Jonny Helm | Fixation

Jonny Helm Feature October 2, 2020October 4, 2023 0 Comments

The best 100-400mm lenses available right now

Now that optical technology is improving and lenses like the 100-400mm are getting lighter and lighter, carrying a broad-range telephoto zoom lens is starting to make more sense than carrying around multiple lenses.

Many news and sports photographers swear by their 100-400mm lenses – we recently spoke to Times photographer Richard Pohle to get the lowdown on why he loves his so much – which is why we’ve put together this guide to the various 100-400mm lenses that are available for different systems.

Each lens has its own characteristics and strengths, which are worth being aware of before you jump in with both feet. In our guide, we’ve included the best of the best for all the major pro systems – Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony FE, Fujifilm X and Canon RF – as well as a few third-party options for those who are looking to pick up a great lens on a budget.

Canon EF

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

Construction: 21 elements in 16 groups
Image stabilisation: 4-stop Optical Stabiliser
Minimum focusing distance: 0.98m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,640g

Refining and perfecting a formula that was already pretty darn great to begin with, the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is the second version of the firm’s 100-400mm lens for EF mount, and it’s a professional-grade optic for the working photographer.

Exceptionally sharp thanks to its sophisticated optical construction, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM uses a rotating zoom mechanism, rather than the push-pull design of previous models, making it easier and more intuitive to operate. This rotation incorporates a Zoom Touch Adjustment Ring, which can be customised to suit the user’s preferred feel of zoom control. Image quality is outstanding, autofocus is zip-fast thanks to the USM motor, and Canon also includes its 4-stop Optical Stabiliser, making the lens even more useful when shooting handheld.

Weather-sealed for outdoor shooting, the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is an exceptional tool for any Canon-shooting pro who needs reach, quality and flexibility.

Nikon F

Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

Nikon 80-400mm AF-S Nikkor f4.5-5.6G ED VR

Construction: 20 elements in 12 groups
Image stabilisation: 4-stop Vibration Reduction
Minimum focusing distance: 1.5m
Weather-sealing: No
Weight: 1,570g

The Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR gives you slightly more latitude to play with, with a focal range that starts at 80mm rather than the more common 100mm. Designed for use with the firm’s FX-format SLRs, it’s very much a professional lens for the serious user, boasting such features as Vibration Reduction (VR) system for minimising camera-shake, and the Silent Wave Motor (SWM) that enables fast and accurate autofocus.

Nikon has included 4 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and one Super ED glass element in the optical construction of the lens in order to ensure top-notch sharpness, while the inclusion of Nano Crystal Coat helps to minimise flare and ghosting, even when you’re shooting into the light.

Sony E

Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master OSS

Construction: 22 elements in 16 groups
Image stabilisation: Optical SteadyShot
Minimum focusing distance: 0.98m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,395g

Sony’s G Master lenses are some of the finest optics around, and the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master OSS is an exceptionally good lens for anyone lucky enough to be using a full-frame Sony E-mount camera. Its impressively innovative autofocusing system combines floating focus with a double linear motor and a Direct Drive SSM system, making for super-fast and accurate autofocus.

The inclusion of Sony Nano AR coating eliminates flare and ghosting in images, while the lightweight magnesium-alloy construction means it’s lighter to carry than both the Canon and Nikon optics above. Creating super-silky background bokeh is a cinch thanks to the nine-bladed aperture and ED glass elements, making it an ideal lens for wildlife portraiture or sports shooting.

Professional grade, powerful and portable, the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master OSS really is one of the best 100-400mm lenses around.

Fujifilm X

Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR

Construction: 21 elements in 14 groups
Image stabilisation: 5-stop image stabilisation
Minimum focusing distance: 1.75m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,375g

As the Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR works with Fujifilm X cameras, which have APS-C sensors, its “true” focal length is actually 152-609mm, giving you a little extra telephoto reach that’s useful for wildlife photography. The lens is thoroughly kitted out for outdoor photography, with a construction that features 13 water- and dust-resistant seals at 12 points, and can operate in temperatures as low as -10°C.

Lightweight and speedy, with a five-stop stabilisation system, the lens is great for picking out fast-moving targets and producing images full of vibrant details and contrast. Also, thanks to the maximum magnification of 0.19x, the lens can be used as a telephoto macro, opening up plenty of interesting possibilities.

