John Matthews

It makes sense to change cameras and not brands!
I’ve been interested in the S1iiE as it does resolve a couple of things that I dislike about the S5ii. The S1iiE’s screen and evf would be much more comfortable for me. Like you I prefer the screen behind the lens.  Whilst in general I prefer 1 camera for video and one for photo that’s not always possible. The photo/video switch would be a real upgrade. 
I have written the S1ii off for me as it won’t handle the heat here in Madrid but from what I’ve seen the S1iiE handles the heat better. So I’m thinking of changing a S5ii for the S1iiE and maybe picking up a S9 if I can find a good deal.

Viltrox joined L mount a little later than those other systems, but I'm certain lenses will start appearing quickly.
Totally understand. There are valid schools of thought here: 1) the data image, change in post; 2) WYSIWYG. I also lean more for the latter, especially for stuff I'm too lazy to edit.
As things move forward, I'm understanding that most of the manufacturers are producing for the optically "perfect" image because they can. We're not seeing those headline lenses so much anymore like that Nikon 50mm 0.95 brick to showcase their engineering prowess. If they do that, it's to give us affordable lenses at previously unthought of focal lengths or smaller sizes. Lumix has a boring set of lenses that work very well and they can be workhorses, just nothing really amazing or ridiculously small (i.e. 14mm f/2.5, 20mm f/1.7). They insulted all of their users with that 26mm and I want to go back in time and erase its existence.

Summary = the sky is not falling in after all.
We still wait to see however if the S1H ever gets replaced.
I haven’t watched the hour and 20 minute video as I’m not that interested but I would guess that kind of thing would neither be confirmed nor denied and a vague, “things to come/watch this space” at best?

There’s also another camera in the LUMIX lineup that barely anyone talks about and that is the S1IIE.
I overlooked it myself when it was announced as I already had S5II’s and the S1II and especially S1RII looked a whole lot more interesting…and arguably are, unless…
Price + you prefer the updated body and a few other specs over the S5II and in the UK, a couple of places such as WEX and Park are doing them at £500 off, ie, £1800 none grey import.
Compared with my S9 which I have now decided to replace (it isn’t robust enough and I’ve had too many niggly issues with it trying to use it as a pro tool) and the S1IIE seems to make the most sense to me.
LCD is in line with the body and not sticking out of the side. Hurrah.
MUCH better built than the S9 but hardly a chonker.
6k 50/60p in 2:4-1 CinemaScope and before you spit your dummy out, drop that on a 16:9 timeline, it’s about a 1.3x crop and on a 2:1 timeline, only about a 1.1x crop compared with the S5II/X with it’s 1.5x crop. 
And you can do that log gop 420 300mpbs or 422 all intra 800mpbs which is not tooooo large.
No it’s not open gate and I was all for open gate until a few weeks ago and the end of another season when I came to 2 conclusions:
1: Divorce stills from video in the same unit and go back to dedicated stills or video units.
2: Use something else for the fast turn around social stuff such as a Pocket 3.
Not pushed the button yet and things may change, but I think an S5IIE could become my run & gun unit with S5II on sticks and either a single or pair of S1RII’s for stills, dependent on a set of primes or a single all in one 28-105mm f2.8.
I really can’t be arsed with any large scale brand flips, but swapping a body and a couple of lenses is pretty straightforward and low cost.
 

Lightly sand the front element and smear a bit of Vaseline around the edge et voila, instant character!
I know what you mean though Phil. They are optically quite clinical and the most boring things to look at for sure.
For video AF, they are the best option though.
For a margin more character, the f2 Sigmas have it at the expense of a tiny bit of AF.
Then there is the rest of the stuff where it’s trading or losing AF for character gain.
I personally prefer to have the better starting point and add character in post but then some character is inherent in the lens so…
There’s always a trade off!
That new 40mm f2 might just be the sweet spot…

To be honest it's the less than stellar but fast & small third party lenses that I crave. For Fujifilm you have the Viltrox f/1.4 & f/1.7 primes. For Sony you have a ton of smaller lenses like the 24 f/2.8, 35mm f/2.8 or 40mm f/2.5 but also again third party AF lenses from Viltrox, TTartisan, etc.
I realize that the 1.8 primes from Panasonic are great, but they're not checking my criteria, I'd prefer them optically a bit worse but smaller with more character.
I remember when the vision for mirrorless cameras was that you could get lenses at the same performance at a smaller size... and now nearly everything that releases is a really big, technically ideal lens at a high price. I used to like lenses like the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM which were okish but had interesting rendering over the great but huge Sigma 50mm 1.4. Guess I'm just an old man yelling at clouds. 

