Update May 9th, 2023: Panasonic S5 Mark IIX is officially released today and ready to preorder so we wanted to push this comparison that we have posted earlier in January.
Panasonic announced the Lumix DC-S5 Mark II and the DC-S5 Mark II X today and got some of us confused about what the differences are between these.
Here is a summary of the differences between these two cameras:
- S5 Mark II has no RAW video recording option but will have an optional $200 upgrade to add Raw Video Output. S5 Mark II X can record RAW video, see the details below.
- S5 II X can record Apple ProRes 422 HQ in HD internally
- S5 II X can record 5.8K Apple ProRes externally to SSD via HDMI or USB
- S5 II is capable of X ALL-Intra internal recording in 5.8K resolution at 800Mbps, S5 II can't so All-I.
- S5 II X supports Apple ProRes RAW video output to Atomos and wired or wireless IP streaming next to USB tethering
- S5 Mark II X comes with an all-mono black color body, blacked-out 'Lumix' branding and no red accents on the control dials
- S5 Mark II X is $200 more expensive than the S5 Mark II
- S5 Mark II will be available end of January 2023 whereas the X version will be available end of May 2023
Is it worth it?
The S5 Mark II has an MSRP price of $1999 whereas the S5 Mark II X will sell for $2199. Now, the big question is: all these addtional features on the Mark II X worth the $200 extra over the S5 Mark II:
I think it is definitely worth it, especially if your main focus is Video. The bigger issue here is the market release schedule. Can you really wait until May 2023 for the X version or just go for the regular version end of January?