MrSMW

This would be a 'maybe' for me. What do I like? The body. I think it's best in class for size, weight, ergos, build etc. It's Goldilocks for me from that perspective. For video, easily nails my needs. For stills, it would cover it, just... I'd rather have another 15 or so mp as with my A7RV, but... Lenses is a bit of a tricky one in two regards. 1. I think the native Z line is still a bit thin. It has some of the rebadged Tamron lenses, but not all of them and the Tamron lenses, specifically the trio of 20-40, 25-75 and 70-180, all f2.8 and in their latest spec, are insanely good for their size & weight with no discernible real world difference to their fatter 24-70 and 70-200 equivalents. 2a. Adapted lenses. I wouldn't trust the adapted M lenses as far as AF goes and all the tests vindicate that as in it's 'OK' at best, in good light, but you would not rely on it for anything critical. But for using manually, I think adapting M glass is superb. Voigtlander especially for quality vs cost. 2b. Megadap. For video use, possibly less of an issue. For stills however, because there is no in camera correction that native Sony lenses provide, you can get some weird distortions that are almost impossible to correct. This is mostly in regard to verticals. I know because I used all 3 adapted Tamron lenses listed above on my Zf for 4-5 jobs at the start of last year and though it was not an issue or noticeable in over 90% of shots, especially outdoors, for indoor work, not so great. AF though with the Megadap is very good. It's not quite native, but it's not that far off. I think for me as a user of currently 3 systems; Sony + Tamron for stills, LUMIX + Sigma for video and Nikon Zf for 'less serious' stills, ie, a foot in all 3 camps, the system that makes the most sense for my needs would still be L Mount with Sony & Nikon tied for second, Sony for stills and Nikon for video. To be honest, I'd be happy with any of them and have come so close to pushing the Z8 button myself other than what it would cost for me to do so because any future changes for me, I want to go all in on one single system. Financially, that is currently beyond my means.

Well as a former S1H, S1R and OG S5 owner plus currently an S9 + S5ii + A7RV + Zf user… I don’t ‘mind’ them essentially reusing the S5ii chassis now that they have implemented the S1H style rear screen. The S5ii body though to me is simply adequate. I don’t like; the shutter mechanism sound or feel. It’s not the worst, but compared with the S1H it’s pretty poor. That is only really an issue for the photographer side of me. The rear LCD isn’t great. Anything under 2000 wotsits isn’t great so the S1Rii despite having a better mech, is still a bit low res for me. The rest of the body is just OK. It’s OK to hold, the build is generally OK, the design/visual appeal is OK but dull. The size & weight is good. In fact, I would not object to it being slightly heavier, but not by much. The new S1Rii has better locking dials and positioning. It’s not a brand new body and I do not think ‘flagship’ worthy, but I think it is a reasonably decent upgrade and overall on a rating of 1-5 is now a 3.5/4. Compared to OG S5 = much better and that didn’t have the cooling. Compared to the S5ii = better. Compared to the S9 = blows it out of the water, but I did not buy the S9 for it’s build but for it’s size & weight. Compared to the S1R = hmmm equal. The build quality of the OG S1R was/is better as is the shutter mechanism, but a bit too much whiff of old school DSLR about the S1R for me. Compared to the S1H = a downgrade. The S1H still remains my favourite camera ever. (I would still be using it today as my principal unit except for one single factor and that is I can’t burn a LUT into Vlog like I can with my S5ii’s, so swapped it for an S9. It makes a MASSIVE difference to my workflow and I think stuff such as digital sharpness and moire). Compared to Zf = totally different bodies so no comparison really. The Zf is more a ‘fun but pro’ camera to me but the S5ii/S1Rii is significantly better ergonomically. Compared to the A7RV = this is where it falls apart a bit… The A7RV is just better built, better to hold, better to use, has a better rear LCD, better AF, smaller and lighter lenses at the same apertures, twin Type A card slots, also shoots 8k though I think it’s video specs are not quite as good so as a pure video machine, the S1Rii probably beats it for video spec. I am no Sony fanboi and would like to hate on it if I could, but for me, right now, it is the top dog. Would I swap it for a Leica SL-3? Yes if I had the funds. Would I swap it for an S1Rii? Possibly if I was not already invested. Would I swap it for a Z8? Maybe… I think the Z8 body is best in class, but doesn’t quite have the lenses and that AF is slightly suspect. My Zf is certainly not as good as my A7RV.

