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Looks pretty good.... The poor-shooters Alexa 65?

The major problem is that a lot of people thinks that ths is a X100VI contender. It is not. It is a competitor to ZV-E10 / ZV-E1. A very video-vlogger centric camera, that could also take photos, where the user wants the content to be online ASAP. Never intended for serious stills or video work - hence the absence of more controles or even a grip. We are all crappy old dudes / cinema-quality crazy people here, the opposite of the targeted group of this camera. There is some style / nostalgia think ocurring with (some) young people, the X100V / VI mania was just a part of it. Saw a post from a photographer in Tokyo that noted another parts of this trend - he was looking around in streets and subways and saw a lot (and he meant, A LOT) of young people carrying point&shoots. Old Powershots and Cybershots everywhere, and very few taking photos with phones. Hetalked to some of them and they said that is a new stylish trend between them, that they are tired of the same pictures that every phone take, and that the P&S photos have more character. Prices of used P&S CCD cameras are skyrocketing. And I guess that this was the targeted crowd of the S9. They made a P&Sish full frame camera. With a stylish exterior, few controls, geared towards video - but MUCH more stills capable than a ZV-E10 / ZV-E1 (the latter have only 12mp, remember). And for the "character", there is the LUT ecosystem. Which, for me, is BRILLIANT. They made what I was telling Fuji to do - embrace custom film simulations, instead of making it hard to work. Using "film recipes" in Fuji is a pain in the ass - you have to assign it to a custom setting position, but if you want to use the shooting parameters of the custom position (like a Portrait setting, with shutter speed, of setting, etc) and want to change the film recipe - no way. Yes, there will be some WB balance problems with the LUTs in the S9 - and a lot of confusion when people put a V-Log lut and the ISO don't go down from 640. But the easy of use, and the promise from the newer Lumix Lab app, makes kind of a interesting ecosystem. They made a new MP4 codec with a 50mb/s bitrate. Looks crap? In a computer, is not bad, but the quality drop is visible. In a smartphone screen? Looks almost the same a pro codec - but since the file is much lighter, you could take a short clip, that the new app is already transferring on the background (yes, the new app could do it), when you end and store the camera the video is already on the app, you could apply the LUT if is already not applied (even with tranparency % of the LUT!) and send the file (which is lighter since the beginning) to social media. Still not perfect, but looks (and some reviewers, as Manny Ortiz said) that is the best camera->app->social media implementation to date. Will not buy it, but looking how I use my X-S20 nowadays (remembering, I'm an amateur), almost only the EVF and two more buttons would be dealbreakers.

I was thinking that over when I saw the S9. For me it's a toss up. I wouldn't use either one as a primary video camera, but fwiw I vastly prefer my travel/photo camera to have 10 bit compressed vs full raw, IBIS is quite useful for photography, and the rotating screen is great when you need it. On the other hand, I don't know if I could live without an EVF, and the Sigma at least has one as an accessory. And then there's the S5, which I got used at a fraction of the price of either one of them, and does basically everything I want but in a slightly larger package. It will certainly be a new sensor generation before I change anything.

Yeah, @mercer's screen grabs look great. It's some of the best looking stuff that we've seen around these boards; there's nothing lacking there! I continue to experiment with ML on the EOS-M. The temptation of using c-mount lenses in 1:1 crop is too great. That is a fun little camera and I am totally enamored with the look that I can easily achieve. Would I ever choose it for my own passion project? Absolutely. Someone else's passion project? Only if they understood the limitations and risks. That being said, for the right short or music video, I would totally pitch it as an option if the c-mount aesthetic could add something.

This was a good release (and WAY less expensive than flying YouTubers from all over the world to Kyoto).

Yup, that's what I want to know. Fingers crossed it is the camera I hoped the S5ii would be, but isn't quite... Not by much, but 'enough'. I suspect it might have something to do with the RED acquisition as maybe...just maybe, they have delayed it in order to at least roll out 'something' with it. I thought April as did many, but it's June next week and still no actual sign. I've got the tools right now I need, so for me it's more a streamlining want. Sorry; ZE V1. (I can never remember what order the letters and numbers come in) Bit of an issue I agree. The Sigma 28-70 f2.8 even is a bit much for a so called 'compact' camera and the 18-50 f2.8 is a much better fit, but takes everything down to APSC crop mode. Which is not necessarily a bad thing for the intended market of this camera. But the f8 lens, come on. Not necessarily the lack of any shallow DOF which is more an 'artistic' thing, but it's a killer for anything remotely low light without cranking up the ISO to stupid levels. Concert/gig photography for instance at f8? Err, no thanks. And also having to potentially fight that e:shutter and banding. I don't want to hate on the thing and could even make a case as a back up/personal camera...but actually even that would be a very weak case and I just would not. Not for me but maybe is for some others.

