Comparing the Fuji X-M5 with the Panasonic Lumix S9

 I just saw a video of a Panasonic S9 owner comparing his camera to the newly announced Fuji X-M5 and I agree with many things that he pointed out. I thought I would do my own comparison and add my thoughts on the subject.

The Panasonic Lumix S9 debacle

The S9 was announced in late May 2024 and received a lot of less than flattering reviews from the reviewers who were flown to Japan and given these cameras to test and promote. The S9 was a disappointment for many of the reviewers and they did try their best to not show their discontent, not wanting to insult their generous hosts. Many of the reviews were a bit too positive and this triggered a kind of revolution in the product reviewers YouTube scene, with the famous “Camera reviews need to change…” video by Gerald Undone.

I get what Panasonic was trying to achieve, develop a product for the content creator/vlogger crowd that would rival Sony and Fuji. They used the wrong group of professional photographers/videographers that were disappointed in the lack of some essential features and certain overcautious limitations, implemented by Panasonic engineers. If they have only waited for a couple of weeks and given the same testers the new Lumix GH7, the results would have been noticeably better.

The Lumix S9 is not a bad camera, but it does lack in some areas, and if we compare it with the X-M5, it enhances S9’s shortcomings

Two cameras for the same audience

There are several differences between the S9 and the X-M5. Below is a table comparing the main specs of the two cameras.

Camera	Fujifilm X-M5	Panasonic Lumix S9
Sensor type	APS-C	Full frame
No. of effective pixels	26.1 megapixels	24.20 megapixels
Top plate control dials	2	1
IBIS	No	Yes
Digital IS	Yes + Boost Mode (movie only)
Focus type	Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast AF / TTL phase detection AF)	Phase Detection AF system / Contrast AF system
Subject detection	Yes (Animal / Bird /Automobile/ Motorcycle & Bike / Airplane / Train)	Yes (Human / Animal / Car / Motorcycle / Airplane / Train)
Mechanical shutter	Yes	No
Max burst rate	8 fps (mechanical), 30 fps (e-shutter)	30 fps (e-shutter)
Video resolution	6.2k 30p, 4k 30p, FHD 240p	6.2k 30p, C4K 60p, 4k 60p, FHD 120p
Mic/headphone sockets	Yes/Yes	Yes/No
Built-in microphone	Yes, 3 mics, 4 audio modes	Yes, stereo
Interface	USB Type-C, HDMI micro (Type D)	USB Type-C, HDMI micro (Type D)
Viewfinder	No	No
Hot shoe	Yes (Dedicated TTL Flash compatible)	No
Rear monitor	1.04M dots, fully articulated	1.84M dots, fully articulated
Dimensions	112 x 67 x 38 mm	126 x 73.9 x 46.7 mm
Card slot	1x UHS-I	1x UHS-II
Battery Life stills	440 frames (economy), 330 (normal)	470 frames (normal)
Battery Life movie	6.2k 30p 45 min, 4k 30p 50 min, FHD 60p 45 min, FHD 120p 50 min	4k 60p 50 min, FHD 30p 60 min
Weight	355g (battery + memory card)	486g (battery + memory card)

A full spec sheet can be found here for the X-M5 and here for the S9.

By comparing the two we can see that they share many specs; they both shoot in 6K30p/4k60p, lack a viewfinder, but have a fully articulating screen, have mic/micro/HDMI/USB-C ports, 30 fps e-shutter speed, built-in microphone, subject detection, and film simulations/LUTS. It’s where they differ that actually matters.

The first important difference is that the S9 is a full frame camera while the X-M5 has an APS-C sensor. For most serious photographers/videographers this is an important difference and basically puts the S9 into another category of cameras, but I don’t think this is even an issue for the target audience – most of them don’t know what APS-C/full frame means, let alone the differences. It does however make the S9 more expensive, not compared to other full frame cameras, but compared to the X-M5, the difference is substantial.

In my opinion this leads to the most deciding factor limiting for the audience these cameras are meant for, the price; currently the X-M5 will be priced at $799/€899 body only ($899/€999 with XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens), while the S9 is priced at $1,399/€1,699 ($ 1,799/€1,899 with 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 kit lens).

