Pana S9 is definition of an underrated camera

[eatstoomuchjam]

3 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

Might be worth a shot though what I land is still an amazing deal for just the body. Might give it a go though. 

Absolutely - it's a fantastic price for just the body and I'm envious that you found it!  If it were me, I'd still at least make a request that they give a partial refund since the item wasn't as-described and then I'd just take whatever they suggest, whether it's $20 or whatever.  It never hurts to have an extra $20.

[FHDcrew]

Camera is in my hands.  Feels a lot more premium with the cage. Good way to beef it up as an a-cam without feeling like a huge rig. My weird plan was to rock the sigma 18-35…i already own it and it covers 24-35mm roughly on full frame. But the darn viltrox EF to l mount adapter, while great, forces the camera into an apsc crop no matter what I do. Thinking of selling it and snagging a used canon 16-35 2.8 l or 24-70 l EF. 

[MrSMW]

10 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

Thinking of selling it and snagging a used canon 16-35 2.8 l or 24-70 l EF

Have you considered the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 even though it is a crop lens, or do you need the full frame?

it’s an exceptional tiny zoom with a 27-75 FF equivalent range and I’m still considering whether when I pick up my second S1Rii if I don’t sell the S9, would this work for me in any viable way, or would I just be trying to keep hold of it?!

[ac6000cw]

2 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Have you considered the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 even though it is a crop lens, or do you need the full frame?

it’s an exceptional tiny zoom with a 27-75 FF equivalent range and I’m still considering whether when I pick up my second S1Rii if I don’t sell the S9, would this work for me in any viable way, or would I just be trying to keep hold of it?!

Having bought the Sigma for my S9 (largely because of your enthusiasm for it 🙂) I have to 100% agree - it's a perfect companion to the S9 in size and weight, with nice smooth zoom and focus rings.

As I normally shoot video in 4k50p which forces an APS-C crop anyway, it being an APS-C lens is actually a plus for me as it forces APS-C for everything so I don't have to deal with changes in viewing angle between stills and video. The 12MP APS-C stills are OK for my purposes, and I have the compact FF 18-40 f4.5-6.3 if I really feel the need for 24MP stills. So I tend to regard my S9 as an APS-C camera with a bonus FF stills mode 🙂.

13 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

My weird plan was to rock the sigma 18-35…i already own it and it covers 24-35mm roughly on full frame. But the darn viltrox EF to l mount adapter, while great, forces the camera into an apsc crop no matter what I do.

The adaptor is only doing what it's supposed to do with an APS-C lens on the front, same as using a native L-mount APS-C lens (e.g. the Sigma 18-50 f2.8).

[FHDcrew]

Had one of my first intense shoots with the S9; this was a concert with a well-known rapper in the Christian Music scene.  Used the Panasonic S9 with my Sigma 18-35 (haven't sold it yet).  So was using the APSC crop mode; honestly this is a great faux-APSC camera, image quality still phenominal and noise performance isnt bad.  I filmed using the 3.3k 4:3 mode which is lovely and allowed me to really easy make a 9:16 edit while still framing for 16:9 or 2:35:1 as well.  It's nice too that I can do 48p or 60p without a FOV increase.  I am content with this mode so don't have a massive urge to sell my Sigma 18-35 and get proper full frame glass.  Eventually i will though.  Double aspect ratio markers on the S9 is sweet; I had a 2:35:1 AND 9:16 aspect ratio marker going at once making framing for both mediums so easy.  IBIS is so good; I filmed 90% with e-stabilization set to high; this did crop pretty heavy but you forget about it when shooting, and the performance was so good I rarely had to post-stabilize and could easily replicate gimbal tracking shots with a heel-toe walk and holding the camera a bit loosely.  The cage and hand-grip definitley helps, and I don't find the camera to be uncomfortable; the Sigma 18-35 is definitely front heavy, but the setup is still a lot more comfortable than my old Z6 with the Atomos Ninja V bolted on.  I will say over time the smallrig handle seems to come slightly loose so i have to tighten it every now and then, but when not shooting I also tend to hold the camera in one hand by the grip.  

