it turned on immediately. I turned off the camera, plugged back in the cable, turned on the camera....XLR module dead again. I then toggled the phantom power switch on the module to off and the module turned on. I turned it back to +48V and it stayed on. It turned off one more time, I toggled the phantom power switch and it then stayed on for the rest of the interview.

This is not good, I just don't have that kind of time on set to fiddle with an XLR module. 

AF is starting to bug me too. During the same shoot I couldn't get it to focus on even large items like cars and houses. I had to MF one of the scenes because it simply would not focus on the car at all. This of course is with the EF mount adapter and a Canon 24mm lens so I can't entirely blame the S5 in this situation; but my perfect little setup is starting to get quirky which is not good when I need reliability.

Sounds like the XLR module itself has develop a fault. Can you try it on anything else?

Though it won't be helpful, I use a Juiced Link XLR adapter that I mount on the hotshoe but it actually connects via a minijack cable. I did look into the Panasonic module but the reviews said it wasn't very low noise and not worth the money. As an audio person originally, noisy preamps on expensive modules are a non-starter. If you do have to replace it I would consider this. With the Juiced Link module I have the record gain on the S5 set to -12 dB and let the module with its much superior preamps do all the heavy lifting and the results are really clean. Sadly these units are not made any more though can be picked up quite cheap second hand.

[TomTheDP]

I’ve had good luck with mine. It’s one of the reasons I love the camera. 

[Thpriest]

A few questions about the S5!

Does it have back button focus option? On my GH5 and GH5S I use this all the time. I have the camera on mf and hit back button focus to grab precise one area focus and adjust from there (when shooting video). Is that posible on the S5?

As I shoot a lot of 50p (weddings/fashion shoots etc) I was wondering if the Sigma L Mount apsc lenses would work for a very wide lens (20-60 is 30-90 in apsc). Specifically the 16mm f1.4. I guess that is a 16mm in apsc? Would back button focus work with that lens? (maybe MrSMW knows?).

Thanks!

[Thpriest]

oh, and another thing! Is the lowlight, DR and sharpness more or less the same in the apsc mode or does it take a big hit?

[Geoffrey]

1 hour ago, Thpriest said:

A few questions about the S5!

Does it have back button focus option? On my GH5 and GH5S I use this all the time. I have the camera on mf and hit back button focus to grab precise one area focus and adjust from there (when shooting video). Is that posible on the S5?

As I shoot a lot of 50p (weddings/fashion shoots etc) I was wondering if the Sigma L Mount apsc lenses would work for a very wide lens (20-60 is 30-90 in apsc). Specifically the 16mm f1.4. I guess that is a 16mm in apsc? Would back button focus work with that lens? (maybe MrSMW knows?).

Thanks!

Do you mean use the autofocus button when in MF? If so then yes, I use this method all the time when shooting video. You can also use the MF ring when in autofocus.

[Thpriest]

7 minutes ago, Geoffrey said:

Do you mean use the autofocus button when in MF? If so then yes, I use this method all the time when shooting video. You can also use the MF ring when in autofocus.

Exactly! On the GH5 I have the AE/AF Lock button set to back button focus and I use it to grab focus and then adjust. I always found it to be pretty accurate as I'm just asking it to nail focus once then I'll take over rather than relying on any continuos AF where it all seems to start going wrong or my 46 year old eyes to get that instant focus.

[Geoffrey]

14 minutes ago, Thpriest said:

Exactly! On the GH5 I have the AE/AF Lock button set to back button focus and I use it to grab focus and then adjust. I always found it to be pretty accurate as I'm just asking it to nail focus once then I'll take over rather than relying on any continuos AF where it all seems to start going wrong or my 46 year old eyes to get that instant focus.

On the S5 there is a dedicated AF ON button on the back of the camera. One-shot AF is the way I think about it. I find it essential as the screens are small and focus peaking not that great (though that can be useful it depends on the light) plus my eyesight is not that great these days!

[Thpriest]

My eyesight is getting worse too!

Have you tried a GH5? Would you say the focus peaking is the same on the S5, better or worse?

[Geoffrey]

One thing I am trying to work out is what settings data is actually recorded with video and can be displayed on playback. By default the ISO is displayed when you play back videos but not the f-stop. When learning the look / limitations of the camera as I am at the moment this would be really handy. So I am wondering if there is any way to get it to do this but can't find anything in the manual, yet.

