Panasonic S1R II Review: Capable, Affordable, Mirrorless Hybrid Camera

Smaller, lighter body. 47-MP sensor is faster, if somewhat smaller. 8K 30p video. Support for in-camera ProRes 422 and ProRes RAW capture. Improved autofocus. Reasonably priced comparative to competitors.

Autofocus still struggles astatine times. Need to activity astir rolling shutter successful immoderate situations.

Panasonic's caller S1R II full-frame mirrorless camera is simply a immense upgrade complete nan erstwhile model, bringing a lighter, much compact body, pinch overmuch much awesome video capabilities, moreover if nan sensor is simply a fewer megapixels smaller.

If you're successful nan marketplace for a bully all-around full-frame camera tin of shooting awesome still images and awesome video, nan S1R II should beryllium connected your list.

Body Redesign

The S1R II is noticeably smaller than nan S1R, which was, rather frankly, huge. The 2nd type is 20 percent smaller and lighter, coming successful astatine 1.75 lbs (795 grams). That's not to opportunity this point is small. It's still overmuch heavier than my Sony A7RII, and moreover bigger than nan A7RV I happened to beryllium utilizing astatine nan aforesaid clip I tested this Panasonic. Still, it does successful truth consciousness for illustration a camera successful your hands, alternatively than immoderate benignant of elephantine video signaling instrumentality that needs a dolly. Remember erstwhile mirrorless cameras were smaller than DSLRs? The bully aged days.

The creation is wide much for illustration nan newish Panasonic S5II than its predecessor, nan S1R. There's moreover nan aforesaid soul instrumentality creation arsenic connected nan S5II, which allows nan S1R II to grounds video for longer without overheating. I person seen immoderate reports of nan S1R II overheating, but from what I tin show these were each utilizing beta firmware. I did not person immoderate issues pinch overheating utilizing nan latest-release firmware.

The fastener and controls layout has been changed a small owed to nan downsizing, but it's still very usable. There are plentifulness of customizable buttons for each nan settings you're apt to want speedy entree to. There's a caller dedicated Stills/Movie switch, thing I've travel to emotion because pulling movie modes retired of nan vulnerability mode dial intends there's much room for civilization settings. In nan lawsuit of nan S1R II, you tin person a full of 10 civilization photograph and 10 civilization video mounting stored. (Once you dial things successful nan measurement you want, you tin prevention these settings to your representation paper and move them betwixt cameras.)

Downsizing does person a mates of costs for nan S1RII. There's nary flash sync socket, and there's nary apical display, arsenic location was successful nan S1R.

The large, bright, high-resolution EVF is not rather arsenic bully arsenic nan Sony A7R V’s EVF, but it's connected par pinch what you get from Canon and Nikon. I had nary issues utilizing it pinch glasses. The backmost show tin some tilt and afloat articulate, allowing you to sprout from conscionable astir immoderate perspective you attraction to travel up with.

Sensor and Autofocus

The S1R II uses a caller sensor, which is really lower-resolution than nan 47-megapixel sensor successful nan S1R and considerably little than nan 61-megapixel sensor spot that's successful Leica's SL3. Panasonic has, wisely I think, gone pinch a lower-resolution, but overmuch faster 44-megapixel dual summation CMOS sensor. The dual summation bit, successful Panasonic's case, intends amended debased ray performance, peculiarly pinch respect to highlights. (This is very akin to nan Dynamic Range Boost characteristic connected nan Lumix GH6.)

The S1R II's sensor is tin of 40 frames per 2nd pinch nan physics shutter, 10 fps mechanical. On nan video side, nan S1R II tin sprout 8.1K 30p and is tin of full-sensor-width 5.9K astatine 60p, pinch seizure successful ProRes 422, ProRes RAW, aliases H.265/264. That's capable to champion nan Sony A7R V, which can't do 8K/30, though erstwhile it comes to rolling shutter, nan S1R II does lag down nan Canon EOS R5 II and nan Nikon Z8 (more connected that below).

The S1RII features Panasonic's latest phase-detection autofocus, which has overmuch amended taxable nickname and search algorithms. The S1RII tin admit people, animals (dog, cat, bird), cars, motorcycle and bikes, trains, and airplanes. In my testing, Panasonic's taxable search strategy is very astir arsenic bully arsenic what you'll find successful Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm. It wasn't needfully nan champion for everything—for example, Nikon stands retired arsenic amended astatine search birds—but it's an all-around coagulated autofocus strategy that doesn't miss much.

What I did not for illustration is not what it does, but what it can't do—namely, extremity search a taxable erstwhile successful subject-tracking mode. For example, if I americium search my canine playing connected nan formation successful nan early greeting and want to extremity for a 2nd and sprout nan sunrise, connected my Sony and Fujifilm I tin pat nan screens and move nan attraction to nan horizon, compose, shoot, and return to search nan dog. To do that pinch nan S1RII I had to first toggle disconnected nan taxable tracking. It isn't a immense hassle, nor is it a woody breaker, but it is simply a small head-scratching.

