MrSMW

Well, if Panny do release a new S1H ii by next Spring, it would be a pretty tough call as both would almost certainly meet my min spec requirements as cameras. So really, it would be lenses that could make the difference and the one thing I always struggle with for my specific needs, is glass. This pairing of 10-25 and 25-50 is the closest of anything on the market. I'm just not a fan of 4/3rds for photography and no way could I go there from FF. APSC, yes, but nope 4/3rds. For video, I have zero preference really and if anything, prefer APSC...which is what I shoot with the S series anyway.

Yes it is a concern (to me) but only a very very minor one. Unless they did decide to pull the plug on the whole alliance, I don’t think there is much chance of them packing it all in any time soon. Not based on any fact, just personal opinion. I think if they just sorted the damned AF, or at least the reputation of the AF, they would do themselves a massive favour. Improve the marketing a bit at the same time and it’s arguably the best system out there. Again, just personal opinion.

I could be interested, but an S1H ii kills it stone dead for me personally.

I’m not an especially big fan of rumors, but without any official announcements, it’s the next best thing. Maybe... L Mount Rumors (no idea really how reputable or accurate they are) are reporting this however: https://www.l-rumors.com/l2-first-rumored-panasonic-s1h-ii-specs-8k24p-and-built-in-nd/ I don’t really care about 8k, in fact not at all, other than if as a by product of the sensor/tech, it brings improvements in other areas. But improved IBIS (IMO, doesn’t need it as it’s already brilliant) and internal ND. Yup, we’ll have that. France has just announced a 10 day quarantine for all visitors from the UK, so that will almost certainly kill what remained of this season so looks like we’re going to go 2 years with no weddings here. The upside is no requirement for any new/further kit this year. If you can call that an upside... If this thing can be here by early next Spring, I’ll take one without question. For me, just needs improved AF and the internal ND would be a bonus/icing on the cake. Without question, the S1H is the best camera I have had, stills and video. On a 2 day ‘editorial wedding/venue shoot’ right now, had one last Sat and another this Sunday and it’s just doing the business other than an occasional AF wobble. OK, a bit more than occasional. Using a lot of manual focus but that’s OK and makes me a proper pro ‘filmmaker’ doesn’t it 😉 Using the S5 also but it just isn’t in the same league and dare I say, even feels a little clunky in comparison. Probably enhanced because the S1H is on another level of slickness. Anyway, S1H ii, have at it!

Depending on size, it would work for me. The cost for a business is a bit of a side issue and not especially an obstacle. I've been looking at the APSC crop pairing of the Sigma 18-35mm and 50-100mm f1.8 for my FF system but in the end decided the bigger of the two zooms is just too massive. Had the 18-35 (twice) and loved it. Might...might just get one again for my S1H. I love their internal none extending zoom function however and if something similar bit smaller & lighter than the FF 24-105mm f4 is on the cards, it is several points in the favour of 4/3rds for me. I don't mind it's 2 lenses as I'd use the wider indoors and the longer out as I do with my current lens lineup. I have the 24-105mm f4 and it's just a back up lens for me. F4 is just too flipping slow for my needs. Even 2.8 on FF is a bit too slow. Not talking shallow DOF, but simply the light gathering capability. I do have a business case to keep the S1H for stills next year, the S5 for pure static video on the tripod of up to 30 mins and GH6 for pure video. But the AF would need to be amazeballs to convince me really.

The lens looks very interesting as long as it's not massive. An f1.7 light gathering 50-100mm focal length equiv? Err, yes please! I'm not waivering just yet though 😁

Ditto except Olympus for me and 3 years ago, but as above, "for me personally" (the bit you missed out when quoting me), ie, I am not dissing the system. Rather I have even considered it quite recently with the EM1 mkIII but the lack of 4k 60p and compared with FF for stills (APSC less so but jumping 2 sizes was just a bit too far for me), just tipped things against it. I've come from 4/3rds video to FF via APSC. Would I go back? For video yes, but it would need to be doing something for my specific needs that APSC or FF isn't. Currently, that does not exist and I suspect it never will. The other factor is, you will need to prise my S1H from my cold dead hands after poisoning, then stabbing, shooting and setting fire to me.

Unless as several have pointed out, someone is already invested in 4/3 glass. For those of us who have either never been 4/3 users or like myself, were once but no longer are, it's an almost impossible sell. For me it would absolutely have to have great tracking AF (I don't care whether that means phase or not, just that it's super-reliable) plus meet my minimum spec otherwise yup, why would you compared with say the S5? I've just done another commercial shoot with the S5 and S1H pairing and other than the occasional AF wobble, pretty faultless with just a few tweaks to make ahead of this weeks next 2 shoots. Not that I want to make this about the S series, just that for me personally, I'm struggling to see much of a case for anything 4/3 now. And there are many like us.

