Well. The election is over and I'm looking forward to not having that weird and anxiety provoking sub-routine running in my head. On to the big question of the day: Will I buy a Lumix S5?

Before I get into the S5 I have to say that I've had the most unusual, personal realization lately. I think I've actually come to dislike the process of commercial photography. On one hand I've been quite busy and also able to command higher fees than ever before in my work history. But at the same time I enjoy the process of dealing with marketing directors and ad hacks much less than I ever have. The jobs I've come to enjoy are the ones with very little on-set collaboration with the clients who attend sessions to offer pointless input, not realizing that most of the ground they are anxious to cover is old and boring territory for me. 

I had a shoot lately during which no fewer than seven people vied for the title of "boss." None were particularly gifted with creative insight or massive brain power. It was almost as if they'd seen a 1990's television show which might have been a parody of a low end fashion shoot and they were determined to provide input. Not necessarily good input; just a rampant desire to mark the territory with their opinions. 

My favorite (least favorite) moment came when a group of product managers, ad managers, art directors and various other members of the org chart zoo, after spending half an hour discussing what to do about the hairdo of a person we had in the far background of our shot (out of focus - intentionally), all of a sudden realized that they could see themselves in the mirrored finish of a machine that was in the background of our shot. 

Panic broke out. Would we need to re-shoot everything we'd done in the last hour? Could the in-house (poor bastard) production person go through and retouch dozens and dozens of photos to remove the reflections? Would we need to add yet another day to the schedule? (Please, God, No!). When they calmed down for a moment I mentioned that they were viewing the machine from an angle 90 degrees different from the angle at which the camera was viewing the scene. There was no unwanted reflection in any of the shots.

They were flabbergasted and didn't believe this was possible until I showed them the images on a monitor. Only then did they relent. Some still didn't get the science behind the "angle of incidence." At which point I reminded them that their population in our relatively small, enclosed working space had swelled far in excess of the limits we set for social distancing and hygienic safety in our pre-contract negotiations. I hoped that the loudest and most aggressively undereducated in their number would surrender the space to their betters but they decided to jettison the only two people in the room who seemed to know what they were doing....

And so on. The pivotal moment for my career assessment came when we, as a group, were trying to make a product color choice with two variables in the same shot. They instantly decided that instead of making a choice we could shoot photos of each of two parts in all of the available colors. Red with red. Red with blue. Red with green. Green with blue. Green with red. Orange with green. Blue with orange. etc. etc. This would multiply our single set-up shot to something like 64 separate shots. 

The combined group had too much fear to make a simple choice. It was a choice (color) that could easily be changed in post processing with just a few steps. "And,"  they asked, "Could we do all the combinations of color with each of the three different models?" Just because it might be nice to have. At that point I was clearly presented with a choice which was to finish the job or pack up and exit. Sadly, I decided to stay and finish since it was a long drive home...and the day was rapidly coming to an end. 

Clearly, some in the ever re-swelling group were keenly unaware that our contract did not include working by the hour but rather by the shot. All of which as negotiated well in advance. Ah, the poor art buyer. He looked miserable every time we made eye contact. I made sure of it. 

I think there must be a turning point at which the universe slowly starts to hint that it might be time to retire from the commercial field. And if you don't listen the first few times the universe starts talking louder and even insinuating that you might not be very smart. Or that you are downright stupid...

I'm sliding toward a very detached view of working just for money. Augmented and amplified by a spouse and financial adviser who both suggest that I don't need to work at all. I think I'll side with them as we glide into the future. Work actually has, for the first time in my memory, taken on the aspect of something society demands in order to punish you for something you don't remember ever doing wrong.

The upshot of this is that I've started declining all work after the 17th of November. That's the last day for which I have already made a commitment. I think I'll see what it feels like to take the month of December off entirely. To that end I've already turned down a number of assignments I would have accepted in the past.

Now, on to the Lumix S5. And I should say that I do call them Lumix cameras for the most part instead of Panasonic cameras since it's a shorter word to type and it is the branding they use on all their cameras. Who am I to argue with that?

I am fascinated with the S5 and would rush out and buy one if I didn't already have a gaggle of S1x camera bodies. I was fortunate to play with an S5 for an afternoon and there's so much to like about the camera. Especially if you are into video or even glancingly plan to stick your toes into the waters of filming stuff.

The camera is slightly smaller than a GH5 but contains a full frame, 24 megapixel sensor. It's supposed to be the same sensor as is used in the S1 camera and, if that's the case, it's a very fine sensor with tons of sharp detail and also an excellent resistance to noise at even absurdly high ISOs. Like all of the new S cameras the 5 features in-body image stabilization. Some of the Lumix S lenses also have image stabilization and when both body and lens have I.S. the system delivers "dual I.S." which is very, very good. I've been using the S1x cameras for nearly a year now and when I match one with a lens like the 24-105mm f4.0 the stabilization is uncanny. Maybe not as good as an Olympus EM-1iii with a 12-100mm Pro lens (witchcraft?) but easily the best of the full format cameras. 

