Panasonic Lumix S1R Mark II coming soon

[ArashM]

I pick mine up from the store on Monday, excited to check out my own files.

[ita149]

Got my S1RII and like I thought, I'm a bit disappointed.

Stills are great with very good resolution, the Dpreview studio test is odd because the camera is very sharp even when using not so sharp lenses like the 28-200mm. 
But there are better cameras for photography, AF implementation is weird, AF-S is only DFD and the buffer is a joke when shooting high fps pictures.

Video quality is the same than S5II, a bit less sharpening but still the same video engine, it still looks worse than the old gen, the resolution just feels not as good, no matter the mode or resolution used the image doesn't look really sharp in a good way, lines are not straight, some details are missing like if a filter or blur in some part of the image was added. The image looks like there is a slight oil painting touch softening the image at the core. Like on the S5II the rec 709 profiles are worse than V-log.
So it is a bit ironic from Lumix to say "discover unseen details" for their S1RII tagline. Because of this the moire is not too much prononced. Some will like this tradeoff. 

I tested Prores Raw 6K Pixel to Pixel and the image is much better, the weird processing is gone. But I can't get the image right when using Premiere Pro, colors are off, I don't think Prores Raw is really fully supported by Premiere. The crop and the data size also makes this mode hard to use and it is not supported at all by Resolve.
Using the Canon R5 or Z6III for raw is much easier as the files are better supported and there is no crop.

The rolling shutter is just bad when using the DR boost, I didn't think I could see it but I can see jello even with relatively slow movements. In addition 24fps is the max fps we can use with DR boost and Open Gate. I can't select 30fps, maybe a bug.
I think the best modes are 6k or 4k 60fps, there is only a slight crop, worse DR because no DR boost and the image quality becomes even slighltly worse but there is not a big difference with the 30fps and the rolling shutter is better.

I quickly tested the 4k 120fps and as if it isn't enough that the 4k30fps was not great, the 120fps is even worse : blurry, bad details, just unusable. When selecting Pixel to Pixel, the quality is better but again these crop make these Pixel to Pixel modes hard to use and feel like we are using a S35 camera. 

Stabilization is the best in the market and for me it's the main reason I still use Panasonic (with Open Gate too). But the S5II is as good ...
 
The S1RII feels like it was created for people taking mostly photography of still subjects. And for this the camera is good, not the best DR performance but nice colors and impressive 177MP handheld mode (the image makes a very long time to create though, much longer than on the S5II). For video it comes with marketing bait as 8k and 4k 120fps. The 8k like every other modes except raw is too much processed, it has high rolling shutter when the DR boost is enabled and the 4k120fps is not good at all. Yes we can do a lot of things with this camera but with big penalties most of the time.
The added Prores Raw is questionable too, the files are not supported in Resolve and the crop is really disappointing.

The fact remains, however, than the S1RII is the only affordable high resolution camera with acceptable autofocus for L mount. However, I don't see anything which could attract new users to Lumix or L mount, the S5II is a much better value for Youtube and other social media creators. And the A7RIV is much cheaper and has better AF for stills. 3600€ is a lot of money but I would have happily spend a bit more to get better video engine, better rolling shutter and 8k raw. 
As things stand at the moment with the current firmware, I think the right price should be more about 3200€.


About the reviews available online like the one from Northrup, I think the best is to always wait for some Chinese or Korean reviews, they provides much more informations and are much more unbiased than any Northrup or Undone reviews.

Here is an exemple of a good and accurate review :

 

[MrSMW]

5 hours ago, ita149 said:

Got my S1RII and like I thought, I'm a bit disappointed

I’ve got €1000 burning a hole in my pocket if you want? 😉

5 hours ago, ita149 said:

The S1RII feels like it was created for people taking mostly photography

That was and still is my feeling as in it has more video capability over stills compared with it’s predecessor, but is no updated replacement for the S1H.

I still think I’d go for one if I didn’t have my A7RV, if only to keep both my stills and video within the same family, but the simple reality is for stills alone, I still (no pun intended) prefer the Sony and bring lenses into the equation and it’s even more clear cut for me.

It will be interesting however if Sigma do bring out a longer sibling to the 28-45mm f1.8 because if it’s anything like a 45-90mm f1.8, we now have parity on glass as both L and Sony can take these lenses.

