What to look for in a travel camera
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Finding the perfect camera to travel with can be a challenge, because so much of the joy of traveling comes from its unpredictability.
We all have our own idea of what makes the perfect trip, but a common theme is that it should be different to your experiences at home. And the role of the camera you take with you is to capture all those exciting, unexpected and unfamiliar experiences.
So the perfect travel camera should be a great all-rounder: able to take great-looking photos, of course, but also able to respond to whatever happens. Maybe you'll want to take some video of your trip, maybe you'll want to share your adventure with friends and family back home, as you go. Whatever your preference, you'll want something small enough that you've got it with you when the fun begins.
Why use the LUMIX S5 for travel?
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The LUMIX S5 is one of the smallest full-frame cameras on the market, especially when combined with the small and versatile LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 kit zoom. Fast autofocus, image stabilization, excellent image quality and an advanced set of video capabilities make it highly adaptable, while splash and dust resistance makes it dependable.
The 20-60mm adds to this by offering some of the widest coverage available in a kit zoom. It's a lens that not only offers a very wide field of view, but pairs it with some of the best close-up capabilities of any kit lens, focusing down as close as 15cm (5.9").
It's a pairing that is ready for pretty much anything. But if you have a different type of photography in mind, you have all the flexibility that interchangeable lenses bring. The S5 uses the L-mount, which has one of the largest ranges of native lenses of any full-frame mirrorless system, including a select of small prime lenses to keep things compact.
And, to make sure the S5 is ready when you are, it can be charged or powered over its USB-C socket, so it's easy to keep it topped-up, as you go.
96 megapixel high-res photos
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The S5 is built around a 24MP sensor, but is able to use its image stabilization system to shift the sensor and shoot a series of images to deliver up to 96MP images. Other cameras offer similar features, but Panasonic's implementation has two key benefits that make it ideal for the traveling photographer.
The first is that it assembles the high-res shot in-camera and generates a high-res JPEG that you can share straight away. The other is that it has a mode that corrects for any movement that's happened in your scene while the exposures are being taken, so that the camera's high-res capability isn't restricted to totally static scenes.
How to use High Resolution Mode
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The S5's high resolution mode is really simple to use. You get a choice of image size: up to 96 megapixels, and whether you want to shoot Raw, JPEG or both. There's also an option to save a single, un-merged image alongside the multi-shot high-res version.
The key option concerns 'Motion Blur Processing,' and whether to opt for Mode 1, which maximizes resolution but doesn't account of movement in the scene, or Mode 2, which analyses the images for movement and uses the data from a single image to prevent blur or double images. Mode 2 is a safe bet if there's going to be any movement in the frame.
High Resolution Mode works best when the camera is mounted on a tripod, but an on-screen warning appears if the camera is shaking too much, and you can use this to judge whether propping the camera on a wall or on a table is going to stable enough to get your shot.
Live View Composite
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High Resolution Mode isn't the S5's only clever mode to take out-of-the-ordinary photos. Its 6K Photo mode lets you grab photos from high-res video, and there a simple options to create time-lapse and stop-motion animations, in-camera. There's also Live View Composite mode, that lets you shoot multi-shot night photos that capture the vibrancy of moving subjects
Here, we've set up a shot of traffic flowing through downtown Seattle, but Live View Composite mode works equally well for subjects like fireworks. It works by merging images but only adding any increase in brightness, compared to the previous image. So in this example, the freeway stays correctly exposed but the headlights of passing cars start to build up, letting you capture the kind of distinctive image that would normally require editing back on a computer.
How to use Live View Composite
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All you need to do is engage Live View Composite from the menus, then choose the desired shutter speed and ISO value for your shot. These help define the overall brightness of the image, on top of which the motion will be added.
Once this is done, it's all pretty straightforward: the S5 will take a single frame first, to use for noise reduction, then it'll start taking photos the next time you hit the shutter. The camera can continue taking shots for hours, so all you need to do it hit the shutter a third and final time to stop the exposures when your image looks the way you want it to.
And, thanks to the S5's image sensor equipped with Dual ISO technology, the shots should look clean and detailed even in low light. The sensor has two readout modes: one used at low ISOs to maximize the amount of dynamic range it can capture, and a second, low noise mode for higher ISOs to give the cleanest possible results.
Video specifications
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As well as letting you capture still images, the S5 is a highly accomplished video camera. It can shoot 4K video, supported by its in-camera stabilization system, again meaning you don't need to worry about bringing a tripod with you.
To get the most lifelike video possible, the S5 can shoot Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) footage, which will look excellent when viewed on modern High Dynamic Range devices such as phones, tablets or televisions. Alternatively, if you're familiar with video editing, you can shoot in the highly editable V-Log/V-Gamut mode featured on Panasonic's professional cinema cameras, to give the maximum possible creative flexibility.
The S5 can capture 4K video at between 1 and 60 frames per second, and FullHD at between 1 and 180 fps, giving huge flexibility for capturing slow-mo and quick motion video for editing later on.
Mic and headphone sockets are provided, for capturing top-notch audio, and a Slow and Quick mode lets you output dramatic-looking slow-mo and high-speed video right from the camera, without the need to edit it using a computer. However you choose to shoot, you don't need to worry about the S5 cutting out due to overheating: heat management is excellent, letting it deliver stable, long-time video recording.
Vlogging settings
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The S5 provides a variety of settings and quality options. For the highest possible quality, you can select the MOV file format and shoot 10-bit footage in the widescreen, cinematic DCI 4K format. But if you're looking to share updates from your trip as you go, then the widely-used MP4 format might be a better choice.
For instance, you can shoot compact FullHD MP4 files and still get good looking results that can easily be transferred to your phone for sharing. And all you have to do if you want to shoot vertical video for Instagram or TikTok is turn the camera on its side: the video will automatically play back vertically when you load it on your phone.
The S5 also gives you plenty of control over your audio, letting you adjust the recording volume and apply a Wind Noise Canceller, to prevent distracting booming noises when you're shooting outdoors. Onscreen indicators let you check that the audio won't all be over-loud and distorted when you come to share it.
Easy to share
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Whatever you encounter on your trip, and however you choose to shoot with the S5, it's easy to transfer the photos and video to your smartphone so that you can share them with the world (or just your immediate friends and family, if you prefer).
The S5 can establish a low-energy Bluetooth connection to your phone, using Panasonic's LUMIX Sync app. Once you've paired the two, they'll re-connect whenever you're using both devices, meaning you can just open LUMIX Sync to take control over the camera or receive images from it. Sending images establishes a Wi-Fi connection between your phone and the camera, so you can transfer video files and large images relatively quickly. And there's an option to transfer downsized versions, if you're trying to minimize roaming data charges when you go to upload your photos.
Looking forward to more adventures
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All journeys reach their end, but a good camera can ensure that the memories of your trip stay with you. The Panasonic LUMIX DC-S5's full-frame sensor provides excellent image quality in a wider range of situations than even the best smartphone, and its video capture means you have more than still moments to look back to.
Size, capability and versatility are the reasons we'd always be happy to have the Panasonic LUMIX DC-S5 at our side.
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