I quite like it and consisted it but for my needs it was the poor AF and lack of IBIS. Nope, I don’t need a ‘cinema’ camera, I need a ‘run and gun’ video camera, with it without equally good stills. I have that in the S1H but maybe the next evo of this series will finally...like Sigma and their FP line, meet my needs. I really like the picture quality I see coming out of these more than probably anything else sub 5-10k.

Good start and hats off (literally, no reversed baseball cap, never mind purple or blue backlighting) to you for making the effort. I think any channel that is authentic should succeed. As long as you enjoy it. Bon courage as they say in my part of the world!

Are there any rumors about rumors?

Nope. But then I said the same about having a blog about 10 years back and then also laughed at people with mobile phone and refused to get one for years, never mind an iPhone...and am typing this on my 8+ 😀 So never say never, but actually, in this regard, almost certainly never. Hate myself on camera. Sound, even worse. Most of all, can’t be bothered and have no reason, so will enjoy others more suited efforts instead. I will watch yours later Parker!

Ah...and then first to pop video into a DSLR I believe and since then... That party, the ‘since then’ party.

A bit late to the party maybe...??

If they do announce a GH6, what would the point of a GH5.5 be?! It's possible there could be 2 models, but in this day and age, I think it would be unlikely?

I mean more like factors such as: If it was a case of 8k 30p vs 4k 60p, I'd take the 4k every time. If it meant larger file sizes that require more storage/download time/faster PC etc, I would not welcome that. If it meant low light resolution was not improved just so it could say 8k on the box, no thanks. If it meant overheating and reduced operation and reliability, again no. The price is not really an issue to me. Not that I could just splurge for no reason, but whether a body costs me 2k or 5k, spread over 3 years, the depreciation even if I run it into the ground vs 250k turnover, doesn't really matter. I would like to see faster zooms such as Sigma's 18-35mm and 50-100mm f1.8 pairing in X Mount. I think that would be the ideal pairing for me. Updated as they are quite old now and the size and weight of the latter especially is commented on quite frequently, but the reality is it's no different to most FF 70-200's. These days however, 2 factors principally come in to play for me. 1: I'm not prepared to sit around and wait for speculated kit any more. That ended for me with the S5. I did think prior to knowing the exact spec it would probably work for me and such has been the case...except now I have also added an S1H and the S5 has been relegated to B cam. 2: Other than tracking AF, I am at 'peak camera' for my needs with the S1H especially. The S5 can't be...quite...as the EVF and a couple of things are not quite good enough for me, but the S1H just quietly makes up all the things 'missing' from the S5, though those 'missing' things are hardly anything large. So for me, especially now, it mostly keeps coming back to the same thing and it's not the cameras, it's the glass. I have extensive experience with the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 adapted to both my previous XH1 and then XT3 and that combo to date has produced visually, fantastic results. At least by my standards. I really would like to try one again on the S1H and the 50-100mm f1.8 because I shoot in APSC crop/Super 35 mode anyway, both video and stills (using Jpeg + raw for stills so I actually have the latitude of full frame files, but simply see in cropped terms) even though I know it will auto-focus slower than two mating snails.

If only they would build what the majority would like and this would be about it for most. But as with so many things, they go too far and wreck it by adding stuff that isn't needed. Maybe 4k 120p would be nice... In fact it would be nice, but not a deal-breaker. But go all 8k and sacrifice a lot of other 'stuff' as a result would IMO be a negative.

I was a long time Fuji user from the original X100 all the way through to the XT3. The original X100 and the XH1 were my favourites, though for video, the XT3 was the best. Throughout 2019, I wished for one thing, an XH2. An XH2 to me was the bits from the XT3 in the XH1 body, but with IBIS. The XT4 when it came out in early 2020 was near perfect for my needs and the only real negative to me was the screen being flip out and not a tilt. I still cannot find any love for anything that flips out sideways. But 2 things got in the same way. Thing 1: Covid. Thing 2: I was already adapting lenses and did not wish to any longer and Fuji just do not have any really good video-orientated lenses for my needs. Which is why I went L Mount and S5 initially because to my mind, that is the closest to the XH1/XT4 in terms of size/spec. Then the S1H which is my ‘XH2’. Fuji are very good really with their lens roadmaps though but less so with bodies, as are most camera companies. As has been discussed in the GH5.5 thread, not publishing roadmaps is hurting companies more than they may realise...or possibly care. But then if I was a camera company, would I really want to be releasing something new in ‘21? It’s been and continues to be a tricky time for so many. I am very interested to see what an XH2 might be, but without the glass, not much use to me. The XH1 is one of the most underrated cameras of it’s time.

Yes and no and in yes, it's always a surprise to me every single time, how some if not most companies treat their customers...but also no, it's no surprise, or should be no surprise! I think it is mostly size, - the bigger they are, the less they are interested in the individual, but it does really irk me when a business large or small does not demonstrate care. And that I think is the key thing, - demonstrating it as in at least trying to make an effort. Obviously, they are not going to give up every single bit of info, but I just do not understand how giving a road map is an issue?