This ^ And this ^ Plus this ^ At least for me anyway.

Same here. I need to go into Paris which is pretty much a 5 hour round trip to actually handle anything that is not a kit camera. The locals call it Normandie but I call it Bumfuck Idaho because when it comes to stuff like this, pretty much the same place. Sometimes of an evening, I am sure I can hear someone strumming a banjo… And where I used to live, pretty much the same deal with a 5 hour round trip into Bordeaux to fondle a proper piece of kit. And as for rentals… Yes it exists, but with a few VERY specific pieces of kit, VERY expensive and unless you can pick up and drop off, even more ridiculously expensive.

Is the key to what I do. With my kit, I am looking for the following things: 1. Lightweight and as quick to use as possible for instant reaction and capture. 2. Reliability. No lock ups, no overheating, no time limits on recording (within reason). 3. Image quality. The best I can get without compromising points 1 & 2 amd within a certain cost vs return, AKA budget. So for me, the above does not necessarily mean the lightest camera and lens combo possible, but the lightest possible with all other criteria taken into consideration, ie, there will be a compromise somewhere because there always is. It covers things such as a cameras ability to do hybrid is great, but real world, other than emergency back up, do I need that ability? Actually not as I need to shoot video and stills at the same time rather than flip between the two so dedicated photo and dedicated video units are a must. Though as above, these can be hybrid by definition. Ultimately it is all about need on an individual basis and there are not unlimited ways to do things and often very narrow choices. Fortunately, we do live in a time now that for my needs, the last couple of years anyway, where those needs can be met with a variety of brands, so it is mainly personal choice these days. If I could wave a magic wand right now, I’d rather not be doing it with a Sony + Tamron + Nikon + LUMIX + Sigma combo, but that mix is not as jumbled as it might sound. The batteries are however, but that is about it! Oh OK, the ergos are slightly wonky also and Tamron zooms are the opposite of Sigma, but other than that and the batteries… 😉

I thought Elon had a rocket? But then again, he couldn’t get that up could he…

Possibly the UK division is better than the EU brigade. Brits living in the UK like to complain about all kinds of things, but as a Brit living in France, I can state for the record that the UK is MILES (miles not km) ahead of certain parts of the EU for customer service.

That's what I keep telling my brides...but they don't listen 🤪

I can understand how some of the reviewer YouTools can get a bit overexcited: Hello this is LUMIX calling. Would you like a free all expenses paid trip to Norway? You would, great. Would you also like to keep and take away the camera that you will be gifted? OK cool, we thought you might. No, you are not obliged to say nice things but next time we plan one of these trips… - They say the weather was not great on this trip but regardless, all I have seen is a few clips of each other on the same boat and a couple of reindeer. A bit weird, but fortunately a few who are actual working filmmakers and photographers, took the time to then go and shoot some real material which is low beginning to appear. As with the S9, give it a few weeks and it’s going to be quite well regarded I think. Once we have all got over the slightly disappointing dull design and the overhyped RS issue. I think…

Right, I am getting myself sponsored by NordVPN and Bingoplus.com because whenever I am on Bingoplus.com which is the only on-line betting platform I use for all my on-line bingo needs, it is always whilst using NordVPN and I wouldn’t trust anyone more for my on-line privacy than Nord.VPN Thanks NordVPN! Thanks Bingoplus!

Don’t get me started on DHL…

This for me is where I think so many of the so called ‘influencers’ have got it wrong and that is short term gain with zero medium, never mind long term plan. Other than rose tinted spectacles. I have no idea how much folks really make from YouTube other than unless you are pretty big, it can’t be too much surely? And whilst you can maybe sell free gear on a for a profit, if you don’t use it, you will have to because you can’t eat it or use it to pay your electric bill or mortgage. The other thing that makes me laugh is the folks who maybe were in the industry…but for 5 minutes and then decide to jack it in for 5 minutes of fame. And for the vast majority it will be 5 minutes and the ‘fame’ is not much more than a temporary shallow ego boost. I have far more respect for those for whom YouTube etc is a sideline hustle, ie, they make the greater proportion of their income from having a real paying job that has a little more stability. Or maybe I’m just an ageing fuddy duddy who is out of touch. Possibly… The bottom line is I like and support folks who make content because they feel someone else might be also interested. I dislike folks who make content for content sake because they either make money from simply making content or think if they make enough content, they will eventually make money. The reality though is I suspect somewhat grey and the more ‘artistic’ types sharing for the right reasons get swept away by the masses spouting garbage. In a fair and just world, the cretins would all lose in the end, but it’s not a fair world is it?

