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Check out the samples For a gallery of stills, ISO comparison and exposure latitude tests, as well as video samples, head to photographynews.co.uk
What makes the S1 II stand out for filmmakers are things like its 6K/30p open gate recording, which captures the entire sensor area – great when reframing and for vertical workflows. The latest firmware adds multiple frame guides at once, so you can frame with a clear view to what a vertical or horizontal crop will look like in post. For content creators who might need to produce both versions for social media, this is great. As well as the 4K/120p with the 1.24x crop, in 5.7K you get up to 60p with full sensor width capture. Or try 4K or C4K downsampled for up to 60p in amazing quality, while 1080p in 240fps gives super slow-motion, and audio is captured too. Internal codec choices include All-Intra, Long GOP, Apple ProRes and ProRes Raw recording up to 4.2Gbps via its CFexpress Type B card slot. The second slot is SD only, which is simply not quick enough to handle this. As the footage can be written to an external SSD via USB, Panasonic is the first to introduce a great new feature: if you have recorded onto the CFexpress card, then you can plug in an SSD via USB-C and copy all the data to it without a laptop. It’s not particularly fast, but the ability to make instant backups in the field with no laptop is simply brilliant. What could be better? This new Lumix has some truly great technology, such as the eight-stop IBIS, which now extends to video stabilisation even in 4K/60p. This allows very stable handheld shooting, especially when using Boost IS mode.
Verdict It’s taken longer than it should, but Panasonic now boasts a full-frame mirrorless that matches up to the best rival offerings – and in many ways exceeds them, especially for content creators who value video performance and spec. Panasonic has clearly delivered what today’s creatives need. Features 24/25 It really does have the lot, including phase detection AF, plus ProRes Raw internal and SSD recording with 6K video Handling 24/25 Thankfully smaller and lighter than the old Lumix S1H, but complex menus are pretty obvious to navigate Performance 24/25 Doesn’t produce the highest-resolution stills, but they exude quality, while video is simply stunning, with low noise and great colours Value for money 23/25 It’s cheaper than the rival flagship offerings, but more expensive than Nikon’s Z 6III, which has a similar sensor but lesser spec Overall 95/100 Designed for multi-format creators who demand pro-level capabilities, the S1 II has great image quality, good IBIS and some unique features Pros A do-everything camera with stunning video spec like ProRes Raw Cons Not the best AF and no fully stacked sensor or in-body electronic ND filter
ALL-ROUND GREAT From architecture
images to mixed- lighting shots of award-winning filmmakers in coffee shops, the Panasonic Lumix S1 II can handle any subject with great results
The camera also supports ‘cropless’ stabilisation, which cleverly uses the pixels at the edge of the sensor to be used for super-stable footage with no crop. But no camera is perfect, and the S1 II does have its quirks. The autofocus, while much improved, still isn’t quite as foolproof as some. The subject tracking is less intuitive than on some rival cameras, due to its slightly convoluted method of engaging the tap-to-focus. The buffer depths could be better given the high burst rates for stills, and the lack of frame rate options between 10fps and 70fps is a pain. And, of course, the L-Mount does mean that there aren’t loads of full-frame shooters with a bagful of lenses to fit. But none of these take away from the fact that the Lumix is a truly great camera for stills or video. It might have taken some time, but Panasonic’s flagship moment is here.
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