Panasonic Lumix DC-S5

The Lumix DC-S5 is a Panasonic mirrorless camera with a weather-sealed body. Behind its Leica L mount sits a full-frame sensor, which ties the body to the L-mount lens system.

That sensor, together with in-body stabilisation and 4K video recording, suits photographers who split their time between stills and video rather than working in a single discipline.

The body measures 133 x 97 x 82 millimetres and weighs 714 grams, so it is a camera you can carry without it dominating your bag.

For stills, the S5 earns a good Optics score of 78, placing it in the top 11% of cameras in our database for Optics. The heart of that result is a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, which produces files with room for cropping and large prints.

The ISO range stretches from 100 to 51200, giving you settings to keep working as the light falls. A maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 second helps when you want wide apertures in bright light.

In-body stabilisation counters camera shake, so handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds becomes more dependable. It has no effect on a moving subject, and the top burst rate of seven frames per second is a maximum figure rather than a promise of sustained speed.

Autofocus offers 225 points for selecting a focus position. The 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder gives an eye-level electronic preview, while the Leica L mount defines the compatible lens system.

Video capability earns a very good score of 83. Recording tops out at 4K resolution, and footage can be written as MP4 or MOV, giving a choice of file formats.

The fastest video frame rate offered is 60 frames per second, a maximum that stands separately from the 4K resolution limit. Footage captured at high frame rates can be slowed down in editing for a smooth slow-motion effect.

A timelapse function is built in, so you can capture frames at intervals and assemble the passage of time, such as clouds drifting over a landscape, without carrying an intervalometer.

In-body stabilisation carries over from stills and reduces camera shake, which keeps handheld footage steadier than it would otherwise be.

Features score a very good 85, and much of that rests on the screen. The three-inch TFT LCD is sharp at 1,840,000 dots and responds to touch, so settings changes and focus placement can happen with a tap.

The screen also flips, which makes waist-level and overhead framing practical and helps when the camera sits low on a tripod.

Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on board, so the camera can connect to nearby devices without a cable.

Two absences are worth planning around. There is no built-in flash, so dim rooms call for an external unit, which the camera accepts, and there is no GPS receiver for location data. Weather sealing does give some resistance to dust and moisture.

Storage and battery score a good 71. The two slots accept SD, SDHC and SDXC cards. Slot 1 supports UHS-II, while slot 2 adds capacity with UHS-I support. Two loaded cards provide more total capacity before a card change.

The DMW-BLK22 battery is rated at 440 shots, and endurance accounts for most of the lost points in this section. Carrying a charged spare is sensible for longer outings.

USB charging is available, so the battery can be topped up through the camera's port between shoots. Short breaks between sessions can therefore restore some power before the next planned round of stills or video recording.