A super-telephoto made with the attention to detail and quality that Fujifilm are known for, the Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lets you push the X system even further.

Canon RF

Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens

Construction: 20 elements in 14 groups
Image stabilisation: 5-stop image stabiliser
Minimum focusing distance: 0.9m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,530g

The first super-telephoto zoom for the RF system, Canon actually gives range-hungry shooters an extra bit of focal length to play with, as this lens runs from 100mm to an impressive 500mm.

If you’re planning to shoot sports of wildlife images then you’re pretty much set for life here. The Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM’s construction incorporates Super UD and UD elements for a superior image free from distortion, while ASC coatings control for unwanted reflections. It’s easy to control functions with the customisable control ring, while the body is also sealed to dust and water, with an additional heat shield coating. If you need to push the focal length still further, it’s also compatible with Canon’s RF 1.4x and 2x extenders.

The next generation of optics looks to be in good hands, with the Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens representing an exciting new frontier of imaging.

Third-party 100-400mm lenses

Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD

Available for: Canon EF, Nikon F

Construction: 17 elements in 11 groups
Image stabilisation: 4-stop Vibration Compensation
Minimum focusing distance: 1.5m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,120g

A budget alternative for those who don’t want to pay the premium for Canon or Nikon’s own 100-400mm lenses, this Tamron optic ticks a huge number of boxes for a lens of its price. As well as including features like four-stop Vibration Compensation and a minimum focusing distance, it’s also sealed against dust and moisture.

Autofocus performance is quick and accurate thanks to the USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) and Dual MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) control system, while three LD (Low Dispersion) lens elements help to reduce aberration and distortion. The lens also sports an eBAND coating to reduce unwanted reflections, for clean and crisp images.

Despite its budget price, this is a seriously impressive lens, and any Canon or Nikon user looking to save some cash should definitely consider it.

Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

Available for: Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma

Construction: 21 elements in 15 groups
Image stabilisation: Optical stabiliser
Minimum focusing distance: 0.16m
Weather-sealing: No
Weight: 1,160g

Another budget-friendly lens that’s definitely worth considering for Canon and Nikon users, the Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens is designed around providing the user with as much shooting flexibility as possible. This means that as well as that generous focal range, you also get a choice between a twist or push-pull zooming action, an algorithm-based optical stabiliser, and an impressively short minimum focusing distance of just 160cm, which puts close-up shooting in play. And with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.8, this lens is very much capable of macro imagery.

The Hypersonic Motor provides quick and quiet autofocus,and the incorporation of four Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements reduces colour fringing and chromatic aberrations for a final image that’s clear, sharp and full of contrast.

The value for money you get with the Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary is truly fantastic, and makes it pound-for-pound one of the most enticing 100-400mm lenses around.

Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS

Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 Contemporary DG DN OS

Available for: Sony E, L-mount

Construction: 22 elements in 16 groups
Image stabilisation: Optical stabiliser
Minimum focusing distance: 1.12m
Weather-sealing: Yes
Weight: 1,135g

This lightweight 100-400mm lens is basically the rough equivalent of Sigma’s other Contemporary lens, but this one for mirrorless shooting. It comes in Sony E and L-mount fits, and is much lighter than a typical lens of its type, weighing in at just 1,135g. Despite its impressively budget price, the lens packs in plenty of upscale features: there’s the stepping motor autofocus system that’s fast and practically silent, there’s the electronically coupled manual focus ring, there’s the choice between push-pull or twist-action zoom.

We could go on. And we will – the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS also sports an optical stabiliser that’ll give you about four stops of compensation, and an impressive optical construction that ensures the lens punches well above its weight in terms of image quality.

This is an excellent telephoto zoom, and at a bargain price to boot.

Jonny Helm Feature September 24, 2020October 4, 2023 2 Comments

The Complete Guide to Canon RF lenses

Whether you’re already sold on upgrading to Canon’s EOS R mirrorless system, or are perhaps just flirting with the idea, one of your first questions is likely to be: “What are the lenses like?”

