It’s 2025 — and if you’re recommending that anyone gets a brand new camera, you should consider going full-frame. There’s obviously lots of great options on the second-hand market, but if you want something you should look at what LUMIX offers. The S5II is one of the best options you can get that embodies the idea that many photographers have wanted for years: something that could last. It’s got all the features you need and will probably ever need in your pursuit to become a better photographer.
This blog post is presented in partnership with LUMIX.
Why You Should Trust Us
The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:
- AI Can’t Do This Job: These days, other publications do roundups, sometimes using generative AI. That’s the same as a person researching products and then making a decision without actually trying it. All of our reviews and guides are written not just by humans but by working photographers — not AI. Computers don’t use cameras, so why would you trust AI to recommend cameras for you?
- Research and Practical Experience: Here at the Phoblographer, humans consult on what roundups to do with guidance from an editor. Then, a human goes through our database of reviews and selects the best products based on our own internal research. The human creating the roundup has practical experience with photography gear and will apply their knowledge of what’s best to the already human-based experience provided in our reviews.
- We Block AI Bots: The Phoblographer blocks indexing bots from reading our site, so what’s here can only be read here.
How We Test and Choose the Best Camera Kit for Beginner Photographers
- 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 product 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.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
LUMIX S5II
We called the LUMIX S5II a “beast of a camera” in our review. There are so many great features in this camera that other manufacturers just don’t shove into theirs. What are we talking about? Well, first, there’s the 24MP full-frame sensor that handles high ISO noise in low light so well. Then there’s Real Time LUT, which lets you basically make better photos in-camera without needing to do post-production. And if you want to be a content creator, there are a ton of video features in there. There’s so much more to this camera though, and we recommend you check out our full review.
This camera will be an absolutely incredible addition to your creative kit bag of tricks. But of course, a camera is nothing without good lenses. And to help the beginner out, we’re recommending a few excellent lenses that we really love and have rated very highly in our reviews — outside of the partnership and with full editorial integrity. Here’s what we recommend.
LUMIX S 100mm f2.8 Macro L-Mount Lens
One of the reasons why so many people purchase an interchangeable lens camera is to be able to photograph things that their phones just can’t do. And LUMIX’s 100mm f2.8 Macro lens can do just that. The word macro refers to being able to focus down to very small details. So if you want to focus on a particular detail of a toy, flower, food, coins, jewelry, etc. then this is the lens to reach for. It’s one of our favorites because of the fast focusing, small size for a 100mm macro, image quality, and affordability. We think that you’ll want it for that and for its ability to shoot great portraits. You can see even more in our full review.
LUMIX S 28-200mm f4-7.1 Macro L-Mount Lens
In our review, we state that this lens has incredible image stabilization. And when you combine the lens with the S5II’s image stabilization, you’d be amazed at what’s possible. In most situations, this is the only lens you’ll need because of the zoom range while still being affordable and portable. In addition, with the Hybrid Zoom feature now available in the LUMIX S5II, the max focal length of this lens is increased by 3x (to 28-600mm). On top of the great image quality, it’s also weather resistant and focuses so quickly. We’re seriously in love with this lens.
On a very personal note, know that we spent a really long time with this lens before actually writing the review because we wanted to get very in-touch with ourselves instead of rushing it out.
LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
In our review, we state that there’s a lot to love about this lens. It’s lightweight — and pretty much always the standard kit lens that comes with the S5II. It’s also fast to focus, weather resistant, boasts nice colors, and insanely useful. This is one of the wider-angle kit lenses on the market, and if you like wide-angles, then you’re going to have a lot of fun with this. Just think about the wide-angle lens on your phone. Are you a fan? Then you’ll like this!
LUMIX S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6
Notice a trend here? Most roundups will recommend that you stick to prime lenses. But most phones only have those fixed primes anyway. With a real camera, we recommend that you dive into using zoom lenses instead. That’s why we think you’ll adore the LUMIX S 70-300mm! If you’re into photographing birds, then you’ll adore what this lens can do, and with the Hybrid Zoom feature now available in the LUMIX S5II, the max focal length of this lens is increased by 3x (to 70-900mm) In our review, we said that it’s very sharp, has a macro close focusing ability, and exhibits super gorgeous colors.
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.