I forgot the Sigma 28-105mm f2.8…
Combine that with the S1RII in hybrid zoom mode and there are two very useable crops the first being 147mm which if memory serves is around 18mp the second being 210mm at around 12mp so both very useable for stills use.
The Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 also makes for a very compact lens and with the same crop factor, 98mm and 140mm.
Shoot Jpeg + raw, the crop only applies to the Jpeg…I think but with video, it’s a proper punched in crop.
4k only though. Doesn’t work in 6k or 8k modes.
As things currently stand…but anything could happen within the next 6 months 😉 my plan is to pick up the 28-105 as an outdoor lens to complement the 28-70 as my indoor lens (mainly stills but some hybrid use each) and the new LUMIX 24-60mm f2.8 purely for video on my other S1RII.
That latter lens will be more like a 29-73 with the combo of settings I am using (5.9k 50p + standard electronic IBIS).
Perfect focal range for my run & gun needs 👌

I'm a huge outlier here, since my lenses are exclusively either manual cinema lenses, or lightweight travel lenses. For the former, I still pick EF mount. For the latter, I'm not sure anyone makes anything quite like the 18-40. I love it.

Agree ^ mostly...
The only area really lacking for me is the space between 100-200mm where there's a bit of a gap.
Between Sigma & Panasonic themselves, they have it covered with primes ie, for most peoples needs, most of the time, those f1.8's.
Sigma offer their f2's which have a bit more 'character'.
Sigma also do the f1.2/1.4's and Leica do their stupidly priced offerings.
The zooms are all very good. In fact I can't really think of a bad L Mount lens other than that stoopid f8 thing they launched with the S9.
The only thing missing for me is a either a longer sibling to the Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 (such as a 45-90mm f1.8) and/or a rival to the Sony 50-150mm f2. A 50-135mm f1.8 with internal zoom would be appreciated and if Sony can do the slightly longer 50-150 with f2, then Sigma could probably pull off an f1.8.
I know the Samyang 35-150mm exists but it's not got the greatest rep and has been hit with the ugly stick. Or is the ugly stick.
As things stand, I am probably going to trade my 35mm and 50mm for the Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 because although it's obviously bigger and heavier than either, it doesn't require a choice of lens but a twist of the wrist and optically is just as good based on my experience.
I don't really like the 18mm though. It has a great rep but for me it's too wide. I don't really like anything wider than 28 but it has its uses in certain situations, so I need to keep it.
It's just above 50 I have the issue... I
I don't want or need a 70-200 but something within that 50-150 would be so much better (as long as it's not the Samyang and preferably does not extend when zooming) but I'd settle for even 90mm as above.

It's not that bad in L-mount. We now have a small 40mm F/2 from TTartisan, but it could be better. Most of the lenses from Panasonic make a lot of sense- a full set of clinical 18, 24, 35, 50, 85, 100mm lenses at f/1.8 (except for the 100mm). They're the same size, rendering, in-camera corrections, usage and everything you'd expect. No other camera maker has that. The zooms are also great. Sure, no Tamron, but should that be the deal-breaker?
Personally, I'm no longer going for "clinical and sharp". Give me anything with character- that's what I want; set yourself apart a little. Clinical = boring in my book. Still, I have many of the primes, but I almost always take out the vintage stuff when shooting for myself (not a pro).
Also, mark my words, L mount will win in the end with lens selection.
What lenses are you after?

