HUGE Panasonic discounts on the S9

[Andrew Reid]

17 hours ago, ac6000cw said:

The current 'reasonably compact' FF zoom range mounted on the S9 (from the left, 18-40, 20-60, 28-200 and 24-60):

The best one out of all those is the 28-200mm.

Absolutely the best travel lens I have ever used.

Really light too.

[ac6000cw]

9 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

The best one out of all those is the 28-200mm.

It's been on my wish list for a while...

(I already own the 18-40 and 20-60, and I'm more likely to buy the more-compact APS-C Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 than the Pana 24-60).

[John Matthews]

I'm seeing deals in Germany and France for a S5D + 28-200 for 1299 euros- that's a great deal!

[ac6000cw]

15 hours ago, John Matthews said:

I'm seeing deals in Germany and France for a S5D + 28-200 for 1299 euros- that's a great deal!

It's similar in the UK (£1299).

Personally I think Panasonic should offer the S9 + 28-200 as a reasonably compact FF travel cam kit (e.g. like Sony have the APS-C A6700 + 18-135mm kit).

[MrSMW]

54 minutes ago, ac6000cw said:

It's similar in the UK (£1299)

The Euro deal is significantly better!

€1299 is 'only' about £1100.

[ac6000cw]

35 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

The Euro deal is significantly better!

€1299 is 'only' about £1100.

Good point 🙂(it did go lower than £1299 recently from a some sellers - see the red line below).

From https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Panasonic/Panasonic-Lumix-S-Cameras/Panasonic-Lumix-S5D-Camera-with-28-200mm-Macro-Lens

...and for the S9 + 18-40 kit over the same period - https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Panasonic/Panasonic-Lumix-S-Cameras/Panasonic-Lumix-S9-Camera-with-18-40mm-Lens:

[MrSMW]

On 5/30/2025 at 7:12 PM, MrSMW said:

I prefer the Sigma f2’s for stills and for their build and looks, but I went with the Lumix f1.8 primes for mine with the 18, 50 and 85.

I’m now questioning the 18 and might trade it for the 24 as it’s just a bit too wide for my needs and taste.

The 35 is not quite wide enough and a bit close to the 50.

I'm doing an about face after 6 days shooting with the primes and going back to a single zoom.

Well kinda...

Most of the time, I have been shooting with the right lens for the situation, so the 18 when I want wide (but finding it too wide most of the time), the 50 (which can get a bit tight indoors and not quite long enough out) and the 85 (which is often far too tight outdoors).

So I am switching it around and popping the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on the S9 as my run & gun combo with the option of the 18mm for those very few times when I need it.

The 50 and 85 I have moved over to static duty on one or both of my S5ii's, especially when I don't need the big boy 70-200.

The simple reality is I like the purity of zooms plus their ability to gather more light/shoot shallower, but flexibility trumps those qualities.

I do however despise variable aperture zooms and anything that really extends. The Sigma has a very short telescoping effect and the 70-200 none.

Meanwhile though for candid stills, the Zf with 40mm f2 is a great combo. Pity the AF is not even close to that of the A7RV. Sony AF just flat out rules, no question whereas with Nikon it's a case of overshooting because it asks, "This? This? Or this? Oh you mean this!" in fast paced scenarios. Sony meanwhile winks at you and says, "yep, I already know".

[MurtlandPhoto]

4 hours ago, MrSMW said:

So I am switching it around and popping the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on the S9 as my run & gun combo with the option of the 18mm for those very few times when I need it.

That 28-70 is just so versatile for it's size. I really want to shoot with primes, but similar to you it seems, the flexibility of that zoom is just too good to ignore most times. I keep the 20-60 close by if I need to go wider, but I've been eyeing that 18mm.

[MrSMW]

29 minutes ago, MurtlandPhoto said:

That 28-70 is just so versatile for it's size

It's my favourite lens for video. Easily. Has been for I think this is the third year with it? Maybe the 4th, - since it was launched anyway.

It's under 500g, barely extends, fixed aperture, works like a 42-105 in crop mode, has some character and...well what is not to like really? You can keep your much larger and heavier 24-70's!

The Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 is just as viable and I have that also. For stills this year and last, though if I switch to Nikon or Sony for video next year, will use that instead.

[Noli]

It's quite funny how Sigma made the perfect zoom lens for the S9, but it's not viable for video on the FP because it lacks stabilization. On the other hand Panasonic made the 28-200 WITH stabilization and it is perfect on the FP.

I love the long focal range but I'd probably trade the 70-200 for the 2.8 aperture in most situations.

On the other hand It is also a lot of fun to use the very high apertures of the 28-200 past F16 (highest is F45 on the long end). I actually sold my voigtländer 40mm 1.2 for the zoom. Shooting at F32 and never carrying around ND filters anymore. 😄