I'd give even money on him doing the same with a Chocolate Brownie. His XH-2 stuff is very good.

There should be more stuff coming out- fingers crossed! :-) They really went all-out again with the social media crowd with the S9. However, comments have been turned off on the release video (they were up for some time but I think everything went sideways). The $200 body cap is going to go down in history as the coolest looking thing that no one wants to use. Did all the good Panasonic engineers get replaced with disgruntled Pentax ones? Is that too harsh? Where's that Z6iii? Are there problems with parts?

Initial reaction, Panasonic dropped a dud with this release. Quite a few folks were interested in an L Mount rangefinderesque PannaLeica along the lines of Nikon’s Zf and Leica’s Q3, a true ‘vintage inspired’ but ultra capable hybrid. This is not it. Without the grip, this thing for any extended use is going to get frustrating fast. Not that you would want to use it for any extended time because for video you are capped to prevent it from having a meltdown and for photo, it’s pretty limited. So that leaves the ‘Content Creators’ (but seriously who would pick this over say a Sony EV Z1?) and willful photographers or videographers who enjoy trying to wrestle with less than appropriate bits of kit when better options exist. An ‘updated’ Sigma FP for 2024 this is not. Disappointing, especially with no sign yet of a replacement S1 line…

I guess my point is that, for whatever reason, these people don't consider it in need of "fixing," it's already how they like it. Maybe the real takeaway is that you and I are just old curmudgeons now lol.

The problem is when you look at the footage 2-30 years down the line or even after just a few hours in some cases. Some of that stuff will be impossible to fix. Hell, how long did it take Sony to come up with OK color science? They had engineers, colorist, and programmers figuring it out. Now, Panasonic wants Joe Blow to figure it out in unlimited lighting situations on a 3 inch screen. It doesn't sound like it's going to end well. Maybe I'm taking this way too seriously; after all, it supposed to be a fun camera. I can only imagine the dad/daughter conversation 30 years from now. Why do the videos look so weird, Dad? Was I ill? No, I put on this super cool blockbuster theme. I was going for the Micheal Bay look. Sorry.

Finally, I will personally hold Panasonic responsible for effing up millions of hours of footage with Realtime LUTs. You're asking people (often beginners) to judge their footage on a 3 inch screen. What could go wrong. I'm watching footage from these youtubers that looks awful IMO! There's got to be a reason you don't do this in camera.

Quite surprised by this really. Means it’s now slightly cheaper than the regular Pocket version and a lot cheaper than the 6K Pro version. Not sure how “limited” the time is that it is actually this price for I but think it’s a very good deal.

The company Nikon SHOULD have bought.

Wish I had more money. Emmanuel, this looks fantastic, and I just mentioned it in another thread so I thought I'd come here and state the same thing... As much as I like the image from these BM cameras... and this is just gorgeous... I am starting to notice when I look around at the low to no budget film community that everyone is using a BM camera now and everything looks the same. It seems the influencers on YT have developed a canned cinematic look, that although looks nice, it's also rather boring looking in some ways... or I guess the better way to say it is that it looks too similar to everything else. But... I really must say that it looks fantastic and if I had the money, I would have ordered one by now, especially at this price.

That's the one I got last summer!😂 @John Matthews It came with the 12-32 lens, two batteries, a 32GB card, a roughed up original faux-leather case, all for around 240 Eur iirc. It has a hot shoe and came with a flash too, a feature which Panny full frame S9 users have to miss out on.:) I only did a test walk with it so far though. My LX15 going too strong as my carry around camera, even making my GX85 collect dust.

I've done this for our film festival screeners. 6 or 7 movies in a block? Put 'em on a single 60p timeline. The tech from the submissions are all over the map and it's best to rise above it all. Let it look as the filmmaker has made it.

Others are also ragging on this lens:

What about the 14mm f/2.5 M43 lens. I want a 28mm f/2.8. Others are doing it; why not Panasonic? Seriously, if they can may a 100mm macro that small, a 28mm should be a breeze.

