With a new full-frame mount, supported by partners Leica and Sigma, I knew this was going to be a very different beast from the earlier Micro 4/3 Lumix DSLRs such as the GH4/5 and the gloriously capable G9, but what I really didn't expect was that it would truly be a BEAST. These cameras (basically identical in external appearance), weigh almost 1kg without a lens which was somewhat of a shock to someone more used to Sony's full-frame Alpha mirrorless bodies. The lenses are beasties too, very reminiscent in form and weight to the Canon L series they are aiming to take on in the pro market.
Of course as a Canon stills shooter, I'm used to handing heavy kit, and I know Panasonic want to go head to head with the big boys of Canon and Nikon for a share of their pro market so probably feel the need to make this new body feel like a tank in the way the 1DxII and D5 do, but I'm sorry, I'm just not convinced it needed to be that heavy. I was honestly looking at these cameras as an alternative to my Canon gear, hoping the weight would be lighter and easier on my back during 10 hours of wedding shooting, but seriously, I walked away deeply disappointed that they would do nothing to help save on my chiropractic bill.
I now use Sony for almost all my video work, but their woeful battery life still dissuades me from switching kits entirely. Panasonic say they have addressed this and that with a battery grip the cameras will shoot "all day", but that will mean even more weight and (from an admittedly short time of use), I'm not sure its such a great claim, because the bodies I used were both down to 50% or below after an hour or so's shooting at the event (and surely one has to assume they were fully charged to begin with before the evening began of course).
So, they're obviously built like a tank and they do feel good in the hand - the grip is well shaped and sized and would obviously improve further with the battery grip - but that, sadly, is where the ergonomics ended for me! Whilst there are plenty of customisable control knobs, joysticks and the like, the placement of some buttons defies logic and, after the ergonomic hell that is the Canon R, this is the worst DSLR I have used for functionality and intuitively. The main LCD screen is that annoying flip-out thing that Sony use too - the one that never really seems to work for you. Why not go the extra mile and do a proper fully articulated screen is beyond me, especially considering that they have had it on other cameras before now. Then you get to the menu, which is so much worse than Sony that it is beyond reason! Sub-levels of sub-levels of hell to find basic shooting settings - yes - it might be the most customisable menu on the planet, but it didn't work for me on the night and that's a problem!
So can it shoot? Well, yes, of course it can, once you navigate the River Styx to get to the settings you want. But so should any camera in this price range (which is, incidentally, inordinately high for a new entrant to the full frame market), and so is it as good as they claim? Is it a low light "monster" - honestly, no, not really! My full frame Canon's can do an equally good job (with possibly marginally less noise), and my Sony's literally eat it alive. The dynamic range is OK, but I didn't feel it was any better than my current Canon gear can achieve. The 5 (or was it 7?) stops of stabilisation certainly help the video, but I don't think it comes close to what Sony have achieved when handheld in low light. Of course what would have been better would be the opportunity to view and edit the RAW files, but with Lightroom updates a few weeks behind the ball-curve as usual, I'll have to wait and see - which brings me to my final point - WHY WHY WHY do manufacturers wait until a camera is released to send the codec through to Adobe???? It's dumb and it doesn't help you get traction, especially when you're holding lots of events that people get to try things out at without taking home the alternative proprietary software that enables you to process the RAW files! At least give us a link to a free trial online or something! Just a thought!
Anyway, this is what I shot with the S1 and S1...
And this is what you can do with the 47Mp of the S1R, with the second shot direct crop out of shot 1...
Will I be investing in this system - No! There is no discernible benefit at the moment and this is an as-yet unproven "system" that relies on several manufacturers maintaining excellent relationships for it to reach full maturity. The costs are at the high-end of the market too, higher than comparable, proven workhorses with full systems to back them up. It's disappointing, because after the G9, I thought Panasonic might be onto a winner here, but they've missed the boat a bit I'm sorry to report.
And now a note about the DooBop Bar who decided to use one of the images I shared on social media in an advertising post! It's not OK, because you didn't ask and you don't have the requisite release from the model for the image use in a commercial sense! I going to pop in at some point in the future, order a drink, neck it, and then refuse to pay and see what your reaction is! That's what you've done to me - it's image stealing and it is wrong!
Update: DooBop Bar did eventually take the image down and apologised for using it without permission, but only after it had gained significant positive interaction for them on Instagram!
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