Panasonic Lumix S1 II: A dream box for videographers?

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Panasonic Lumix S1ii

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And two! After having unveiled the successor of the Lumix S1r two months ago with the S1R II, Panasonic gives a descendant to the S1 and today announces its Lumix S1 II, its new professional box with 24 Mpix sensor.

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Completely based on the same physical case as the S1R II, the Lumix S1 II differ from its big brother on a major point: the sensor. As the first S1 of (already!) Six years of age the “classic” definition of 24 Mpix, the Lumix S1 II, does not display the same performance as the first S1. Not only is the sensor (and the image processor) new, but in addition it has two key technologies. The first, recovered from the S5 II, is of course the addition of phase detection, in addition to the detection of contrast, in order to offer a faster AF. The second is the so-called “semi-emptied” design of the sensor.

Second case in the world to have used this technology after the Nikon Z6 III, the S1 II therefore benefits from a sensor incorporating RAM. Less well integrated than in a truly stacked sensor, this memory however offers the component of reading speeds much faster than a conventional sensor. Which benefits as well in photo, as video.

Rafale 70 I/S and Rolling Shutter decreased

For photographers, the semi-emptied sensor brings a boost of Rafale. A big boost even: up to 70 i/s in priority speed – 60 I/S in priority sharpness of the images. With a buffer memory ranging from 180 RAW+JPEG images (super high speed) to 200 images (Rafale at 10 I/S), we can clearly use it for action scenes, even if it is not strictly speaking a sport housing.

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On the video side, the semi-emptied sensor not only brings a correction of the vertical deformations (Jelly Effect), but also a reading flow allowing very important internal recording speeds. So much that the most demanding videographers will be able to shoot, internally, sequences in the Apple Prores Raw HQ format. The grace is also rendered to the location see express, supported by an SD location.

Camera technical sheet

The video features of which one could qualify as “GH full format” – in tribute to the brand’s micro 4/3 boxes – makes you dizzy. If, definition of the sensor obliges, the 8K video is not there, for the rest, the machine checks all the boxes of an ultra -advanced video use.

On bulk site A mechanical stabilization of the sensor which rises at 8-speed, a double iso native sensor, U, 5.1K60 Open Gate mode (full sensor), a 6k30p Open Gate mode, the C4K120P, the V-Log/V-Gammut profiles, the management of proxy files, a future compatibility with the arrival profiles 10 Bit compatible with the workflow cinema arrived, etc.

We add to this the management of timecodes in Bluetooth to manage wirelessly and without touching them with cameras and direct recording on SSD (and a copy mode on SSD) via HDMI 1. Or even support, unique in the industry, of the audio mode 32 floating bit (with the optional XLR DMW-XLR2 adapter).

In terms of photo, we note the presence of a 96 MPIX high-definement mode (finally compatible with hand-lifting), improved AF algorithms and Lut management, one of the major assets of Panasonic. Even if integration is not as well thought out as on the S9 (no dedicated button).

Balanced in photo and (theoretically) very efficient in video, the Panasonic Lumix S1 II has beautiful assets to seduce. But a price that can cool to € 3,499 naked box, it is much more expensive than certain recent boxes, such as the Nikon Z6 III (€ 2,600). It should therefore be chosen for video applications – and if possible for advance use that allows the cost to be amortized!

The Panasonic Lumix S1 II will be launched in June in two versions: