Panasonic LUMIX S9 vs. LUMIX S5II: The Choice is EASY!?

This is a comparison between my Panasonic LUMIX S5II and the LUMIX S9 mirrorless cameras. This comparison will talk about the pros and cons of each camera in each section, so stay focused.

Product Disclaimer: I purchased the S5II, but the S9 was provided a month ago to the channel from Panasonic. This camera comparison video is not at all influenced by anyone.

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Video Chapters:
00:00 - LUMIX S9 vs LUMIX S5II
00:28 - S9 - Reason 1
01:25 - S9 - Reason 2
02:02 - S9 - Reason 3
02:46 - S9 - Reason 4
03:22 - S9 - Reason 5
04:03 - S9 - Reason 6
04:32 - Quick S9 Discussion
05:13 - S9 - Reason 7
05:33 - Important Information
05:54 - S5II - Reason 1
06:20 - S5II - Reason 2
06:44 - S5II - Reason 3
07:22 - S5II - Reason 4
07:53 - S5II - Reason 5
08:18 - S5II - Reason 6
09:06 - S5II - Reason 7
10:59 - Panasonic LUMIX S9 vs. LUMIX S5II - Studio Recap

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#camera #contentcreator #filmmaking @LumixUSA

[DandoPorsaco-hozs]

Easily fit it into your pocket... WITHOUT LENS!

[randallbrander]

I use the the Lumix 20-60mm, 26mm, 18-40mm, Sigma 20mm & 45mm lenses. Small and capable for portability and great content creating. Love the Cinematic Mode also. Cheers! 🐎

[thelonelyroad]

I super stoked for the S9.

I do a lot of adventure travel content for youtube. Currently cycling from Canada to Argentina.

This is the camera to ve been waiting for! When your on a bicycle your storage realestate is severely limited. Paired with the pancake lens i can literally keep this in a fanny pack, or my bar bags. I kostly shoot f8 and higher for those landscape shots and i love manual focus.

I think it was hand tailored for my use case.

The panasonic lenses are so much smaller and lighter than other lenses i find.

Currently i have an a7ii with the sigma 24-70mm andnthats a beast. Im excited for this.

[JoeMustang]

I just received my second S5iiX body and am currently using a G9ii for B-roll video. The S9 looks like a great option for travel and short clip b-roll. Great comparison. Thanks.

[iammz]

I just purchased the S5II since then did it get the update for S&Q PDAF? In which framerates is it PDAF in 4K?

[S.A.S.H.]

39C?!?! Holy crap that's hot. Rally enjoy your reviews, and as I'm moving from a Canon T2i to a Lumix so I can do video with it, and still get good photos, your reviews are currently integral to my decision making process. In fact so far they are the primary source of info in this process. Thanks for all your work.

[massimoiermano]

I bought both and solved the problem! 😁

[GeekyNerdyTechy]

Hi everyone! I have another comparison video for you today featuring the S9 and S5II! I didn't do this as a side-by-side comparison, as the image quality for the video is the same. I'm sharing some pros and cons of each camera and who they might suit if you're thinking of one or the other. Thanks for watching, commenting, and subscribing! Check out the gear in this video below.
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[MaximoJoshua]

mostly agree, but I don't think it's really great for starting out...I think you nailed it when you said it's a specialty camera. Would I recommend a BMCC 6k to a beginner? No, very specialized for narrative/commercial video. Would I recommend a Leica M10 to a beginner? No, they may want to do something other than B&W photography.

A beginner, typically has only one camera, it should be as generic and future proof (opposite of specialty) as possible, so they can grow into the area they naturally vibe with. If someone can recommend this to a beginner, I think they should be able to say they would be happy with it as their only camera.

And as far as the size and portability, did you really shoot/enjoy the F/8 manual focus lens? Can't pocket it once you put the 20-60 on it. I only bring this up because I remember the S5II reviews praising how "compact" and "light" it was for a camera with so many features. Now it's like "I will need back surgery after carrying this behemoth" (obviously, I am exaggerating). It's 250 grams more, it's not a RED V-Raptor or something.

