Panasonic Lumix S1R II hands-on review: a proper hybrid flagship at a price that's hard to resist

It's been a long while since Panasonic last launched a full-frame flagship Lumix S1 mirrorless camera. The Lumix S1 series was first released back in 2019, comprising the original Lumix S1 as a hybrid do-it-all camera, alongside the Lumix S1R as a resolution specialist at the expense of some video features. These were then a year later joined by the video-focused Lumix S1H blurring the lines between mirrorless and cine cameras.

Although Panasonic was not the only brand to split its product lines into specialisms, we have recently seen more and more hybrid cameras able to be image and video powerhouses at the same time. Panasonic was quick to hop on this trend with its two most recent full-frame releases – the Lumix S5II combined the best of both stills and video into an affordable package, while the Lumix S5IIX kept the photo specs, but added some more specialist video features that earned our plaudits as the best camera for video.

But where does that leave the flagship S1 lineup? Well the S1 is back – with the latest Lumix S1R II arriving to sit atop the Panasonic full-frame lineup. But while it might have the R designation for resolution in the name, that is certainly not all this camera is about, and while it is not inconceivable that Panasonic might have an S1H II around the corner – it looks more like the S1R II is an amalgamation of the S1, S1R, and S1H lineups into one hybrid powerhouse.

With headline features including a 44MP sensor, 40fps shooting, improved autofocus, 8K video with 14 stops of dynamic range, and, coming soon via a firmware update, 8K open gate video – the Lumix S1RII certainly on paper looks like it has both the photo and video specs to challenge the very best flagships from rival brands, but off the spec sheet, can it deliver?

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Specifications

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Price

Panasonic is now known for its competitive pricing on its mirrorless bodies, and the Lumix S1R II doesn’t let up, starting at just $3,299 / £2,999 / AU$5,499 for the body only or $TBC / £3,799 with the Lumix S 24-105 f/4 lens.

This is a serious warning shot to Canon and Sony, with the nearest equivalent in video from both brands costing significantly more – the Canon EOS R5 Mark II costing $4,299 and the Sony A1 II costing $6,499. Nikon is perhaps the full-frame brand that comes closest with the Nikon Z8 at $3,999. Although, if you are willing to consider APS-C, then the fantastic Fujifilm X-H2 is just $1,999.

It's not a like-for-like comparison, with each brand having its own wins for speed, resolution, or autofocus, but if you are looking for a full-frame mirrorless hybrid camera that offers the best specs for the best value, it's hard to argue that right now, that is not the Lumix S1R II.

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Design & Handling

At around twenty percent smaller and lighter than the original S1R, the new model weighs 796g compared to the first generation’s 1016g. Panasonic has actually managed to keep the size of the S1RII body to just two percent larger than the Lumix S5IIX.

The size of the body is more impressive when you take into account the amount of additional heat that recording in 8K open gate is likely going to produce. The S1RII contains an internal fan and three vents around the viewfinder controlling heat dissipation, this is identical to the S5IIX which tops out at 6K open gate, but with no additional physical changes, Panasonic seems to be relying on the improved efficiencies of its sensor and processor to reach smooth 8K open gate recording promised in an upcoming update.

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The overall design won’t be unfamiliar to S1R users, though the layout has been refined to fit more recent Lumix mirrorless cameras.

Fans of the top-down screen look away now, as that was been sacrificed from the first generation model, making way for the PASM dial to move to the right and the shooting mode dial to take over on the left. The grip has also been redesigned with the control wheel moving from a separate dial to sitting around the shutter button.

Other changes include the port covers now covering each port individually, rather than one flap covering two or three, which should help with keeping the camera sealed against the elements by not having open and unused ports exposed. The flaps themselves are flexible rubber so can be bent back with no danger of snapping off.

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The S1RII has gained a new 3-inch 1840k-dot free-angle LCD screen which trumps the two-way tilting screen on the S1R for usability, although at a slightly lower size and resolution. The free-angle screen goes with the S1R II’s pitch to being a full hybrid camera with a vari-angle screen being a lot more freeing to compose video on. Despite the small drop in resolution, the screen quality is good and keeps up with rivals. However, with it becoming increasingly easier to use your phone as an external video monitor or recorder with accessories like the Ninja Phone, or various apps including Panasonic’s own brand-new Lumix Flow app, you might find yourself using the screen less and less.

