stephen

Live stream for the launch event today
 

Like most here I am happy with S5 IIX. Rolling shutter is not a problem for what I shoot, 24Mpx are enough for photo and don't need 8K for video. I though that with S5 IIX can finally forget about cameras, relax and enjoy taking photos and videos. Now with all specs and some photos of Panasonic S1RII out, can feel GAS pressure increasing 🙂 Guess it is human psychology. Always wanting more. 🙂
Apart of the body which is basically a copy of S5 II, everything else is as I was hoping to be. Shutter closes to protect the sensor when changing lenses, Sony A7R V style LCD, 5Mln dots viewfinder and a switch for photo/video. Lack of top LCD screen is not a problem for me and third party grip to extend slightly the handle can solve potential issues with body ergonomics. Well done Panasonic.
The best part about S1R II is that Panasonic is still in the game. We had some doubts after the long wait. I hope they stay longer in camera business, not only because I've bet on their camera bodies and L Mount in general but also because having more choices is always better for us users.

Like most here I am happy with S5 IIX. Rolling shutter is not a problem for what I shoot, 24Mpx are enough for photo and don't need 8K for video. I though that with S5 IIX can finally forget about cameras, relax and enjoy taking photos and videos. Now with all specs and some photos of Panasonic S1RII out, can feel GAS pressure increasing 🙂 Guess it is human psychology. Always wanting more. 🙂
Apart of the body which is basically a copy of S5 II, everything else is as I was hoping to be. Shutter closes to protect the sensor when changing lenses, Sony A7R V style LCD, 5Mln dots viewfinder and a switch for photo/video. Lack of top LCD screen is not a problem for me and third party grip to extend slightly the handle can solve potential issues with body ergonomics. Well done Panasonic.
The best part about S1R II is that Panasonic is still in the game. We had some doubts after the long wait. I hope they stay longer in camera business, not only because I've bet on their camera bodies and L Mount in general but also because having more choices is always better for us users.

Like most here I am happy with S5 IIX. Rolling shutter is not a problem for what I shoot, 24Mpx are enough for photo and don't need 8K for video. I though that with S5 IIX can finally forget about cameras, relax and enjoy taking photos and videos. Now with all specs and some photos of Panasonic S1RII out, can feel GAS pressure increasing 🙂 Guess it is human psychology. Always wanting more. 🙂
Apart of the body which is basically a copy of S5 II, everything else is as I was hoping to be. Shutter closes to protect the sensor when changing lenses, Sony A7R V style LCD, 5Mln dots viewfinder and a switch for photo/video. Lack of top LCD screen is not a problem for me and third party grip to extend slightly the handle can solve potential issues with body ergonomics. Well done Panasonic.
The best part about S1R II is that Panasonic is still in the game. We had some doubts after the long wait. I hope they stay longer in camera business, not only because I've bet on their camera bodies and L Mount in general but also because having more choices is always better for us users.

Like most here I am happy with S5 IIX. Rolling shutter is not a problem for what I shoot, 24Mpx are enough for photo and don't need 8K for video. I though that with S5 IIX can finally forget about cameras, relax and enjoy taking photos and videos. Now with all specs and some photos of Panasonic S1RII out, can feel GAS pressure increasing 🙂 Guess it is human psychology. Always wanting more. 🙂
Apart of the body which is basically a copy of S5 II, everything else is as I was hoping to be. Shutter closes to protect the sensor when changing lenses, Sony A7R V style LCD, 5Mln dots viewfinder and a switch for photo/video. Lack of top LCD screen is not a problem for me and third party grip to extend slightly the handle can solve potential issues with body ergonomics. Well done Panasonic.
The best part about S1R II is that Panasonic is still in the game. We had some doubts after the long wait. I hope they stay longer in camera business, not only because I've bet on their camera bodies and L Mount in general but also because having more choices is always better for us users.

Obviously we all want cameras with as little rolling shutter as possible, but there really isn't a major camera released in at least the last 10 years that I'd say has enough RS as to make it useless. Maybe in certain circumstances, like filming trains, fast cars, airplanes/helicopters or something? 
Everyone has their own standards, I guess, but out of all the issues I have with my S5II X the rolling shutter performance is pretty low on my list and there's really nothing about the camera overall that make me call it "unusable."
 

