The Lumix S5 II has dropped and is making huge waves in the camera industry with its new and improved AF system. And carrying over the brilliant specs from the mark 1, the S5 II is shaping up to be a formidable challenger to Canon and Sony. So what are the best memory cards for the Panasonic Lumix S5 II? This article will guide you in your choice.
In a rush? These are the best memory cards for the Panasonic Lumix S5 II that cover most general purpose needs:
Last update on 2023-06-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Lumix S5 II is bursting with top of the line specs for video recording: 24.4MP, Phase Hybrid AF, Active image stabilization, C4K/4K 4:2:2 10bit 60p/50p unlimited recording and V-Log.
So maximise the amazing potential of this video camera beast you need to pair it with a memory card that can keep up.
How Many Memory Card Slots Does the Lumix S5 II Have?
The Lumix S5 II has two memory card slots that both support SD Memory cards, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. The recommended SDCX file format cards support UHS-II video speed class 90 to write video using the more demanding bit rates.
This article will focus mainly on video needs as this is a very video centric camera body. But before we work out the recording limits it should be noted Panasonic’s documentation state the continuous recordable time (with a fully charged battery) is:
- MP4 [4K/60p]: ∼90 min (APS-C)
- MP4 [FHD/60p]: ∼130 min (FULL)
Best Memory Cards for Recording Video
When deciding on which memory card to pick take note of some of Panasonic’s disclosures hidden in the small print:
The cards that can be used for recording vary depending on the motion picture’s bit rate and format type:
- Video with 72Mbps or less can use SD memory card with SD Speed Class with Class 10 or Video Speed Class 10 or higher
- Video with 200Mbps or less must use SD memory card with UHS-I / UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) or Video Speed Class 30 or higher
A new file will be created to continue recording if the continuous recording time exceeds the following conditions:
- Motion pictures with less than 72Mbps: 30 minutes
- Motion pictures with 72Mbps or more: 3 hours 4 minutes
A new file will be created to continue recording if the file size exceeds the following conditions:
- [MP4] in [FHD]: 4GB
- [MP4] in [4K]: 96GB
- [MOV]: 192GB
The max bit rate in the table below is 200Mbps which can be covered by even some V30 which are very cheap. However for faster read speeds/ offloading onto a computer, I would recommend faster cards because time is money!
Faster cards will also future proof you when you upgrade or even move to another system. SD cards are a long term investment, they can last a decade with good care.
Last update on 2023-06-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
SD Cards Explained
On the face of your SD card are a lot of numbers and symbols that help you understand if it will be able to record the photos or video at optimal speeds without errors.
SDHC or SDXC
The only difference between the two is the different filing systems which result in higher memory capacities. The SDHC can hold up to 32GB whereas the SDXC can hold up to 2TB, but there are only cards up to 512GB, as of the time of the publication of this article.
Maximum Read Speed
SD card manufacturers don’t usually advertise the write speed so the top left/right number is most often the maximum achievable read speed. The read speed is more relevant for photography than video.
What this means is the more frames you shoot per second is dependent on the read speed for how much buffering issues you run into.
For video the more important number is sustained speeds. Because if the sustained speed drops below the video bit rate you get that jittery look where your video is dropping frames.
Memory Capacity
This is probably the most understood number on the SD card, and obviously represents the amount of data the particular SD card can hold.
Speed Class Rating
The rest of the numbers in the top right side of the SD card represent the speed class of that particular card.
The letter C with the number enclosed inside 2, 4, 6, 10, represents a minimum write speed of 2MBps for a class 2, 4MBps for a class 4 etc. Be aware this is the minimum rate and not the actual rate.
Then you have U with a 1 or 3 inside of it, which represents a minimum sustained write speed, with U1 representing 10MBps and U3 writing never slower than 30MBps. A U3 SD card will cover all the video recording modes that are available to the SD card.
So U1 and Class 10 are essentially the same, with both representing the card certifying to never write data lower than 10MBps. The difference though is that the U is designed for SD cards that use a USH-I or USH-II bus.
Non USH cards max out at 25MBps. Whereas USH-I cards max out at 104MBps and USH-II max out at 312MBps. You will also see a second row of pins on the back of the USH-II card that allow it to achieve faster speeds.
You can use both USH-I and USH-II cards with the R5, but with the UHS-II you will be capable of more options.
The V speed is similar to the U number in that it represents the minimum sustained speed in MBps that an SD card achieves.
Final Thoughts
I hope all the information here has been of use and will save you money and headaches in the long run.
No one likes getting the wrong memory card or finding out later you should’ve bought a larger, or even, smaller card.
Also don’t forget a good SD card reader:
- Simultaneously read and write on two cards to save yourself the effort of constant unplugging and re-plugging.
- USB 3.0 enables data transfer rates of up to 5Gbps for faster Sync times, backward compatible with USB 2.0/ 1.1.
Last update on 2023-06-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Let me know in the comments if you own this camera and if you’ve found a cheaper or different brand of SD card that works for your workflow with photography or video.
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Artist / Photographer / Videographer