Is exactly the type of reviewer I neither trust nor follow. Or even bother to watch. Or non-working people, ie, folks whose only work appears to be reviewing shit on YouTube, but never actively using it for paid jobs. Or even fun. Reviewing for reviewing sake. Nah, not interested. Much more interesting reading folks opinions here!

They are also muppets. I had an error message on an S5ii that would not go away so they said send it back for a replacement under warranty. I said fine, but instead of sending me the replacement, can you please instead simply fund me for the trade in price? No, we have to send you the replacement unit (at our expense) and then you send it back to us (at our expense). Eh? So you actively wish to pay twice for a courier? Why not simply save yourselves the bother of packaging and shipping and just pop the funds in my account? No, it is not protocol. The actual answer was, "hey thanks, that's a good idea and we can save the company a bit of hassle and cost". But no, Jim Henson may be long gone but muppetry exists and thrives in his absence.

Same here. I won't bore you with what or why or when, but I used to get a sense that they cared a few years back. The last year or two, not so much. They are also missing a trick by not recognising, never mid rewarding repeat customers. Just like insurance companies that spend money on attracting new customers which err, costs money and then giving them a new customer discount costing them, err, more money, whilst at the same time saying to potentially renewing customers, "you can fuck off elsewhere". The complete brainless twats that run these businesses never fails to amaze me. But then I cannot be bothered to spend any real time raging against the world because it's a fruitless time suck, so a quick rant and then I move on!

This is just it. As of today, the new LUMIX is ‘the latest thing’ but tomorrow it won’t be. Not necessarily literally tomorrow, but probably within weeks as I believe the Sony A7V is up next and it will inevitably garner more adoration than the Panny. The influencers lurch like lemmings from one thing to another, but there will be a core of loyalists. I don’t remain loyal to any brand for loyalty sake but rather because they offer a combination of the best/least compromised tools that do the job I need them to do combined with the financial cost. It is arguable that the new Panny is not quite ‘flagship worthy’ in terms of build and I agree. It’s pretty good, but IMO, compared with what existed before within the brand and what else is out there, it’s not quite what I expected, but maybe has to be at this level for financial reasons? Thinking about it further, it’s more like a larger sensor evolution of the S5ii so really it’s an S5iiiR but I guess using S5iii so soon would suggest the S5ii is outdated and it is far from that. Spec-wise, it’s not far off what I expected. Personally, I would have preferred full-frame 6k 60p open gate. And stopped there. Make that fantastic and willfully ignore 8k even if the sensor can do it. At least with this model. And then the sensor. I wonder if they could not use the 61mp sensor or whether they could and this was a deliberate choice, but it’s an odd one of so to go from 47mp to 44mp after what, 6/7 years and call that progress. And yes, I am aware, more pixels is not the be all and end all but personally, for my own photography needs, I did want want more and 44mp is borderline for how I work and want to work. 60 or more is where I want/need to be and I know all the blah blah blah “on social media posts it’s irrelevant” etc but that comment is irrelevant to me because I wish to be able to produce work up to a standard set by myself, not opinion. So as a value proposition, is it good value? And is the brand dying? I think brand new, it’s not the best value option out there unless it suits your specific needs and you are already heavily invested in the L Mount system. I think its value will be used in 6-12+ months time. Especially 12+ months time. Would I buy one new? Yes, if I did not already own an A7RV and have all the glass I want for that. Do I think it’s as good owning S5ii and A7RV? No. Is the brand dying? Probably. A slow but inevitable silent death. The products are not crap. They are highly competitive and these last few days, the influencers are all over them but the simple reality of business is you have to be relevant 365 days a year, not for 'your week in the sun' once every few years. It is not enough. L Mount is a niche player. To be a successful niche player, you have to have something different and stand out for that, not by being ‘good enough’. Because it is not enough. If there is to be any kind of S1H successor, it will be received as the original was and every subsequent LUMIX camera has been, - news for a few days. Within L Mount, Leica exist because they play their design, build and heritage card. Sigma exist because they play their slightly crazy Japanese card. LUMIX play their slightly dull but worthy card. And that I think is the root of their issue and will be their undoing. You can fly out all the influencers you want (and you should), but the product HAS to be more exciting. Because if it is not, someone else WILL eat your lunch. Breakfast and dinner.

