Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX vs Sony α7S III
Every published spec side by side, with today's lowest prices for the market you've chosen.
Key differences
- Announced: Jan 2023 on the Lumix S5 IIX, against Jul 2020 on the α7S III.
- Resolution: 24.2 MP on the Lumix S5 IIX, against 12.1 MP on the α7S III.
- Native ISO: 80–102,400 on the α7S III, against 100–51,200 on the Lumix S5 IIX.
- In-body stabilisation: Yes, 6.5 stops on the Lumix S5 IIX, against Yes, 5.5 stops on the α7S III.
- Burst (mechanical): 10 fps on the α7S III, against 9 fps on the Lumix S5 IIX.
- Burst (electronic): 30 fps on the Lumix S5 IIX, against 10 fps on the α7S III.
Lumix S5 IIX or α7S III: which should you buy?
Choose the Lumix S5 IIX for its resolution, in-body stabilisation, burst (electronic) and max resolution. It leads on 5 specs in all.
Choose the α7S III for its native ISO, burst (mechanical), 4K frame rate and viewfinder. It leads on 6 specs in all.
On paper the α7S III wins more rows (6 to 5); if the Lumix S5 IIX's strengths are the ones you shoot with, and its price is lower where you buy, it can still be the better buy.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price today | $1,799.99 new $2,197.99 used | $2,599 new $2,294.95 used |
| Overview | ||
| Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Announced | Jan 2023 (best) | Jul 2020 |
| US launch priceUS list price when announced, body only. Today's prices are in the offers table. | $2,199 | $3,499 |
| Lens | Interchangeable | Interchangeable |
| Sensor & image | ||
| Sensor size | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2 MP (best) | 12.1 MP |
| Native ISO | 100–51,200 | 80–102,400 (best) |
| In-body stabilisation | Yes, 6.5 stops (best) | Yes, 5.5 stops |
| Speed & autofocus | ||
| Burst (mechanical) | 9 fps | 10 fps (best) |
| Burst (electronic) | 30 fps (best) | 10 fps |
| Fastest shutter (mech.) | 1/8,000s | 1/8,000s |
| Fastest shutter (elec.) | 1/8,000s | 1/8,000s |
| AF pointsMakers count points differently, so this is not ranked. | 779 | 759 |
| Subject detectionMakers group subjects differently (Canon's "animal" includes birds), so only having it is ranked. | Human, Animal | Human, Animal |
| Video | ||
| Max resolution | 6K (best) | 4K |
| 4K frame rate | 60p | 120p (best) |
| 10-bit internal | Yes | Yes |
| Internal raw video | No | No |
| Mic input | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder & screen | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 3.68M dots | Electronic, 9.44M dots (best) |
| Rear screen | 3", 1.84M dots (best) | 3", 1.44M dots |
| Screen articulation | Fully articulating | Fully articulating |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Body & battery | ||
| Weight (with battery) | 737 g | 699 g (best) |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 134.3 × 102.3 × 90.1 mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8 mm |
| Weather sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Battery (CIPA shots) | 370 | 600 (best) |
| Card slots | 2 · SD UHS-II + SD UHS-II | 2 · CFexpress A / SD UHS-II + CFexpress A / SD UHS-II |
| USB-C | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in flash | No | No |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth |
Green marks the better figure where “better” is unambiguous. A dash means the maker doesn't publish it or we haven't verified it yet.
Price history: is the newer one cheaper?
Low light & noise
Lumix S5 IIX
6.0 µm pixels
24.2 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 51,200
α7S III
8.5 µm pixels
12.1 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 102,400
Bigger pixels gather more light each, so they tend to show less noise at high ISO, but sensor design matters as much. For real noise at ISO 6400, these sites measure it:
- Photons to Photos: dynamic range vs ISO ↗Photographic dynamic range measured at every ISO, bodies on one chart
- Photons to Photos: noise vs ISO ↗Read noise at every ISO from lab tests: lower is cleaner in the shadows
- DPReview studio scene ↗The same scene shot by each camera at the ISO you pick, side by side
- DPReview reviews ↗Full reviews with high-ISO samples
- Low-light video tests ↗Real-world high-ISO footage on YouTube
Size, to scale
Front (width × height)
Top (width × depth)