Humm, I thought you were trying to talk yourself into Nikon, now it's back to Sony?
😉
 

Lenses to me are now more important than bodies and have been for some time since camera tech reached a certain point.
The best glass for my needs is all in Sony E Mount…which is a bit of a bummer with LUMIX bodies 😂
Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 is better than Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 which is also good but having had both, I prefer the Tamron.
Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 is relatively compact and light compared with the 70-200 chonkers available in L Mount.
Sony 50-150mm f2 is waaaaaay better than the Tamron 35-150mm f2/2.8 because A. it’s internal zooming and B. it’s constant aperture and C. it is optically better. Never mind the super chonker that is the Samyang 35-150mm f2/2.8, the Tamron’s fugly stepsister.
Then we have the Sony 24-50mm f2.8 G which if paired with the 50-150 would make a superb indoor/outdoor option for my needs.
Hmmm, maybe I am talking myself into a flip…
I’m seriously tempted…

Same here.
We are all excited for seeing a small package with all these features at that price. I like seeing these young "creators" publishing all these nice video handheld. But seriously, for travel or vacation do I need a RAW camera and a countless TB of storage with me?
Despite the character, I mostly appreciated the honest Philip Bloom review of this camera.

I think they're acting either conservatively with a wait-and-see approach. IMO, they're waiting to see how the S1 series sells. Based on that and the market/competition, they'll act or not.
I've been having a hard time getting excited about these newer bodies. Really, it's more about 4k120fps (if anything). I just cannot justify that kind of expense as a hobbyist. RAW isn't for me. I'm much more excited about lenses now, but even with them, they're becoming too similar across brands. I don't know why, but they're also becoming boring. The Chinese lenses seem to be where the more unique looks are coming from.
I have a really hard time thinking that the ZR will be viable on the beach in summer with MF lenses. After the GX800 and S9, even though they can be bright, the EVF is non-negotiable now. Maybe I'm getting old.

Probably the more likely scenario, but at the same time, even the biggest of companies seem to make the most monumental mistakes.
I guess that the same philosophy I have always had applies and that is just because you are in business, does not mean you are good at business and that can be applied to any size of company from one man band to massive global one and everything in between.
It just takes one single person who has the power to do so to make a wrong decision and...
Personally I think it is conservatism at work as in "we'll go so far, but not all the way" and that "all the way" is just one more step after nine already taken and it makes no senses to me as someone who is all or nothing.
But the camera companies are all as bad as each other and each have their individual flaws.
I just would have thought we were at the point (past the point) where at least one of them would simply cherry pick the pros of each, eliminate the Vons of each and bring something to market that is as flawless as it can be.
These 'flaws' are more niggles than anything now for me. All the major brands offer all the tech I need or will ever need and I could easily and happily make any of them work; Nikon, Canon, Sony, LUMIX, so it comes down to personal choice and budget and there best choice for the latter is almost always the system you are in which for me is LUMIX/L Mount.
The biggest example of conservatism/cost cutting within LUMIX is probably the reuse of the S5 body.
OK, there S5II got an upgrade and the S1II and S1RII further upgrades, but how much more expensive would it have been to go another direction?
Only they and other big manufacturers know but probably more than the bean counters were prepared to allow.
The bottom line is there isn't really anything else I want (certainly nothing I need) but if I could choose just one single thing for my S1RII's it would be the same kind of mech as it already uses, but the screen size, res and brightness of the ZR screen. But that would then require either a larger body or a different type of body so I'm dreaming...
 

I suspect they got cold feet after the BS1H box camera and whatever the other box one was.
See, no one even really remembers their names, or in some cases, that they existed.
LUMIX just seem to have been one of those companies that have focused more on the internal than the external and expect enough respect to come from what it can do, not how it does it or how it goes about it.
Meanwhile, Leica and Sigma within the alliance, have possibly had more focus on the external, the build, the form etc.
Between them, they could build the ultimate camera.
Individually they probably could, but no one ever seems to quite manage it...
The bottom line is we are probably not representative of the bulk of their sales, but I think it's a case of they are not pushing the boat out far enough.
I'm going to have a t-shirt made that reads;
PUSH THE FUCKING BOAT OUT.
OR DIE!

Quite possible, but if Panasonic wants to continue with Lumix and it makes money and takes money from Sony, I don't see really any changes. 
I understand this one. Have you had any problems with the S1rii locking up or overheating? I heard someone say that the other day. Maybe they fixed it.
I'm not a pro and I'm still fully enjoying the S5ii. These days, I'm more interested in lenses, especially vintage and MF ones. I should be getting the Laowa 28mm f/1.2 in a few days. There's something about the wide and shallow look that attracts me. That lens seems to be the widest, brightest. I was really hesitating between it and the Konica 28mm f/1.8 UC, which is still one of the most unique 28mm on the market. Maybe, I'll pick up both.