The OLED viewfinder has the same resolution and a rounded eyecup as the previous S1R. The rounded eyecup should in theory let less stray light in, although I personally feel it doesn’t make all that much difference to light or comfort, but I do associate round eyecups with premium cameras. The viewfinder itself though is very nice to use, sharp, and clear with a good refresh rate, it was easy to track and compose fast-moving subjects, and there is no blackout when shooting at high frame rates.

For storage, there is a CFExpress Type B slot alongside a UHS-II SD card slot, and the S1RII is also capable of recording directly to SSD. You’ll need to use either SSD or CFExpress for some of the S1RII’s highest-spec video outputs in Apple ProRes.

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Design-wise, I don’t think Lumix S cameras are the best-looking cameras out there, with some of the design elements feeling a bit dated, but the Lumix layout is really well thought out, there is a physical dial or button for pretty much everything I want to do, everything is clearly labeled, and everything is within reach. I have only been shooting with the Lumix S1RII for the last couple of days, but the experience is so similar to the S5II that I feel immediately at home, and I think anyone coming to Lumix for the first time wouldn’t struggle to pick it up pretty quickly.

Buttons are raised enough that they are easy to find without looking, but have a nice spring to them so aren’t easy to unintentionally press. The dials have enough resistance for subtle changes with a satisfying audible click, although it is easy to spin through the dials quickly. Overall the S1RII feels solid, well built, and every inch the flagship you would expect.

I can’t neglect to mention lenses. There are now a ridiculous amount of L-mount lenses available from brands in the L-mount Alliance including Lumix, Leica, and Sigma as well as all the non-members who have no issues cranking out a huge breadth of L-mount lenses for practically any user and any price point. This pits Lumix cameras up against Sony for the sheer choice of lenses available, with Canon and Nikon’s reluctance to open up their mounts until recently leaving them in a far weaker position for now.

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Photo Performance

Image quality is superb, I have done the majority of my testing with the excellent Lumix 70-200mm f/4 lens which renders really nicely, but combined with the 44MP sensor in the S1R II it pulls out so much detail. ISO performance is also excellent, at full size, I was comfortable shooting ISO12,800 with only minor noticeable grain.

Autofocus has been vastly improved from the previous model, now using Panasonic’s latest phase and contrast-detect system with some AI-assisted subject recognition thrown in. Autofocus is really quick, snapping to manually selected focus point in an instant, with barely any noticeable instances of it hunting for focus. After a few years of bashing Lumix’s AF, this is certainly no longer a criticism you can level against the system with its AF being almost caught up to its closest rivals.

Subject detection autofocus is solid. Unfortunately, you do still need to manually select the subject that the S1R II should be hunting for from the options, there is no automatic subject selection which lags behind rivals. The subjects it can detect are human faces and eyes, animal faces and eyes, cars, bikes, trains, and airplanes.

The system was excellent on human subjects, picking out subjects' faces and eyes virtually every time, but it doesn’t quite have the same stickiness as Sony or Canon’s systems with their human pose estimation AI. The AF could also be a little skittish at times, with snappy subject movements briefly causing the tracking to lose focus before pulling it back. Animal recognition was also very reliable, it had no issue picking out the bodies and eyes of a range of animals and birds.

Battery life is the biggest black mark against the S1R II, rated at just 340 shots when using the screen, and around 280 with the EVF there has been no improvement on the previous model. It's disappointing for a flagship workhorse camera, especially when rivals like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II are rated for up to 640 shots. Sometimes in practice batteries outperform their rating, but unfortunately, I can’t say this for the SR1 II, with the battery barely getting through an afternoon of testing.

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Sample Images

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Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Video Performance

With each Lumix camera that comes across my desk, I am running out of adjectives to describe how incredible Panasonic’s video quality is. Not all 4K is created equal, and definitely not all 8K is, and both out of the S1R II are sublime. You can see some footage taken from the S1R II in the below video, but unfortunately, our video player resolution cannot do justice to the level of detail captured, you’ll just have to take my word for it that this is some of the best video you will see from a hybrid camera right now.