Somebody should tell Pete Ohs, who is getting his films in major film festivals and distributed, that the 5D3 with ML Raw is outdated. Obviously, anyone who has read my posts here over the past 7 years would guess that MY choice would be the 5D3/ML Raw. I have used a handful of "modern" cameras since then and none of them has held up against it. I've been using the Sigma FP for the past year, hoping it would be the upgrade I thought I needed, but it just isn't. Weirdly I find the 8bit 4K mode on the FP to be one of the more interesting features. That said, it's actually a fine camera and if I hadn't had the 5D3, I probably would be more than happy with it. As is, it's just like most other higher resolution cameras... it looks sharper and tricks your eye that the image is better because it looks sharper. If anyone is looking to buy an FP, I am looking to sell mine. Currently, I am in the possession of an S5iiX and it's fine, but it lacks the overall IQ that just drips from the 5Diii. Frankly I find the image kinda boring. But the camera itself is awesome and an absolute workhorse. I love the ProRes workflow.

This DoP I just very recently shot a web series with (filmed on a Panasonic S5IIX primarily, sometimes with S5mk2 as a second camera as well) just uploaded a video with his initial impressions of the Panasonic S9: I was just looking at their prices a second ago! Absolutely shockingly expensive. Seems like a lot of the small mini sized cameras, not just the GM5 (but also the GM1, GX8, GX85, etc etc), from Panasonic are more overpriced than I thought they would be.

"I ruined a lot of shots just because I thought a $10,000 camera setup would transform my bad lighting and framing into something cinematic." Flawless quote. I've used mine as the A camera on 2 short films so far - one for Four Points Film Project and one for a local short film festival called Z Fest. My favorite modes are the 5.8k 2.39 mode that uses full sensor width and the full size 4k mode where I can choose between decent RS and high dynamic range. I also like the 8k mode, but less for the resolution and more for the crop to vary up my prime focal lengths. It also doesn't hurt that the Fuji 110/2 is probably my favorite lens that I ever used on any format/camera. Going in for a any sort of close-up with that lens feels like you just typed a cheat code into your monitor. For most shorts that I shoot, I'm way more likely to just grab the C70 or the K-X. The Fuji can make some amazing images, but I'm always having to think about which mode I'm in and which positives/drawbacks that mode has... plus the big sensor can create some problems. Like, if I put on a fast manual lens with character that I like, I might need to stop it down to f/4 to get enough working DOF to keep the talent in focus while they move (or to have the tip of their nose still in focus while their eyes are sharp) - and by f/4, a lot of the character that I like in that lens vanishes. This objection is reduced a lot with native or EF glass, though, since the eye detect AF is really decent (back to the 110/2, did I mention that I love that lens?). That said, if I'm traveling and can only bring one camera, it's a no-brainer for me. The GFX 100 II is by far the best all-around camera I've ever touched. I've taken it to Turkey and Brazil since getting it and never found myself wishing I had another camera with me. There's a reason that my answer in the "If you could have only one camera..." thread was simply "GFX 100 II." 😁

I'd take the S9 over the fp. I had an fp and an fp-l for a while. I used them on some personal stuff and they were a lot of fun with M mount lenses, but in the end, even using the DPL cages for them, by the time you made them even remotely usable, they were much bigger than something like an EOS R5. Without an external SSD, they're limited to 8-bit codecs - and if I remember right, there's no log profile anyway - just a "flat" one which didn't really seem to add much DR vs neutral. Anyway, 10-bit v-log on the S9 would be just fine and give some flexibility. Also, I'm not sure what RS is like on the S9, but it'd be pretty shocking if it were as bad or worse than on the fp. Also, FWIW, there is no cooling fan on the fp (that I remember), but it does have vents for airflow. Overheating was never a problem with mine. Anyway, I sold my fps because other than "it's a bit smaller," they didn't do anything better than any other camera than I own - and while the smaller argument is valid, it evaporated as soon as I turned them into something that I would actually shoot with. I still hold out hope that they'll come out with a newer one with 10-bit or 12-bit internally, though. 😄

