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Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Comparison

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Panasonic S5

24 MP | Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic S5
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Canon M

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon M
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Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing S5 and M, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Canon. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera and Canon EOS M is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic S5 was introduced to market in August 2020 and Canon M was launched in July 2012. As you can see, M is 8 years older than S5. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic S5 and Canon M before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic S5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2020-08-14
  • 24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50 - 204800)
  • Leica L Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 7.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 714g. 133 x 97 x 82 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Canon M Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-07-23
  • 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 4.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 298g. 109 x 66 x 32 mm

Panasonic S5 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II vs Panasonic S5
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II vs Canon EOS M

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic S5 and Canon M compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 over Canon EOS M
Video Record Limit
Unlimited vs Limited Record clips longer than 30 minutes
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 18 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
51.200 vs 12.800 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 31 194 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.840k dots vs 1.040k dots 76% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 4.0fps 3 fps faster
Battery Life
440 shots vs 230 shots 210 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Color Depth
25.1 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.5 vs 11.2 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
2697 vs 827 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
35.30µm2 vs 18.54µm2 90% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±3 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (96 MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking
Yes vs No Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Digital video stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilizes your videos in-camera
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
USB Version
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Faster Data transfer from the camera
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
CHECK S5 PRICE


Reasons to choose Canon EOS M over Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Weight
298 g vs 714 g 416 g lighter
CHECK M PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Canon EOS M
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
24 MP vs 18 MP Bigger prints and more details
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Canon EOS M
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
New4
Panasonic S5 vs Canon M: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic S5 and Canon M side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic S5 has external dimensions of 133 x 97 x 82 mm (5.24 x 3.82 x 3.23″) and weighs 714 g (1.57 lb) (including batteries). Canon M has external dimensions of 109 x 66 x 32 mm (4.29 x 2.6 x 1.26″) and weighs 298 g (0.66 lb / 10.51 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon M. Canon M is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 24mm narrower, 31mm shorter and 50mm thinner than Panasonic S5.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon M Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon M.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon M Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon M.
Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon M Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon M is significantly lighter (416g ) than the Panasonic S5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Panasonic S5 has a Full frame sensor and Canon M has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon M's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Panasonic S5 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

S5
M
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

S5
M
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that S5 has a big advantage over M which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic S5 and Canon M's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Panasonic S5 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Canon M's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to S5.
Panasonic S5 vs Canon M: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic S5 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Canon M has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor.

Panasonic S5's sensor provides 6MP more than Canon M's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic S5's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the S5 and M sensor size comparison.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon M Cameras


As seen above, Panasonic S5 has a 2.5x Larger sensor area than Canon M. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Panasonic S5 and Canon M sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, S5 has scored 94, 29 points higher than M.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Panasonic S5 94 25.1 bits 14.5 Evs 2697 ISO
Canon M 65 22.1 bits 11.2 Evs 827 ISO
Panasonic S5 vs Canon M Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Panasonic S5 has an advantage over Canon M. There are 58 lenses for Panasonic S5's Leica L mount, on the other hand there are only 29 lenses for Canon M's Canon EF-M lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Panasonic S5 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. S5's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Canon M doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 6 lenses for Canon EF-M mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Panasonic S5 Lenses # of Canon M Lenses
Standard Zoom 8 (7 Full Frame) 1
Standard Prime 11 (10 Full Frame) 5
Wideangle Zoom 5 (5 Full Frame) 2
Wideangle Prime 18 (17 Full Frame) 11
Telephoto Zoom 7 (7 Full Frame) 1
Telephoto Prime 7 (7 Full Frame) 6
SuperZoom n/a 1
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a 1
Macro Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 1
Perspective Control Prime n/a n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 58 (55 Full Frame) 29

What types of Photography are Panasonic S5 and Canon M Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic S5 and Canon M for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic S5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon M for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon M for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon M for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
31 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 230 shots
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon M for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
714g
Body Thickness 82mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
298g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon M for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic S5 vs Canon M: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic S5 and Canon M, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic S5 and Canon M scores compare:

Panasonic S5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #32 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Canon M
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #75 out of 134 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #358 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Panasonic S5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon M in all criteria except one: Portability. Canon M is significantly smaller than Panasonic S5. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon M. Otherwise, Panasonic S5 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic S5
Panasonic S5
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Canon M
Canon M
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Canon M vs Panasonic S5 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Canon EOS M
Brand Panasonic Canon
Announced 2020-08-14 2012-07-23
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.6 x 23.8 mm 22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area 847.28mm2 332.27mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 18 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 51,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 204800 ISO 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 ISO -
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 225 31
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Leica L Canon EF-M
Number of Available Lenses 58 29
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,840k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/8000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 4.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 714g 298g
Dimensions 133 x 97 x 82mm 109 x 66 x 32mm
Battery Life 440 shots 230 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 94 65
DxO Color Depth 25.1 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range 14.5 11.2
DxO Low Light ISO 2697 827
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