The remainder of nan time, I recovered that nan S1RII did a bully occupation of search everything I asked it to. Oddly though, it has nan hardest clip pinch humans. Sometimes successful a crowd of people, it would suffer nan subject, thing that doesn't usually hap successful my testing of Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras. While Panasonic's autofocus strategy is decidedly faster and much meticulous than erstwhile versions, it's not flawless. I don't find this a woody breaker astatine each (I still sprout galore manual attraction lenses), but it mightiness beryllium worthy testing pinch a rental if you sprout a batch of sports aliases wildlife.

Image Quality

I've ever liked Panasonic's colour rendition for its neutrality. It's not warm, it's not cool, it's conscionable astir perfectly successful nan middle. The only spot I saw this alteration a spot pinch nan S1RII is successful tegument tones connected my kids, who looked a small pinkish successful immoderate lighting conditions, but different I did not find immoderate colour rendering oddities. Dynamic scope is very good. I was capable to assistance shadows successful RAW files 2-3 stops without really moreover needing to woody pinch noise.

Noise level will dangle connected really you shoot, acknowledgment to nan dual conversion summation successful nan sensor. Panasonic's “Dual Native ISO” usability intends that location is simply a 2nd guidelines ISO pinch a higher gain. You tin power wherever this displacement happens successful nan settings, but retired of nan container nan 2nd summation curve kicks successful astatine 400 ISO. This is mostly useful for video, allowing for nan highest move range, but it besides comes into play pinch stills. The nett consequence is that shooting astatine 400 ISO successful debased ray will usually really nutrient little sound than shooting nan aforesaid segment astatine 320 ISO.

Thanks successful portion to this method of dual amplification, images from nan S1R II person very small successful nan measurement of noise. Or possibly a amended measurement of putting it is that Panasonic's JPGs connection a bully equilibrium betwixt squashing sound and retaining detail, making moreover immoderate of nan highest ISOs usable. That said, erstwhile you get to very precocious ISO settings, moreover RAW files look to person sound simplification applied.

Video

The Panasonic's S1 bid primitively had 3 models—the S1R, which was photo-centric, nan S1H which was video-centric, and nan S1 was nan hybrid. The S1R II is absorbing because, while it is still intelligibly photo-centric, successful galore ways it's a much tin video camera than nan original S1.

The S1R II tin sprout 8K 30p and is tin of full-sensor-width 5.9K astatine 60p, pinch seizure successful ProRes 422, ProRes RAW, aliases H.265/264. 8.1K and 7.2K open-gate signaling will beryllium coming down nan statement pinch firmware updates, each of which is awesome for a camera ostensibly focused connected still photography.

As mentioned above, location is immoderate rolling shutter. Fast pans will decidedly show immoderate jello wiggling astatine higher fps settings. The main measurement astir that would beryllium a stacked sensor for illustration those recovered successful nan Nikon Z8 aliases Canon R5 II, but you'll person to hold for thing for illustration an S1H for that apparently.

There is besides a caller colour floor plan disposable pinch nan S1R II. Dubbed Cinelike A2, I deliberation it's rather nice, maintaining bully move scope and opposition pinch a neutral tone. All of nan images successful nan sample assemblage were changeable successful Cinelike A2. Cinelike A2 useful connected still and video, arsenic does Panasonic's real-time LUT feature, which nan S1R II besides supports. Load immoderate LUT you for illustration via nan SD card, and you tin use it to photos and preview video footage utilizing it.

I should mention thing astir nan S1R II video that I … can't fig out. Shooting side-by-side pinch nan Sony A7R V, I noticed amended image value and colour fidelity successful shadows for nan S1R II. At slightest connected paper, nan Sony A7R V should win, but successful my testing, it did not.

I should besides mention that successful operation pinch nan S1R II release, Panasonic has launched a caller mobile video editing app, Lumix Flow (iOS, Android). A afloat reappraisal of nan app is beyond nan scope of this piece, but it's a afloat workflow app, from storyboarding and scripting correct though to record guidance and editing. In summation to nan S1R II, support is coming for nan S5 II, S5IIX, and GH7.

The S1R II is 1 of nan champion hybrid still and video cameras you tin buy. It's a great, all-around camera and little costly than competitors for illustration nan Nikon Z8 aliases Canon R5 II. Really, nan only spot those cameras travel retired up is owed to their stacked sensors, which makes for a small little rolling shutter. There are higher-resolution sensors retired there, for illustration nan Sony A7R V, but successful real-world usage I ne'er erstwhile changeable an image pinch nan S1R II and thought, I wish that image was higher-resolution. The S1R II stacks up very good against nan competition, and it costs $500 less.