Anyway, I'm not hating on the S9, I just think the S9 would be a lot cooler, if it didn't have basically the perfect all-around camera, made by the same company, at almost the same price competing with it. The peace of mind for the couple hundred more is well worth it, IMO, because I don't know what I am gonna want to do in the future, and the S9 could come up short for what I might want to do in the present.

[diegorv_isuals]

I have the S5 as my main camera right now. And would like to get the S9 as a B-Cam for my regular productions and when I want to take pictures or videos when I go out. S5 works great tbh and don't feel the need to change my A-Cam (for the S5ii or S5iiX), this video really helped!! Thanks a lot, just subbed <3

[imranalijafar]

Great review and comparison. I would to see more of S9 videos especially travelling content. You have any information about the new 18-40 mm lens? When is it coming out? By the way, what lens did you use for blurry background? it looked so creamy.

[fellowcitizen]

Thanks, Shane! I'm hoping for an S7 with an EVF (or w/Fuji's HVF...), but will probably get the dark silver S9 on sale.
The Sigma fp is tricky to find at a good price now, but does have unlimited 4k recording for those who need this in a compact size.

[chennyye]

To me persoanlly, I like S9 quite a lot, but for some reasons I can only go to S5II, I think one thing the Lumix design team might not pay attention is even though this is a cheap if not the cheapest full frame camera, it is still a large amount of money, so some of the intended buyer will look for future possibilities.

1. Like you mentioned, it doesn't have hot shoe, and cannot sync the flash with mechanical shutter:
Which means the person who want to shoot night time flash snaps, so it cannot really take that part of market from the popular Fuji X100 series.
Also the people who want to seriously learn photography won't get the camera, if they have the mind in the future they would like to learn studio portrait or night portrait with the flash.

2. This camera doesn't support the multi function shoe, which means in the future if there are accessaries for DJI/other brands' wireless mic, there is no easy way to connect.

3. This S9 have the record limitation, and it is a software limitation, which cannot be the secondary long time record camera for video professionals, in this point I prefer what SONY did with A7Cii, no software limit, but you can find a way to cool the camera yourself. This one is crucial for all the video pros who need the second camera, S9 can capture amazing videos, but you never know when will you need to record a long take.

In a way it suit somebody like you: have a lot of experience with the cameras, know what you want, and can live with the limit, even have a lot more camera to choose for certain job, which I would say it is a niche market.

I really love Lumix, and I am now using the Lumix S5II, as I shoot macro insects that need the flash, so even I want to have a lighter camera body, S9 is not my choice. I appreciate SONY A7Cii much more than Lumix S9, as you can grow with the camera in the point I mentioned above.

[AllThingsFilm]

I've been able to find a used S5ii for around $1, 500 at a source I've come to find to be very reliable. The GH7 has also caught my eye, of course. But, considering that I already have the Zoom F3, which is a field recorder that captures 32-bit audio, I have that covered. So, I'm starting to look at the S5ii more and more. LUMIX has really been doing well this year. Thanks for the comparison.

[grantrobertdavies]

Great Video Shane - I think a 2nd S9 for In The Blues would be a great investment - Especially for all the on location shop stuff you do!!!

[DesoloZantas]

I just wish the s5ii had an update which I can use the hybrid zoom with it. That's literally it

[Mocha_]

Visited the camera store today and tried it out. I considered picking up the silver version but I couldn't really justify spending that much money for a camera when I don't really need it.

[ifzarik]

hybrid zoom does NOT work @ 4K•60p!! not in my LUMIX S9. i thought it should be mentioned.. for some people it might matter!!

Excellent review.. thank you!!!

[TheRealRichardWong]

Good comparison video! You have been busy and pumping out some awesome contents

[gordon]

My thoughts: S9 small footprint largely disappears with the 12-60…it needs small lenses to make it work (maybe the Sigmas?), not really something you can use for most studio work given the short (!) recording limits (perfectly fine for short clips), does it make really make a difference having 30 luts vs 10…suspect most folks will use 1 or 2 (I may be incorrect). As far as FF it’s relatively small footprint (with a lens), fast to post to social media and can still produce some serious photos, especially handy for travel. Quite like it and most folks could work around its limitations (other than the lenses). It also seems fun to use…a big plus IMO. Great review! Curious how it would compare to something like an A7Cii, which has a better selection of small lenses I believe.