Keep in mind that in 2009 (when the 7d was released), the number of consumer lenses designed for APS-C was even less than now - and there weren't a ton of people adapting vintage Cooke lenses to the 7d. Plus, 15 years ago, sensor technology was not what it is now. Personally, I don't care a lot for Sigma lenses. Every time I put one on my camera, I feel like I'm putting on something designed by a robot - all technical perfection, no soul. But yes, the 18-35 is quite popular. The EF-S 17-55/2.8 is one of the standout lenses for Canon APS-C, but it's one of only a small number. Fast primes? Not many. I HAVE considered picking up the 18-135 USM for a walkaround lens for C70 + Komodo-X since it's decent enough quality and a big zoom range, but while I'd use that for personal stuff, I'd be really unlikely to take it out of the bag when on set. Who is making CCD in the still world nowadays? The sensor options in the still world are about the same as in the video world at this point. Still world has Foveon, but video world has the 17:9 sensors included in many cinema cameras - and most mirrorless cameras (excepting GR1 and Hasselblad medium format) support a video mode which effectively means that most modern still camera sensors are also video sensors... but most dedicated cinema cameras don't feature a still photo mode. The main thing to differentiate a pro DP from an amateur, IMO, is knowing how to light. Choice of cameras like the Alexa tends to be due to a feature set designed for a large crew, reliability, and having the most flexible image to hand off to professional colorists who also spend 80%+ of their time working on footage from the Alexa. This is one of the reasons that a lot of stuff was still being shot on 2.8k Alexa when RED had 4, 5, 6, and 8k sensors available in their cameras. As people here have repeatedly pointed out, a lot of the best DP's aren't making choices for the sharpest possible image - if you want the image to look a little soft, using a Speed Panchro on a 2.8k sensor to upsize to 4k is going to get you there. Will any Internet camera/lens reviewer give a glowing review to that combo? Doubtful. Will an audience watching the film walk out talking about how beautiful the film was? Yup. As a perfect example, I just watched Dune 2 last night since it's finally free on Max. Lots of people have been talking about how beautiful it was. As I watched, some of the scenes were really pretty sharp-looking and they were the ones that seemed mostly CG. When humans were on screen, I repeatedly noticed how unsharp the images were. Googled a bit and found this bit from the DP > "Texturizing the image was the name of the game. The larger ALEXA sensors are so extraordinary that I felt we needed to dirty the image up a bit." Shot on large format sensors, but too much perfection/sharpness felt soulless. Also: > We had a 57 mm LOOK lens with Petzval glass where you can dial in your effect with a third lens ring Dude shot parts of Dune 2 with a $400 Lomography lens. https://shop.lomography.com/us/new-petzval-55-f-1-7-mkii-art-lens And: > Ultimately Fraser and his team decided to use spherical optics and he worked with a diverse range from ARRI Rental including re-housed 1980s Moviecams and re-housed Soviet-era glass provided by IronGlass, along with some lenses from his collection. Dude shot parts of Dune 2 with Helios 44-2 and Jupiter-9 and lenses like that. Can't afford the IronGlass rehoused versions? Go buy 'em for like $200-300 on ebay.

I would say yes, but it'll take time I'm sure. Dream on. Won't happen. I shoot with the electronic shutter all the time. It really doesn't bother me either. The problem is that if that were the only thing they stripped out, it would be ok. Unfortunately, the list is very long and the price is only $300 less. I plan on getting this camera too as a travel camera (if nothing else comes out for M43), but it won't be for $1500! Also, this camera is only as good as the lenses and panasonic is in desperate need of some very small AF f/2.8 primes (like Canon and Nikon). Yes, the lenses are the problem. I can live with the audio though. The MF fixed F8 "lens" for $200 (for beginners?) looks so great on the camera, but EVERYONE was wishing for different specs. You're right, it's laughable! Panasonic is going to get hit pretty hard in the teeth over this one. There will be blood. :-)

To be fair, that guy could get great video out of a Box Brownie.

Sorry, but if you shrink the body to be “portable” and don’t have small lenses to compliment it - waste of time. F8? It’s laughable. lack of audio monitoring features even for short clips? Get outta here. For this style of creation a pair of a pocket 3 and Ricoh GR 3x makes a tone more sense and despite being two devices is more usable and portable. software is the win here. Other brands need to jump on board with RD into onboarding LUT features for jpg and video. The x100 crowd would eat it up. if Panasonic had pancake lenses that hit 2.8-4 and an updated audio solution they’d have a killer combo. The image for video is better than Fuji or Sony at this compact level with Lut features. No need for “velvia” if you’ve got out options. Fully frame and no need for a gimbal? Yea I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