At that point…and only that point, would I consider a flip. And there is no sign of that second lens as things stand, just ever more long zoom lenses 😏

[ita149]

1 hour ago, MrSMW said:

I’ve got €1000 burning a hole in my pocket if you want? 😉

That was and still is my feeling as in it has more video capability over stills compared with it’s predecessor, but is no updated replacement for the S1H.

I still think I’d go for one if I didn’t have my A7RV, if only to keep both my stills and video within the same family, but the simple reality is for stills alone, I still (no pun intended) prefer the Sony and bring lenses into the equation and it’s even more clear cut for me.

It will be interesting however if Sigma do bring out a longer sibling to the 28-45mm f1.8 because if it’s anything like a 45-90mm f1.8, we now have parity on glass as both L and Sony can take these lenses.

At that point…and only that point, would I consider a flip. And there is no sign of that second lens as things stand, just ever more long zoom lenses 😏

I bought the S1RII for 3250€, I think it's a good price for this camera, not sure I would have bought it at 3600€.
By the way, I spoke with someone who said he was able to remove most of the noise reduction inside of the V-log footage of the S1RII, if it's true the camera will be much more interesting.

The A7RV is a great camera for still, but for video I would prefer to use Panasonic, just for IBIS and Open Gate.

Yes both the 28-45mm and 45-90mm would make a killer combo. And why not the rumored 200mm f1.8 to get the perfect trio ...

[wushuliu]

"The S1RII feels like it was created for people taking mostly photography of still subjects."

I guess I don't understand how anyone thought it would be otherwise. I mean, that's what the R stands for. I continue to be amazed at how the online crowd managed to psyche themselves into thinking camera was going to be something it was never intended to be. It's a photo-centric camera with a massive video bonus. It's not an S1HII. It's not a Sony A1II. Especially considering only 6 weeks ago we all thought it was going to be just a cheaper Leica SL3 (cue the moaners saying 'I wish it was' as if there wouldn't be a horde of complaints). 

I just got mine and it's exactly what I wanted. Now I can get off the terminally negative online train and get snapping.

[MurtlandPhoto]

My S1Rii is currently sitting in an unopened shipping box in the corner of my office. I'm waiting to see what NAB brings (if anything) from Panasonic before opening it. I'll find it a bit odd if Panasonic does announce another camera so close to the release of this one, but the rumor sites seem pretty confident that something is coming.

[MrSMW]

13 hours ago, wushuliu said:

we all thought it was going to be just a cheaper Leica SL3 (cue the moaners saying 'I wish it was' as if there wouldn't be a horde of complaints).

I hoped and I wished but I only moaned slightly!

[Walter H]

1 hour ago, ita149 said:

By the way, I spoke with someone who said he was able to remove most of the noise reduction inside of the V-log footage of the S1RII, if it's true the camera will be much more interesting.

Very interested to hear more about this!

Thanks for your thorough reflections.

[ntblowz]

The price of S1RII is higher than R5II here (R5ii running on promo), that definitely makes it harder to attract new people except for the Lumix users.

 

 

[alsoandrew]

On 4/2/2025 at 8:07 AM, ita149 said:

Got my S1RII and like I thought, I'm a bit disappointed.

Stills are great with very good resolution, the Dpreview studio test is odd because the camera is very sharp even when using not so sharp lenses like the 28-200mm. 
But there are better cameras for photography, AF implementation is weird, AF-S is only DFD and the buffer is a joke when shooting high fps pictures.

Video quality is the same than S5II, a bit less sharpening but still the same video engine, it still looks worse than the old gen, the resolution just feels not as good, no matter the mode or resolution used the image doesn't look really sharp in a good way, lines are not straight, some details are missing like if a filter or blur in some part of the image was added. The image looks like there is a slight oil painting touch softening the image at the core. Like on the S5II the rec 709 profiles are worse than V-log.
So it is a bit ironic from Lumix to say "discover unseen details" for their S1RII tagline. Because of this the moire is not too much prononced. Some will like this tradeoff. 

I tested Prores Raw 6K Pixel to Pixel and the image is much better, the weird processing is gone. But I can't get the image right when using Premiere Pro, colors are off, I don't think Prores Raw is really fully supported by Premiere. The crop and the data size also makes this mode hard to use and it is not supported at all by Resolve.
Using the Canon R5 or Z6III for raw is much easier as the files are better supported and there is no crop.

