Hands-on test with Panasonic's first full-frame mirrorless, the Lumix S1 and S1R. Check the Lumix S1R price at B&H: bhpho.to/2MKFyRD Check the Lumix S1 price at B&H: bhpho.to/2MORySo Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book at Amazon: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Like Cameralabs? Get the T-Shirt: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop

Panasonic is definitely very serious about their 1st gen FF ILC. The refinement and features of the two S1 models literally put both Nikon Zs and Canon's EOS Rs to shame. The S1 models will give Sony a run for the money, a real competitor. At the end of the day, it's all good for consumers. Good job, Panasonic!

I'm Very excited about these cameras. Their design is very well thought

Excellent video as always, packed with very useful information. Looking forward to your evaluation of image quality, autofocus and other topics on a production model. 👍👍

Your reviews are as good as having the camera in hand. Good job!

Always the best reviews this is the real deal other reviewers should watch and learn

So many channels pushed out a first impressions video at the same time.... But I check here first of course. :)

Thanks for the review. Super stable!

Excellent introduction Gordon, thanks! Love those controls, especially the AF selector, looks well thought out.

the colours and skintones look great - looking nice and healthy Gordon. There's a lot of thought been put into these new cameras. It's a good idea for them to have such a large lens selection so quickly. The next couple of years are going to be interesting! Good work!

thanks for the effort and the sharing. i look forward to your full report. i am an appreciative subscriber. thumbs up.

the most informative video of panasinics yet, thanks Gordon.

The build quality is exceptional. It reminds me of the Pentax K-1.

Excellent hands on demo. People worked up about the pricing should remember that, unlike Canon or Nikon, Panasonic aggressively discounts models after introduction, so the list price in 6-8 months will not, likely, be the street price. For example the G9 is priced at $1,697, but sold for $1,400 6-8 months into its life cycle, and is now down to $1,300.

Great to see Panasonic advancing in the camera world, a very nice update video thank you Gordon. I can’t help wondering if Panasonic have set themselves up to be beaten in price and features by the next Sony A7 cameras.

Excellent. I could really go for that camera. Some great specs. Thanks Gordon.

Great "1st impression" video! I do like, but not in my price range. You also have consider storage card prices and lenses. I'm happy with the G9 which has a lot of those features albeit M43, which is just fine for me. Can't wait until the full review!

Great pre-production review Gordon. Looking forward to the full review. I know Panasonic have been making the mirrorless range for a while but we have to remember that this is their first full frame effort and they appear to have produced the goods. It certainly doesn’t look like they have held much back, really thinking about aesthetics and usability and following on from where they left off with the G9, which in my opinion is one of the best designed cameras on the market. Well done Panasonic.

Excellent first impressions! Very expensive! Thanks for taking us through the menus. I look forward to a thorough review.

Very informative & intuitive overview as always. I was waiting to see how panasonic would price these now I have to see the lens pricing. Image quality and usability will have to be spectacular to compete with Sony's price model.

Great review, Gordon!

Hi Gordon, these new Panasonic models look great performance wise especially with the Image Stabilization. Thanks Gordon for this awesome video as usual

THANKS GORDON!! I’ve been waiting far too long for this video. I look forward to your article. Is that a 1.4 aperture on the 24-105 lens?! That’s a reason to buy right there. I’m super excited about this camera system. When is the official release date?

Gordon you rock. You say right up front you're working with a preproduction camera and performance may not be reflective of the final product. I just watched another KZfaqr comparing performance of this camera to another production released camera and making claims that were ridiculous.

Looks like a great specification Gordon but as today is launch day, I've seen the prices, not a cheap body in either version and if you want the lenses to match, getting on to "Ouch !" values. I wish Panasonic well but really do wonder whether we are getting to a rather too crowded market especially if Canon's recent prognostications about sales volumes over the next few years prove to be true.

I have to keep in mind, this is Panasonic's FF inauguration. I wish them well. Hopefully, affordable lenses are soon available. Otherwise, the price tag is beyond the typical photo enthusiast's affordability level. Have to say, I find your camera reviews so very helpful. Sort of meat and potatoes (substance) without the frills. Thanks much!

Was just about to go Sony but then Panasonic go and launch what looks an amazing piece of kit, will be waiting to get my hands on this on a test day 1st, why have they stuck with only contrast detect AF though, seems an odd move or is there a technical reason Gordon ?

Thanks once again Gordon!

Some cool features on those cameras , The high res 5k screen looks really good , But ... i do wonder if it may impact the battery ?

Thanks, Gordon. Best first impressions video so far. Can you confirm whether the S1 can record 4k60p internally?

