Lumix and the L mount alliance in 2025
What's up, and welcome back! I'm keeping this one short and sweet today—unlike Peter McKinnon's "2-Minute Tuesdays," I'm hoping for 4 minutes. I'm shooting this video on the Blackmagic 6K Pro L-mount with the Sirui 35mm f/2.9–1.8x anamorphic lens. I mention all of that because it's L-mount, and I think L-mount in 2025 is going to be special. People who use this system are really excited about what's coming, which is why I bought the S5IIX in all black. I’ve got some vintage lenses on there now, along with the SmallRig Black Mamba cage, which is honestly fantastic.
I mention this because I made a video in the past where I borrowed the S5II from my good friends Garrett and Jared at CW Media. I didn’t love it at the time and made some comments about why it wasn’t for me. That’s why I picked up the Fuji X-H2S instead, which was great and still is—but after trading that Fuji camera to my good friend Jordy in exchange for the Blackmagic, and getting back into the L-mount system (I had the SL2S for a long time, which was my absolute favorite camera), I realized it makes more sense for me to be on the same lens mount with both my cinema and photo cameras.
For what the S5II and S5IIX cost in 2025, they’re honestly, in my opinion, the best bang for your buck. Best money for performance, hands down. I sold my Nikon Z6III to pick up this camera, and I’ve got the 24-105mm lens, which I think is super underrated. I also have the anamorphic lens, and with everything coming from the L-mount Alliance right now, I think this is the year for L-mount.
In case you don't know, the L-mount Alliance is a partnership between Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma. Sigma just released a 15mm f/1.2 Art lens for L-mount, so we're starting to see some faster primes, which we haven't had much of in the L-mount system. We’ve had a lot of 1.8s, which are great, but some people want faster lenses with better build quality. Leica, of course, has tons of L-mount lenses—though they’re astronomically expensive.
As someone who owned the S2S for a long time and really wants the SL3, the L-mount makes sense for me right now—and I think it makes sense for you too. Panasonic and Leica have been working together, and now we have the SL3, SL3S, SL2, SL2S from Leica, all in L-mount. Sigma has the FP in L-mount, too. We’re finally seeing bodies from different manufacturers that use the L-mount. With the announcements of the S1R and S1H follow-ups, things are only going to get better from here.
Price-to-value, again, is phenomenal. I bought this camera used, with the cage, and the day after owning it, I shot for a local organization here in East Tennessee. In that one event, I made more than halfway back the cost of the camera. They're affordable, fantastic, and the autofocus is so much better than I remember from when I borrowed it from Garrett and Jared. Honestly, I didn’t give it enough of a chance before, but in 2025, the L-mount Alliance is going to be a top contender in the field.
Give it the attention it deserves and the respect it’s earned. If you shoot L-mount or own any L-mount cameras, let me know your favorite lenses or bodies—I’d love to hear your thoughts, as I’m always on the lookout for something fun and new.
Lastly, thank you for being here. I’ve gained a lot of new followers from the video I did with my friend Brian about Donald’s survival of Hurricane Helen. The outpouring of support and positivity was incredible. I’ve got another project starting tomorrow along similar lines—not nearly as life-threatening as a hurricane survivor, but still in the documentary realm that I’m really drawn to. If you like that kind of content, or if you haven’t seen that video yet, I’ll leave it linked up here—please check it out, and then come back to see the new video I’m about to drop.
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Now, I’ve got to finish editing this video so I can get to the next one. Thanks for being here, and we’ll talk soon!