Other notes:

Battery life is great.  Only used two batteries for the entire shoot filming multiple concerts over a few hours.  Didnt' even fully run through the second.

Lack of viewfinder is not a dealbreaker for me as I only do video; screen could use to be a bit brighter but still usable in direct sunlight.

The rear dial feels so cheap; you can easily nudge it half-way between its click points.  I don't like it.  At least it's very functional.  I do find the function button placements to be good, and i can efficiently change settings.  A joystick would have been cool. 

Lack of hot-shoe a non-issue for me as I am 98% video.  If I really need it I can whip out my Nikon Z6 for photo work.

Camera never overheated once, and it was a very hot day.

 

Definitely love this camera.  I do see myself picking up an S5 II on ebay down the line, but I don't see myself ever needing anything better; just would like weather sealing and a more robust build.  But the S9 is still totally usable as an A-CAM and can work really well in that capacity if your needs are comparable to mine.  Given that I paid $860, its easy to overlook the flaws of this camera.

 

[MrSMW]

2 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

But the S9 is still totally usable as an A-CAM and can work really well in that capacity if your needs are comparable to mine

Yep and is still currently my A cam.

It’s going to become C cam after the next job, but only because a pair of S1Rii’s will be in the house by then and my future approach of shooting hybrid 2x identical units albeit with a different focal length on each and in 7.2k open gate allowing me to additionally pull the highest res stills I can whilst retaining open gate for 16:9 and 9:16 edits.

If they ever do make a mkII version with nothing more than the S1Rii sensor, I’d be all over that. But they won’t as the S9 body has no fan.

I would like to see a cinema style body a la FX line though…

[ac6000cw]

5 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

So was using the APSC crop mode; honestly this is a great faux-APSC camera, image quality still phenomenal and noise performance isn't bad.

5 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

It's nice too that I can do 48p or 60p without a FOV increase.

I agree completely.

5 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

The cage and hand-grip definitely helps, and I don't find the camera to be uncomfortable; the Sigma 18-35 is definitely front heavy, but the setup is still a lot more comfortable than my old Z6 with the Atomos Ninja V bolted on.  I will say over time the smallrig handle seems to come slightly loose so i have to tighten it every now and then, but when not shooting I also tend to hold the camera in one hand by the grip.

With smaller/lighter lenses like the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 APS-C I find the S9 well balanced and easy to hold, with left hand under the lens and right hand around the body. I have (but don't use very often) the Sirui grip, which is deeper than the Smallrig one and has a high-grip surface on the 'bump' - this is someone else's comparison photo of (top to bottom) the Sirui, JJC and Smallrig grips

Even with a (small/light/decent sounding) Sennheiser MKE200 mic mounted on the cold shoe the combo still feels relatively small and light, which is exactly what I wanted when I bought the S9.

 

[FHDcrew]

Decided I am selling my S9...I know.  It's a killer camera.  I realized I want something more durable as my a-cam.  I got it for a killer deal, but that also just makes it all the more easy to sell as I am pricing it low at around $900 WITH the Smallrig cage.  After further thought, I want a camera that is weather sealed, and reports about the rear dial going out (it feels soooo cheap) do not give me the most ocnfidence.)

[FHDcrew]

13 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

Decided I am selling my S9...I know.  It's a killer camera.  I realized I want something more durable as my a-cam.  I got it for a killer deal, but that also just makes it all the more easy to sell as I am pricing it low at around $900 WITH the Smallrig cage.  After further thought, I want a camera that is weather sealed, and reports about the rear dial going out (it feels soooo cheap) do not give me the most ocnfidence.)

Final update, selling both my S9 and Canon R7 (been trying to sell it for a bit), and am reverting back to my OG Nikon Z6 that I’ve used the past 4 years. Really does all I need, 10 bit to the ninja just as good as anything else. And I need to put money toward other things right now lol  

 

Sometimes it’s not until you spontaneously buy new gear that you realized what you had before was really all you needed and you just need to keep creating more content lol. That’s how I feel right now haha

 

But still, the S9 is great. I don’t love it as an a-cam cause of the stupid rear dial, but great camera nonetheless. 