There is an almost overwhelming number of different recording options on the S1R II, between MP4, MOV, and ProRes, there are sixty-six different combinations of resolution, frame rates, bits rates, crops, and more stretching from FHD 1080p up to 8K. Professionals, you won’t get caught short no matter what setup you are looking for, but with little in-camera guidance about what all the specs and numbers mean, more inexperienced videographers might struggle to figure out which combination is right for your project.

However, with the exception of 8K and internal ProRes 5.8K RAW HQ, the majority of these options are present on the Lumix S5 IIX, including the ability to shoot in 6.2K open gate, so if you already own that camera, unless 8K really appeals to you and your work, then you might be best sticking with what you have. I think the S1R II’s appeal really is for system switchers, who might feel short-changed by their current brand's uncharitable video specs.

However, that said, and while I love to talk about cutting-edge specs, you should avoid getting sucked into the spec race if you don’t need to. For serious moviemakers, this is a powerhouse, but for the less experienced, I would take a pause and think carefully if you really need all the additional video specs that the S1R II offers. Are you going to use ProRes 5.8K RAW HQ when the default output is 3.4Gbps? What’s your project and do you need all that quality for it just to be downgraded to stream on social media?

Panasonic’s Dual IS (image stabilization) system is a standout again, now offering up to 8.0 stops of stabilization, although this reduces slightly to 7.0 stops at peripheries / telephoto lengths. I shot a lot of my footage at around 200mm, and static shots were rock solid and panning was very smooth. For heavier movement, there are the usual High and Standard electronic image stabilization (EIS) which work very well for heavier movement such as walking, although at a crop – and if you’re going to get much more vigorous than that then I’d still invest in a gimbal.

The S1R II also introduces a new cropless EIS mode, however, this works only with wide-angle lenses and relies on the modern trait of lenses having in-camera corrections applied – a big pet peeve of our Lab Manager Ben. The cropless EIS mode uses the peripherals of footage before it is corrected for distortion to assist with stabilization, with the caveat that this might add some vignetting to the footage. Vignetting is easily correctable in post, and I’d take the minor inconvenience for wider stabilized footage. I have used this in Canon’s cameras before to good effect – although unfortunately at the time of writing, I don’t have a lens wide enough to get this to work on the S1R II.

Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Early Verdict

The Lumix S1RII is a much-needed refresh of its flagship camera, putting it firmly back atop the tree in Panasonic’s mirrorless lineup as both the highest resolution model and with the best video specs. And what video specs! With an incredible 14 stops of dynamic range in 8K, and coming soon via a firmware update, 8K open gate video, as well as a plethora of options for RAW and Apple ProRes internal recording. There are also improvements in image stabilization with up to 8.0 stops, as well as Lumix’s brand-new cropless electronic image stabilization.

The improvements to photos are also impressive, but less headline-grabbing, with a new (but slightly lower resolution) 44MP sensor, paired with Panansonic’s latest autofocus to recognize more subjects with more accuracy. The biggest improvement in imagery comes in speed, with the electronic shutter now able to handle up to 40fps, up from the paltry 9fps from the S1R.

I have had the S1RII for just a few days, so I am busy putting it through its paces, but so far, it's hard to really fault it. The only lingering doubt I have is perhaps Panasonic has shot itself in the foot slightly by making the Lumix S5IIX just so good when it comes to video that it hasn’t left enough space for the S1R II, as for most I would suggest the more affordable model serves their needs as both photographers and videographers.

Alternatives

Nikon Z8
Okay, I think the Nikon Z8 is the better camera, it's faster, with a higher resolution, and nippier autofocus – and it is serious value for money. Although I would settle for the minor trade-offs of the S1R II for the even lower price. Read the full Nikon Z8 review...

Fujifilm X-H2
Full frame is highly overrated and some of the best photographers/videographers are shooting with APS-C. The Fujifilm X-H2 is the very best of APS-C and has very similar photo and video specs to the S1R II. Read the full Fujifilm X-H2 review...