That is a significant difference in price, especially the nearly double price difference with the kit lenses $999 vs. $1,799. If given the choice, most first time dabblers into the higher quality video clips will settle on the X-M5 –  they don’t really understand or care about the why the full frame sensor and other features like the IBIS would increase the value of the camera.

Lumix S9 has some impressive specs

Besides the full frame sensor and the 5-axis 5 stops, (6.5 with Dual IS) In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) it also has a better monitor screen (1.84M vs.1.04M dots), supports UHS-II cards (the X-M5 supports only UHS-I), has a better battery life, and much better autofocus. And it also comes in various colors, some are region specific.

As does the X-M5

Compared to the S9, the X-M5 is lighter and smaller, has a mechanical shutter, 2 top panel control dials + a film simulation dial, a headphone out jack, and hot shoe. It also has a dedicated vlog mode, a new 9:16 short movie mode (1080p only, but shot horizontally), lower 8 / 25 Mbps bit rates for smaller video sizes (S9 lowest is 50 Mbps), 4 microphone audio modes, and FHD 240p slow motion video (with a crop).

But both lack in some areas

One of the major hardware gripes, besides the lack of an EVF, with S9 testers was that it only had only a cold shoe (a ridicules choice for this price range), no headphone in for audio monitoring in video mode, limited amount of programmable dials/buttons, and the completely missing grip. The testers that went to Japan actually receive the S9 with the SmallRig handle, as Panasonic was aware that they the handling would be bad without a grip.

It also came with awful 26 mm fixed F8 pancake lens and harsh video record limits (10 min &k, 15 min 4k, 20 min FHD), which was very unpractical for a video-focused vlogging camera. The latest firmware update did allow you to turn off the record limit restrictions and they also announced the 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 which will be the new kit lens (and should have been released with the S9). Compared to the Fuji system there is a lower selection of appropriate lenses to choose from and being full frame, they are oftentimes more expensive. For X-senor lenses you also have a good second hand market availability of new and especially older lenses, while the for the L-mount the availability is much lower.

There Fuji X-M5 hasn’t been released yet at the time of this article, but from what limited information we were able to glance from articles and YouTube videos, there are some concerns. The X-M5 does not have IBIS, it relies on lens stabilization and digital image stabilization, which isn’t the best and comes with a crop, that adds up quickly if you are using video modes that also come with a crop (such as 4k60p). The range of Fuji lenses with IOS is mainly limited to some zooms, all the prime lenses are not stabilized. For vlogging on the move this can be a serious issue and vloggers might have to resort to only steady shots for getting stable usable out-of-camera footage.

The other major issue is the autofocus reliability, which has never been great with Fuji systems, but lately has reached a new level of distrust, discontent, frustration and unreliability. The autofocus controversy rages on, I already wrote about it in this article, but until Fuji releases the X-M5 with the 1.00 firmware we can only speculate on its real performance.

As in the S9, many miss the EVF, the monitor screen with a meager 1.04M dots is not great, the card slot with the battery is unpractical, particularly when using a tripod plate, as the ¼ inch screw is right next to the battery door. Some testers have also not been satisfied with the quality of the rear top dial and the awkward positon of the quick menu button.

Comparison conclusions

Both cameras have their limitations, but in general they are both great cameras with impressive specifications packed in such a small format. The choice between these two really comes down to the consumers specific needs, what they value, which attributes are essential for them, their background and their financial situation. I would say that the Fuji X-M5 is a camera more targeted at beginners, easier to get into financially, video and vlog-centric, but with excellent photo options. The Lumix S9 is for consumers that understand, appreciate and are willing to pay more for its higher tier features – it is an ideal everyday camera for users who are already in the Panasonic L-ecosystem.

A more fair comparison would be between the Fuji X-M5 and the Sony ZV-E10 II, its top competitor, and between the Lumix S9 and the Fuji X-S20, or the Canon R8. I think I will be doing some of these comparisons in the future.