Most Popular Panasonic Lumix Cameras and Lenses: Video Shooters Pick the S5II, GH7 and a Few Small Zooms
Panasonic is the odd one out in sales charts. Sony, Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm fill Japan’s top-ten mirrorless rankings month after month. Panasonic rarely appears, and when it does it’s with the small Micro Four Thirds Lumix G100D, not its full-frame cameras. Lumix sells to a narrower group of buyers, and that group is mostly people who shoot video.
So “most popular” means something different here. It means the cameras and lenses that video creators, hybrid shooters and small production crews keep recommending, renting and buying. That list is stable and easy to name.
The cameras
Lumix S5II: the camera that changed Panasonic’s reputation. It was the first Lumix with phase-detect autofocus, launched in early 2023 at about $2,000, and it’s still the default Lumix for hybrid shooters. It often sells as a kit with the 20-60mm zoom and a 50mm f/1.8.
Lumix S5IIX: the same body with ProRes, SSD recording and raw output, for about $200 more. Filmmakers buy this one.
Lumix GH7: the Micro Four Thirds video camera, with internal ProRes RAW and phase-detect autofocus at about $2,200. It records without limits thanks to its fan, and an optional XLR module adds 32-bit float audio.
Lumix S9: the small full-frame camera for social creators, at about 486 grams.
Lumix S1II: the 2025 hybrid flagship, with a partially stacked sensor.
Lumix G9II: the Micro Four Thirds stills and wildlife camera, popular with birders for the 2x crop.
The lenses
The Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 is the lens most full-frame Lumix owners have, because it ships in the box. It deserves to be kept: it starts at 20mm, which is what video shooters want for walk-and-talk shots and interiors.
The Lumix S 24-60mm F2.8, announced in May 2025 at $899, is the natural upgrade. It weighs 544 grams, keeps f/2.8 and adds an assignable control ring.
Panasonic’s F1.8 prime series (18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm) is the other big seller. The lenses share one size and filter thread, so swapping them on a gimbal doesn’t mean rebalancing everything. The 50mm f/1.8 is the usual first prime.
On Micro Four Thirds, the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm F2.8, updated in 2023 and weighing about 306 grams, is the standard zoom for the GH7. Birders on the G9II carry the Leica DG 100-400mm, which frames like an 800mm lens on full frame.
Sigma lenses fill the gaps on L-mount. The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II and the 28-45mm F1.8 are both common on Lumix bodies, and Samyang’s 35-150mm F2-2.8 also comes in L-mount.
Combos that work
S5II with the 20-60mm and 50mm f/1.8: the best-value full-frame video kit on the market for years.
S5IIX with the 24-60mm F2.8: a compact run-and-gun kit for small crews.
GH7 with the Leica 12-35mm F2.8: a light documentary setup with deep focus that’s easy to control.
G9II with the Leica 100-400mm: an 800mm-equivalent bird kit you can carry all day.
If you shoot mostly stills, Lumix is a fine choice, but the rankings point elsewhere. If you shoot video, start here.