The rolling shutter is just bad when using the DR boost, I didn't think I could see it but I can see jello even with relatively slow movements. In addition 24fps is the max fps we can use with DR boost and Open Gate. I can't select 30fps, maybe a bug.
I think the best modes are 6k or 4k 60fps, there is only a slight crop, worse DR because no DR boost and the image quality becomes even slighltly worse but there is not a big difference with the 30fps and the rolling shutter is better.

I quickly tested the 4k 120fps and as if it isn't enough that the 4k30fps was not great, the 120fps is even worse : blurry, bad details, just unusable. When selecting Pixel to Pixel, the quality is better but again these crop make these Pixel to Pixel modes hard to use and feel like we are using a S35 camera. 

Stabilization is the best in the market and for me it's the main reason I still use Panasonic (with Open Gate too). But the S5II is as good ...
 
The S1RII feels like it was created for people taking mostly photography of still subjects. And for this the camera is good, not the best DR performance but nice colors and impressive 177MP handheld mode (the image makes a very long time to create though, much longer than on the S5II). For video it comes with marketing bait as 8k and 4k 120fps. The 8k like every other modes except raw is too much processed, it has high rolling shutter when the DR boost is enabled and the 4k120fps is not good at all. Yes we can do a lot of things with this camera but with big penalties most of the time.
The added Prores Raw is questionable too, the files are not supported in Resolve and the crop is really disappointing.

The fact remains, however, than the S1RII is the only affordable high resolution camera with acceptable autofocus for L mount. However, I don't see anything which could attract new users to Lumix or L mount, the S5II is a much better value for Youtube and other social media creators. And the A7RIV is much cheaper and has better AF for stills. 3600€ is a lot of money but I would have happily spend a bit more to get better video engine, better rolling shutter and 8k raw. 
As things stand at the moment with the current firmware, I think the right price should be more about 3200€.


About the reviews available online like the one from Northrup, I think the best is to always wait for some Chinese or Korean reviews, they provides much more informations and are much more unbiased than any Northrup or Undone reviews.

Here is an exemple of a good and accurate review :

 

Very interesting. I agree that Chinese and Korean reviewers are generally more unbiased and objective their reviews of home appliances and other gadgets, but have never seen their camera reviews. Are there any Chinese reviewers you recommend?

[Andrew Reid]

On 4/2/2025 at 8:52 PM, MurtlandPhoto said:

My S1Rii is currently sitting in an unopened shipping box in the corner of my office. I'm waiting to see what NAB brings (if anything) from Panasonic before opening it. I'll find it a bit odd if Panasonic does announce another camera so close to the release of this one, but the rumor sites seem pretty confident that something is coming.

Did you open it yet?

[Andrew Reid]

On 4/2/2025 at 6:41 PM, MrSMW said:

I still think I’d go for one if I didn’t have my A7RV, if only to keep both my stills and video within the same family, but the simple reality is for stills alone, I still (no pun intended) prefer the Sony and bring lenses into the equation and it’s even more clear cut for me.

The going rate for an a7R V in mint condition used is currently £2500 which is quite tempting.

[MurtlandPhoto]

13 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

Did you open it yet?

Nope and I returned it. Panasonic's reliability has long been a reason I use them. The reports of overheating made this camera DOA for me. Maybe they'll sort it out in the future and I'll pick up a used one.

[MrSMW]

9 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

The going rate for an a7R V in mint condition used is currently £2500 which is quite tempting

There are better mirrorless video cameras for sure. I’d pick my S5ii’s without thinking about it.

There are better hybrids; S1Rii, Z6iii, Z8, R5ii come to mind.

But for stills, other than the Leica SL3 which beats it for design, build and badge, this side of medium format, I don’t think there is a better camera available today and at used prices…

It’s hardly lacking in the video department and can shoot 8k but video is not its real strength.

With a single prime or a small set (such as the Sigma contemporary line) in a small bag or a single or set of compact zoom lenses such as the Tamron’s, or even a lens such as Sony’s own 24-50 f2.8, it’s a bonkers good piece of kit.

Compact but chunky, well built and with the best rear LCD in the business, for me and my needs, it’s that no-brainer they talk about. For most of this forum, maybe not.

For the same money, I’d take the SL3 over it and maybe still if I could find one (doesn’t exist) at £3000, but beyond that, nope.

I’ve flirted with the notion of medium format but Fuji does not have the lenses and Hasselblad is so far beyond my means, it might as well be one of those cameras on the moon.

I’ve had quite a few Sony cameras over the years and admired a few, but none of them quite hit the spot.

