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The more I use mine the more dictionary definition of underrated this thing gets Best with small M mount prime lenses, or LTM...doesn't have to be fancy For autofocus best with a small Sigma L mount prime like 35mm F2 Smallrig grip is a must. The LUT feature gives everything on the display more impact during a shoot, stuff simply looks beautiful and exactly as you intended... and it's so immediate... And in general the camera is so fucking nimble and fast. Then there's the minimalism of it... the simplicity. It is truly one of those cameras that gets out the way and leaves you to enjoy shooting. Yes, build quality could be more high-end... yes, wish it had a mechanical shutter and an EVF... but really thats where the complaining ends as it has everything else and then some, and what it doesn't have like a stacked sensor, you can't reasonably complain about because it cost me a shade over £1000 (open box deal). Really glad they did not scrimp on the battery, it takes a big chonky one. If it had a powered hotshoe they could have sold me an EVF to go on the top... but for now I'm using the RX1 optical finder from Sony...

When the 5D Mark II and Panasonic GH1 were all the rage, I picked the GH1. I keep thinking back to why and it appears that the full frame look wasn't important enough compared to other factors, like price, codec, articulated screen, EVF, autofocus and so on. Now Panasonic is doing it again... The G9 II has 4K/120p for $1500, extremely good codec, packed feature set, cheaper than GH7 but same sensor, very clean in low light, the list goes on... If I wanted these features on a full frame camera I'd have to pay at least $3000. Also something else is nagging me... I have grown to dislike the cliche of a shallow DOF where you can't see the setting or background properly. Yet I still want the character of a lens wide open, the smoother bokeh, the light vignette, more 3D and the best flares. So I think back to my Kern Switar 26mm F1.1 or Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 on the GH2, and realise that I can shoot wide open at mega fast apertures yet still see the background. It will be lightly out of focus (unless the subject is REALLY close) and that I like. On a large sensor it would look very different. I think it's time to do a Micro Four Thirds vs full frame test, at fast apertures wide open on both, same FOV, same setting and framing. It will be really interesting to see what the rendering is like and how the G9 II stands up in terms of image quality, dynamic range, and high ISO. As they have come a LONG way since the GH2 and GH4. I also think some of the Super 16mm and 2x crop lenses out there are really characterful, whereas full frame lenses at least all the modern ones tend to be too perfect looking. I think it's more challenging to set up a shot on a large sensor... You often have to stop down, which negates the low light advantage, changes the rendering and bokeh, the flare, and nearly everything. By the way, I'm sure part of this is nostalgia... In 2009 when Vimeo and DSLR filmmaking community first got going, everyone was happy to be called a filmmaker. It's interesting that now "creator" is the preferred term, as it covers anyone who creates anything. But does that also mean we are specialising less in one area and relying on modern technology over human artistry and the human hand? With IBIS, shallow DOF, unmotivated camera movement, drones, walking around with IBIS handheld, autofocus, and such like... I feel all this usually fails 9 times out of 10 compared to a simple locked down shot on a tripod Spielberg style. Maybe it's time to get a G9 II, turn off IBIS, take my time, stick it on a tripod with a C-mount prime on the front and see how this style works compared to the convenience of luxury of no-tripod, a faster shoot, a full frame Nikon Z8 with IBIS and autofocus on a modern lens.

I get that and respect that. I'd very much like to try a Leica (a proper one, had a cropped sensor one) and a Hasselblad. If I had the finances, I would love to own and shoot stills with an X2D, but the cost is WAAAAAY beyond anything I could justify. Slightly more real world and would fit very well into my specific needs, a pairing of an SL3 (with something wide and something long I could bounce between) matched with a Q3-43 for everything in-between. But again, cashidos. Why? The build, the prestige etc, - more for me personally than rather what any kudos I might get from others. I have come very close on the SL2 several times, but what swung it for me with the S1R, was tilt screen. Plus it did not have the list of niggles that the Leica seemed to come with. I even had a crazy plan recently to combine an SL3 with an SL2-S and a Q3-43 and think this would probably be my current ultimate working scenario for my hybrid needs...but cost kills it!! And Mrs SMW would kill me.

Leica color science for stills is probably my favourite so that alone could entice me towards an SL2. The 10-bit 5K open gate with log is also really interesting even if its a s35 crop. Poor AF compared to Sony, Canon, Nikon is probably the biggest drawback but I'd probably use my Leica M glass. Build quality I'm sure is top notch and yeah the Leica badge always brings a certain prestige although sometimes unwanted attention. I have a blacked out M9P and SL2 with its huge "LEICA" logo is a little too much for my taste. I guess that's where an S1R would make better sense. In the end, for me this would probably be more indeed a personal passion project, artistic, travel cam. Definitely usable for pro applications but more for niche projects..

