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Which LUMIX Camera is Best?

Chris Gampat
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Last updated on 06/05/2025
06/24/2025
5 Mins read
Two black Lumix cameras with large lenses rest on open books and magazines on a wooden surface.
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There are lots of cameras on the market. And if you’re looking to become a photographer that doesn’t spend hours in post-production but instead spends hours shooting beautiful photos, then Lumix cameras can give you everything you need. More importantly, they’re also fantastic for photographers that want a full-frame camera that’s lightweight and easy to use. Even better, there’s a slew of lenses available that are weather resistant and Lumix cameras currently on the market. Take a look at our guide for Summer 2023 to help you figure out what Lumix Camera you need.

This piece is presented in partnership with LUMIX We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this post already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you.

How to Use This Guide to Choosing a LUMIX Camera

Here’s some insight into how to use this guide for LUMIX Cameras:

  • The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
  • If you’re wondering why your favorite cameras didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • We shot all the photos in this roundup. You’ll only find original product photos and sample images done in-house by Phoblographer staff.
  • This guide to the right Lumix camera for you is targeted toward people who are mostly photographers. However, these cameras also have great features for those who want to shoot video. So keep that in mind when you’re making your choices.
  • All of these cameras have weather resistance. That doesn’t mean that they’re waterproof. But we’ve put these cameras to the test in some very inclement weather conditions. We think they’ll stand up to whatever you throw at them.
  • Lumix cameras feel like DSLRs of different sizes. They also have various little things that make them really nice to hold. For example, you can always find the ISO button in the dark because of the little texture marker on it.
  • Lumix cameras help you be creative in-camera. They have features like Live Composite, which helps with creating astrophotography and other fun things. With newer cameras, you get features like Real Time LUT, which can help deliver a cinematic look to your still images.
  • The RAW files from these cameras are easily worked with in Capture One or Lightroom. However, much of the time, we don’t feel like we need to do much editing at all. That’s because of the versatility of the available looks that LUMIX offers.
  • LUMIXmakes full-frame Lumix cameras in the Leica L-mount. Lenses are available from LUMIX, Leica, Sigma, and several other companies because of this.
  • PLUMIX also makes Micro Four Thirds Lumix cameras. These cameras have lenses available from several manufacturers, including LUMIX.

LUMIX S1IIE: The Affordable Beast

A black Lumix S1E camera sits on an open magazine with photos in bright natural light.
LUMIX S1IIE product image

In our review, we state:

  • The shutter comes down over the shutter
  • All the higher-end features of the S1RII and the S1II
  • Weather resistance
  • LUMIX is trying to keep things a bit more affordable
  • Fast autofocus performance
  • OH MY GOD THEY BROUGHT BACK MULTIPLE EXPOSURE MODE!!!
  • LUMIX claims the improved PDAF makes people selection easier and delivers 2x better scene detection with people
  • 10 fps with a blackout-free viewfinder is cool
  • CineLike A2 reminds us of Agfa film
  • Constant preview has a new, improved adaptability
  • They’re working closely with Godox on integration for affordable flash users
  • Capture One tethering support from day 1
  • False color for helping to get better exposures in-camera
  • The screen tilts and flips in nearly every direction you could think of.
Buy Now

LUMIX S1RII: The Workhorse for Photographers

The Panasonic S1r II is their latest flagship.
The LUMIX S1RII is their latest flagship.

In our review, we state that we love:

  • The modest megapixel count with the brand keeping it in the 40s for a balance of detail and high ISO output
  • The in-camera creative modes
  • The autofocus comparable to several other brands
  • The weather resistance
  • The big lens selection across the entire L mount alliance
  • The overall weight
Buy Now

LUMIX S5II: One of the Best Hybrid Cameras

In our review, we state:

  • Beautiful image quality
  • This camera feels really great in the hands.
  • Lots of buttons to do whatever you need.
  • Built well
  • Incredible battery life
  • The LUMIX menu system is such a great thing to use
  • CineLike V2 is god-tier for image quality
  • Real Time LUTS are very fun to play with
  • Beautiful JPEG output
  • Weather resistance
  • L Classic Neo is so gorgeous
  • The little detail on the ISO button to find it in the dark is awesome
  • Animal detection works with even horses!
  • Autofocus is very reliable overall when shooting events outdoors
  • When underexposed with the constant preview on, the autofocus is very good at under 3 stops. This is because the lens opens up to get focus. But it’s better without it.
  • Constant preview can work well for events in low light.
  • My favorite style of LCD screen.
  • This is one of the few cameras on the market where you really don’t need to do post-production.
Buy Now

LUMIX S5IIX

In our review, we state:

  • Great color profile options and the ability to use LUTs on JPEGs
  • Sharp images with minimal color noise on JPEGs
  • Lots of controls
  • A very comfortable grip
  • Blackout design looks great
  • Tilting touchscreen
  • Live Composite is a great feature
  • Image stabilization is excellent
Buy Now

LUMIX S9: For the Compact Camera Lover

A camera with a long lens is placed on an open magazine with blurred text and colorful images in the background.
The LUMIX S9 with the S 28-200mm lens

In our review, we state:

  • Same great performance as the Panasonic Lumix S5 II, which has massively improved with firmware updates.
  • The new LUT button needs some tweaking and work
  • Feels so good in the hand
  • Street photography with this camera at wider than 50mm is god-tier because of the autofocus performance.
  • The menu is just as simple as ever to go through. In fact, because of the removal of the flash functions, it’s much easier than before.
  • The addition of colors makes this camera so very cool
  • High ISO output is still great, but at this point, that doesn’t matter all that much anymore.
Buy Now

Picking the Right One For You

If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself

  • What’s your budget?
  • How will you use the product?
  • What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
  • Are you traveling a lot with it?
  • Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
  • Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
  • What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
  • When will I really have time to use this product?
  • Where will I bring this product?
  • How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?

These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.

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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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