After what seems like an eternity, it looks like we're finally going to see the new flagship Panasonic Lumix S1R II – over half a decade after the release of the original model.
I first saw the OG Panasonic Lumix S1R in 2018, at the last ever Photokina (where the L-Mount Alliance was announced), but it wasn't launched until April 2019. Now, according to a new report, we're going to see the Lumix S1R II announced in February ahead of the CP+ trade show in Japan.
There was a lot to love about the 47.3MP S1R – so much, in fact, that Leica essentially put a red dot on it and released it as the Leica SL2 a few months later. And here's where things get interesting, because it's very likely that the Lumix S1R II is going to be pretty similar to the recent Leica SL3.
It's no secret that technology ping-pongs between the two companies, as Leica's VP of photo and technology, Stefan Daniel, told me last year. "We have had this partnership with Panasonic since 2001," he said.
"We can really benefit from one party creating technology A and giving to party B, and vice versa, so that we all benefit from it and have some synergies, have some money, be a bit faster and just team up. That's what it all is about."
So, what does that mean for the S1R II's specs? Well, as noted in the story by L-Rumors, "The sources have not yet shared the camera’s specifications, but it is clear that it will use the same Leica SL3 sensor and core technology. But unlike the Leica, the new successor to the S1R will be able to take decent video and will have a much more affordable price."
If true, that means we're looking at the triple resolution a 60.3MP (9520 x 6336) / 36.4MP (7392 x 4928) / 18.5MP (5280 x 3504) sensor with phase detect autofocus. The resolution makes it capable of 8K 30p video, and the sensor has a dual base ISO of ISO50-280 (ISO200-560 in Log) and ISO320-100,000 (ISO640-100,000 in Log).
Beyond that, it's all educated guesswork. The autofocus will be better than the SL3, thanks to Panasonic's impressive Dual Hybrid AF technology, and I can only imagine that the burst speed will be massively improved from the 5fps (with AF, 15fps without it) of the Leica.
Panasonic was on a real roll with the Lumix S5 II and S5 IIX, though the Lumix S9 had more of a mixed reception thanks to muddled messaging. However, with all guns blazing for the new flagship model, the gauntlet has already been thrown down for CP+ showdown!
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