Same here. If I were to think RS were a problem, I'd simply shoot in crop mode because it keeps up with everything in that mode. RS performance is way over-rated anyway. I've never said to myself "look at that crappy RS"! You only say that kind of thing in reviews and when you A-B test cameras.

If you're shooting at 200mm handheld for long periods of time in video you should probably be using a monopod or at least a shoulder rig. I know there are situations where that isn't possible, but that's a pretty extreme scenario. 
That's a really high standard. We have to remember that these are still sub-$2000 cameras. From my perspective, as someone who started out in video 28 years ago, I look at a camera like the S5II X and am in awe at what this camera I paid $2000 for can do. I am in awe, really, at what any of these cameras can do because I never imagined I'd be able to own a camera with these capabilities. When I was 16 working for a local production company that had Canon XL1s I was literally giddy when I would use it! I didn't sleep the night before the first time I knew I was going to use one! Obviously we can't judge everything based on what was available/what we used when we first started, but it does make some of our complaints seem pretty silly considering how fortunate we are. The fact that a $2000 camera can even be mentioned in the same breath as an Alexa is pretty crazy.
 

One of the rumored specs says: mechanical shutter - 10Fps. Aha ! Here is what else more S1R II will have compared to Nikon Z8. It will have a mechanical shutter.  Panasonic will get off the shelf sensor - IMX366AJK, while Nikon Z9/Z8 uses IMX609AQJ apparently modified IMX366AJK specifically for Nikon to have low readout times for photo, in fact lower than in video. I think photo users will like the mechanical shutter.

Rolling shutter should be in the range of Sony A1 and Nikon Z8:  8K 24/30p - 14.5-15.5 ms, 4K 120k - 4.8-6 ms. Interesting part is 4K 24/30p where Sony A1 achieves 8ms while Nikon Z8 keeps steady at the same 14.5 ms. 4K 24/30p in APS-C crop should be lower than 10ms. The general consensus is that 14-15 ms is good enough. 8-9ms is Arri Alexa Classic territory. Nothing to complain at.
Image in the video and article shows camera body top that we've never seen from Panasonic. I am not sure if this image is representative to the real camera. For me slightly smaller and lighter that S1 / S1R body would be perfect. Having the same body as S5 II for a high end flagship camera doesn't make sense, that's why IMHO this won't be the case with S1R II.
If they put also 5mln dots viewfinder from previous generation (S1/S1R) or similar plus a switch for video / photo settings similar to Nikon Z8, Z6 III and Canon R5 II, then I think they will have a really good higher end camera. Panasonic always gave more for the same amount of money than the big 3. Merging S1/S1R line with high end video specs does make sense, they need this camera to compete with Nikon Z8 and Canon R5 II.  Panasonic doesn't have any high end specialized video camera in contrast to Canon, Nikon and Sony. It would make sense the second camera expected this year to be much more video oriented, probably internal e-ND filters or some high end video cameras features at more accessible package.

I can see only one reason not to use Sony 61 Mpx sensor and go with lower megapixel one: faster readout times. We will know soon.

RAW video is always much nosier because it come strait from the sensor. In camera video recording is heavily denoised. Great performance of sensors in low light when using internal recording is mostly result of good in camera denoise.
When using RAW footage and high ISO you'll have to denoise in post production. Result will be even better than in camera denoise but unfortunately requires powerful GPU and will take a lot more time for the final rendering. Actually one colorist said that you have to denoise always when using digital camera. 🙂
Another way to reduce the noise of RAW footage with Panasonic S1/S5/S1H would be to shoot at 6K, then reduce resolution to 4K in post. It automatically gets rid of some of the noise.
It is also well known fact that BRAW is partially debayered in camera otherwise it will infringe RED patent about compressed video. External recorders are not affected by the patent. While not true RAW, BRAW recording results are more than good for me and major factor to buy Panasonic + Blackmagic Video Assist. BRAW has other advantages as for example multiple quality settings and as result reduced file size. And of course ability to edit straight from the recorder in Davinci Resolve. Using ProRes RAW or Blackmagic BRAW is more choice of NLE than anything else. Quality differences are negligible and visible only in some cases and with heavy pixel peeping.
Here is a good test of Blackmagic BRAW vs Prores RAW which demonstrates well the noise problem and differences between the two RAW formats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB6wrVKHiw

