Panasonic S52 vs Canon R62, Sony A74 & Fujifilm X-H2 Camera ISO Comparison

(If you want to watch the video go here!)

Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. We have been doing camera comparisons the last month or so with several cameras and the new Lumix S52. Unfortunately that S52 we were processing the images in Silkypix. Now we can take all those images, process them in Adobe Raw and compare how they look to one another and see exactly what the ISO capabilities of each of these cameras are. So let’s get to it. Let’s take a look at each of these. We’re going to look at the S52, the R6 II, the a7 IV and the X-H2. So let’s get to it.

Let’s first take a look at the R6 II versus the S5 II. And here’s our first image. I’m going to start at 800 ISO because up until that it’s really hard to see a lot of difference in these cameras. But at 800 ISO I’ll quickly look at the one that we processed in Silkypix that would be the S5 II in Silkypix. And you can just see how it’s pretty, it’s just, it’s very, it’s been manipulated. There’s no doubt about it. There’s some kind of noise reduction going on there. But when you look at these two cameras compared to each other the S5 II and the R6 II are very similar, very, very similar. When I look at the, I punch in on it here, boy it’s at this comparison, at this at 800 ISO I think these two are very, very similar. I would maybe give a bit of an edge to the Lumix. But they are super similar.

So when I jump to 1600 ISO a couple of things that I notice here. One is that the Canon R6 II is just a little more contrasty. I’m seeing some highlight contrast there that I’m not seeing in the Panasonic. The Panasonic, the S5 II is definitely looking a little nicer to me, the grain pattern. But they’re very similar to each other. I’m definitely feeling like the Lumix looks a little bit better.

But if I jump up to 3200 ISO, and this is really interesting when you jump to 3200. And if I look at the bridge of her nose, and just looking at now are we getting some kind of color shift. I’m seeing definitely a red shift. I’m starting to see that transition that goes from highlights to shadow and starting to become more abrupt. It is definitely, the contrast is definitely higher on the Canon, which is giving us a little more higher highlights and a little stronger shadows. The Lumix is a little more of a softer roll off. And so I think that feels a little better. I am starting to get a little bit of color in that nose bridge going from the highlights of the shadow on the Lumix. Which is starting to make that transition and in doing so, you’re starting to see that color build at 3200.

So now if we go to 6400 ISO, 6400 is a pretty good spot. Everything kind of falls apart at 6400. And if I look at this, especially on her face I’m really starting to see in the Lumix. I’m seeing that color shift. Definitely have a color shift in the Canon. But look at the grain difference here at 6400 on the Lumix compared to the Canon. The Canon just has got a sharpness to it that is over sharpened a little bit in my mind. Whereas the Lumix has a nice roll-off. It’s not as sharp and we see grain but I feel like the picture rendition is just a little nicer. It’s not quite as contrasty or crunchy as we see on the Canon. So I’m liking what I’m seeing with the Lumix.

So if I take a big jump up to 25,600 ISO these both are very, very grainy. Just extremely grainy. If we look at the background we see the heavy grain pattern. I think at this point the Canon looks a little better than the Panasonic. Up to this point I’ve liked the Panasonic a little better. I don’t know. If I look at her face I’m getting a nice, nicer grain pattern on her face. As nice as you can get at 25,600.

If I go to 51,200 ISO you know, and why would you? I’m seeing some in line banding in each of these cameras. I’m seeing major grain. I mean they’re both just really, really falling apart. I don’t see an advantage in either one of these cameras. So at that point, at 51,200 they both have really heavy grain. They both got color shift as a transition from the shadows to the highlights. And I think that color-wise, the one thing that the S5 II does, is that color stays the most consistent throughout. As you go from image to image the color is not shifting as much as we’re seeing on the Canon. It just starts to really shift as we go up the scale. But these two cameras are very, very similar. They’re kind of right head to head with each other. I do feel like the contrast is nicer on the Lumix than it is on the Canon. But they’re very similar cameras.

All right let’s jump now to the Lumix S5 II versus the Fujifilm X-H2. So these images at 800 ISO, so we’re going to jump all the way up to 800 ISO. If I look just in the background at the grain that’s kind of in the shadows back here, I mean, it’s pretty obvious that the Lumix’s rendition is much better. It’s cleaner. We don’t see so much, the grain is not near as heavy. It’s just much softer. But again we’re looking at a full frame sensor now versus an APS-C sensor. And that makes a huge difference. The roll-off and that on the Fuji is actually really nice. We don’t see a lot of color kind of building on the shadow roll off from the highlight the shadow. It’s just, it’s very pretty, the image. That Fujifilm X-H2 image is really pretty. But the ISO rendition, the S5 II is much better at 800 ISO.

So if we jump up to 1600 ISO we’re just going to see that start to build. I can’t imagine that you’re going to be able to with that full frame sensor versus the, boy it’s a huge jump. We see the grain pattern on that S5 II is beautiful at 1600. It’s almost workable. You could use it at 1600 without any problem. Whereas if you get up here to the Fuji I’m starting to see a lot of grain. I mean, it’s hanging in there for an APS-C sensor. But it’s definitely, the Lumix is way ahead of it.

