Panasonic S1R II overview: A wonderful hybrid digital camera that’s cheaper than rivals

With the A1, Sony was the primary to introduce a high-resolution hybrid digital camera that was equally adept at stills and video — however boy was it expensive. Nikon and Canon adopted that template with the R5 II and Z8 fashions that supplied comparable capabilities for much less cash, however these have been nonetheless nicely north of $4,000.

Enter the S1R II. It’s Panasonic’s first digital camera that may not solely shoot as much as 8K video on the firm’s typical excessive requirements, but in addition seize 44-megapixel (MP) photographs in fast bursts. And in contrast to its rivals, the brand new mannequin is offered at a extra cheap $3,300 — half the value of Sony’s A1 II. On the identical time, it’s a large improve over the unique S1R.

The principle catch is the shortage of a high-speed stacked sensor discovered within the different fashions, which may trigger some skewing in each photos and video. As I found, although, that tradeoff is nicely value it for the lower cost and film high quality that matches its competitors. All of that makes the S1R II Panasonic’s greatest digital camera but and a really tempting choice within the high-resolution mirrorless class.

The S1R II is just like different current Panasonic fashions just like the GH7 when it comes to the design and management structure. It’s a lot lighter than the unique S1R at 1.75 kilos in comparison with 2.24 kilos, so it’s much less tiresome to hold round all day. As for dealing with, the large grip has a ridge the place your fingertips sit, making it practically unattainable to drop. The rubberized exterior is straightforward on the fingers, although not fairly as good because the R5 II’s softer materials.

I’ve all the time favored Panasonic’s controls and in that regard the S1R II could be the firm’s greatest mannequin but. Together with a joystick and dials on the highest entrance, prime again and rear, it has lockable mode and burst taking pictures dials on prime. You additionally get a devoted button for photographs, video and sluggish and fast (S&Q) modes, every with separate settings. There’s a devoted autofocus change, video report buttons each on prime and entrance, a tally mild and a number of programmable buttons.

The menu system is equally good, with logical color-coded menus and submenus. It’s also possible to quickly discover your most-used capabilities within the fast menu. All of that allowed me to shoot photographs and video with out fumbling for settings. It’s also possible to totally program buttons, dials and the short menu to your individual preferences.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The rear show is nice for content material creators and photographers alike. It tilts up and down to permit for straightforward overhead or shoot-from-the hip pictures and likewise swivels out to the facet so vloggers can conveniently movie themselves. It’s very sharp and vivid sufficient to make use of on sunny days. The digital viewfinder can be glorious with 5.76 million dots of decision and 100% magnification, matching Canon’s R5 II and beating the Nikon Z8.

Battery life isn’t a robust level, although, with 350 pictures on a cost or simply 280 when utilizing the digital viewfinder — far under the 640 pictures allowed by the R5 II. It additionally solely permits simply over an hour of start-and-stop video taking pictures. Nevertheless, Panasonic’s optionally available DMW-BG2 battery grip doubles endurance and likewise permits for battery hot-swapping.

The S1R II helps each SDXC UHS II and far sooner CFexpress Kind B playing cards, whereas additionally supporting SSD seize by way of the USB-C port just like the S5 IIX and GH7. The latter two storage strategies allow taking pictures in high-bandwidth RAW and ProRes to maximise high quality.

Panasonic additionally included a full-sized HDMI port together with microphone and headphone jacks. For the absolute best sound high quality, the optionally available XLR2 accent permits you to seize 4 channels at as much as 32-bit float high quality to scale back the potential of clipped audio. And at last, the S1R II is Panasonic’s first mirrorless mannequin with a protecting carbon fiber curtain that comes down to guard the sensor, identical to current Canon and Sony fashions.

The Panasonic S1R II offers burst shooting speeds up to 40 fps in electronic shutter mode.
Steve Dent for Engadget

Though the original S1R might solely handle an anemic 6 fps burst speeds, its successor can hit 40 RAW photos per second in silent digital mode, beating all its rivals — although taking pictures at that pace limits high quality to 12-bit RAW. To get 14-bit high quality, it is advisable use the mechanical shutter for burst taking pictures which tops out at 9 fps.

Nevertheless, the Panasonic S1R II doesn’t have a quick stacked sensor like rivals. The result’s rolling shutter that may be an issue in some circumstances, like taking pictures race vehicles, propellers or golf swings. Nevertheless, it does outperform many different non-stacked high-resolution cameras like Sony’s A7R V and Panasonic’s personal S5 IIX in that space.

Pre-burst seize is now out there and begins whenever you half-press the shutter. That permits you to save as much as 1.5 seconds of photographs you might need in any other case missed when you totally press the shutter button.

With an overhauled phase-detect autofocus system and a brand new, sooner processor, the S1R II options Panasonic’s quickest and smartest AF system but. It may now lock onto a topic’s face and eyes faster and comply with their actions extra easily, whereas additionally detecting and routinely switching between people, animals, vehicles, bikes, bikes, trains and airplanes. I discovered it to be quick and usually dependable, but it surely’s nonetheless not fairly as much as Sony’s and Canon’s requirements for pace and accuracy.

Panasonic boosted in-body stabilization to eight stops. That’s practically on par with rivals, although Canon leads the best way with 8.5 stops on the R5 II. Nonetheless, it permits you to freeze motion at shutter speeds as little as 1 / 4 second in case you wish to blur waterfalls or shifting vehicles when taking pictures handheld.