Here is an answer from a pro colorist / editor. It will give you a perspective and a cool tip how to edit any footage on a not very powerful computer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olvTKnLJCJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTes9KkwmME
According to another of his videos, 12K BRAW is so well optimized that it can play without a problem on a Macbook Pro 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ShXVTiGD80

Here is an answer from a pro colorist / editor. It will give you a perspective and a cool tip how to edit any footage on a not very powerful computer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olvTKnLJCJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTes9KkwmME
According to another of his videos, 12K BRAW is so well optimized that it can play without a problem on a Macbook Pro 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ShXVTiGD80

I have used both VND and fixed ND. VNDs are OK when shooting RAW as it is relatively easy to correct the color shift.
For fixed NDs always use 180 degree shutter when shooting at 24fps and depending on the available light choose an ND which is a little bit stronger and adjust (usually raise) ISO for correct exposure. Or vary with aperture if possible. For examaple if I shoot at f8  may raise it to f11 or lower it to f5.6. If aperture is open and can't close it for esthetic reasons (blurred background) then ISO is the only option.   You don't have to worry about base ISO because all modern cameras have huge latitude. Several stops (3-5) above and under the base ISO. Even if you overexpose 1-2-3 stops or under expose 1-2 stops you don't lose information or dynamic range. See for example Panasonic S1/S5 tests in 10bit 4:2:2 V-Log internal on slashcam.de or this test
 
Normally use no more than 3 NDs and sometimes even 2. 3, 6, 8/9 stops, or only 3, 6 stops and then by stacking both 3 and 6 stops ND get 9 stops. This works with most lenses but not all. Vignetting at the corners is not a problem with most lenses because shoot at 2:1 ratio for video and corners are usually cut out of the picture.

Well you can buy and try iPhone 15 as your main camera. There is no better way but to try it personally. My limited experience with iPhone 14 Pro and more extensive with Android RAW showed me that smartphones as cameras have many limitations. The list is long. At the end it is a simple choice: Can you live with and/or work around all those limitations or not. For me answer is clear: I can't and don't want to. I prefer the inconvenience to lug 1 to 2 kg of equipment more for several kilometers, but have great experience shooting rather than the other way around. Here are some examples: When testing iPhone 14 Pro as a camera I used it as GPS navigation too. Mounted on the front dashboard of my car in sunny spring day with temperature around 25-27 degree Celsius it overheated and shut down. Had to stop my car and swap it with my Android phone. It took more than 30 min for IPhone to cool down and be usable again. If you want to have some decent footage you still need ND filters, this means a special case or cage for iPhone as minimum plus probably a handle. How long will the battery last? So maybe an external battery too ? Or external SSD ? But both can't be used at the same time. 🙂  You see, if you want a semi decent footage and shooting experience, you still have to prepare and take several other items, spend time planning, etc. With time and experience for me the weight of my camera bag up to a certain limit is at the bottom of my inconveniences and concerns.
As a camera that is always with me, in my pocket though latest generation of Android phones or iPhone 15 Pro are something that I can't resist. 🙂 Another case to use them would be when I go out for a day or more and am not sure do I want to shoot something or not, will I have the time or not. Having a smartphone as a camera + maybe a case with ND filters for those casual shoots is great.

Realistic assessment of iPhone 15 pro with Apple Log vs pro Camera in good lighting conditions. Good review and tips IMHO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SiqKfm-8kA
Everybody is trying to push some LUTs but you don't need them There is an official Apple Log to REC 709 transform LUT and CST in latest Davinci Resolve that supports Apple Log and works very well

Panasonic S5 II + BRAW vs BMPCC 6K Pro FF - as expected practically no difference in image quality. Downloadable source files are available too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuzKtL8p5M8a
 