Ah yes you're right, and SL2-S does a RAW video output over HDMI. SL2 and SL2-S biggest downsides are the weight, and lack of articulated screen. And some might say that L-mount lacks the range of stuff you can put on a Sony. But I think for $2.3k either the SL2 or SL2-S are great options for hybrid shooting, but very different to something like an EOS R5 C as well, which makes life easier for video shooting professionally. Whereas the Leicas are nicer as personal cameras.

My two arguments for the SL2 are LOG and yes, the badge. I’m a very practical person and pretty cheap when it comes to gear so the “Leica tax” has always kept me away. But with the SL2 I’m at a place in my life/career where the extra money feels well spent. The S1R is trending at $1,300 USD and the SL2 is at $2,300 or so give or take. For that extra $1000 I feel like I could splurge and get the Leica and be ok with it. Considering the huge savings from new and the added LOG profile it would make sense for part of that extra money to me. Secondly, if you made it “a thing” and clients notice the Leica badge you could actually give your business a slight edge in prestige and use that to your advantage. I know it’s a Panasonic with some slight tweaks but most people simply know the brand name. At the same time the Sony A7CR is the same price right now on the used market and that’s a hell of a lot of camera for $2,300. @Andrew Reid is correct in that we are spoiled in 2025 with a lot of options sub $2k.

Unless you MUST have log and prize the badge high enough, IMO, nope. The question is why is the S1R not worth as much as the SL2?!

It's perfectly matched after all with a Nikon ZFc / ZF after all, which is aimed at the same target market! (which is hey also the same the old Nikon Df existed for. And a similar market that Fujifilm often targets.... just look at their X-Pro or X-T etc series) I certainly do understand the appeal myself.

Japanese sites with 10% off coupons and no sales tax keep things just under $1,000 US for open box deals. Not bad.

If the GH7 had come out three years ago I'd still be a m43 shooter. I only made the change because I thought Lumix had abandoned m43 and the S5 on the used market was such a bargain. It was like, do I hold on to all this m43 gear and hope Lumix comes out with a camera that works for me or do I offload this gear while it still has value and switch to something else? The full frame look never blew me away the way it did others. For me the primary benefit has been the better low light, but as you said @Andrew Reidthe low light on the latest m43 cameras has been pretty darn good, certainly "good enough" for most of us. I sparingly want shallow depth of field, so I'm often shooting at f4 or more anyway. Is it nice to be able to throw on one of the fantastic Lumix f1.8 prime lenses and get really shallow depth of field when I want it? Yeah, but I usually only want that for stills not video and I can count maybe two or three dozen times in the last 3 years when I've wanted that look. That's not a lot, and I can't sit here and say that if I'd been "forced" to settle for a f1.4 or f1.7 prime on m43 to achieve it that I wouldn't have been pleased with the results. I DO see an improvement in image quality, but I've also never been a stickler for that either. I loved the GH5 because of how it changed the way I shot, not because it had the best image quality or color science. For me, image quality and color were more than "good enough" even if they weren't THE BEST. I didn't need the best though, I just needed the features that the GH5 gave me that no other camera did. I used to have to use stabilizers to get useable handheld footage. All the sudden, because of IBIS and lens stabilization, I was able to get great handheld footage with nothing more than the camera, lens, a cage and a side handle. I could still get great footage even without the cage and side handle if I wanted to! That was HUGE. It was the greatest leap forward I'd had in changing my workflow since the switch from big clunky S-VHS and Betacam cameras to the Canon XL-1 and Canon GL-1 camcorders. There is still a lot to love about (and potential in!) m43. I miss the smaller, lightweight lenses of m43. I miss the smaller footprint overall (being able to take the GX85 with the 35-100 f2.8 into any venue with rules barring interchangeable lens cameras and not even raising an eyebrow was amazing!) I really, really wish they'd devote some resources to make truly small and compact cameras, because to me that is what is missing from the market. I don't want to use my phone because I don't get the same joy out of taking a picture or filming something with it. Could a modern Lumix GM1 work? I think so! I'd buy one and carry it with me everywhere! I think it'd even be a hit with the YouTube "creator" crowd. But yes, we really have kind of lost the plot when it comes to this whole hobby and industry as a whole. We've gotten so caught up in hype and specs, while placing less value in what got us into it to begin with and that's the process and the rewards. To me, that's the biggest difference between modern "creators" and those of us who have been doing this before becoming a YouTuber/creator/social media influencer ever became a career path. I shot with extremely limited cameras (compared to today), edited on linear editing systems like Videonics and Video Toaster, and had to devote a lot of time, patience, and passion into what I created, even if it was a project that was under 5 minutes in length. Even when things moved to digital and NLEs first became available for us poor folk (thank you to my college friends that got me academic discounts!), we'd have to still capture the footage and do a lot of the work in editing. Now you just film, dump the footage, bring it into your editor, and the NLE does a lot of the heavy lifting. It's why most of it all feels and looks the same. Fuck it, let's all just start filming on Betacam shoulder cams and Video Toaster again! Or at least mini-DV and old copies of Avid or Final Cut Pro! I know I still have my original Final Cut Pro 4, 5, 6 & 7 install discs somewhere!

