Buying a lightly used model can be a smart strategy for getting a great camera at a good price – but I just spotted a camera deal that’s so good, it’s nearly as low as buying a used model. The Panasonic Lumix S5 II has just dropped back to its lowest price yet in the US, cutting $500 off the price of the popular full-frame hybrid camera.
The discount on the Panasonic Lumix S5 II is so good, it’s only $50 more than the previous S5, and only a few dollars more than buying the S5 II used. According to Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel.com, the discount puts the S5 II back down to its lowest ever price in the US.
The S5 II isn’t the only full-frame mirrorless camera that has dropped to under $1,500 during the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale (and yes, the deal is even available at other retailers for anti-Prime Day shoppers). The Canon EOS RP has dropped to $900, and the Panasonic Lumix S9 is under $1,500 even when bundled with a kit lens.
But the Panasonic Lumix S5 II would be my choice among the sub-$1,500 cameras for two reasons: Hybrid capabilities and excellent colors in camera.
The Panasonic Lumix S5 II is just as much a video camera as it is a stills camera. That 24.2MP full-frame sensor also captures 6K across the full sensor, along with 10-bit 4K 60p with no time limits. Unlike the compact S9, it also has a comfortable grip and a viewfinder.
But what I really love about the S5 II is the camera’s color science; the built-in color profiles are lovely and tend to keep skin tones intact, but the S5 II also supports in-camera LUTs. That feature is essentially like applying a favorite Lightroom preset to photos in the camera, including previewing those colors through the viewfinder. Those LUTs work with both stills and video.
While I liked the original S5, I didn’t love the autofocus. Panasonic has made a big jump forward on the second-generation camera by moving to a hybrid autofocus system. It’s a far better system than on the S5 and is pretty reliable in most scenarios – though it wouldn’t be my first choice for sports or wildlife.
The Panasonic Lumix S5 II is an excellent option for hybrid creators dabbling in both photos and videos, and I think the color science also makes it a good option for portrait photographers as well. There are faster sports cameras out there and higher resolution models, but if I had to choose one of the full-frame mirrorless cameras that sit at under $1,500 right now, the S5 II would already be in my cart.
Along with the $1,498 sale price on the S5 II body, the camera can also be paired with the 20-60mm kit and 50mm f/1.8 prime lens – both listed on the best lenses for the Panasonic S5 II – for an excellent $2,098 kit price. Adorama even tosses in extras like an SD card, bag, and lens cleaning kit on the deal.
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