Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Everything Panasonic announced last week

Panasonic sure knows how to get a new year started off right. Last week, to kick off 2023, the company announced two new full-frame cameras, one wide-angle zoom lens and updated its lens roadmap, teasing a new macro prime and extended-range zoom lens. Here’s a rundown of all the Panasonic news from last week.

Panasonic announces S5 II and S5 IIX

Panasonic celebrated the new year by announcing the S5 II and S5 IIX, two new mid-range full-frame cameras for the company’s line of S series cameras. The stand-out feature of these cameras is the inclusion of phase-detection autofocus, a first for Panasonic’s line of interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. While the two cameras are effectively identical in specifications, the S5 IIX differs from the S5 II for the fact it will have Raw video output, video recording to SSD over USB-C, All-I compression modes and internal ProRes capture. The S5 II will retail for $1999 when it starts shipping at the end of January. The S5 IIX will ship at the end of May and come in at a $200 premium.

In addition to our written initial review, DPReview TV also shared our video review, wherein Chris and Jordan were able to put Panasonic’s new S5 II to the test in Tokyo, Japan. Check out both to see how Panasonic’s new phase detection autofocus stacks up against the competition.

Panasonic announces $800 Lumix S 14–28mm F4–5.6 Macro lens for L-mount camera systems

Alongside its two new cameras, Panasonic also announced a new wide-angle L-mount zoom lens, the Lumix S 14–28mm F4–5.6 Macro. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.15m (5.9”) and is set to ship in March 2023 for $799.99. Check out our news coverage to learn more about Panasonic’s latest L-mount zoom lens.

Panasonic adds new prime lens, zoom lens to S series L-mount lens roadmap

Speaking of lenses, Panasonic has also updated its S series L-mount lens roadmap with two new lenses. While the exact focal lengths haven’t been announced, the updated graphic from Panasonic suggests we’ll be seeing a new 100mm macro lens and an extended-range zoom lens somewhere around 28–200mm with a variable maximum aperture range. These both fill gaps in Panasonic’s S series L-mount lineup and should help round out a growing line of full-frame lenses that work for all L-mount camera systems. Take a look at our news coverage to find out more.

Thanks for tuning in to our launch round-up! Be sure to keep an eye out for our weekly news round-up newsletter later this week! And, as always, thanks for reading and supporting DPReview.