After all, no matter how great a body is, however many extra features like silent shooting or 6K movies it manages to cram in, none of it means a thing if the glass isn’t up to snuff. And while you can use your EF glass on RF bodies with ease and full functionality, thanks to the impressive EF to RF adapting system (see our blog for a breakdown of how this works), if you’re going to be using a system long term then you want to know what the native lens selection is like. Has Canon done a good enough job filling it out? Are they sharp enough, long enough, fast enough?

The answers to these questions will of course differ for everybody, depending on what kind of shooting they do, but we’ve had a look through the RF lens catalogue and in our considered opinion, there’s a cracking selection there for pretty much any photographer. So, we’ve put together this complete guide to native RF lenses, which we’re going to keep up to date with all the latest releases, so you can use it as a handy reference point to see whether the RF system has the lenses you need.

RF-mount

Canon’s RF-mount for its EOS R system uses a 12-pin connection system, as opposed to the 10-pin connection on EF mount. This allows for much faster communication between lens and camera, which enables all sorts of useful features. Not only is RF autofocus faster, but the image stabilisation is much more effective (up to eight stops with the right combination of lens and camera), and it also allows cameras to store and use correction profiles for the characteristics of specific lenses, making distortion a thing of the past.

Our guide to Canon RF lenses

We’ve divided our guide into zoom lenses and prime lenses, and ordered the individual entries from wide to telephoto, so it should be easy to find the type of lens you’re looking for. We may also add third-party lenses into the guide as well in the near future, but for now, let’s get started on our complete guide to Canon RF lenses!

RF Prime Lenses

Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM

Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM

Blending speed and 1:2 macro capability, this wide-angle prime lens is a great choice for documentary photographers and macro shooters alike. Weighing in at 305g, it’s a good choice for those who like to travel light, and a construction of nine elements in nine groups ensures that images are pin-sharp from corner to corner. The inclusion of a 5-stop image stabiliser isn’t bad either!

Best for: Architecture, documentary, macro

Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM

Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM

No one can argue with a nifty fifty! The Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM is a shining example of this all-purpose focal length, as implied by that “L” tag, which any Canon-head knows is the mark of the firm’s best lenses. The RF 50mm F1.2L USM delivers outstanding quality and sharpness right to the edges of the frame, with a professional-grade f/1.2 aperture and USM autofocus, and that L-series build means it’s a pro-spec lens inside and out.

Best for: All-purpose street shooting, everyday professional use

Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS

Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS

A portrait lens designed for those who want the ultimate in sharpness, this large-aperture lens has been treated with Canon’s DS coating – “DS” stands for “Defocus Smoothing”, and is specifically designed to modulate out-of-focus highlights when the lens is used wide open, rendering them smoother and more pleasing. This coating is used on two elements in the lens, the overall effect being that this is one of the finest, sharpest, most aesthetically pleasing portrait lenses around.

Best for: Portrait shooters demanding uncompromising sharpness

Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM

Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM

The slightly stripped-back version of the DS lens, this is still a fabulous portrait optic in its own right, just without the Defocus Smoothing coating. Equipped with a wide f/1.2 aperture and a ground aspheric lens element designed to eliminate the spherical aberrations such a wide aperture typically causes, as well as Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) optics to deal with colour aberrations, this is a sublime portrait lens.

Best for: Portrait shooters

Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM

Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM

A portrait lens that’s significantly more affordable than the F1.2 optics, the Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM also provides the added bonus of being a 1:2 macro lens. Weighing just 500g and packing an optical construction of 12 glass elements in 11 groups, the RF 85mm F2 can focus at close distances of down to 35cm, so you have real versatility in terms of subject position.

Best for: Portrait shooters on a budget; macro and close-up photographers

Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

The first of a duo of new telephoto primes for RF-mount, the Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM raised eyebrows on announcement. A fixed aperture of f/11, that you can’t go above or below?! This may seem bonkers, but it’s a choice with many practical upsides – the lens is incredibly lightweight for a super-telephoto at 930g, and the fixed aperture also allows the lens to produce perfectly circular bokeh. It’s an intriguing concept, and available at a really impressive price.

Best for: Wildlife or sports photographers looking for a light setup

Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM

Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM

The second of the super-telephoto RF duo also sports the fixed f/11 aperture, and as such is impressively light for an 800mm lens at just 1,260g. Equipped with a four-stop image stabiliser that works with both stills and video, this is an amazing lens for bringing distant wildlife into sharp focus.