I would HATE to lose Panasonic from cameras.
I have all my fingers crossed this is not the case.

It's a move away from "Pro" in the marketing of cameras.
Part of this is because they know Lumix has no chance vs Canon, Sony and Nikon with press agencies and in the professional sports market.
The autofocus situation never allowed them a toe in the door let alone a foot.
But I also think it hints at something deeper.
When Samsung withdrew from the camera market they also heavily cut back on pro marketing and support first.
Not that Samsung's own PR people were aware of it (even days after the NX1's cancellation they thought they were still in the camera market!)
They were fired shortly after.

Agreed. I have a hard time thinking that in the modes of the S5ii, somehow we're getting systematic overheating on the S1rii. Granted the processor and sensor are different, but Lumix, who is known for testing their cameras well, would have not released it had the thermals been off the wall.

Nope. Approx 20 days of shooting with temps up to mid 30 Celsius and cameras get warm, especially in direct sunlight as all black bodied cameras do, but not a single overheating warning, never mind a shut down.
No lock ups either. Well might have been one now I think about it but had more than that on my A7RV I had prior and a none issue.
Most of the overheating talk is from; folks unfamiliar with the camera in the first place + use age of non-recommended cards + incorrect heat management settings + tests deliberately designed to cook the thing and so combined, well yes, you probably will make it have a meltdown but real world shooting with proper cards and set up? Err no.
Actually, 99% of the overheating talk is people talking about overheating who do not have and have never had or used the cameras and are in reality expelling more hot air than the cameras do!

For me the future of LUMIX lies in; A. will we see an S1Hii and B. if so, what will it be?
If there is one in the pipeline and it’s a banger, it won’t ‘save’ the brand anymore than it would for any other manufacturer as it’s a much bigger picture than that, but as a (pro) consumer of this brand, it will at least have demonstrated their short term commitment.
Also we have to remember that the sky was falling in on Nikon just a few short years ago and they were utterly doomed…and at the end of 2025, they are the industry darling.
Financially how any of them and doing and what their short, medium and long term goals and outlook is, probably even they don’t really know and Panny are probably on the shakiest ground of all, but had a fairly big surge, at least amongst the community bros this year so…
Being totally honest, clean sheet tomorrow morning, I’d pick Nikon without hesitation, for my needs, but I think LUMIX/L Mount would still be in second place and really loving my S1RII’s which are arguably the best tools for my specific hybrid needs available today.
ZR vs S1RII for stills? Zero contest, easy LUMIX win.
For hybrid? LUMIX wins again.
Run & gun video? Could make a case either way but unless shooting R2D2-3CPO raw, I think LUMIX has more advantages.
As an outright cine camera, maybe the Nikon.
As a brand for the short & medium term, probably Nikon is the safer bet, but depending on how invested you already are.
Will this pro services thing have any bearing?
Well as a pro with Panny for nearly 5 years now, wasn’t even aware of its existence so… 🤷‍♂️

I understand. On the other hand, they could just call it Panasonic Pro Services and it would be completely seamless.
I can’t help but feel there’s something going on behind the scenes, though. You’re right — moving from Lumix Pro Services to My Panasonic just doesn’t make sense from a user’s perspective, at least in my opinion. I smell a rat — the whole thing feels a bit fishy.

MYPANASONIC ?
That would be 6 more letters to fill in with my black sharpie than I already have to and 6 too many.
They are not going to change the camera brand from LUMIX.
Maybe for some kind of service, but not the brand itself.
Unless they have been smoking some serious grade shit and/or are ‘seeing someone’ for their personal difficulties.

This name screams "consumer". You just don't replace "pro" with "my" if you're targeting professional shooters. But nothing is impossible with Panasonic marketing team. However ditching Lumix brand is bigger mistake. Unlike Canon/Nikon and even Sony, their customer base are 80% video 20% still users, and all of them call their cameras Lumix.
But marketing aside, they're facing a economic challenge they exacerbated themselves with not being fully committed to low budget segment of the market. The reality is pro folks don't upgrade their tools very often. You need enthusiasts/younger generations to keep the cash flow. But they just updating the high end full frame cameras. M4/3 is perceived as dead. L mount APSC is nowhere to be seen. LX compact in GX7 resurrection era? None.