We are different and have different tastes. I like fall in Colorado video. There is some grain applied, color grading is very good IMHO, skin tones are good for me too, overall good image quality. Compare it to other iPhone 15 video posted here and this one for me ranks at the top 10% as image quality. This is exactly the occasion I would use a smartphone, when you are with friends and/or family and your focus are the people and your journey together. Filming is a side job just for memories and some enjoyment of the hobby or profession. For the purpose this video is well done!
As a camera and what it can do iPhone 15 Pro is expensive but for smartphone with ton of features, usability and a camera that is in your pocket IMHO it is worth the money. If I am at the end of my 5 year smartphone upgrade cycle it would be on my list for sure.
Would I buy LG V60 instead for Android RAW video? No. If I choose Android for RAW video it would Xiaomi 13 Ultra or at least Pro. After 5 years with the same smartphone I want the latest and greatest that shoots good video too, I want a great smartphone that has all the bell and whistles. It’s another story how many of them I will use. 🙂  Price may seem steep but let make a simple calculation. 1100 Euro for Xiomi 13 Ultra or 1400 For IPhone 15 Pro for 5 years / 12 months is 1100/5/12 = 18.3, 1400/5/12 = 23.3. 18 to 24 euros (or dollars) per month for the most used and also useful device is worth it for me. A smartphone is much more of a tool that I use every day, rather than a gadget. And I can save much more money from other activities and things.  
For me it would be a consumerism if I upgrade or purchase latest and greatest DJI drones each year for example if drones are not my business or profession.

We are different and have different tastes. I like fall in Colorado video. There is some grain applied, color grading is very good IMHO, skin tones are good for me too, overall good image quality. Compare it to other iPhone 15 video posted here and this one for me ranks at the top 10% as image quality. This is exactly the occasion I would use a smartphone, when you are with friends and/or family and your focus are the people and your journey together. Filming is a side job just for memories and some enjoyment of the hobby or profession. For the purpose this video is well done!
As a camera and what it can do iPhone 15 Pro is expensive but for smartphone with ton of features, usability and a camera that is in your pocket IMHO it is worth the money. If I am at the end of my 5 year smartphone upgrade cycle it would be on my list for sure.
Would I buy LG V60 instead for Android RAW video? No. If I choose Android for RAW video it would Xiaomi 13 Ultra or at least Pro. After 5 years with the same smartphone I want the latest and greatest that shoots good video too, I want a great smartphone that has all the bell and whistles. It’s another story how many of them I will use. 🙂  Price may seem steep but let make a simple calculation. 1100 Euro for Xiomi 13 Ultra or 1400 For IPhone 15 Pro for 5 years / 12 months is 1100/5/12 = 18.3, 1400/5/12 = 23.3. 18 to 24 euros (or dollars) per month for the most used and also useful device is worth it for me. A smartphone is much more of a tool that I use every day, rather than a gadget. And I can save much more money from other activities and things.  
For me it would be a consumerism if I upgrade or purchase latest and greatest DJI drones each year for example if drones are not my business or profession.

We are different and have different tastes. I like fall in Colorado video. There is some grain applied, color grading is very good IMHO, skin tones are good for me too, overall good image quality. Compare it to other iPhone 15 video posted here and this one for me ranks at the top 10% as image quality. This is exactly the occasion I would use a smartphone, when you are with friends and/or family and your focus are the people and your journey together. Filming is a side job just for memories and some enjoyment of the hobby or profession. For the purpose this video is well done!
As a camera and what it can do iPhone 15 Pro is expensive but for smartphone with ton of features, usability and a camera that is in your pocket IMHO it is worth the money. If I am at the end of my 5 year smartphone upgrade cycle it would be on my list for sure.
Would I buy LG V60 instead for Android RAW video? No. If I choose Android for RAW video it would Xiaomi 13 Ultra or at least Pro. After 5 years with the same smartphone I want the latest and greatest that shoots good video too, I want a great smartphone that has all the bell and whistles. It’s another story how many of them I will use. 🙂  Price may seem steep but let make a simple calculation. 1100 Euro for Xiomi 13 Ultra or 1400 For IPhone 15 Pro for 5 years / 12 months is 1100/5/12 = 18.3, 1400/5/12 = 23.3. 18 to 24 euros (or dollars) per month for the most used and also useful device is worth it for me. A smartphone is much more of a tool that I use every day, rather than a gadget. And I can save much more money from other activities and things.  
For me it would be a consumerism if I upgrade or purchase latest and greatest DJI drones each year for example if drones are not my business or profession.

enjoy the tones this guy gets from his videos too

Well you can buy and try iPhone 15 as your main camera. There is no better way but to try it personally. My limited experience with iPhone 14 Pro and more extensive with Android RAW showed me that smartphones as cameras have many limitations. The list is long. At the end it is a simple choice: Can you live with and/or work around all those limitations or not. For me answer is clear: I can't and don't want to. I prefer the inconvenience to lug 1 to 2 kg of equipment more for several kilometers, but have great experience shooting rather than the other way around. Here are some examples: When testing iPhone 14 Pro as a camera I used it as GPS navigation too. Mounted on the front dashboard of my car in sunny spring day with temperature around 25-27 degree Celsius it overheated and shut down. Had to stop my car and swap it with my Android phone. It took more than 30 min for IPhone to cool down and be usable again. If you want to have some decent footage you still need ND filters, this means a special case or cage for iPhone as minimum plus probably a handle. How long will the battery last? So maybe an external battery too ? Or external SSD ? But both can't be used at the same time. 🙂  You see, if you want a semi decent footage and shooting experience, you still have to prepare and take several other items, spend time planning, etc. With time and experience for me the weight of my camera bag up to a certain limit is at the bottom of my inconveniences and concerns.
As a camera that is always with me, in my pocket though latest generation of Android phones or iPhone 15 Pro are something that I can't resist. 🙂 Another case to use them would be when I go out for a day or more and am not sure do I want to shoot something or not, will I have the time or not. Having a smartphone as a camera + maybe a case with ND filters for those casual shoots is great.

Well you can buy and try iPhone 15 as your main camera. There is no better way but to try it personally. My limited experience with iPhone 14 Pro and more extensive with Android RAW showed me that smartphones as cameras have many limitations. The list is long. At the end it is a simple choice: Can you live with and/or work around all those limitations or not. For me answer is clear: I can't and don't want to. I prefer the inconvenience to lug 1 to 2 kg of equipment more for several kilometers, but have great experience shooting rather than the other way around. Here are some examples: When testing iPhone 14 Pro as a camera I used it as GPS navigation too. Mounted on the front dashboard of my car in sunny spring day with temperature around 25-27 degree Celsius it overheated and shut down. Had to stop my car and swap it with my Android phone. It took more than 30 min for IPhone to cool down and be usable again. If you want to have some decent footage you still need ND filters, this means a special case or cage for iPhone as minimum plus probably a handle. How long will the battery last? So maybe an external battery too ? Or external SSD ? But both can't be used at the same time. 🙂  You see, if you want a semi decent footage and shooting experience, you still have to prepare and take several other items, spend time planning, etc. With time and experience for me the weight of my camera bag up to a certain limit is at the bottom of my inconveniences and concerns.
As a camera that is always with me, in my pocket though latest generation of Android phones or iPhone 15 Pro are something that I can't resist. 🙂 Another case to use them would be when I go out for a day or more and am not sure do I want to shoot something or not, will I have the time or not. Having a smartphone as a camera + maybe a case with ND filters for those casual shoots is great.

Well you can buy and try iPhone 15 as your main camera. There is no better way but to try it personally. My limited experience with iPhone 14 Pro and more extensive with Android RAW showed me that smartphones as cameras have many limitations. The list is long. At the end it is a simple choice: Can you live with and/or work around all those limitations or not. For me answer is clear: I can't and don't want to. I prefer the inconvenience to lug 1 to 2 kg of equipment more for several kilometers, but have great experience shooting rather than the other way around. Here are some examples: When testing iPhone 14 Pro as a camera I used it as GPS navigation too. Mounted on the front dashboard of my car in sunny spring day with temperature around 25-27 degree Celsius it overheated and shut down. Had to stop my car and swap it with my Android phone. It took more than 30 min for IPhone to cool down and be usable again. If you want to have some decent footage you still need ND filters, this means a special case or cage for iPhone as minimum plus probably a handle. How long will the battery last? So maybe an external battery too ? Or external SSD ? But both can't be used at the same time. 🙂  You see, if you want a semi decent footage and shooting experience, you still have to prepare and take several other items, spend time planning, etc. With time and experience for me the weight of my camera bag up to a certain limit is at the bottom of my inconveniences and concerns.
As a camera that is always with me, in my pocket though latest generation of Android phones or iPhone 15 Pro are something that I can't resist. 🙂 Another case to use them would be when I go out for a day or more and am not sure do I want to shoot something or not, will I have the time or not. Having a smartphone as a camera + maybe a case with ND filters for those casual shoots is great.