The A7RV is the first to do so and it’s only real fault for me is it doesn’t have a Lumix badge on it. (I like stuff to match).

[MrSMW]

9 hours ago, MurtlandPhoto said:

The reports of overheating made this camera DOA for me

I’m somewhat surprised about that as other than a faulty fan on a used S5ii (still didn’t overheat on a job!), I have not had a single issue in this regard with a Lumix camera in 3 years of pro use and often have units running in direct Summer sun with temps over 35 degrees C in the shade, so ‘god’ knows how hot in direct. I have melted long before any Lumix 🥵

[eatstoomuchjam]

16 hours ago, MurtlandPhoto said:

The reports of overheating made this camera DOA for me.

Were there reports of it overheating beyond some reviewers finding that in the most taxing mode (6k open gate IIRC), it would overheat after more than an hour of continuous recording?

[MurtlandPhoto]

1 hour ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

Were there reports of it overheating beyond some reviewers finding that in the most taxing mode (6k open gate IIRC), it would overheat after more than an hour of continuous recording?

Wide range of reports from folks in wedding videography forums especially. The overheating issue varies camera body to camera body and isn't always predictable. Not a good combination for wedding shooters. I don't shoot weddings anymore personally, but my gear needs closely align with wedding needs. Most importantly, I need to know I can hit record and walk away without fear of problems.

[Walter H]

I opened my box. I'm keeping mine & here's why: perhaps 80% of my income comes from clients that want a mix of still (heavy on the stills) and short video content. In this use case, the camera excels. 

It is very fast to use. A Panasonic that finally tethers to Capture One. Gorgeous, robust stills. Very good AF (although I am awaiting that first dimly-lit event). Fantastic IBIS in cropless mode - no more need to bring a gimbal for 60-90 second clips and walking shots (this was a serious knock against the Z8 for me). Nicely implimented, mid-range codec and the CineA2 is my new Eterna (when I don't want a Vlog workflow). Slightly better ergos and good in its own right mechanical shutter. 

I do not think I would keep this as a video-first camera body, which I think will doom it to irrelevance in this forum. I've had no issues in my limited time but the overheating that I am also reading about leaves a bad taste - more so than the rollign shutter concerns. I will experiment but for now, I wouldn't trust it filming 10-25 minute takes continuously over 2+ hours in a warm environment. Maybe 4k/24p would be ok and maybe all would be ok recording to an external SSD? A lot of variables would need to align.

I also note the "crunchiness" from the S5II/x in the video - slight and I need to spend more time with it. @ita149 Any further insights re reducing NR in Vlog? Regardless, for client work, it will NOT be an issue and for flimmaking primarily, I'm keeping my S1. 

Some bitchy posters in other places were droning on and on about how it should have been named the S5RII. Well, bitchers be right. It's a good-feeling camera but it takes more from the S5 line that the S1 series for sure. Rather than an S-Pro lens, it feels more like the 20-60. @MrSMW The shutter is not that wonderfully damped shutter of the S1 but it is a significant improvement over the horrid clatch of the S5. I don't love it, but I'm comfortable with it. 

I greatly disliked the S5's ergos and the S5II/x was better. This is better still. Other than the weight, I love the S1 and the best feeling small body to me is the X-H2s. But this new camera is good, and I may get the grip to help that pitiful battery and for better support with larger lenses.

But again, once I started working with the stills from yesterday's product shoot, no looking back. 

[ArashM]

I'm going to keep this short as it's still early days.

So far I've been very happy with my S1rii, the files (stills + Video) are really great, the C1 tethering (FINALLY) is great.

It cuts with my two S5iix footage very nicely, and I haven't had a hint of overheating shooting 2+ hour talking head stuff, (4K 24 MOV)

Battery hasn't been that bad or great for me! The RS is there if you move the camera very fast but nothing that I shoot requires that (YMMV).

I can also report that the Sigma 27-70 L mount works perfectly on it, this is the first non brand L-mount on the Lumix for me and I had some concerns from reading some reports, but knock on wood, so far it's been fine!

Overall, very happy so far..... 

[Walter H]

1 hour ago, ArashM said:

I haven't had a hint of overheating shooting 2+ hour talking head stuff, (4K 24 MOV)

This is reassuring! What was your setup - external power? external or internal recording? if internal, CFExpress or SD or both? HDMI monitoring? environment? 

All of this seems to conspire variably but I cannot bear to watch anymore on the interweb about this camera.