Best for: Super-distant safari-shooting on a budget

RF Zoom Lenses

Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

Fast, ultra-wide, well-stabilised and portable – this wide-angle zoom really has it all. It’s an ideal optic for when you need to shoot in cramped or difficult spaces, thanks to its slim form factor, and the nano USM motor inside means the autofocus is smooth and practically silent! Shoot wide scenes in any weather conditions with this highly capable and weather-sealed lens.

Best for: Documentary work, landscapes, architecture

Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM

Any pro worth their salt knows the value of a 24-70mm standard zoom, and Canon has come up with a great example of the genre for RF mount. The RF 24-70mm f2.8 is part of a trilogy with the aforementioned 15-35mm lens and Canon’s RF 70-200mm lens (more on which below), the idea being that almost any pro shooter with these three lenses will be covered for all situations.

Best for: Documentary, close-up work, day-to-day shooting

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Alternatively, if you don’t fancy shelling out for a trio of lenses, this wide-ranging zoom is a good everyday all-in-one lens for the roaming photographer or videographer. More affordable than many of the flashier L series lenses, this optic is built for travel, balancing versatility with toughness. Want flexibility? This is your one-stop-shop.

Best for: Travel, single-lens setups

Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

If you’re a new user to the EOS R series, this is the place to start. The most affordable lens in the catalogue, the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM is very similar to the above 24-105mm lens, sacrificing the constant aperture and the Nano USM motor in favour of a much more friendly price tag. You still get plenty of the EOS R system features like 5-stop image stabilisation, and the handy 13cm close focusing distance really expands your shooting flexibility.

Best for: Beginners, newbies to the system, travellers on a budget

Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM

Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM

If 24-105mm just isn’t enough zoom range for you, why not try this on for size? Canon’s RF 24-240mm is a 10x optical zoom, the broadest-range native zoom currently available for the system. Weighing an impressively slender 750g, this is a travel photographer’s dream come true, offering sharp performance throughout the zoom range, and also has clickless aperture control, which comes in handy when shooting movies.

Best for: Travel shooting, travelling light, shooting movies on the go

Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM

Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM

Canon promises that this mid-range zoom sets new “standards” in photography (do you get it? Eh?) and while that’s a question for the historians, from our vantage point we can say this is an excellent standard zoom lens for all sorts of applications. Having f/2 opens up all sorts of possibilities, particularly in wedding photography and journalism, and with the ring-type USM motor present and correct, autofocusing is quick and quiet.

Best for: Weddings, travel, reportage

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

The standard workhorse – no lens selection would be complete without a 70-200mm! Completing the aforementioned trilogy with the 15-35mm and 24-70mm, the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM forms part of a setup that practically any working pro would be more than content with! The five-stop image stabiliser really comes into its own with this type of lens, and the fact that the lens works in near-silence does wonders for the user’s professional versatility.

Best for: Everyday professional use

Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

More and more pro photographers are discovering the wonders of 100-400mm lens for all sorts of work – see our interview with Times photographer Richard Pohle [article url tk] to discover why he rates them so highly – but Canon went one better for the RF mount and produced this amazing 100-500mm optic! With professionally-grade performance in a lightweight body, this is a superb lens for pros of all stripes.

Best for: Professional shooting, events, sports photography

EOS R Teleconverters for RF Lenses

Extender RF 1.4x

Extender RF 1.4x

A useful way to give your RF lenses a little extra reach, the Canon Extender RF 1.4x is a good tool to have in your back pocket for sports and reportage photography, just in case your setup doesn’t quite get you close enough. The extender controls for curvature of field and chromatic aberration, and also uses advanced lens coatings for superior light transmission. Its exterior is even coated with the same white heat shield coating as used on the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM and RF 70-200mm lenses, allowing it to be used in high temperatures.

Extender RF 2x

Extender RF 2x

Extend your reach even further with this teleconverter, which doubles your effective focal length without compromising image quality. Built just as tough as the 1.4x converter, the Extender RF 2x has also been made with the same level of care and attention to image quality, so you can shoot away at distance without worrying about your images being sub-par.