It would be an interesting statistic to see what the figures are for folks buying into 4/3rds vs holding on to 4/3rds vs leaving 4/3rds. I'd be willing to speculate that the biggest number is those leaving. I'd also speculate that we would not be talking about pros or even keen enthusiasts, but the every day folks who bought something small and light at their local camera vendor and are now being advised increasingly frequently by the store assistant that full frame is where it's at. But I'm just speculating.

Perfectly viable, but a very tough sell. "Would you like to purchase our mildly updated camera, or the very latest and greatest from someone else?" These days, very few will pick the former. I hate Sony. Actually, 'hate' is too strong a word, but to me (and yes, I do own a Sony camera and have had several recent models), they are just soulless tools. But ultimately, what i need more than anything is something that delivers the results regardless of the badge. I could make a very good case for Sony. Or Canon. Or Fuji, but there's just enough advantages for me with L Mount...but I know that if I was starting with a clean sheet of paper today, - no bodies, no lenses, no nuffin', it would be very hard for me to make a decision against Sony. But 'viability'? Viability to who? Panasonic? A minority market? A majority market? It's the latter that will largely determine the success of most things and 'slightly updated when folks were expecting and wanting (much) more' product just isn't going to cut it in 2021.

Pretty much where I am right now. That will not be the case forever of course, but I can't see a scenario for me doing anything different now for the next 3+ years, ie, I'm set and have reached 'peak camera'. I still have an interest in what's going on out there, just not as a buyer, but as above, what I have is 'good enough for years to come'. In fact, MORE than good enough.

This...but that’s not ideal is it? Rhetorical question! I suspect it may have something to do with that they are an electronics giant first and only relatively recently, a camera company. And the camera side, just a tiny division of the whole. Having said that, according to many reports, THE camera company, Leica, have pretty poor customer service. Then again, so many if not most companies have less than good customer service and the bigger they are, the worse it often is. I think Panny just need to do a couple of things to survive if not absolutely fly and these are: PDAF ASAP Sort out their marketing both internally (ie as a company) and externally (ie, in having a strong proactive set of photographers/filmmakers) as so often is the case these days, it’s ‘influencers’ who can have a massive effect on the success of a product. Refine & define their product line, but mostly the first two points. But then as has been said so many times in recent years, especially the last, most of the camera companies are just one or two elements away from producing a complete product, yet none of them seem able to. Which is utterly baffling to me...

Yup. This is and has been my concern as a user. It’s almost as if owners/users are in the know in regard to the capability of the kit, but the rest of the world just mostly poo poos the tracking AF. And quite right in regard to the latter, but their whole marketing department and advertising etc just seems to lack mojo. But then again, maybe I like the fact that they are an underdog... Their customer service department sucks balls based on my dealings with them, UK and France. Utter contempt for their customers. I almost sold the lot a few months back on sheer point of principle.

Tricky to define but the summary would be as follows... Since moving from full frame Nikon D3s 10 years ago, I was all about compact and lightweight kit. For the last couple of years, hybrid in a single body type. I was put off anything S1 flavored for the last year or so due to I will admit, YouTube content creators repeated mantra of, “they are so massive and weigh a ton”. I swallowed that. Until I got one. My ‘dream’ camera is a Leica SL2 for photo and a SL2-S for video, paired up to fulfill my hybrid needs. Why? The caché, the legend, all that shit. But then there is the reality... Could I justify the cost? Nope, not really. Is the lack of a tilt screen an issue? Actually, stop kidding yourself, yes it is. Is the S1R a better all round proposition, badge aside, over an SL2? Probably yes. Do I really really really need 47mp or for 99% of my needs, isn’t 24mp better and then there is the tripod hi res mode for uber-detailed landscape shots so... OK, so S1, S1H or S5 then. I like and almost love the S5 but it falls short in 2 areas principally and these are; the flip out screen (the S1H’s is perfection) and once you have used the EVF on the S1H, the S5’s is really like stepping back in time. The S1’s on off switch is in the wrong place and the top screen is like a 1990’s digital watch. The S1H just feels right in the hand and doesn’t just feel like the premium product that it is, but has that ‘specialness’ about it that some stuff just has and some stuff just does not. It is now without question my A camera for both stills and video and it’s only...and I mean ONLY flaw (in my opinion) is the less than stellar tracking AF. Could be a bit cheaper maybe, but then it’s a premium item so IMO, worth it. My S5 is now very much my B cam. Still hybrid, but not my primary camera. Oh and just to conclude on the whole size and weight thing...the IBIS is superb, the rear screen is superb and for my needs does not need; a cage or additional grip, a monitor or a gimbal and when paired with Sigma’s new 28-70mm f2.8...well ha, it’s smaller and lighter than anything with bits added to it. Apologies for the GH5.5 digress, but it’s kind of related as the S1H is my ‘GH6’. Apologies if you now want an S1H but it’s just fucking superb.