Panasonic S1 II evaluate: A near-perfect creator's digicam if cash isn’t any object

After a six-year wait, Panasonic’s S1 II is lastly right here and there is a lot to unpack. As you’d anticipate from this firm, it’s creator-centric with as much as 5.8K ProRes RAW inner video recording. On the identical time, it’s Panasonic’s quickest full-frame photograph digicam ever with 70 fps burst speeds and diminished rolling shutter distortion because of the brand new partially stacked 24-megapixel sensor. And with an AI-powered hybrid part detect system, autofocus is not a weak level because it was with the unique S1.

There may be one situation although, and a stunning one for Panasonic: the value. The $3,200 S1 II is just like Nikon’s Z6 III, proper all the way down to the partially stacked sensor and inner RAW video. Nonetheless, the latter is a few $700 cheaper and may typically be discovered on sale for even much less. Since Panasonic typically undercuts rivals, that places the S1 II within the uncommon place of being overpriced subsequent to the competitors. After testing it for the final month, I’ve discovered that whether or not it is value it relies on your priorities.

Dealing with and design

The S1 II shares its wonderful physique design with the higher-resolution S1R II and the cheaper, non-stacked S1 IIe. It’s significantly lighter than the unique S1 at 1.76 kilos and far smaller as effectively, each of which make it much less burdensome. It’s additionally simple to carry because of the massive ridged grip. Nonetheless, it’s extra angular and has a more durable rubber pores and skin than Canon’s rival EOS R6 II, so it’s not fairly as comfy over lengthy taking pictures periods.

The superb management structure makes the S1 II a breeze to make use of. It has all of the buttons and dials you want and so they’re effectively situated — significantly the joystick and management dials. There’s a devoted change for pictures, video and sluggish and fast (S&Q) modes, and every has separate changes so that you gained’t combine them up. It additionally has a devoted autofocus change, two video report buttons (high and entrance), 10 different programmable buttons and a tally gentle.

I hardly ever wanted to seek for settings because of the logical color-coded tabs and easy-to-use fast menu, each accessible by contact or the joystick. Panasonic additionally made it easy to program buttons, dials and the short menu to your private preferences and it permits you to save them to a reminiscence card as a backup.

The S1 II’s digital viewfinder is shiny and sharp, matching the Z6 III with a decision of 5.76 million dots and 0.78x magnification. The rear show not solely swivels out but additionally tilts up and down for overhead or hip-level images. As compared, Nikon’s Z6 III display screen doesn’t tilt, so it’s not as versatile.

As with the S1R II, battery life isn’t a robust level right here, with solely 360 pictures on a cost or 320 when utilizing the EVF. To be honest, that matches the Z6 III precisely (and Panasonic’s non-stacked S1 II is simply barely higher at 380 pictures), however Canon’s cheaper R6 II has greater than twice the battery life at 760 pictures.

With a view to seize RAW video, the S1 II has a CFexpress Kind B card slot together with a slower SDXC UHS-II slot. Just like the S5 IIx and GH7 (and several other Fujifilm fashions), it additionally helps high-bandwidth RAW video seize to an SSD by way of the USB-C port.

The S1 II comes with a full-sized HDMI port that helps Blackmagic and ProRes RAW seize. You additionally get mic and headphone ports, and you may seize 32-bit float audio by way of the elective XLR2 accent to scale back the opportunity of clipping. Lastly, the S1 II has a carbon fiber curtain that comes down to guard the sensor like current Canon and Sony fashions.

Efficiency

The S1 II can fireplace bursts at a pedestrian 10 fps in mechanical shutter mode, however helps an outstanding 70 RAW photographs per second with the digital shutter. And if you happen to’re fearful about skewed photographs, don’t fret. Distortion is minimal in digital mode because of the partially-stacked sensor that has a fast readout velocity of round 12 milliseconds. That’s quick sufficient for sports activities or wildlife images, except the topic strikes very quickly.

Pre-burst seize, which begins if you half-press the shutter, can be out there on the highest speeds. That permits you to save as much as 1.5 seconds of pictures you may need in any other case missed when you totally press the shutter button. The buffer is a bit small, although, so you’ll be able to solely seize about three seconds (220 pictures) on the 70 fps velocity.

The hybrid phase-detect autofocus is the perfect of any Panasonic digicam I’ve examined up to now. Nonetheless, it’s not but as much as Sony and Canon’s requirements for velocity and accuracy, and falls a bit wanting Nikon’s Z6 III. In the event you’re taking pictures a fast-moving topic on the most burst price of 70 fps, you may even see various out-of-focus pictures.

The S1 II helps a number of AI modes — together with animals, birds and automobiles — on high of human eye-tracking modes. I had blended success with these because the digicam had bother locking onto the eyes of some birds and marine mammals I shot on the Vancouver Aquarium. Nonetheless, it was higher with extra typical animal topics like canines, cats, horses and geese. Panasonic additionally launched an AF mode known as City Sports activities that improves monitoring for breakdancing, skateboarding and parkour. I examined that mode with some skate boarders on the highest burst settings and noticed a excessive share (90-plus) of in-focus pictures.