Jonny Helm Feature, Review September 9, 2020October 4, 2023 0 Comments

Why I love my 100-400mm lens: Richard Pohle

For news photographers, the lens is everything. You need the reach to be able to frame your subjects, you need the speed to be able to freeze the action in all conditions, you need the build that means that carrying the lens all day isn’t going to give you chronic back problems (though some are willing to compromise on that last one). Which lens you end up favouring will depend on the precise nature of your discipline – many photographers who work in all sorts of conditions will favour the workhorse 70-200mm, while those who find themselves needing pin-sharp image quality at a distance will plump for a 500 or 600mm prime.

Some, however, prefer the best of both worlds. At Fixation we’ve long rated the 100-400mm lens as the ideal jack-of-all-trades lens for a working press photographer, and someone who firmly agrees is Richard Pohle, staff photographer at The Times. Winner of the 2019 Arts and Entertainment Photographer of the Year at the UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards, Richard is a familiar and highly respected face in the industry

Richard’s lens has covered a huge range of the news sphere, from political party conferences to state visits by foreign leaders and huge military ceremonies, and he swears by his Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS II USM Lens as the tool to get the job done in a huge number of situations. We were intrigued, so we got in touch to find out why this lens works so well for what Richard does…

Thanks for talking to us, Richard. So how did you get started using the 100-400mm lens for press work?

I cover a lot of events – things with the royals, a lot of military ceremonies. I always used to have to carry around the 400mm f/2.8 and then also have the 70-200mm by my side. And the 400mm f/2.8 especially was always so lumbering and heavy, it was very unwieldy. I saw some of the royal-photography guys use the 100-400mm when it first came out, and I thought, “Wow, what an absolutely practical lens for the type of thing that I need to do.”

That scope, from 100mm to 400mm in one lens, was exactly the thing that I needed – one, to cover royals, and two, to cover what I especially like doing: military ceremonies and state occasions.

I’m one of these photographers who doesn’t always necessarily have my camera pointed at the main event – I’m always looking off to the side to see what’s happening there. And when you suddenly turn a 400mm f/2.8 lens away from the main subject to something you’ve seen on the side, you’re knocking out three photographers next to you, and getting a load of abuse for it! So the 100-400mm lens just allows me to be more flexible in where I’m pointing, and means I’m able to go from middle distance to reasonably far distance no problem.

That’s definitely evident from your portfolio – you have a real eye for the moments that are happening a little away from the main action.

When I’m doing state ceremonies or military ceremonies, I arrive early, and I walk around trying to find the moments of people getting ready, which for me always makes for a better picture than the actual event! So I like to wander around and look a bit incognito, but with a large 400mm or a 600mm lens, you can’t do that. With a 100-400mm lens, you can quite easily stand off to the side, and when you see something happening, happily shoot away. You can have it dangling on one shoulder and another camera on another shoulder

Have you seen other photographers making the jump? From the way you describe it, it sounds like a no-brainer!

It does – from the point of view of a practical news photographer, which is what I am. If you’re, say, a royal photographer, you will want to stick with your 600mm or 800mm prime lens, because they’ve got more reach. Also, while it’s less of a problem these days with digital cameras, the f/5.6 aspect of it puts some people off. It’s an incredibly sharp lens all the way through, but if there is a degradation, it would be at the f/5.6 end. For me as a news photographer, it doesn’t matter – for a magazine photographer, it might.

It’s been a wrench to move away from the 70-200mm, absolutely, and I still find myself going to the 70-200mm when I know I’m not using it for big occasions, but the 100-400mm is the go-to lens when I’m doing state ceremonies or events like that.

What body do you use with it?

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Okay, so that’s a setup that’ll do basically anything.

Yes, if I’ve got a 100-400mm lens on one shoulder and my 24-70mm on the other – that’s it. I’m completely made up; I’ve covered everything from 24mm all the way up to 400mm in two bodies.

13th July 2008 The Queen and Donald Trump photography by Richard Pohle — Queen and Trump 13th July 2018 by Richard Pohle using the EF 100-400mm L mark II lens

Do you think about mirrorless at all? The RF mount has that nice-looking 100-500mm…

All the time. It’s the number-one source of conversation at the moment. It’s just the cost implications of moving over; you’ve got to think about these things carefully, financially speaking. But it is the future, there’s no question. The idea of being completely silent is very very appealing, especially for some of the things I have to photograph, and the tracking mechanism seems absolutely awesome. I’ve had a quick play with it and I was very, very impressed. It is the future, there’s no denying it.

