NEW PODCAST: Wireless Audio for Shooters, Demystifyed with Sony's Pro Audio Lead – Focus Check ep140 →🎙️ WATCH/LISTEN Now
Watch/Listen NowWireless Audio for Shooters, Demystifyed with Sony's Pro Audio Lead🎙️NEW PODCAST
Education for Filmmakers
Language
The CineD Channels
Info
New to CineD?
You are logged in as
We will send you notifications in your browser, every time a new article is published in this category.
You can change which notifications you are subscribed to in your notification settings.
Panasonic has rolled out new LUMIX firmware updates for several cameras and S Series lenses, improving startup times, adding customizable focus-ring functions, and expanding Bluetooth support for DJI RS 4 gimbals. The updates, available October 20 2025, continue Panasonic’s steady refinement of its hybrid ecosystem.
Following October’s release of the new LUMIX Lab 2.0 and LUMIX Flow 1.3 apps (check our separate article), Panasonic has also issued firmware updates for the LUMIX S5 II, S5 II X, S9, GH7, and G9 II, as well as multiple S-Series prime lenses. These upgrades emphasize responsiveness and integration rather than headline-grabbing features—but they strengthen everyday usability for working shooters.
The update reduces startup times across the S5 II, S5 II X, GH7, and G9 II, an often-overlooked but welcome improvement for documentary and run-and-gun users.
It also introduces full Bluetooth connectivity for the DJI RS 4 Pro, RS 4, and RS 4 Mini, allowing record and focus-control functions without additional cables. With this, Panasonic aligns its gimbal integration more closely with Sony and Canon, both of which already offer deep DJI compatibility.
For the S5 II, S5 II X, and S9, the firmware now lets users reverse the manual-focus-ring direction and assign key camera controls – such as ISO, aperture, or white balance—to the ring.
The same functionality is added to six S-Series prime lenses: 18 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 85 mm f/1.8, and 100 mm f/2.8 Macro. This extra customization may not sound dramatic but can make a real difference for operators switching between stills and video work.
The new firmware also ensures camera compatibility with LUMIX Flow 1.3, unlocking features such as LUT View Assist, multi-frame markers, and autofocus-frame display when using an external monitor. These additions support more flexible framing – particularly for vertical-format projects destined for social platforms.
Future compatibility is planned for the LUMIX S1 II, S1 II E, and S1 R II, keeping Panasonic’s full-frame line on a shared feature trajectory.
While none of these changes reinvent the cameras, they collectively smooth real-world operation: faster boot-ups, smarter focus controls, and better communication between cameras, apps, and gimbals.
You can download the latest firmware for your LUMIX camera here.
For owners of the LUMIX S5 II, S9, or GH7, the update is an easy recommendation. Together with the new LUMIX Lab 2.0 and Flow 1.3 apps, Panasonic’s firmware strategy shows a clear intent: keep improving the tools filmmakers already own rather than reserving progress for the next hardware cycle.
Have you installed the new firmware on your LUMIX camera yet? Let us know if the improvements make a noticeable difference on your next shoot.
Δ
Stay current with regular CineD updates about news, reviews, how-to’s and more.
You can unsubscribe at any time via an unsubscribe link included in every newsletter. For further details, see our Privacy Policy
Want regular CineD updates about news, reviews, how-to’s and more?Sign up to our newsletter and we will give you just that.
You can unsubscribe at any time via an unsubscribe link included in every newsletter. The data provided and the newsletter opening statistics will be stored on a personal data basis until you unsubscribe. For further details, see our Privacy Policy
Nino Leitner, AAC is Co-CEO of CineD and MZed. He co-owns CineD (alongside Johnnie Behiri), through his company Nino Film GmbH. Nino is a cinematographer and producer, well-traveled around the world for his productions and filmmaking workshops. He specializes in shooting documentaries and commercials, and at times a narrative piece. Nino is a studied Master of Arts. He lives with his wife and two sons in Vienna, Austria.