[Geoffrey]

1 minute ago, Thpriest said:

My eyesight is getting worse too!

Have you tried a GH5? Would you say the focus peaking is the same on the S5, better or worse?

Sorry no experience with the GH5. This has been discussed in this thread though, somewhere! The problem with the focus peaking is that sometimes you just can't see it on the screen.

[Thpriest]

Another question! 

Has anyone tested whether you can adjust the focus ring to "linear" as well as the throw angle on the new Sigma 28-70mm f2.8? How is the MF?

[MrSMW]

3 hours ago, Thpriest said:

A few questions about the S5!

Does it have back button focus option? On my GH5 and GH5S I use this all the time. I have the camera on mf and hit back button focus to grab precise one area focus and adjust from there (when shooting video). Is that posible on the S5?

As I shoot a lot of 50p (weddings/fashion shoots etc) I was wondering if the Sigma L Mount apsc lenses would work for a very wide lens (20-60 is 30-90 in apsc). Specifically the 16mm f1.4. I guess that is a 16mm in apsc? Would back button focus work with that lens? (maybe MrSMW knows?).

Thanks!

I don’t BBF so don’t know but believe you can?

I tried the Sigma 56mm f1.4 and it could not autofocus to save it’s own life.

I ‘assume’ the other two in that line would be similar...

The new 28-70mm f2.8 is quite good. Not as good as native Panny but then define ‘good’ in this context anyway! It’s OK, good even for anything but serious tracking.

I am still waiting to push the button and test the lens I am most interested and that is the Sigma 65mm f2.

If that works out OK, I will probably trade the 45mm f2.8 for the 35mm f2 as it will make a better pair for my needs.

[Thpriest]

3 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

The new 28-70mm f2.8 is quite good. Not as good as native Panny but then define ‘good’ in this context anyway! It’s OK, good even for anything but serious tracking.

Have you tried MF on it? How does the "linear" adjustment feel on the focus by wire lens? I'm wondering if you can set that and the throw on non native lenses.

[Mark Romero 2]

Back button focus works great on the S5 and S1. I set the AF switch to MF, and leave the AF switch ON for my Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L. Hitting the AF on button then focuses the lens. I have it set up so that rotating the focus ring on the lens then brings up picture-in-picture for fine tuning focus.

No idea about sigma lenses and linear manual focus.

[herein2020]

On 4/12/2021 at 4:18 PM, Geoffrey said:

Sounds like the XLR module itself has develop a fault. Can you try it on anything else?

Though it won't be helpful, I use a Juiced Link XLR adapter that I mount on the hotshoe but it actually connects via a minijack cable. I did look into the Panasonic module but the reviews said it wasn't very low noise and not worth the money. As an audio person originally, noisy preamps on expensive modules are a non-starter. If you do have to replace it I would consider this. With the Juiced Link module I have the record gain on the S5 set to -12 dB and let the module with its much superior preamps do all the heavy lifting and the results are really clean. Sadly these units are not made any more though can be picked up quite cheap second hand.

It works perfect on the GH5. I'm not an audio person, so to me the audio sounds fine.  I've never had a problem with noise from the module and anything minor I've been able to clean up in Fairlight; but since I'm not an audio person it is possible what sounds good to me isn't actually that good. The XLR module was one of my favorite GH5 accessories, and the fact that it worked with the S5 was a major selling point for me. 

I do wonder if maybe the lav mics I am using is causing the issues. But I remember I had a problem with the module and my Sennheiser wireless receiver as well. Very annoying problem to say the least. I am going to do a lot more testing before my next job to see if it is something that is my fault.

Personally, I've always found audio the most difficult part of videography, between placing the mics, dealing with room treatment or lack thereof, trying to keep the audio from peaking, trying to keep the mic from rubbing against clothing, trying to block ambient noises like the wind; etc......its very obvious why it is a whole specialty in and of itself.

[MrSMW]

15 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Back button focus works great on the S5 and S1. I set the AF switch to MF, and leave the AF switch ON for my Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L. Hitting the AF on button then focuses the lens. I have it set up so that rotating the focus ring on the lens then brings up picture-in-picture for fine tuning focus.

No idea about sigma lenses and linear manual focus.

I will try this soon!