Current MFT shooter here. Have they mentioned if these cameras will be compatible with existing Lumix line of TTL flashes?

Thanks Gordon, -- any perceptible lag on the EVF as you take photos of fast-moving subjects? Thanks!

Best body design to date. There I said it. This camera has so many awesome usability features that are very very exciting. Sony still has them beat for actual sensor performance and lens selection, but who knows how long that will last. This is the most exciting full frame mirrorless of the past year no doubt.

Really superb cameras it would seem, as a Brit dare I say..awesome even. A very complete spec, which crushes the Nikon Z and Canon R cameras, yet the pricing is very competitive (and will no doubt drop somewhat to a post-launch 'street price'). Not that I can afford to buy one and lenses, though I am wondering if there will be a firmware upgrade for the G9 to add some S features to it's little relative...??

Nice Job. Very nice - One question, the the S1 have the option to pull pack on the noise reduction like the GH5/GH5-S? (NR +/-) On my GH5 I pull back all the NR because post NR is was more surgical and accurate than real-time, in-camera NR. Thanks!

Good review. I wish it didn't have the top screen though, I have no need for it, waste of good dial space.

Wow, you really covered a lot in 12:41. Did they give a release date for the full production model?

Great overview. Is this the one that will have 6k burst w 18 mp stills? I mentioned in another vid something like,,, The future is bright or the end is near.

Video looks fantastic.

Best in the biz Gordon!

IBIS and weather sealing sound interesting. Video is a bit of a letdown. Was really expecting 10 bit internal 50 fps, and without paying additional money. F4 lenses available at start are also a letdown. Price is pretty bold, considering Panasonic has no experience in FF cameras. I have some money to spend this year for body and lenses, prolly not in Pana, based on what I saw until now.

Their Achilles heel is the slower Contrast Detection Auto-Focus (and lack of cheap primes and f2.8 zooms, which they might release later; Sigma might help). All other features appear to outclass Nikon and Canon mirrorless.

2:29 The ibis is excellent. Now they need to just drop the price and make sure video auto focus is great and it will be the perfect camera (I don’t like flip screens so I’m happy with what it has)

The £2200 50mm f1.4 lens has actually made my eyes water. It's the only decent fast lens available at launch. And the Sony and Canon equivalents are over £1000 cheaper. I am so mad. Come on Sigma, release a nice set of affordable primes for these cameras!

I love how Panasonic is establishing the S line as a true high end pro line, which completely removes any doubt about eliminating MFT.

As a photographer I prefer the triaxial screen. The flippy screen on my G9 is nice but annoying at times. I can see where the flippy screen is praised for video though. That being said the S1 being marketed as a hybrid camera should have had a flippy screen and the S1R should have been triaxial.

I have sony a7||| so i think ill wait a couple of years for the prices to go down and more lense choice but i do like the specs and looks of the camera.

Thanks, Gordon -all bases covered as always - My twopence is this is an obese Panny G9 (which I own as well as the G85 and both are beyond awesome btw) with some backlit buttons and (minus the hugely useful flip out screen) a larger sensor. Can anyone point out to me the value proposition here or have I missed something?

Panasonic is getting better! I mean Stabilization wise is insane! Hopefully, Sony can come out more features and even insane spec with their A7SIII to compete this Lumix. Or else, I might switch to Lumix soon.

I really had my doubts that Panasonic could break into a crowded full frame market. How could they possibly do it any better than their competitors? Well, they set themselves apart by providing better ergonomics, quite a few a few exciting new features, and a strong partnership that will provide in a steady flow of excellent lenses. At this point, Canon and Nikon really need to up their games, and even Sony needs to start worrying. Well done, Panasonic.

A massive nail in the coffin of Olympus. Also will Mr and Mrs Tony attack its large lcd top display? No, of course not it's not a Canon. Great review of what is the first entry into what should be a very good camera system.

REALLY impressive! It seems Panasonic is just building up on their GH5 / GH5s / G9 upswing expertise, taking that knowledge to FF territory and really going out all guns blazing! No holding back, and it think it'll serve them well. Very promising, and i can only expect the rugged true good Panasonic experience.