The S5 has nearly every video spec offered by the video flagship S1H of the Lumix family and the imaging capability in both photographs and video should equal any camera in the line. The exception is the S1R which provides much more resolution and fewer video choices. One video credential the S5 lacks, and which I think is a relatively big deal for very picky video users, is an All-I codec. The camera offers two vastly different ways of compressing files. You can have L-gop or ProRes Raw (coming with an update) but nothing in the middle. If you shoot for Netflix or several of the big video stock houses you'll want/need that All-I codec....

So, we have a smaller, lighter body, offered at a lower cost. We have a new camera that offers the same level of image quality as the most expensive camera in the system and, if we can find one in stock, we should all be pretty happy about this new camera --- if we're interested in the Lumix S system. Right?

Well, there are a few gotchas that make me hesitate to toss one in my shopping cart and cut another notch into my weary credit card. 

While the camera can perform there are several cost cutting design measures that make it a less exciting side grade for me instead of any sort of upgrade.

I'll start with the viewfinder. We devolve from the S1 series world class electronic viewfinder of nearly 6 megapixels of resolution to one that resolves less than half that. Also, the optics for the finder seem not quite up to the same level of quality as those on the more expensive cameras. Ouch. A year further into the evolution of the cameras and already a big step backwards. 

But! I hear my video friends dismiss this flawed finder because we have become accustomed to mostly using our hybrid cameras, in video mode, in conjunction with external monitors that have wonderful and richly detailed screens. 

Yes. I get that. But therein is the source of my next "deal killer" complaint; at least as far as buying the camera as a video content generator is concerned. All of the newest Lumix cameras are a joy to use with external monitors. They connect easily and the software is all very straightforward. The big, "A" type, full size HDMI plugs are such a professional touch and inspire complete confidence in the the video capabilities offered in the S1 series as well as the G9 and the GH5 and GH5S cameras. And that's where the S5 misses the mark...

The camera is burden with a micro-HDMI port. A tiny, flimsy, crappy connection point that most heavy users are certain will fail them at the least advantageous moment. It's such an obvious nod to intentionally crippling a model so as to not fully cannibalize from pricier cameras in the lineup. 

Some have suggested that the S5 is worth buying if for no other reason than to get better autofocusing than is currently offered in the S1 line of cameras but that's a non-starter for people who already own the bigger cameras since a promised firmware upgrade (free) being rolled out on the 24th of this month will feature the same new firmware for AF as the new body. I am especially looking forward to getting a few more file choices for video in the S1R camera. Nearly every project I've worked on since Summer revolves around a multi-camera video set-up and I'd like to press the S1R into more projects. I like the hulking, big cameras. They feel like real cameras to me. And if they all focus equally well... why change?

As someone who already owns a number of the S1x cameras another design point with which I disagree is the introduction of a brand new battery type/design. I'm sure it's a fine battery and will provide ample power for the S5 but I'm equally certain that I'm not anxious to add yet another family of batteries to my nearly unmanageable inventory of disparate battery types. I'd rather have the new camera use an updated but still backwardly compatible version of the battery used in the G9 and GH5. If they'd gone another direction I would have been happy if the new S5 camera body was just tall enough to incorporate the beefy battery from the S1 series cameras. But that in between zone is just irritating.

So, when you read this you may come away feeling that I'm not a fan of the new camera. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think it's a great product if it is evaluated on it's own. If it's a first purchase or part of a system switch. It checks a number of imaging "boxes" and does so at a high level (all while not overheating!).  The files are pretty and rich. The handling is nice even though I feel the camera is a tiny bit too small. The video files it makes are great. In all it's a very, very well thought out camera for the price and the times. 

But my assessment of the camera comes from my own point of view. I owned a bunch of Panasonic Lumix cameras and it's easy for me to see where corners were cut and changes were made that I don't like. 

For me, as silly as it sounds, my friction points are mostly about usability and have very little, if anything to do with image quality issues. I'm addicted to the finders on the S1 cameras. I love having big, fat, rugged HDMI ports because I use them all the time (I shot all day with two external monitors plugged into my S1R for a photography assignment on Friday and then spent Saturday evening monitoring my video shoot with an external monitor fed by a GH5. Both cameras feature the "A" series HDMI plugs). 

For some people the smaller size and lighter weight of the S5 are selling points but to me these attributes are neutral. Viewing, reliability and overall handling are more important.

I will nearly always see advantages aimed at better viewing and higher structural integrity as being the most important if all other things are equal. 

For me, not having to buy three or four new batteries that will only work in one out of seven of my cameras is a stumbling block. 

The S5 is a great compromise but it's a compromise in a direction that doesn't directly appeal to me. 

All that being written I'll have to add the caveat that it's nearly inevitable that I'll end up buying an S5 at some point. I'll have a trip into the wilderness planned and it will provide the perfect rationalization for getting all the performance I am used to but in a more compact package. The ability to rationalize this kind of stuff is both my super power and my kryptonite. It could be worse.