What exactly are the differences between the Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE that was released in 2025 and the slightly cheaper Lumix S5 II from 2023?

We're bringing you this in-depth Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE vs S5 II head-to-head comparison to explain the differences and help you choose between these two mirrorless cameras.

You can also read our detailed Panasonic Lumix S5 II review and Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE review to find out exactly what we think of each camera.

Sensor

Both cameras offer 24.2 megapixels of resolution via a 35mm full-frame sensor with no low-pass filter.

The S1 IIE's sensor is "inspired by the characteristics of the LUMIX S5II" according to Panasonic - we're not entirely sure if they're the same or not.

Both models use the Venus image processing engine.

High Resolution Mode

Both cameras offer a special High Resolution mode, which captures 96-megapixel equivalent photos by rapidly taking 8 separate images and combining them into one.

On the S5 II, this mode required the camera to be mounted on a tripod or other stable surface to ensure sufficient sharpness.

The newer S1 IIE can additionally capture its high resolution images whilst hand-holding the camera even at the full 96-megapixel resolution, which makes it a lot more versatile, although it's still best suited to non-moving subjects.

ISO Speed

The native sensitivity range of both the S1 IIE and the S5II is ISO 100 to ISO 51,200, which can be expanded down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 204,800.

Dual Native ISO automatically switches between native ISO settings of 640 and 4000 without increasing noise by changing the way the camera reads out the image sensor.

Video

The S5 II supports internal 4:2:0 10-bit 6K (3:2) and 5.9K (16:9) at 30fps and 4:2:2 C4K and 4K at up to 60fps, while a low-profile heat management system allows for unlimited recording times.

The S1 IIE offers C4K 60p recording with no crop, 6K Open Gate recording at 30p and a new Cinemascope video format (2.4:1) available in various frame rates including 6K 60/50p without cropping.

Only the S1 IIE supports 5.8K Apple ProRes RAW HQ / ProRes RAW internal recording to a CFexpress Type B card.

Both cameras provide HFR (High Frame Rate) recording at up to 120fps and Slow & Quick capture at up to 180fps and it has a full-size HDMI Type A terminal.

Autofocus

The S5II was the first ever Lumix camera to use a hybrid contrast and phase-detection auto-focus system. 

Fast and dependable and providing 779-area metering, the new system is able to detect target subjects in difficult conditions such as low light and backlighting and, once locked on, will remain tracking them even with other moving objects in the frame.

Auto-focusing is further improved on the S1 IIE with better eye and face detection and AI-driven tracking accuracy for people plus the addition of a new Urban Sports AF mode for street dance, freestyle football, skateboarding, BMX and parkour.

Burst Shooting

The Panasonic S5 II offers high-speed burst shooting at up to 9fps with mechanical shutter and 30fps with electronic shutter (capable of capturing up to 300 images).

The S1 IIE offers 30fps high-speed blackout free continuous shooting with AF/AE, 10fps with the mechanical shutter, and there's also pre-burst shooting for up to 1.5 seconds.

Shutter Speeds

The S5 II offers a fastest shutter speed of 1/8,000sec for stills and video, whereas the S1 IIE can shoot stills at 1/16,000sec in the Electronic shutter Speed Priority mode and video at up to 1/10,000sec.

Body and Design

These two cameras are virtually identical in terms of their design. Panasonic have essentially reused the design of the Lumix S5 II, presumably standardizing on one chassis to make the camera smaller for end users and also cheaper to produce.

The S1 IIE is fully weather-sealed and splash/dust-proof and freeze-proof down to -10 degrees Celsius, whereas the S5 II only goes down to 0 degrees Celsius.

Viewfinder

The S1 IIE's OLED unit has a phenomenal resolution of 5.76-million-dots, offers 100% field of view, and a magnification ratio of 0.78x with a 50mm lens at infinity.

The EVF operates at a native rate of 120fps with a minimum lag of less than 0.005 sec, which helps to make it completely flicker-free.

The older S5II has a lower resolution a 3,680k, 0.78x OLED viewfinder with a refresh rate of up to 120fps.

LCD Screen

Both cameras share exactly the same 1,840k vari-angle LCD screen.

Both have a touch screen, meaning that you can, if wish, drag the focus area around the screen with your finger or thumb. 

Alternatively, if you prefer physical controls, you can use the small thumb-operated joystick to the upper-right of the LCD to do the same.

IBIS

The S5 II has a 5-axis image stabilisation system that provides up to 6.5 stops of Dual IS compensation for stills, or 5 stops of in-body IS.

The S1 IIE has an enhanced in-body image stabilization system that offers 8 stops in the centre and 7 stops at the edges of the frame and 7.0-stops even in the telephoto range with Dual I.S.
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There's also a newly developed cropless E.I.S. video distortion correction which stabilizes footage without cropping the angle of view.

Both models have an Active I.S. mode which provides highly stable video recording by optimising horizontal, vertical and rotational correction.

This is especially effective in traditionally challenging conditions for handheld shooting, such as using telephoto lenses or filming while walking.

LUTs

Only the S1 IIE is compatible with the LUMIX Lab smart phone application, enabling you to load LUTs directly into the camera.

A new LUMIX Flow app has recently been launched to enhance production workflows across various scenarios, such as short films, documentaries, music videos, and corporate promotional videos. This app offers a range of features, from storyboard creation and shooting to file organization.

Capture One

For the first time in Lumix history, the S1 IIE supports tethering via Capture One, assisting various creators across various production scenarios. The S5 II doesn't support this feature.

Memory Cards

The S5II has dual memory card slots housed in a dedicated compartment on the side of the body, just the S1 IIE, but unlike the newer camera it has two UHS-II SD card slots, rather than one UHS-II SD slot and one XQD / CFexpress slot.

Battery Life

The S5 II's 2,200mAh DMW-BLK22 battery provides 440 images (rear monitor), 470 images (LVF), 1,500 images (Power Save LVF mode), as measured using stringent CIPA industry standards.

Perhaps unsurprisingly on the more power-hungry S1 IIE, battery life drops significantly to 340 shots when using the Live Viewfinder and 380-shots when using the rear LCD screen, increasing to around 1,100 shots using the Power Save LVF mode.

Both cameras can also be powered and charged via a USB-C connection, which is useful if you're out and about and have a compatible power-bank to plug the camera into. On the S1 IIE, UVC/UAC plug and play webcam support is provided.

Price

The Panasonic Lumix S5II was priced at £1,999 / €2,199 / $1,999 body-only in the UK, Europe and USA respectively when it launched it 2023, but the street price today is significantly lower.

The Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE is available in June 2025 priced at £2,399 / €2,799 / $2,499 body-only.

Conclusion

As you'd perhaps expect, the new S1 IIE improves on the older, cheaper S5II model in quite a lot of ways, although overall the differences between these two cameras perhaps aren't as significant as the real-world price gap between them might warrant.

So what do you think? Would you choose the new Lumix S1 IIE or the cheaper S5 II? Leave a comment below!

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