The Panasonic S1 II pricing is wrong, and so is the entire product strategy since 2018

[MrSMW]

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.

[John Matthews]

45 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

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.

I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. I’ll give Panasonic credit for their primes — the other makers feel more like wannabes than real contenders when it comes to consistent size, look, feel, and output. Canon seems unwilling to let third-party manufacturers do what they want, probably out of fear. Sony, on the other hand, seems to cripple third-party lenses for no real reason. Nikon offers some 1.4 primes, but they’re a bit all over the place — not ideal if you’re looking for a cohesive lineup.

Only Panasonic has released a true roadmap of lenses, much like a publisher releasing a series of books that all share the same design and cover style. Other manufacturers are putting out books of all different shapes and sizes. That’s fine for the average user, but if consistency is what you’re after, it’s hit or miss.

Sony is all over the place — they started with a mount made for APS-C! Meanwhile, Panasonic and Leica developed one of the more recent mounts, designed specifically for full-frame. Leica has their set of APO primes — arguably the best lenses they’ve ever made — though at a crazy cost. Panasonic and Sigma, on the other hand, are pushing out lenses at a relatively fast pace, including some truly unique focal lengths that have never been done before, like the 20–200mm.