Finally, is there a particular image taken on the 100-400 that you’re proudest of?

The picture that I think of as the best picture I’ve taken on the 100-400mm is when Donald Trump visited the UK and he inadvertently walked in front of the Queen. The Queen had to sidestep out from behind him because he suddenly stopped, and she nearly collided with him. I was the only photographer who got that, because I was on the 100-400mm and I could manage to get it framed and shoot it. And it’s gone on to be exhibited and things like that.

It was actually taken on a hire-in 100-400mm lens; my one was in for repair because I’d dropped it. I was so panicked about doing this event without the 100-400mm that I hired it in. And thank god I did!

Richard Pohle was talking to Jon Stapley. See more of his images at his website, www.richardpohle.com

Jonny Helm News September 2, 2020October 4, 2023 0 Comments

Panasonic LUMIX S5

The LUMIX S5 from Panasonic is a versatile 24.2 megapixel full-frame mirrorless digital camera body for photographers and videographers alike. The Panasonic LUMIX S5 is built around the full frame L-mount and is compatible with lenses from Panasonic, Sigma and Leica.

LUMIX S5 headline features

CMOS Sensor 24.2 megapixels and more

A 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor delivers perfectly usable photographs with exceptional low light sensitivity (see Dual Native ISO below) in RAW and JPEG. For photographers who want more, a high resolution mode is available that shoots eight consecutive still images and combines them to create a 96-megapixel equivalent image (12,000 x 8000 pixels) for blistering detail. For ideal results high-resolution mode. your scene and subject must be static.

Panaosonic LUMIX S5 body with 20-60mm kit lens

High bit-rate 4K video

The LUMIX S5 can record up to 4K 60p/50p 4:2:0 10-bit and 4K 30p/25p 4:2:2 10-bit video with internal recording to SD cards for up to 30 minutes. For use with an external recorder the Lumix S5 can can output 4K 60p/50p 4:2:2 10-bit footage via HDMI. If you want to record a really long take to the internal SD card you can, at a lower bit-rate: There is no record time limit for internal recording of 4K 30p/25p 4:2:0 8-bit footage thanks to exceptional heat dispersion technology developed by Panasonic for stable, continuous video recording.

Dual Native ISO

What is Dual Native ISO?
Normally when you push your ISO up in-camera the sensor is receiving the same amount of light, it runs through the same circuit for ISO 100 or ISO 3200, and then Gain is applied to the electronic signal. Like turning the volume up on your speakers you get more volume but that can come with more hiss (in photography: noise).
With dual native ISO there are two circuit sets, one for lower ISO levels and one for higher, optimised to get the best signal possible from the light available and leave the noise behind.
The native ISO levels for the Lumix S5 are 640 ISO and 4000 ISO.

5-Axis image stabilisation

In body image stabilisation provides 5 stops of steadying power allowing you to shoot handheld with slower shutter speeds. When paired with a compatible lens that features optic stabilisation the benefit is boosted up to 6.5 stops.

Size & build

The LUMIX S5 is the fourth and smallest camera body in the LUMIX S series. The previous LUMIX S series cameras, LUMIX S1, LUMIX S1R and LUMIX S1H were mirrorless bodies built around a large chassis. The bulky build was similar to DSLR camera construction and offered a comfortable grip, plus good balance with longer lenses. However many photographers and filmmakers moving to mirrorless were looking to take some weight out of their kit while keeping a full-frame sensor. With the LUMIX S5, Panasonic has packed the benefits of S Series mirrorless into a more compact and lightweight body.

Other features

Dual SD card slot: 1 standard, 1 UHS II
Bluetooth and Wifi for camera control and image transfer
Electronic viewfinder with OLED display and 20mm eyepoint for glasses wearers
3 inch vari-angle rear LCD display

To place an order or to find out more contact our sales team on 02075823294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

Jonny Helm ProFiles August 18, 2020October 3, 2023 0 Comments

ProFiles | Sean Smith

How much can change in six months. When we got in touch with Guardian photographer and filmmaker Sean Smith to see if he’d be interested in a ProFile on the blog, the year 2019 was coming to a close and the December election was weeks away. People were already making predictions for what 2020 might look like, and it seems likely that pretty much all of them were very, very wrong.