If I jump up now to 3200 ISO, looking at that grain in the background. Then you see the much nicer grain pattern in the S5 II.

If I jump up to 6400 ISO we’re just seeing major grain building in the X-H2. We’re seeing a much nicer grain pattern than the 6400.

As we jump up here now to really getting out there, 12,800 ISO. It’s really obvious with the naked eye. Look at the difference between that X-H2 and the S5 II. Major difference, huge grain with the X-H2. It’s just very, very strong grain. Strong on her face. Whereas, with the Lumix S5 II we have a, we still have, I mean we have grain but in comparison it’s much nicer at 12,800.

All right, so how would I compare these two cameras. I think the Fujifilm has beautiful color. It holds its color. It has a nice roll off from shadow to highlight. It doesn’t get too contrasty. It doesn’t start to fall apart in that way. But the grain just builds and you see that stronger grain pattern as you go up. The Lumix S5 II has a much nicer grain pattern. And as you go up into the higher ISOs it doesn’t fall apart near as quickly as the X-H2. But again, you’re comparing a full-frame sensor with an APS-C sensor. That’s a major difference. So with that comparison the Panasonic S5 II is definitely going to edge out the Fujifilm X-H2. But you would expect that from those two different sensor sizes.

Okay, let’s take a look at the Sony a7 IV versus the Lumix S5 II when it comes to ISO. So first off if I look at 400 ISO and I’m looking into this little pipe here which is a great place to look because we’ve got a deep black. We’re transitioning into mid-tones and we go to a little bit of a highlight. If I look at these two head to head, and these have been processed both in Adobe, they’re very similar. I’m not going to say which one I think is starting to emerge as the better because I can start to see it already even at 400 ISO.

So here we are at 800 ISO. There’s that same pipe. Look at that transition. Which one of those looks to you like it has a little better grain?

I’m going to go up to 1600 ISO before I say. Here we go to 1600. And now take a look at that. Which one of those do you think has the better grain? It’s definitely the Panasonic is looking better. There’s no doubt about it. It’s been slowly looking better as I’ve gone up the scale here.

If I look now at 3200 ISO, I mean I’m getting a decent grain pattern. I’m not getting any color artifacts in the Lumix. But I’m starting to see some heavier grain in the Panasonic. I think color wise it’s just in this really deep area we got a little bit of a color starting to shift a little bit with the Sony. But not much. I mean it’s pretty clean so far.

We go to 6400 ISO. We look at that same little pipe in there and we got a pretty heavy grain pattern going on the Sony. And the Panasonic is a lot nicer, a lot smoother. We’re getting great color rendition all the way through on both these cameras. I think both these cameras are holding the Color. It’s not shifting.

When I go to 12,800 ISO and like, it’s like whoa…we are really going now. And you know what, they’re both of them very, very grainy. The Panasonic is obviously slightly better. That surprises me. I didn’t expect it to be that obvious when it comes to these two cameras. But it’s definitely the case. The Panasonic is holding the grain. It looks much better, the ISO capabilities of the Panasonic. I’m saying it’s probably close to a stop. Because if I look at, if I look back here at 800 ISO with a Sony and I look at 1600 ISO with the Lumix it’s really interesting to see. If I look at those two and I look at that pipe, look at that pipe. And there’s 800 on Sony and there’s 1600 on the Panasonic. Those are looking pretty close to me. So I think you’re looking at it, almost a stop better ISO. I did not expect to see that at all in this kind of low light situation.

All right, so there you go. There’s a look at that Sony versus the Lumix. I’m sure that’s going to make a lot of people upset. There’s no doubt about it. You know, what can I say? I’m just showing the images. I’m seeing what I’m seeing. Let’s hear your comments and see exactly what you think.

But we did want to get this video out there so that you know exactly what these cameras all look like compared to one another in the ISO test when we process all of the materials in Adobe Raw. Because before we were doing different Silkypix and things and it just didn’t tell the story. Some kind of image noise reduction in that Silkypix really made the Panasonic look amazing. I think the Panasonic is pretty amazing. I think it does a great job. I think the camera, that kind of probably is the closest to it is probably the Canon. And well, yeah, probably the Canon. The Sony’s right in there. But maybe about a stop behind. And the Fuji really struggles with that APS-C sensor to keep up. So there’s a look at how the ISO Compares with these four cameras. Leave us a comment. Let us know what you thought, what you saw. And if you’re interested in seeing an in-depth review about these cameras check out these videos. It’ll help you see them not just for ISO but as far as picture quality and other aspects of the cameras. So check those out. Keep those cameras rollin’ and keep on clickin’!

My first camera, a beautiful Pentax ME with interchangeable lenses. And everything looked magical in that camera. It was fantasyland. And I thought, “Man, if I could make a living doing this…How crazy, fantasy!” And then, you know, to go and work with all the great artists that I have been working with is just, you know, incredible! So my advice for young photographers out there, find your voice. Find what it is you really want to tell the world with your art. Try not to copy everyone else. It’s okay to, like Mick Jagger said, “It’s great to steal from other artists, but make it your own.” Like they did with all the great blues songs that the Stones covered. Hey, I’m Rob Shanahan. I’m a drummer, a photographer and endorser of the SKB case. They get all my gear and my drums safely to where I need to go.