[MrSMW]

1 hour ago, FHDcrew said:

But still, the S9 is great. I don’t love it as an a-cam cause of the stupid rear dial, but great camera nonetheless. 

If only it was lockable…

I keep jogging it myself and then discovering I am shooting 1/80th or 1/125th when I have set 1/100th, but I suppose it is built to a price.

I don’t mind needing a cage for video or a decent grip for photo so any next gen, the format is fine. I prefer modularity.

I didn’t think the lack of a mech shutter would bother me, but it did when I tried using it for stills and got either quite a bit of jello effect and/or banding in certain lighting conditions. This reverted it for me to being a pure video unit.

I would rather it was weather sealed but not a big issue for my needs. If it was going to be my only camera or camera type, it would need to be.

I did almost sell it a couple of weeks back with that second S1Rii inbound, but then decided I might have taken my kit streamlining one body too far and it made more sense to keep it as at least backup due to the not so great trade in price.

In the end, I decided to simply ‘repurpose’ my S9.

That second S1Rii has not turned up in time for my next job I leave for later this day but when it does, both units will be fully hybrid use shooting 7.2k open gate and stills.

My sole remaining S5ii with battery grip, lives on a sturdy video tripod and shoots 4k longer stuff where there is no fear of overheating or running out of card space or battery life. Not for my use. Just plain old reliable workhorse. I’d rather use the 6k mode, but for the 30 minute recording limit. My only crit for this unit.

The S9 now lives on it’s very light but sturdy freestanding monopod (or lightweight tripod) for ceremonies and speeches and has 3 roles: longer fully stabilised clips, clips when I also need to shoot stills at the same time, gimbal mode (ie, highest e stab) and slow mo in 6k except for the latter two options which are about 2% of my needs.

I think if I had sold it, I would have regretted it so now it has found it’s true role, I am even happier with it despite it’s limitations.

Is it an A cam? It could be but not for me. It shines though as that second or third purpose unit where anything larger or bulkier would just be a pain.

I miss my Zf and the A7RV I sold to go fully L Mount/Lumix, but have no regrets and genuinely am 100% happy with that decision with zero criticism of my new set up. It just works.

[FHDcrew]

1 hour ago, MrSMW said:

If it was going to be my only camera or camera type, it would need to be.

Yep...that's my problem.  I really want this to be my a-cam, but it only truly makes sense as a b-cam.  Yes, it could be an a-cam.  Heck, none of the blackmagic bodies are weather sealed and tons of people use them as a-cams.  But something about the S9 just doesn't make me love it as an A-Cam.  Now ironically, my Z6 + Ninja is technically not weather sealed because the Ninja V clearly is not water-protected, but at least the Z6 body is, so if needed I can strip it down and the body will survive.  And the Z6 image still kicks butt.  10 bit NLOG below, skin tones came out great.

[MrSMW]

4 hours ago, FHDcrew said:

But something about the S9 just doesn't make me love it as an A-Cam

Ultimately a combo of trust/knowledge based on: build/lack of weather sealing + no mech shutter for stills + single card slot.

Now arguably, 99.9% of my use, the lack of weather sealing/ultimate build quality, is not an issue.

The single card slot isn't either as I have my S1Rii set up for stills to CF Express and video to SD.

But mech shutter, or lack there of, dealbreaker. Probably with something like the Nikon Z8/Z9, it would not be an issue, but with the S9, it is. But then also to be fair, I didn't buy it for that, but simply tried it and it did not work so...

[FHDcrew]

2 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Now arguably, 99.9% of my use, the lack of weather sealing/ultimate build quality, is not an issue.

Same…one of my most used lenses for my Z6, an old Nikon 17-35 2.8, is not weather sealed lol, but there’s the 5% of times where it’d be nice for the body to be weather sealed. 

[j_one]

Would you consider just upgrading to a used z6iii whenever it makes sense to financially? Just the fact that you’d be able to get arguably better internal recording than the atomos / not having to hook up the atomos all the time..