I've been itching to buy this. I don't think I will because for my work it'd make sense to just get a S5II to go with my S5II X, but it reminds me of my beloved GX85, which I still regret selling. It's one of those cameras that you can walk around with and if you're using a small enough lens no one really bats an eye at you, whereas even stripped down people will look at me when I'm using my S5II X because I think people have been taught DSLR style bodies = professional camera. I'm glad to see you interested in cameras and posting again @Andrew Reid!

You can save 100,200,300g it doesn't matter, it depends mainly on what lenses you're going to use with it. Some these can add 2kg, and are obviously the wrong choice. But with the small manual focus M mount stuff from Voigtlander or a smaller autofocus Sigma prime it makes much more sense and you feel the weight saving over the S5 II which is already itself incredibly light compared to the S1H. It is true that when you put it side by side with your average Sony a7 body, it's not significantly smaller or lighter - it is not a GM1. What it is, is an S1H in a Leica Q size camera with interchangeable lens mount, 10bit 6K and IBIS. It could also be considered a strong alternative to the Sigma Fp since it has the all important articulated screen and IBIS. One thing it is not, is the same as all the other mirrorless cameras... and that is a good thing. I admire the speed and simplicity of it, and the burned in LUTs. And the palm of hand descrete handheld shooting as pioneered by the GH1. It is in that mould. IBIS makes it even more capable for handheld enjoyment, as adding a tripod defies the point of it being small and light. The fun factor is huge with this trust me. It feels amazingly fast and responsive during a shoot. Sure there's no EVF, mechanical shutter, but I can't think of much else the S5 II offers for photograph aside from those two features? So to say it lacks numerous features is overplaying it a bit in my view.

Let's say that the product is so unique that the price simply reflects the commercial aspect. I mean it is mainly aimed at an audience that wants to take a whim off and look cool. BTW I agree, Voigtlander!

3.3K 4:3 10bit 422 Super 16mm crop mode C-mount lens adapter for L-mount Pleased to report - No vignetting.

There are nicer fountains in other places, some of them even doing light and music shows - but there are a bunch of celebrities and dentists who would like to explain to you how the very basic fountain in that photo gets all of the other stuff out of the way so that the observer can really just focus on the true joy of a fountain, moving water.

First you criticise their cakes, then you shoot video with the Elmarit-R. The purist spirit of Leica has been broken on many layers Is that a helipad behind you or a fountain? Herr Schulz probably designed that fountain as the pump clearly has too little power to run the water at full pressure

Can I just say, that is one awesome duck photo. Nice mod and interested to see more.

2024 Leicaman is the man who doesn't realise he's using a Panasonic.

The true Leicaman would understand that their cameras shouldn't be dirtied by the abhorrent presence of a third-party lens! You are correct to banish yourself to the shameful world of EOS R5 plebes! (One of the few worthwhile things on KR's site after all these years) https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/leica-man.htm

But it's ridiculous just how cheap S1Rs are now.

Compared with the S1R, badge aside?

Please don't. This is one of the main challenges for society - the people who care about truth enough to learn anything about the world self-censor when they realise they don't know everything or make mistakes. Meanwhile, the people who don't care about truth and don't know very much about the world continue broadcasting at full volume unabashedly.

All items now SOLD except the 'Like New' S5ii! Actually less of an update than it may sound... Still Sony for primary stills and no changes there. Still Lumix for primary video, but downscaled the amount of kit I had as there was a bit too much set up and breakdown, on-site transportation and logistics etc which kind of defeated having the extra kit. Nikon is back in the mix as it was at the start of the year, but for 2025, in a hybrid role as a stills sidekick to the A7RV when I want something lower res, more fun and more candid use, plus better lower light. Also works in a secondary role for some video work. Plus after a long time of just using my phone, I wanted a 'personal' camera, so the Zf with 40mm f2 is just that for me.

Wow I did not even realize it did not had a flash hotshoe. Flash is so crucial for my style of photography. I cant understand how they can sell a 1000+ camera without a hotshoe flash..