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 inactive struggles astatine times. Need to enactment astir rolling shutter successful immoderate situations.

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

If you're successful the marketplace for a bully all-around full-frame camera susceptible of shooting large inactive images and large video, the S1R II should beryllium connected your list.

Body Redesign

The S1R II is noticeably smaller than the S1R, which was, rather frankly, huge. The 2nd mentation is 20 percent smaller and lighter, coming successful astatine 1.75 lbs (795 grams). That's not to accidental this happening is small. It's inactive overmuch heavier than my Sony A7RII, and adjacent bigger than the A7RV I happened to beryllium utilizing astatine the aforesaid clip I tested this Panasonic. Still, it does successful information consciousness similar 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 plan is wide much similar the newish Panasonic S5II than its predecessor, the S1R. There's adjacent the aforesaid interior instrumentality plan arsenic connected the S5II, which allows the S1R II to grounds video for longer without overheating. I person seen immoderate reports of the S1R II overheating, but from what I tin archer these were each utilizing beta firmware. I did not person immoderate issues with overheating utilizing the latest-release firmware.

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

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

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

Sensor and Autofocus

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

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

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

What I did not similar is not what it does, but what it can't do—namely, halt tracking a taxable erstwhile successful subject-tracking mode. For example, if I americium tracking my canine playing connected the formation successful the aboriginal greeting and privation to halt for a 2nd and sprout the sunrise, connected my Sony and Fujifilm I tin pat the screens and power the absorption to the horizon, compose, shoot, and instrumentality to tracking the dog. To bash that with the S1RII I had to archetypal toggle disconnected the 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 the time, I recovered that the S1RII did a bully occupation of tracking everything I asked it to. Oddly though, it has the hardest clip with humans. Sometimes successful a assemblage of people, it would suffer the subject, thing that doesn't usually hap successful my investigating of Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras. While Panasonic's autofocus strategy is decidedly faster and much close than erstwhile versions, it's not flawless. I don't find this a woody breaker astatine each (I inactive sprout galore manual absorption lenses), but it mightiness beryllium worthy investigating with a rental if you sprout a batch of sports oregon 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 the middle. The lone spot I saw this alteration a spot with the 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 precise good. I was capable to assistance shadows successful RAW files 2-3 stops without truly adjacent needing to woody with noise.

Noise level volition beryllium connected however you shoot, acknowledgment to the dual conversion summation successful the sensor. Panasonic's “Dual Native ISO” relation means that determination is simply a 2nd basal ISO with a higher gain. You tin power wherever this displacement happens successful the settings, but retired of the container the 2nd summation curve kicks successful astatine 400 ISO. This is mostly utile for video, allowing for the highest dynamic range, but it besides comes into play with stills. The nett effect is that shooting astatine 400 ISO successful debased airy volition usually really nutrient little sound than shooting the aforesaid country astatine 320 ISO.

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

Video

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

The S1R II tin sprout 8K 30p and is susceptible of full-sensor-width 5.9K astatine 60p, with seizure successful ProRes 422, ProRes RAW, oregon H.265/264. 8.1K and 7.2K open-gate signaling volition beryllium coming down the enactment with firmware updates, each of which is awesome for a camera ostensibly focused connected inactive photography.

As mentioned above, determination is immoderate rolling shutter. Fast pans volition decidedly amusement immoderate jello wiggling astatine higher fps settings. The main mode astir that would beryllium a stacked sensor similar those recovered successful the Nikon Z8 oregon Canon R5 II, but you'll person to hold for thing similar an S1H for that apparently.

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

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

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

The S1R II is 1 of the champion hybrid inactive and video cameras you tin buy. It's a great, all-around camera and little costly than competitors similar the Nikon Z8 oregon Canon R5 II. Really, the lone 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, similar the Sony A7R V, but successful real-world usage I ne'er erstwhile changeable an representation with the S1R II and thought, I privation that representation was higher-resolution. The S1R II stacks up precise good against the competition, and it costs $500 less.