Tempted, very tempted. But it's between this and the Nikon Z when I change from Olympus soon and I just can't decide. Larger, more expensive, better ergonomics but heavier, with a still quite uncertain road map for long wildlife lenses. Or lighter, less features and less pushing of new technology but with an already good system around it with small, long PF lenses (though adapted). The Nikon Z with their small new excellent zooms look really good. But so does this, and nobody does menus and touch screen functionality like Panasonic, or single point AF speed for that matter. Oh so hard. Thanks for an excellent first hands on. May I ask, in your final review, and the one on your page, could you compare it side by side with some smaller cameras? m43 G9, E-M1 Mk II, Nikon Z, Sony A7 series or DSLR (what ever you have, if you have anything to compare it with) including some lenses? Thanks again! /Rasmus

Thank you for this hands on. Imagine if Nikon would have made their Z series of this quality and feature set. I did notice some flicker in the video - that is a bit troubling. I am not scared by the price - over the long haul the price will be forgotten. We need a lens road map.........particularly long, super-tele glass. Again, than you.

Interesting camera, just one thing I wish it had: BSI sensor. In general though, it seems like a great camera. A Panasonic Full Frame is like a dream come true. I really hope for less expensive lenses that can match the sensor resolution. I'm fairly confident that the camera will be a success though, because I think that their compact cameras and micro 4/3rds are the best of their class. The heavy weight can either be a benefit or disadvantage, depending on situation.

Great video!!

Since S1R can shoot 6k I would like to ask: if I shoot video /picture without zooming with 6k and crop later, is the quality same as those non-6k shoot with zoom in 100mm or 200mm?

The highly capable beast

Beautiful and in the right size, better grip ,not as small as Nikon, Sony and Fuji.

Would be nice to know, if DFD will be available for Sigma lenses or if they make you buy their own lenses to get the best possible autofocus like they did with micro 4/3. Did anyone mention anything about that?

*Will Panasonic make one camera that works both Panasonic S1 & S1R for shooting photos and videos?*

Interesting red led which I assume indicates writing to memory

Doesn’t the X-H1 also have a top LCD?

Why does it utilize a 1980"s top LCD? Flip screen came off of Fuji XT3? EVF is hi-res but it's noticebly small? Contrast detection AF doesn't look ground-breaking. Ergonomics looks good. Glowing buttons is a nice feature. Touch screen looks responsive. Excellent choice of battery. Hi-res photo capture lis really interesting. All in all the S1 should be a $2,000 camera.

Thanks Gordon great pre review love the features and ergonomics but like many others commenting it's just too expensive as it enters the market they need to be as coy as Sony and take the market now with a competive and affordable camera and retain the loyalty for the future I fear this camera will just not resonate with photographers already spoilt for choice

Would you mind commenting on the loudness of the shutter compared to a DSLR?

Looks good

Are you sure 4k is APSC on the S1? Other sources have not mentioned this, but it could be a deal-breaker

What camera are using to record this video?

wow, what a player! Leica mount, animal detect that even sony does not have yet. Insane viewfinder resolution and a dual card slot. Canon and Nikon are outclassed completely. And this is coming from a canon shooter

I'm not sure if you mentioned it, but is this a preproduction model?

I had great hopes for these cameras. I was pretty sure that Panasonic would nail all the features that Canon and Nikon didn't, and that appears to be the case. That said, the pricing of the bodies, and the lenses, seems somewhat stratospheric. The overall effect, was to put me off. Now I'm looking with renewed interest in the Canon EOS R, and even the Olympus E-M1X, both of those, simply because I am already invested in the systems, and thus, would realize a huge savings over these new Panasonic models. Frankly, just waiting might be the best strategy, as I can't imagine the prices staying this high for long.

I hope they add that rear screen to the next G9 varient

Nice!

This S1 line seem promising!

Vlogging outside with this monster body plus a heavy sigma art lens on a gimbal is a proper workout. This is not an amateur camera that's for sure. So the question is, for people already in other systems, why jump to S1R or L mount alliance? It is a very thought after product with no major flaw apart from the weight however lacks a hero feature or two to stand out among vastly more mature competition.

I think what a lot of people wanted was just a FF GH5. The ergonomics for still and video on that camera are second to none in my opinion. I was excited about this camera but the lack of a fully articulating screen is disappointing and I'd much rather more dials than that lcd. It's also the ugliest camera on the market. I'll be sticking with micro four thirds for the moment.

How do you judge the image quality of the 24-105 compared to the similar lenses of Nikon, Canon and Sony?

Being a M43 user, i am bias to low or at least reasonnable weight. Comparing to other FF mirrorless, it is my only disapointment . I understand it is more rugged but the difference is too much for me. Some will say that it is lighter than a D850 but that is not a valid comparaison . It gets worst if you want a native 50mm lens . A Sony a7iii with 55mm f1.8 is half the weight. I don't own a FF yet and i am still a satisfied user of a Lumix G85 with quite a bunch of lenses . I intend to stay in M43 but adding a FF with 1 or 2 lenses is appelling. I am patient and wanted to see my main brand 's offering first . Besides being heavy , those S1/S1r are really nice cameras that i am sure will make their owners happy.

