Wish list for S5ii firmware improvements

[mcantsin]

In my opinion, the Panasonic S5ii is a very well rounded camera. However, there are a few things that could (likely) be improved with firmware updates. Here's my list, and I invite you to add your points:

- Manually switchable APS-C crop for photography (that also affects raw images). This would be useful for adapted APS-C, s35 and half-frame lenses, as well as to increase the buffer for burst photography. Currently, the S5ii only switches to APS-C in raw still image mode when a lens has been electronically detected as an APS-C lens.

- More continuous shooting frame rates. Currently the options are 30fps for Super High Speed and 9fps for High Speed. It would be great to have 20fps and 15fps as continuous shooting options as well.

- Multiple exposure photography. The old S5 had this, it disappeared in the S5ii for inexplicable reasons.

- Leica Monochrome (as in the G9ii) and, optionally, Arri LogC3 image profiles (as in the GH7).

- And of course, compatibility with Panasonic's LUMIX Lab mobile app (to be expected with the next firmware update).

 

[Off The Mark]

^^ Good suggestions.

One thing that I would like - and this is probably more important with the original S-series of cameras than the S5 II / IIX - is to be able to toggle through the near and far shift focus. Right now it requires two buttons (one for near shift, one for far shift). Would be great if you could "cycle" through the options (the way how you can cycle through the various AF area options using the button in the middle of the AF mode switch.

Also, the ability to lower noise reduction even further in the various video profiles.

Maybe a "stepless" way to go from standard audio gain to the low audio gain.

Phase Detect Auto Focus in full frame 1080p 60fps (apparently that exists on the S9).

Some sort of simplification of the Image Stabilizer menu when calling from the My Menu, since when adding Image Stabilization to the My Menu, there are two different entries for Image Stabilization, however only one of them works in Video Mode.

EL Zone exposure guide (they put it in the Varicam, so why not in the mirrorless bodies???)

If at all possible, a way to reduce the HDMI lag.

Also, a combination software and HARDWARE addition I would love to see is a USB-C cable that allows Timecode metadata to be written to the video file (as opposed to having to use an audio timecode recorded to the left channel). Sony has done this with their a7S III and the cable costs around $50, I believe.

--
What Middle School Is Really Like:

 

[ptr22]

All great suggestions! I'd like to add (also original S5, if possible):

- option to enlarge histogram (maybe also waveform)

- battery-life in percent

- for long exposure photography, more than 60s exposures internally, maybe a T-mode where you can set it as long as you like (at least up to five minutes though)

- for timelapses, I'd love to have shutter speeds longer than the one or two seconds (in order to make day-night timelapses nicer, see point above)

- for timelapses: prioritise what changes in which order e.g. set a max exposure time and once that's been reached, ramp up ISO, or even aperture, or aperture first, than time, than ISO (similar to Nikon, again for day to night timelapses)