Evz1 got me 😂

When I saw that in one of the videos, I had a sense of déjà vu - some of the old G-series m43 cameras from 10+ years ago had a combined optical plus variable sensor crop zoom system for stills operated by a zoom lever on the body. It was actually quite a nice feature, especially with a power-zoom lens. It was never available for video though. I wonder if the digital zoom feature will be added to the S5ii/iix in a firmware update at some point? As the S9 has no headphone jack, but does have Bluetooth 5.0, why not add basic Bluetooth headphone support to provide some sort of audio monitoring capability? I know there can be latency issues with Bluetooth audio, but it would be a lot better than nothing at all... Personally the lack of a mechanical shutter and the short record times don't bother me, and the variable zoom feature is quite appealing, so I could be tempted when the price drops - I think it's a bit high in comparison with the competition at the moment. BTW the full specs are on the Panasonic website e.g. the UK version - https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-mirrorless-cameras/lumix-s-full-frame-cameras/dc-s9.html - and most of the standard picture profiles seem to be there (Standard / Vivid / Natural / L. Classic Neo / Flat / Landscape / Portrait / Monochrome / L. Monochrome / L. Monochrome D / L. Monochrome S / LEICA Monochrome / Cinelike D2 / Cinelike V2 / Like709 / V-Log / REAL TIME LUT / Like2100 (HLG) / Like2100 (HLG) Full Range*) so I assume you don't need to mess about with LUTs to get them.

The orange S9 will effect second market prizes for my GM5 to either go up or sink into pennies lane. Either way it might be time to sell it.😄 MP Lite is kinda interesting, 4k open gate video in 3840 x 2560, 10 bit 420. Combine that with an evf, internal flash / hot shoe and mechanical shutter plus headphone jack it's a winner. A MP Lite variante in 422 would be a great feature for future firmware updates and cameras.

I have to agree with this. 5Diii raw was revolutionary at the time but it does not stack up against modern cameras. I did a comparison about a year ago with my current cameras and it displayed so much striated and blocky magenta noise in the shadows that I can't imagine reaching for it for video ever again. I still takes wonderful photos though. Something I've been pondering lately is usability. I just wrapped a fast-paced short film shoot at a local bar using two C70s and a set of Sirui Jupiter anamorphics. I chose those cameras despite owning two older Reds. The C70s are not cameras that have much appeal to the cinema purist side of me, but I'm glad that I did choose them because I don't think we would have made it through our shot list if I'd been using a camera that was even slightly slower. I still think that my ancient R1MX produces an image that just puts me in a light trance and pulls me into the film more than any other digital camera that I know of. But it's hard to imagine a film that would be the right fit for that camera, so I think that it's days with me may be numbered. So, yeah, unless I was working with larger crews and bigger budgets, I guess my answer to the original question would be the Canon C70. It may be the Honda Civic of cinema cameras, but it will get you where you need to go, without adding additional stress.

(Re)updated list: Pros for S9 258g lighter Smaller body $300 cheaper than S5ii LUT mayhem if you're into that Cold shoe Pros for S5ii EVF Mechanical shutter Dual card slots Headphone jack True unlimited recording with a fan Way more buttons and customization in the body Proxy recording 14bit Raw files Better grip Weather sealed body Hot shoe for flash photography and XLR adapter Full-sized HDMI Clearly, if anything, the S9 is a true testament to how good the S5ii is in terms of engineering and size. For the form factor and l mount, would you prefer the almost 5 year old Sigma FP or the brand new Panasonic S9? The Sigma is 64g lighter and has a fan, but no IBIS or decent AF.

It's not a release that entices me at all but props to Panasonic for putting recording limits so people at least know how long they can record for. If you're absolutely deadset on releasing a camera that has overheating issues (ugh) the least you can do is be honest about it. Now if only other camera manufacturers did that.... I really don't know what to say about that lense, though. I guess it'll appeal to Street shooters?

The image from the 5D3 and ML is simply incredible. @mercer swears by it and the images speak for themselves, there is an organic magic to them that is seldom seen regardless of price or form-factor. Apparently it's pretty stable too, no crashes etc. The 5D camera body is excellent but is ageing, and the sensor isn't the best in terms of modern specs, but prices are also very reasonable due to these things. EF glass is also plentiful, cheap, and optically excellent. The lack of stabilisation and the lower DR really suggest that it's a good camera for controlled conditions where DR and lighting ratios are within a manageable range. If you shoot controlled scenes then the 5D with ML certainly would be a good choice for having one camera.

Do you think that any cinematographer in their right-mind would use a 5D with a hacked firmware on a shoot that's $100,000 a day? Hollywood gets nervous if the camera is anything except an Alexa. If they get nervous about using RED, then you're dreaming that they'd even contemplate using a hacked firmware for anything. You talk as if you're familiar with the industry, but.....