[FHDcrew]

On 8/23/2025 at 12:35 AM, j_one said:

Would you consider just upgrading to a used z6iii whenever it makes sense to financially? Just the fact that you’d be able to get arguably better internal recording than the atomos / not having to hook up the atomos all the time..

Definitely what I will consider, or even the Z5II once it starts getting cheaper on the used market.

[BTM_Pix]

Today might be an interesting day as apparently in a few hours time Viltrox will be announcing that they have now officially joined the L Mount Alliance.

Good news for L mount owners  in general but particularly so for those with an S9 as some more size appropriate (and low price) primes should become available.

[MrSMW]

Yes. Some of their full-frame 'Air' lens range look quite interesting and by interesting, I mean compact, lightweight a relatively fast.

But I'm very happy personally with Lumix's own f1.8 line which are not that much bigger or heavier...

I have the 50mm f1.8 pretty much welded now to my S9, which now that 2 identical S1Rii's are in the stable, has been 'relegated' to; lightweight static 'second angle' capture for stuff such as ceremonies & speeches (as long as it's not too hot and not running for too long), plus 'gimbal mode' (with full E stab on, providing you don't try and turn corners, it's not too far off).

The 18 for extreme (for me anyway) stuff which is hardly ever, but 35mm and 85mm, one on each hip, now being my principal hybrid units on the S1RII's.

Single S5II with battery grip still doing the long form static stuff where overheating might be a risk, or battery running out. I do wish that 6k wasn't limited to 30 mins though. Not because I 'need' to shoot ceremonies or speeches in 6k, because I deliver those to the client in 1080 still, but more because I like to use some of that footage in their wedding highlights film and it's more compatible using 6k mixed into 7.2k capture than it is the 4k that I use, but hey ho...

Zero gripes with the entire system now...

Yes, the AF could be better still and is not Sony level. Probably not quite Nikon and no experience of Canon so cannot comment but I suspect still better than Fuji.

Yes, the body design of the S1RII and S1II could have been more 'interesting', - personally I'd rather have seen something more FX3/30 like, but they are very S1H-lite so OK.

And the S9 would be better with a mech shutter and if they do ever make a Series II, it needs that and a bit of weather sealing would not go amiss and even a micro SD as a second slot like the Zf, would be welcome.

As above, no 'complaints', just a couple of observations.

[BTM_Pix]

Now confirmed officially by Leica.

https://leica-camera.com/en-GB/press/viltrox-joins-l-mount-alliance
 

I was hopeful that Viltrox getting involved would bring a Nikon F to L Mount adapter with AF as they would now have both ends of the puzzle but then you remember that Leica are the gatekeepers of the alliance so I suspect not.

Let’s hope Viltrox are a bit more committed to making a go of it now they’ve been accepted than Samyang who started with a bang with the 35-150 after they joined but have released fuck all since in L mount.

[MrSMW]

Tamron joining would be my preference, but I suspect they are too close to Sony?

But they have some really great zoom lenses especially...

Their 28-75mm f2.8 is arguably pretty comparable with the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 (just moved mine to back up/static shorter option where the 70-200 is a bit much) but there is nothing within L Mount like Tamron's 70-180mm f2.8.

That latter lens is much more compact and lighter than anything else available at that aperture with that focal range. Lumix's and Sigma's 70-200 may be 20mm longer, but they are fooking mahoosive in comparison.

Handheld, I don't think I could go back to anything over 750g now and preferably under 500g.

I tried the Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 and thought the image quality was superb, but the reality of it was a negative and real world, what can it do that the <300g Lumix 35mm f1.8 cannot?

I never say never however and if they ever produced a longer focal length, internal focus, ie, non-extending sibling to the Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 such as 45-90mm f1.8, I might be interested...but I'd realistically then need a battery grip for each S1RII and in each hand, I'd go from 1278g per unit (body, battery, cards, Swiss area plate, Spider Holster thingy, MKE 200 mic, mic cable, VND) to more like +1000g per unit...which is a whole other thing and exactly what I have worked towards getting away from!