Wow that's actually quite a good camera especially in comparison to what other companies have released. I thought it was just going to be a repeat of nikon and canons somewhat disappointing reveals but its much better. The buttons are in the right place nothing uber fancy just that it works which is what matters. Also with all due respect Gordon but you demonstrating stabilization for a particular camera really doesn't show how good the stabilization is. I mean if anyone would be you certainly could classify as a human tripod. Ive never seen someone hold the camera as steady as you have. Even self filming you make it look absolutely effortless. Id say let an absolute newbie with shaky hands try to film with the camera that would show more for the capability of the camera's various IS. I mean no offense of course but you genuinely make it look so easy when it is definitely not. Id swear you must have a built in gyroscope or something. I havent recorded anything that steady even with my most recent attempt trying to test record myself with a camera when shortly after i started recording i lost my grip which resulted in me panicking trying not to drop the camera and ended with me somehow painfully smacking my nose with the camera.

Impresive IBIS performance! As I'm so invested in Sony gear, I hope they improve it on A7sIII. I really hate carrying gimbals around for my non professional use.

Good camera if don't shoot moving targets. There is no real reviews available yet until retail version are available. Videos like these are what we get for month or so. AI promise is half true but nothing that other cameras cannot offer. They can improve object recognition like Olympus does but for autofocus distance is much harder to nail. It can ball park it with AI if camera knows what lens is in use and there is familiar object to like standing person size(taking typical height of person) of which with known zoom range can be used to calculate the real distance and therefore fix the focus point range.

Look like great cameras but they will have to re-align on those lens prices, maybe when Sigma shows us what they are going to bring to the party it will become more enticing.

Some really great features, I love the EVF. However, no flippy screen due to increasing robustness? How many of us have broken a flippy screen? And the big thing for me - they are still using contrast detect on a full frame sensor? I could understand this on M43 because they had to, but on FF? I've just sold my G80 because I couldn't cope with the poor contrast detection AF. A long awaited camera, but not for me sadly.

big question is : who is it for??

the IBIS is not bad at all!!

I don´t understand why not 4K60fps internal in ProRess RAW or BlackMagic RAW. :-( Why not in these superb quality formats for postproduction and editing? Thermal issue? Can I expect them in any firmware? Panasonic S1 is not cheap camera. I would expect that such a quite expensive camera is able to record in these formats in 2019.

How many frames per second in a silent mode?

I suppose it remains to be seen if this latest “full frame” system has a place in a saturated market.

taking pictures with LEFT EYE/NOSETIP ON TOUCH SCREEN? FZ1000 II

They're not ducks, nor swans - they're geese :). Thank you for the review, looking forward for the full review of the production sample.

nice review

These are very nice but the real deal will be an a7s II competitor with about 12MP and dual ISO capabilities on FF. It could become the king of low light plus having all of the Panasonic video goodness. The lack of phase points is IMO a big fail again, the DfD algos simply can't compete no matter what they try!

Hey... nice skin tones...

Where is the S-1 manufactured?

I think Panasonic is in trouble unless they bring down the price. While partnering with Leica may have reduced development cost, using Leica lenses are ridiculously expensive. Standard Leica zooms are over $5k, twice as expensive as comparable Sony. Their new 50 1.4 is more expensive than the brand new Canon 50 1.2 and the bodies themselves are $500 more than comparable Sony or Nikon mirrorless cameras. Way too rich for a camera system that thus far hasn’t proven it deserves the higher price tag.

Nearly perfect camera. But why they have used this screen instead of the fully articulated?

Don’t know about the image quality and auto focus on this model but what a logically laid out camera streets ahead of Sony in terms of usability.Sony just drip feed you features where Panasonic really give you a far better user experience.lenses and auto-focus are yet an unknown quantity.Pity Sony and Panasonic don’t merger then you would have a true 2019 camera

I own a Panasonic G9 and I wanted to go to the full frame hybrid Sony A7 III. I've been waiting to see Panasonic S1 what specifications it has and how much it costs. Disappointment, weighing double It's like a brick compared to the Sony A7 III, poor battery (half as much as Sony), the same problem hunting the back subject with autofocus contrast, 225 vs 693 (sony) focus point, is more expensive than Sony with 500$. The only advantage of Panasonic is 4k 60p considering the sony A7III is one year old on the market.

Great camer but damn! The tiltable screen! Was the only thing I love about panasonic! I can't believe the removed it! In 2019 it must be an assential thing in every camera!