Sure, but I recommend trying to be correct where you can. Early in my journey I read a lot on forums and I "learned" all sorts of things that simply weren't true, and it cost me a lot of money. Sure, casual readers of this forum aren't likely to be in the market for an Alexa, but if you're wrong about this then it makes me wonder what else you're saying that isn't correct either. Forums are not a group of people having a discussion amongst ourselves, they are more like a panel discussion where there are many more people that read the threads than who actually post in them. The technicalities of cameras and video are overwhelming enough without sprinkling in random statements that are factually incorrect.

It's also a strange comment to make if you've seen the PR videos of larger format cinema cameras where cinematographer after cinematographer gush about how the larger sensor will make all their dreams come true, and using all the words that forum fanboys use, and making all the mistakes that forum fanboys make around crop factor and DOF and FOV. I used to think that the pros automatically knew more about this stuff, but then I saw behind the curtain and realised that everyone is susceptible to sensor size envy. Since the Alexa LF and mini LF were released, the price of FF vintage primes has gone through the roof, to the point that a decade ago people were practically giving away sets of F1.4 primes and now the average cinematographer struggles to even put together a functional set of the F2.8 versions.

It's absolutely really, really average. I'm not sure that even Panasonic would object to that characterization. I'm not sure if the S5 II sensor was new when that camera was released, but even that model is about 1.5 years old. So this is a budget version of a camera that could hardly be considered cutting edge. Almost everything about the S9 screams that a couple of years ago, someone in Panasonic management asked "People really seem to love that X100 V, what's our answer to it?" And there's nothing wrong with any of that. It's kind of fantastic that there's now a $1,500 full-frame camera capable of 6K (including open gate) which includes PDAF. It could be pretty great with Leica M lenses for now. I'm admittedly not super familiar with the options out there for L mount, but one really hopes that it inspires a bunch of decent small f/2 or f/2.8 FF lenses for the system - and not just a kind of shit 26mm f/8 which will probably be a reminder of the Olympus body cap lenses for M4/3 (and not in a good way).

Here is an interesting take on the s9 and luts btw I really like the shots and color she gets out of any camera. tldr she raves about the high yield of jpeg soc and zero postpro.

Interesting to see how relatively lukewarm the YouTube videos have been about it. Particularly considering that an all expenses paid trip to Japan and an indefinite loan of a camera usually engenders a certain degree of "goodwill" from the "reviewers". For me, that means its either really, really average or they've all suddenly got religion. Which one is your money on ?

It's kind of fascinating how popular bad looking videos are. Lots of people take videos on phones, add snapchat filters on their 5" screen in direct sunlight, post, and people like it.

Updated list: Pros for S9 258g lighter Smaller body $300 cheaper than S5ii LUT mayhem if you're into that Cold shoe Pros for S5ii EVF Mechanical shutter Dual card slots Headphone jack True unlimited recording with a fan Way more buttons and customization in the body Proxy recording 14bit Raw files Better grip Weather sealed body Hot shoe for flash photography and XLR adapter The more I think about the S9, the more I think it really has a "it doesn't have an optical low-pass filter" as a feature kind of vibe. Also, I'm truly baffled by the 26mm fixed f8 manual focus "lens" for $200- WTF. What were you thinking, Panasonic?

Based only on specs: Pros for S9 258g lighter Smaller body $300 cheaper than S5ii LUT mayhem if you're into that Pros for S5ii EVF Mechanical shutter Dual card slots Headphone jack True unlimited recording with a fan Way more buttons and customization in the body Proxy recording 14bit Raw files Better grip Weather sealed body These are just off the top of my head and there are probably more. The S9 will never have those things, but I bet the S5ii will also pick up the S9's LUT features. That's a HELL OF A LOT for the price of 258g and $300 more. You'd really have to love the looks of the S9 I think (and it does look cool). If the S9 were sub $1000, maybe (for me).

The offer would appear to be unit limited rather than specifically time limited then.

With the LUTs app and smartphone connectivity, maybe this cam is aimed at people shooting for rapid posting on Instagram and other social media. I could actually see it being useful for concert videos, for example, where you could upload quick snippets of a concert to Instagram during or right after the concert, and they'd look a cut above the usual smartphone captures.

Rumoured that "doesn’t have a fan, recording is limited to 10 minutes at 6K and 15 minutes at 4K"... source If confirmed, will this be a real camera for serious or WTH... just another smartphone? LOL :- )