Panasonic finally broke the series of strange announcements and released a flagship camera for photographers and camera operators—the Panasonic Lumix S1RII. The new product received a newly developed 44.3-megapixel sensor, a high-performance L 2 image processing processor, and several fundamentally new functions, including hybrid autofocus supplemented by AI calculations. You can write Apple ProRes RAW HQ 5.8K directly to the memory card, and an 8K recording mode with 14 steps of dynamic range is also available.
The Panasonic S1RII is the company’s high-resolution camera, with a 44MP BSI CMOS sensor. It can shoot up to 10 fps with its mechanical shutter and 40 fps in E-shutter mode. It can shoot up to 8.1K video.
Key features
- Full-frame 44MP dual gain CMOS sensor
- Up to 40fps continuous shooting with pre-burst capture (e-shutter only)
- 8.1K/8K video at up to 30p
- 5.76M dot viewfinder
- Flip-out and tilt rear screen
- ProRes 422 and ProRes RAW capture
- Capture to CFExpress Type B, UHS II SD or external SSD
- Multi-shot high res mode up to 177MP
- 32-bit float audio via optional XLR 2 adapter
Panasonic Lumix S1RII Price and Release Date
The new Panasonic Lumix S1R II camera costs $3,299 and is already available for pre-order on B&HPhoto and Adorama‘s online e-shops. Shipping will start on March 17, 2025.
New Features
The Panasonic Lumix S1R II camera allows you to shoot with increased resolution due to the Pixel-Shift function. Advanced sensor stabilization will enable you to do this without a tripod, resulting in 177 MP photos.
Images are processed entirely in-camera, so photographers don’t need external software to create high-resolution images.
There is a hybrid autofocus. It includes AI-based subject detection and tracking.
According to Panasonic, the hybrid AF system features 779 phase-detection points, improved subject tracking and recognition, and is significantly faster and more reliable than the original first-generation camera.
With a more powerful processor and faster sensor, the Panasonic Lumix S1RII can shoot full-resolution images at up to 40 fps with continuous autofocus.
The new SH pre-burst mode takes photos for 1.5 seconds before fully pressing the shutter button. This will help you not to miss a critical moment, for example, when shooting wildlife.
The camera’s blackout-free electronic shutter allows continuous shooting at up to 40 fps, while the Panasonic Lumix S1R II’s mechanical shutter reaches a maximum speed of 10 fps.
Video Shooting and Stabilization
The stabilization system has always been one of Panasonic’s main trump cards, and the manufacturer has been improving it for a long time. In the new Panasonic Lumix S1RII, eight exposure steps (with wide-angle and standard optics) or seven steps (when using telephoto optics with optical stabilization) were possible.
It has several modes: active image stabilization works with EIS (HIGH), and it compensates even for strong shaking, for example, when shooting on the run.
At the same time, the EIS system compensates for perspective distortions that occur during video shooting (usually noticeable on the sides of the frame). This is a grave step forward.
At the same time, the Panasonic Lumix S1RII camera is designed for photographers and operators. The new camera is the first Panasonic Lumix model to record 8K video. 14 steps of dynamic range are declared, which is a good indicator.
The camera’s Open Gate mode allows shooting at 6.4K resolution, although a future firmware update enables 8.1K and 7.2K recording in this mode.
Another new feature for the Lumix S series (full frame) is internal Apple ProRes RAW HQ/ProRes RAW 5.8K recording to a CFexpress Type B card.
