Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 vs Sony FX3 — Which Is Better?

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and the Sony FX3 are both full frame CMOS mirrorless cameras released in 2021, but they suit different shooting styles. The S5 has an electronic viewfinder for eye-level framing. The FX3 has no viewfinder at all, so you frame every shot on its rear screen.

The FX3 is the smaller, lighter body at 129.7 x 77.8 x 84.5 mm and 640 g, against 133 x 97 x 82 mm and 714 g for the S5. That makes it the easier camera to balance on a gimbal or fit into a rig.

The S5 is the stronger choice for stills you want to crop or print large, with a 24.2 megapixel sensor carrying twice the pixel count of the FX3's 12.1 megapixel chip. That leaves room to reframe a distant bird in editing.

The FX3 offers far more autofocus points, 627 against 225, giving you many more selectable focus positions across the frame. Its 10 fps maximum burst rate also beats the S5's 7 fps for catching a brief moment such as a bird taking off. The mounts differ, Leica L on the S5 and Sony E on the FX3, so lenses do not carry between them. Both offer in-body stabilisation for handheld work.

For slow motion, the FX3 is the clear choice, with a 120 fps maximum frame rate against 60 fps on the S5. Fast action such as a skate trick or a breaking wave can be slowed further in the edit before motion turns choppy. Both cameras cap video recording at 4K, so neither gives you extra resolution headroom.

The FX3 also records in more file formats, including XAVC S, XAVC HS and XAVC S-1, while the S5 offers MP4 and MOV. That gives editors more choices when setting up a project. Both include a built-in timelapse function for interval work.

The S5's rear screen shows more detail when you check focus or review a take, resolving 1,840,000 dots against 1,440,000 on the FX3. That screen matters more on the FX3, which has no viewfinder and frames every shot on it.

Both have a 3-inch touch screen that flips out for overhead and low-angle shots, weather sealing, and Wi-Fi alongside Bluetooth. Neither has GPS or a built-in flash, though both accept an external flash.

The FX3 has the higher rated battery life, 600 shots against 440 for the S5. That 160-shot rated difference favours the FX3 for long days of recording.

For cards, the FX3 accepts SD UHS-II and CFexpress Type A media, while the S5 uses SD UHS-II cards. Both have dual card slots and USB charging.