The S5 has been sitting around waiting for some love. To be honest so have a lot of my cameras, but this is different.
The S5 represents several things.
Opportunity. All the possibilities that a better video (and stills) camera can offer.
Hope. Hope that the reality meets the expectation.
Fear. Fear that the M43 kit I love and use may be under threat and that the imagined potential is not real.
Pressure. Pressure to use it, even justify it. I have M43 cameras that dont get used enough, but this was a glove thrown down. The GH5.2 would have been the “softest” challenge made, the GH6 probably middle and the S5 a genuine “let’s do this”, even if it was the cheapest*.
Regret. Regret that I did not go M43 in a GH6 or GH5.2 to block out all the above.
Apathy. No great driving force or project to chase to help me just get on with it, which comes mainly down to work, work, work.
The 50mm S is lovely.
Tons of quality, even when pushed.
Nice Bokeh.
The 50mm Pentax adds options, especially for video. There is also the Super 35 TTArtisan and others.
The kit zoom is decent enough, offering wide angle macro as a bonus.
ISO 1000 is actually a low ISO for this camera.
It is different, but in a good way.
The differences for stills are a “bigger” and deeper looking file with more crop-ability, lower noise and better dynamic range. The negatives are the extra care that needs to be taken with steadiness and shallow depth that still catches me (and I am already over the super bokeh thing).
Same, same backwards, which is what I always say about M43.
This is just a reminder to me that again having both systems is a benefit. I also like the balance of this combination, with a M43 heavy system and the S5 as a “lung” when needed.
The extra shallow depth of field, higher ISO capability and thanks to that and a more movie-centric design, give generally better video, so make this useful to fix those specific things, but M43 is still my preferred option for most other things because of it’s better AF, stabilising, deeper depth of field and double reach. I just find M43 cameras easier and more fun to use.
The reverse would be too much size, weight and cost for the return with M43 relegated to just being the “little” option. I did this and the urge to follow the M43 path was too strong.
*The S5 with two lenses cost less than the GH6 body only and only slightly dearer than the GH5.2 with one.