Indeed. S5iiR would be more logical than S1Rii as it's far closer to an S5ii than the S1R, but hey ho.

He also made a few mistakes regarding certain things such as the C-AF beep cannot be switched off. I highly doubt that. And menus, - no one really likes anyone else's menus and he's a Canon/Sony boi so... He says he is going to make a couple of other videos about a few things but I can tell you the end summary now which is he wouldn't spend his own money on it over a Canon R5ii or a Sony A7anything_recent_or_imminent. They should have asked me to go. I could have had a free S1Rii/S5iiR. Except I don't have a YouTube channel. Or rather I do, but my cat video has yet to go viral.

Shutter sound passes the test, but it seems that detail and DR plus latitude are below the A7RV, though more at a pixel peeping level than real world. It’s still a pass for me for 2025.

OK and he is more photo than video…

Which is pretty much what every LUMIX user wanted, not 8k. Even if it’s 8k capable, IMO they should have launched it with up to 6k spec and left everything 8k for the future firmware upgrade. Except they botched yet another release. With the S9, it was that stupid f8 lens. I think 8k at this time is a similar scenario because you want folks talking about what it CAN do. LUMIX has a problem with the number 8.

And one of those people is me. I have struggled with the stills side of L Mount ever since I moved to it from Fuji X. The OG S1R was the closest, but never had the lenses until recently and now it would be a big move for me to go back to that having a smaller, lighter, MUCH faster and generally more capable Sony A7RV. The image out of the SL2 would do it for me, but the S1R is a better camera to actually use in real life. The SL3 is the only Leica that actually ticks all my boxes for stills, but is ridiculous in price. Sigma design I think is fanfuckingtastic, but otherwise their cameras are far too compromised for my use case. The S1Rii could have been the one and but for the sensor, would have gone for it as it does just about enough everywhere else. The body size & weight and ergos gets a tick. The rear screen is better than the S5ii, but the res is not as good as I would have liked. Shutter feel and sound still unknown. But it’s the sensor for me not being the 61mp of the FP-L/SL-3/A7RV that was the ultimate deciding factor for me. And the benchmark for me, but not watched his review. In fact I have only watched 2.5 reviews of this camera and seen enough. The S1Rii had to at least equal, if not beat the A7RV and IMO, it does not. Final nail in the coffin = €3600 preorder price vs €2300 trade in on my A7RV? Err, no.

Well that’s not very good is it! And somewhat surprising as I have had my S5ii’s rolling for over an hour @35+ direct sunlight in 6k 30p. Never even had a warning. Very odd.

I think so but as a LUMIX, it has to have a gazillion video options. I get why most manufacturers believe they need to appeal to the broadest base possible, but at the same time, they miss the mark as a result. Personally, if I was Mr LUMIX, I’d offer 2 cameras at the same time and say, this one is the photo one and this one is the video one and both would be able to tread on each others toes a little, but would otherwise be clearly defined. Here though we have folks running 8k 1 hour plus tests and calling something a failure because it overheats. FFS, who needs to record continuously in 8k?

Not expecting anything really and actually, out in sunlight (most of my work) a lighter or more reflective colour is actually going to absorb less direct sunlight such as all black camera bodies do. Yes, this time next year, it might be a bit better for me as I think it's €3600 pre-order in the EU but 12 months time, they are going to be circa €2500 probably on MPB and I'd rather buy used for major purchases such as bodies and lenses. Something I did not say in any of my above ramblings was/is if I was shopping from scratch today, I think I'd go for one over even my A7RV...as a 4th/stills camera to my other 3x LUMIX cameras. Just not going to switch at over €1k more for the LUMIX. At parity, cost-wise, OK, I could make a case. From a video perspective, I don't think I'd trade an S5ii for one. Not unless you absolutely had to have 8k or 6k full frame. I wouldn't anyway. I do think down the line though, it could be on the cards for me as my principal stills unit, but we'll see...