We originally spoke to Sean because he was in trying out the new Sony A9 II – its whip-fast autofocus and sophisticated tracking makes it ideal for his kind of work, where a matter of split seconds might be the difference between getting and missing the critical shot.

We were able to set Sean up with an A9 II and appropriate lenses to try out, and after a few days, we checked in with him to see how he was getting on with it. While we had to hit pause on our content for a while due to the onset of COVID-19, this is the kind of question that photographers are very much still wrestling with today. So let’s find out a little more about Sean’s experiences with the Sony A9 II…

Thanks for talking with us, Sean. What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve been working on a feature on Corbyn. It’s coming out on the 30th [November], I think, but it’s from earlier, before the election was called, with a little bit from now. I’ve been to Liverpool, Telford – will probably go up to Lancaster tomorrow.

Jeremy Corbyn, waiting for train from Morecombe. Photo Sean Smith

And you’ve been trying out the Sony A9 II?

I just started with it the other day.

What are your impressions?

I think I’m convinced.

Were you not expecting to be?

No [laughs].

I mean – I knew [Getty photographer] Chris Furlong had started using it, then I talked to [PR and editorial photographer] Jeff Moore about it, and then I went on a trip to Turkey with it, and that was when I started changing my opinion.

Normally cameras come out over the years that change things a bit – they’ve maybe got quicker processing, or a big change to the autofocus, but the principle is that you can pick it up and start using it. And while you can do that with the Sony, there’s much more getting used to it.

What actually got me was [sports photographer] Bob Martin talking about hating the electronic viewfinder to start with, but now really preferring it. And that made me think, I’m gonna have to get my head around this, I’m going to have to learn a little bit, and it’s going to be significantly different, but if people like Bob can see the advantages of it, I’m a little more open to it.

Definitely the autofocus tracking and the eye stuff [Eye AF] works a lot better than other cameras, so if you’re going to be doing something using a lot of autofocus, it seems like a good camera to go with.

Think you’ll stick with it?

I think I probably will. I’m using two cameras at the moment – a Canon and a Leica manual-focus camera for completely different things. I’m not doing much news stuff at the moment, but I do need to use longer lenses and I’ve got a job coming up in the new year that I can see the A9’s silent shutter being being very useful for. I wouldn’t view it as a replacement for the Leica M; it’s horses for courses. But I could see myself using it instead of the Canon, and trading in my Canon stuff.

You’ve done some interesting projects throughout 2019, like your work in Baghdad, among others. Any personal highlights?

This year? Awful year. I’ve done hardly anything [laughs].

I mean, Baghdad is an interesting case in point. I took the Leicas there – I didn’t have a press permit, had to get it a few days later – and if I’d had the other cameras, I probably would have had them get impounded. You have to have a list of equipment to take in, which has to go through a press centre. Video cameras they’ll immediately stop, and fancy-looking SLRs and that kind of thing they’ll quite often impound until you get your permit.

But anyway, I’ve been spending a reasonable amount of time on the Corbyn thing on and off throughout the year. Hopefully it’ll look okay when it comes out in the magazine.

Baghdad, Iraq, for Guardian CITIES. Muhammed Samir on stilts about to go on stage. part of the “Bombi band for children” troupe who put on a show once a week at Zawraa park. Photo Sean Smith

November 2019. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backstage at the Manchester Apollo about to go on stage. Photo Sean Smith

Were you trying to do something different with it?

Yes, I was trying to get something a little bit different, following him on and off with varying degrees of success and cooperation. They [the Labour Party] are fairly guarded, understandably, as they’ve not got many supporters in the media. Strangely, every time they get upset about something, which is usually to do with something someone’s written, they tend to blame the photographers, who aren’t really anything to do with it! They don’t say outright, “We’re blaming you for this.” But the shutters come down again and it gets harder, and you’re like, have a go at the writers, not the photographers!

Have you seen much change in terms of political access or hostility to the press and photographers in recent years?