Photograph high quality is excellent with element nearly as good as rivals, although understandably in need of Sony’s 61-megapixel A7R V. Colours are as correct as I’ve seen on any current digital camera, matching and even beating Canon’s glorious R5 II. My professional photographer pals took a lot of pictures with the S1R II and located it barely superior to their Sony A1, noting that they hardly ever wanted to white steadiness in publish.

Due to the dual-ISO backside-illuminated sensor, low-light functionality is superb for a high-resolution digital camera, with noise nicely managed as much as ISO 12,800. Past that, grain turns into extra problematic and shadows can tackle a inexperienced solid. JPEG noise discount does a very good job retaining element whereas suppressing noise, however will get overly aggressive above ISO 6,400.

If 44MP isn’t sufficient, the S1R II gives a high-resolution mode that captures eight photos with a barely offset sensor place and composes them right into a single 177 megapixel file (both RAW or JPEG). It may supposedly be used with no tripod, although I discovered I needed to stay very nonetheless to get first rate photos when doing so.

The S1R II is Panasonic’s greatest mirrorless digital camera but for video, albeit with some caveats I’ll focus on quickly. You possibly can seize as much as 8K 30p 10-bit video at a fairly excessive 300 Mbps, near what Sony’s far costlier A1 can do. Higher nonetheless, it helps oversampled 5.8K ProRes RAW video internally with no crop for max dynamic vary, or 4K video at as much as 120 fps. Lastly, the S1R II is able to “open gate” 3:2 seize of the complete sensor at as much as 6.4K (and 8K down the street by way of a firmware replace), making it simple to shoot all sorts of codecs without delay, together with vertical video for social media.

The Panasonic S1R II is an excellent vlogging camera thanks to the innovative stabilization system.
Steve Dent for Engadget

A few of these resolutions, notably the 5.9K 60 fps and 4K 120 fps modes include a slight crop of about 1.1x and 1.04x, respectively. 4K 120 fps additionally makes use of pixel binning, which introduces a lack of decision and different artifacts like rainbow-colored moire.

That takes us to the primary draw back: rolling shutter. The S1R II is definitely a bit higher than the S5 II in that regard, with a complete readout pace of about 1/fortieth of a second, or about 25 milliseconds at any of the complete sensor readout resolutions (8K or 5.8K). That may end up in wobble or skew in case you whip the digital camera round or movie fast-moving objects. Nevertheless, it’s acceptable for normal handheld taking pictures.

One complication is Panasonic’s dynamic vary growth (DRE) that reinforces video dynamic vary by a cease, largely in a picture’s highlights. Enabling that function makes rolling shutter worse.

Ought to it is advisable cut back rolling shutter, you possibly can merely disable DRE with no massive hit in high quality. And taking pictures 4K at 60p minimizes rolling shutter in order that it’s practically on par with stacked sensor cameras, whereas nonetheless providing high-quality footage with only a slight crop.

As for video high quality, it’s razor sharp and colour rendition is correct and pleasing. Dynamic vary is on the excessive finish of cameras I’ve examined at near 14 stops when taking pictures with Panasonic’s V-log, permitting glorious shadow and spotlight restoration, particularly in DRE mode. It’s nonetheless superb with out DRE although, notably in case you’re not taking pictures in vivid and sunny circumstances.

Video still from the Panasonic S1R II
Body seize from Panasonic S1R II 8K video
Steve Dent for Engadget

Video AF can be sturdy, conserving even quick-moving topics in focus. Face, eye, animal and automobile detection work nicely, although once more, the system isn’t fairly as dependable as what I noticed on Sony and Canon’s newest fashions.

The S1R II gives extra stabilization choices than its rivals, although. Optical stabilization supplies good outcomes for handheld video, whereas digital stabilization (EIS) smooths issues additional . Cranking that as much as essentially the most aggressive excessive EIS setting supplies gimbal-like smoothness however introduces a big 1.5x crop.

Together with these, Panasonic launched one thing referred to as “cropless” EIS. That setting takes benefit of unused areas of the sensor to appropriate nook distortion typical with broad angle lenses whereas additionally fixing skew. I discovered it labored very nicely to scale back rolling shutter even for fast pans and strolling, which can assist alleviate such issues for some creators.

So sure, rolling shutter wobble is worse on this digital camera than rivals just like the R5 II. Nevertheless, there are methods to work round it. If minimal skewing is a important function then don’t purchase the S1R II, but it surely shouldn’t be a difficulty for many customers, notably at this worth.

The Panasonic S1R II is one of the nicest handling cameras out there.
Steve Dent for Engadget

The S1R II is Panasonic’s greatest hybrid mirrorless digital camera so far, providing a terrific steadiness of pictures and video powers. It’s additionally the most affordable new digital camera within the high-resolution hybrid full-frame class, undercutting rivals like Canon’s R5 II and the Nikon Z8.

The principle draw back is rolling shutter that primarily impacts video. As I discussed, although, it received’t pose an issue for a lot of content material creators and there are workarounds. Apart from that, it delivers excellent photograph and video high quality whereas providing revolutionary options like cropless digital stabilization.

In the event you want much more decision, Sony’s 61MP A7R V gives barely higher picture high quality. And if rolling shutter is absolutely a difficulty then I’d suggest Canon’s R5 II (although that mannequin does price $1,000 extra) or the Nikon Z8. Must you wish to spend significantly much less, the Canon R6 II and even Panasonic’s S5 II or S5 IIx are stable picks. For different hybrid shooters, although, Panasonic’s S1R II is a good selection.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/panasonic-s1r-ii-review-an-excellent-hybrid-camera-thats-cheaper-than-rivals-163013065.html?src=rss

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