One space the place Panasonic tops its rivals is stabilization. That’s been boosted to eight stops (barely wanting the R6 II’s eight and a half stops), which allowed me to shoot at shutter speeds all the way down to a half second and nonetheless get sharp pictures. And as I’ll clarify shortly, the S1 II is peerless in relation to video stabilization.

Picture high quality

I’ve been impressed with Panasonic’s colour science of late, discovering that it matches Nikon in delivering a few of the most color-accurate photographs of any system. By comparability, Canon’s photographs skew hotter, and I really feel that Sony fashions just like the A7 IV lack some accuracy, significantly with blue-green colours.

The S1 II delivers pleasing JPEGs with a pleasant stability between sharpness and noise discount, although the latter can get overly aggressive at excessive ISO ranges. RAW photographs provide loads of element in gentle and darkish areas of the picture, letting you tweak and proper to a nice diploma. Understand that utilizing the digital shutter in burst modes reduces RAW bit depth from 14 to 12.

The draw back of any stacked sensor is extra noise, and the S1 II isn’t any exception. That is most obvious at greater ISO ranges the place the digicam reveals a bit extra grain than Panasonic’s S5, which has the identical decision however isn’t stacked. That mentioned, the S1 II has about the identical low-light prowess because the Z6 III and beats most totally stacked cameras.

If the native 24MP decision isn’t sufficient, the S1 II affords a high-resolution mode that captures eight photographs with a barely offset sensor place and composes them right into a single 96-megapixel file (both RAW or JPEG). I used to be capable of take sharp photographs in that mode with out the usage of a tripod because of the S1 II’s wonderful in-body stabilization system.

Video

The S1 II doesn’t shoot 8K RAW just like the 44MP S1R II as a result of its decrease decision. Nonetheless, it does help 5.8K 30 fps ProRes RAW, open gate full sensor video and tremendous slow-mo (4K 120p) — all with far much less rolling shutter distortion. Due to that, I feel it is a higher digicam total for creators.

After all, the S1 II affords 10-bit video in each MP4 and Quicktime codecs on high of RAW. Panasonic’s V-Log can be on faucet to spice up dynamic vary, and because of a current firmware replace, you’ll be able to pay $200 to get ARRI LogC3 to match that firm’s professional digital cinema cameras.

With that very same firmware replace, the S1 II now helps 17 body side ratios (up from 10), and allows simultaneous show of as much as three frames directly (not like the LogC3 replace, these are free). That can allow you to shoot open gate, for example, whereas seeing how the picture will look in each vertical and horizontal side ratios.

Total, video high quality is excellent with sharp oversampling, wonderful colour accuracy and first rate dynamic vary. The latter will be elevated utilizing Panasonic’s dynamic vary enhance possibility, though that successfully doubles rolling shutter distortion. With out the setting enabled, skew from rolling shutter is simply a difficulty with whip pans or very fast-moving topics.

Video AF is stable, maintaining topics in focus so long as they don’t transfer too rapidly. Face, eye, animal, city sports activities and automobile detection work effectively, although you’ll see a bit extra accuracy and velocity on Canon and Sony’s newest fashions.

The S1 II affords higher video stabilization than its rivals, although. Optical stabilization supplies good outcomes for handheld video, whereas digital stabilization (EIS) supplies gimbal-like smoothness at the price of a major crop. As with different current Panasonic fashions, the S1 II additionally affords “cropless” EIS that corrects nook distortion when utilizing vast lenses, whereas additionally decreasing rolling shutter.

Because of a built-in fan, overheating is never a difficulty with the S1 II. The one time I ever noticed an issue was with 5.8K at 60 fps and 5.1K open gate recording, when the digicam shut down after 50 minutes and 40 minutes respectively. That’s nonetheless wonderful for a small mirrorless digicam. These limits are eradicated, by the way in which, if you happen to report to an SSD by way of the USB-C port.

Creators could marvel how the S1 II compares to Nikon’s Z6 III. The latter affords extra RAW choices, with the selection of 5.8K Nikon RAW (N-RAW) at as much as 60 fps relatively than simply 30 fps. Each provide comparable video high quality as they use the identical sensor. The Z6 III has barely higher autofocus, however the S5 II has superior stabilization and dealing with. Lastly, the S1 II has some good professional options like timecode, waveform monitoring and professional audio. I’d say the S1 II is barely higher for video shooters, however the Z6 III is considerably cheaper.

Wrap-up

Panasonic’s S1 II is a strong hybrid digicam, and if it wasn’t so costly, it will be a no brainer for creators. Nonetheless, Nikon’s Z6 III has almost the identical video capabilities, is a greater digicam for images and prices at the very least $600 much less, so I’m inclined to advocate that mannequin for many customers.

An alternative choice at a cheaper price is Panasonic’s new $2,500 S1 IIe, which was introduced similtaneously the S1 II. It has the identical physique and largely the identical characteristic set, however makes use of the non-stacked sensor from the S5 II, so rolling shutter is extra of a difficulty.

In the event you favor images, the higher-resolution S1R II is a greater possibility and prices simply $100 extra. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re a video professional who wants options like time code, ARRI LogC3 and superior monitoring or audio options, the S1 II is a stable selection. These of us may wish to await a sale although.