Should You Buy the LUMIX S5II 20-60mm Kit Lens?

Is the Panasonic 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens worth it for the Lumix S5II or S5IIX? This is my full review of the kit lens for the Panasonic Lumix S5II. This video will cover mostly video shooting with some photographic samples thrown in for good measure.

Click to Subscribe -

Buy it online

Video Chapters:
00:00 - Is the Panasonic S5II/S5IIX Kit Lens Worth it?
00:23 - Sample Clips
00:34 - Lens Overview - Filter Thread Size
00:46 - AF/MF Switch, Zoom, and Focus Ring
01:28 - Handling & Zoom Ring
02:17 - Focus Ring
02:37 - Manual Focus / Linear Focusing
03:07 - Minimum Focusing Distance
03:26 - Vlogging Test @ 20mm f3.5
03:59 - S5II & Kit Lens Autofocus
04:24 - Original S5 & Kit Lens Autofocus
04:53 - Video Autofocus Results
05:18 - Focus Breathing & Parfocal / Varifocal Test
05:55 - Lumix 20-60mm Kit Lens in the Studio
06:42 - My Travel Lens
07:17 - Kit Lens vs Prime Lens (at 35mm)
07:43 - Why this is a great first lens
08:24 - Great photographic lens
08:46 - Is the Panasonic S5II/S5IIX 20-60mm Kit Lens Worth it?
09:44 - 18mm f1.8 vs 20-60mm @ f3.5

---
Links to B&H, Amazon, or Sweetwater are affiliate links.

#camera #contentcreator #filmmaking

[GeekyNerdyTechy]

Thanks for watching! Let me know if you’re going for the Kit or just the body only! Check it out globally here:

Affiliate links

[nickgrebneff]

Haha love the Camera Conspiracies reference!

[Ulrich.Bierwisch]

Even if you buy the big, expensive, high quality zooms or all kinds of primes - heaving this small, light weight lens in addition is always worth it because together with the S5 you have a very nice, combination for running around and doing hand hold shots. Nothing else can beat that.

[borderlands]

The 20-60 focuses very close at 26mm, about half macro. Useful for jewellery and similar small scale closeup work. A favourite thing about the S5 is with the lens set to manual focus, the back button AF still works. Handy for toggling between the two.

[itsGAMiE]

I watched this video some months back before getting LUMIX S5iiX, I really wanted to buy the 24-105mm because it’s very versatile and would be a good fit for my work but I couldn’t find any offer on Amazon. I had to settle for this 20-60mm kit lens and I must say it is pretty good. I have used it for a few shoots and it’s not bad at all. Great video. I hope I can still find a good deal for 24-105mm as I’d love to have that too. I am based in Nigeria and lately I have been shooting documentaries and event coverage.

[hoodaffairstv]

i preordered a s5iix, body only. Got the lumix s35mm and lumix s85mm lenses to start of with

[KarlRock]

Thanks for the review mate. The lens look great for vlogging.

[Democratiser]

I love your work Shane!

Great lens. Coupled with a couple of primes (and in my case the MC21 to adapt EF glass), I reckon the S5II plus kit lens is a dream core set up.

The ability to adapt EF glass properly on the S5II with CAF is a game changer for me. I’m not locked into RF mount.

Canon has some amazing lenses. The best are very expensive and generally large and heavy. A key disadvantage with the relatively affordable non-L Canon RF glass is that it is not weather sealed. It is also not par-focal.

Panasonic has been strategically extremely clever with their product strategy. They have ‘video first’ hybrid cameras without any (obvious) cripples.

Above all my observation is the company is customer centric and respond to feedback from the market. The LUMIX Live sessions conducted by Panasonic LUMIX USA plus the ongoing value adding through firmware upgrades are great examples of this corporate culture.

[serwiuszfilipowski]

I understand that for portraits you might want some bokeh but for outdoor videos I prefer to see the environment so this kind of lens is ideal. Thank you for helpful video.

[ArcticRc]

Ordered yesterday the body only with a Sigma 24-70. Looking forward to test it out. 🙃

[AmadouMoustaphaGAYE]

The kit lens review video come on point, has I've order the S5 II w/ kit lens. will be delivered today... I'm excited. Nice review btw ;)

[mediamannaman]

Totally agree! I bought the 20-60 with my S5 about 1 1/2 years ago and I just bought an S5ii and have used it with this lens. To me, this lens is a "must have." It is versatile, the image quality is incredible considering the price, and as you demonstrated it gets the most out of the autofocus in any Lumix S-series camera. I just compared my S5 using the Panny 50mm 1.8 side-by-side with the S5ii with the 20-60 at 50mm. I set the aperture and ISO the same in both cameras. I felt that the image quality coming from the 20-60 looked better! Maybe being mounted on the S5ii helped but when you compared your 35 f1.8 to the 20-60 I could barely see a difference and it was only in the background blur. Unless you really need the "Toneh" (😂) of the primes this kit lens can do almost everything you need and do it well.

[AoyagiAichou]

Well, my "dream" setup is the S5 (not even the mk2!), 20-60, 70-300, and some fast 50mm prime. So I would say it is worth it, definitely! If you have a use for it, haha.

[codenameFourtySeven]

I absolutely agree with you that most of the people are shooting at f2.0 and f2.2 for videos, which I feel is a bit overused. Watched a full review and got myself 20-60mm lens :)

[elemente]

5:46 As short as it is mentioned, THIS is a major important info, as not many DSLR zoomlenses are parfocal. Thank you for telling that! 😊👍

[avarmadillo]

Great analysis--very clear, very well paced. I love this lens on my S5II.

[MrNepune]

That 20mm on the wide side with f3.5 alone is worth the price!
5.6 at 60mm is still very respectable for a kit/travel kit (basically same DOF as m43 f2.8 zoom anyway!)

Also parfocal, great colours sharpness and contrast! Its a winner🎉

[mrheng]

I agree with the f/1.8 vlogging comment. I bought the 24mm f/1.8 for vlogging, but the background was pretty much completely gone. So, I returned it the next week. It wasn’t for me. I thought about the 18mm f/1.8, but I’m sure I’ll feel the same way about the look. I have the 20-60 and 50mm f/1.8 that came in a bundle with the S5 for $1700 two Black Fridays ago. It’s insane how Panasonic was handing out free lenses and no tax on the purchase!!!

[monlegaspi]

I just got an S5 and cyrrently looking for a budget native lens. Got a lot of useful info from this video than any other reviews. You got another subs here 👍 cheers!

[bradleyjpaolucci]

I appreciate the last part of the video comparing the 18mm background seperation. I've been debating my next prime and been wanting I wider aperture prime to add to my 20-60 and 50mm. I shoot guitar videos in a small space, travel, and enjoy lower aperture/blurred out background. I feel like the 20-60 creates a lot of issues with finding my next lens because between 28-50mm the lens is too dark. Either an 18mm or one day when a 16-35mm 2.8 exists maybe I'll get that. Thoughts?