Panasonic Lumix S1R II review: a smaller and smarter Lumix S flagship
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this Matsushita The Lumix S1R II is the new flagship model of Panasonic’s Lumix S series Complete mirrorless camerareplaces the original 2019 release S1R.
The S1R II first built the most important “R” for capturing a lot of details (presumably “resolution”), and the S1R II has a new full-frame 44.3MP CMOS sensor and can record 8k Up to 30fps videos, not to mention 4K Video at 120FPS – a significant resolution and frame rate improvement over its predecessor.
Panasonic has also made meaningful advances in other areas, most notably autofocus, continuous shooting speed and image stabilization, while reducing the overall size and weight of the camera body. Lumix S1R.
There were days when some of these claims were submitted to test using a pre-production review sample, and I was ready to share my first impressions of the Lumix S1R II. Read on for my hands-on reviews – Don’t forget to come back soon for a complete, in-depth and extensive final review of Panasonic’s new series of mirrorless cameras.
Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Price and Release Date
- Lumix S1R II body: $3,299 / £2,999 / au $5,499
- UK-only Lumix S1R II with 24-105mm lens beam: £3,799
- For sale in March 2025
The Panasonic Lumix S1R II will be available in March 2025 for a body of $3,299/£2,999/au $5,499. In the UK, it will also be available in a 24-105mm f/4 standard zoom lens package for £3,799. These are roughly the same cost as the original Lumix S1R when it was launched in 2019, so it’s hard to complain too much about the price.
In addition, Panasonic also launched the battery clamp DMW-BG2 next to the camera. This will also start from March 2025 and will be priced at $349/£299.
Specification
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sensor: |
Full frame, 44.3MP BSI CMOS |
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video: |
Open door, 8k 30p / 5.9k 60p / 4k 120p |
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Continued. shooting |
10FPS (mechanical), 40fps (electronics) |
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Viewfinder: |
OLED, 576m dots, 120/60fps |
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LCD: |
3-inch vari-angle, 184m dots |
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Battery: |
350 pictures (standard) 1100 pictures (ECO) |
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weight: |
28.04oz / 795g |
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aspect: |
134.3 x 102.3 x 91.8mm |
Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Design and Processing
- Relatively compact, only 795 grams
- Detailed OLED viewfinder
- Front and rear lights
The original Lumix S1R is a big, bulky camera that is annoying at times – but I feel different about the S1R II. Lighter than its predecessor (over 200g), more compact in body, it feels more like a camera you can carry with you every day than on special occasions. Of course, it does depend on the lens you choose: 16-35mm Zoom Panasonic sent me this review is a huge piece of glass, but the 85mm Prime makes for a more manageable and agile setup.
The classic DSLR style shape is a pleasure, and I think the physical controls are good. Between the Photo, Video and S&Q (Slow and Fast) shooting modes, the front and top recording buttons, and enough dials, there is a dial that flicks quickly to ensure any settings can be adjusted quickly. The original S1R’s top panel LCD information panel has arrived, which helps to make it lowered its size and its successor – but I think some people might miss it.
Meanwhile, the on-screen UI will immediately become familiar with anyone using the recent Lumix camera. The 3-inch screen itself is a very standard event, capable of tilting and rotating well in almost any direction, while the large super can do it OLED The viewfinder is a highlight and is very happy to fight your eyes.
The connection is very stable. There is a full-size HDMI plus USB-C, MIC, headphones and wired remote sockets, and now each kit has its own protective door. In terms of storage, there is a single SD card slot and an additional slot for high-performance CFASPRESS Type B cards.
Finally, there are front and rear lights to indicate when the recording will be effective. This seems to be a basic feature, but there are a lot of cameras on it.
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Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Features and Performance
- Hybrid automatic focus
- Dual IS 2 Image Stabilization
- 10fps / 40fps burst
The S1R II has made many performance improvements to its predecessor. First and foremost is its hybrid autofocus system, which is faster, smoother and more accurate than the contrast-based system on the older models. It is especially suitable for video use, exquisitely keeping subjects focused without any hunting that is sometimes seen on older Lumix models. It can also identify and automatically track a wide range of subjects from people to animals to motorcycles. So far I have only tested humans and cats, but found both to work very well.
Image stability is Panasonic’s dual binary, combining sensor conversion in vivo and lens-based stability with the user-configured electronic stability, suitable for specific shooting scenes. Panasonic has particularly good stability, and this seems to be the case from my tests so far, with videos and handheld videos almost having the stability of tike gimbal, which creates the cost of the frame. Panasonic claims that the system totals up to eight shutter speed compensations, rather than the 5.5 stop on the original S1R.
Similarly, shooting speed has been improved. Using mechanical shutters, 8FPS using AF-S and 6FPS and AF-C rose from 9FPS to 10FPS, while switching to electronic shutters can now use AF-C for 40fps bursts.
Reversing the trend, the battery life seems to be a little worse than the S1R, but you can still fully charge about 350 images or over 1000 while saving LVF mode with power.
Panasonic Lumix S1R II: Image and Video Quality
- 44.3MP stills and 8k/30p videos
- 177MP high resolution mode
- 10-bit color depth and wide bitrate for various quality/file sizes
The S1R II is Panasonic’s Lumix S range resolution king, with photos and videos of great detail and dynamic range.
The capture of the photo is 44.3MP, which is slightly smaller than the 47.3MP image captured by the S1R, but is detailed enough in creating huge prints or heavy-duty crops. There is absolutely nothing to fear in the pixel peepers here: I find them getting rich details even when zoomed in, as is the color gradient and beautiful dynamic range. I’m shooting in JPEG and RAW, dealing with the latter Adobe Lightroom.
I haven’t tested the handheld high-resolution shooting mode, which combines several photos into one 177MP, but expects to see how convincing it can splice things together.
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In terms of video, the camera can record 8K video at speeds up to 30fps, as well as various “smaller” resolutions at higher frame rates. It has an open door recording option that uses the entire surface of the sensor and now reaches up to 6.4k video – an 8.1k or 7.2k option is available later in 2025 with future firmware updates. It also provides an option to record video apple If you use a CFExpress type B card, the original and original HQ formats can reach up to 5.8K. Panasonic claims that videos can also display dynamic ranges up to 14 times.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had enough time to fully test its video features on the S1R II. However, from my limited video blog and B-ROLL recorded as 6.4k and 4k videos, I’ve been impressed by not only showing the details, colors and dynamic range of the display, but also the camera’s beautiful Image stability and accurate, accurate hybrid autofocus.
How do I test Panasonic Lumix S1R II
- Pre-production model with latest firmware
- Pair with wireless microphone gear
- Vlogging and photography in various situations
Panasonic borrowed me a pre-production model of the Lumix S1R II running the latest firmware (the firmware that will be used on the retail unit on the launch day), plus two L-shaped lenses: 16-35 F/4 Zoom and 85mm f/ 1.8 Prime.
I’ve used my camera for a video blog, both testing its internal microphone and typing it with DJI Microphone 2 wireless microphone kit. I also took a lot of photos in different situations, including a sunset walk along the East Kent coast and a day trip to Canterbury.
First reviewed February 2025