I think because of the unparalleled level of hostility to Corbyn since his election as party leader – most of the papers, including the Guardian, weren’t exactly in favour – I can understand the urge to close ranks and try to do everything through social media.

Blair was much more open to favoured press and favoured journalists. General elections have become very different to when I first started covering them – you’d have lots of stopping and campaigning in fairly public places, going through shopping centres. It was much more accessible to the public, and therefore to photographers. That completely started changing around the last election, though I think this one may be a bit like going back a bit in time. I think they will all have to get out and meet people who aren’t all hand-picked.

Do you like covering this kind of thing – elections and politics?

Not really [laughs]. It’s the teams minding people that tend to be more difficult than the actual politicians themselves. But I’ve sometimes enjoyed covering Corbyn. I preferred it earlier when there was less interest, and some quieter moments, but I think I’d rather be covering some other events.

Anbar province, Iraq near the Syrian border, 2005. The soldiers are US marines putting plastic explosives on an I.E.D ( the shells wire together). To the side of the shells you can see the pressure plate, a couple of bits of wood taped together, with foot prints (including mine), very close. Photo Sean Smith

So do you have any dream subjects, things you’d like to cover but haven’t?

Not really, I’d just like to carry on doing the kind of things I have been doing, trying to tell the stories of ordinary people in difficult circumstances.

The stuff that doesn’t get enough attention?

I don’t think it does. The press talk more and more about how they supposedly want to give those things attention. That doesn’t seem to be the case to me. Some of the international conflict stories I’ve covered are not divorced from politics in this country, or in America or in Europe for that matter. So I think they should be looked at. But, you know, things cost money. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do. It depends whether they’ll give me the money or let me do it!

29/11/2014 Tchula Mississippi USA. Patrolman Willie Phillips Jnr, born in the town, at the scene of a shooting where a young man died. Photo Sean Smith

How much autonomy do you have in what you cover?

The times I’ve got editors’ support to do conflict stuff, it was usually not with support from the picture desk. Corbyn was something I put forward. I thought, agree with him or don’t agree with him, whether he succeeded or lost, it’d be an important debate about two different ways the country should go forward. No one was very keen on that. but I did it. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything that I thought was worthwhile where people were saying, “Great, go and do that.” I think with every single one there’s been an opposition from people, saying, “What’s the point, we can get this from here, we don’t need to do it.” It’s never been, “Yes, go ahead and do that.”

2003. Iraq. Baghdad. A team of burial volunteers at Yamouk hospital. The hospital was forced to close and the patients evacuated. A small team of stayed behind to bury the dead and try a stop it from being looted. Photo Sean Smith

Do you have a project you’re proudest of?

I’m glad I persisted in covering Iraq. I’m glad I was there before the invasion. I think it was a watershed moment in terms of foreign policy. Not just for this country – the narrative that we were being told for a long time was that it was all a rip-roaring success with a few little difficulties. I thought my job as a photographer was to go and have a look, see what was happening. Certainly quite a bit was happening. And the same with Afghanistan.

I’d like to be covering that stuff again. I’d like to be talking to people, trying to let people talk, and taking pictures.

North west Iraq. Ubaydi. A soldier passes a burning building. US troops took over the town yesterday, after a two day battle as part of an ongoing offensive against insurgents in the north west. Residents had to flee the town . All men of military age were detained. Photo Sean Smith

Iraq, Ubaydi. Operation Steel Curtain. US marines took over the town yesterday, as part of an ongoing offensive against insurgents in the North west. Iraqi residents had to flee the town. All men of military age were detained, November 16, 2005. Photo Sean Smith / The Guardian

North west Iraq. Operation Steel Curtain nears its end with a sweep along the north Euphrates river at Ramana, near the border with Syria. Detainees with their hands in cuffs, are taken by helicopter for questioning.
This photo subsequently won the Photograph of the year in the 2006 Press Photographer’s Year awards.
Photo Sean Smith

You can see more of Sean’s projects over on his profile page on the Guardian, and follow him on Twitter. Copies of Sean’s book, Frontlines, are available from the Fixation showroom.

Guardian articles:
Sean’s photo essay on the Corbyn election campaign.
Feature on Tchula, Mississippi.

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