Big test: Panasonic Lumix S1 II
Posted on Sep 24, 2025 by Adam Duckworth
Won direction with ARRI styles
Panasonic wins over hybrid creators with its new stacked sensor tech and colour science from a legendary camera giant
Words Adam Duckworth
For a company that was the first to identify that mirrorless cameras could make perfect video-and-stills hybrid devices, it’s taken Panasonic a painfully long time to get to the very top of the flagship full-frame class. Although its Micro Four Thirds cameras have long ruled the quarter-size sensor class when it comes to moviemaking spec, the full-frame range has always just lagged a little behind rivals such as Sony or Canon.
The Lumix series was relatively late in going full-frame. Although the first-generation efforts had some spectacular wins, they also had idiosyncrasies that left them just a little short, such as old-school contrast detection AF that simply wasn’t as fast and reliable as on-sensor phase detection or conventional, non-stacked sensors. While Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm and OM System all jumped on the stacked sensor bandwagon, Panasonic hesitated. So high-frame-rate stills shooting wasn’t blackout-free and rolling shutter artefacts could be an issue.
But now, all that has changed: Panasonic’s new Lumix S1 II is its best and boldest hybrid camera yet – it’s designed for filmmakers who also value serious stills image quality. It’s armed with a 24.1-megapixel partially stacked full-frame CMOS sensor, advanced Venus Engine XT processor, phase detection AF and a simply dazzling video spec, which includes internal ProRes Raw, open gate 6K/30p, 4K in 120p, dual native ISO, 15-stop dynamic range, best-in-class IBIS and some clever tricks using an SSD, as well as adding Arri LogC3 colour. The S1 II isn’t just an upgrade, it’s representing Panasonic’s new hybrid manifesto.
At the heart of the S1 II is its partially stacked, back-side illuminated sensor – a first for Panasonic. But not a first in class, as Nikon’s Z 6II recently launched with its own 24.1-megapixel, partially stacked full-frame CMOS sensor, which has won massive acclaim. It’s almost like both brands bought their sensor tech from the same supplier…
Partially stacked sensor technology
The partially stacked sensor isn’t quite as quick or, crucially, as expensive as a fully stacked version, but it does offer blackout-free stills with ridiculously high frame rates. Readout speeds are dramatically improved and the camera is about 2.5 times faster than the Lumix S5 II. This massively reduces rolling shutter and enables 70fps stills using the electronic shutter and 4K/120p video, although there is a 1.24x crop. Even Sony, the inventor of the stacked sensor, has a crop in 4K/120p on its flagship A1 range, which is roughly double the cost of the new Lumix.
Panasonic has also introduced the new Dynamic Range (DR) Boost option, which can push usable V Log dynamic range to 15 stops, albeit at the cost of a slower readout and visibly more rolling shutter. Filmmakers can choose DR Boost On for latitude in static or slow-moving scenes and Off for action with tighter readout times. However, DR Boost doesn’t work for high frame rates and does raise the ISO to 1000, so you’ll need some ND in most cases.
The Lumix has a dual native ISO sensor which really comes into play when Boost is on. Essentially, it reads the sensor twice, once from the high gain circuit and once from the low, then combines them into high dynamic range footage. This is what slows down the readout. But if you’re armed with this information, you can make an informed decision as to what’s best for your project. The two native ISO settings change according to which codec and gamma is used, and they really work, with the lower setting bringing greater detail and colour while the higher setting reduces noise. With the camera packing 24.1 megapixels, this is a great
sweet spot right now for resolution versus low-light performance. It’s flawless at low ISO settings, very clean up to ISO 3200, and decent higher than that too. It’s a great sensor – and who really needs 8K?
Fast zoom is a compact powerhouse
As well as the lower-spec S1 II E camera that’s similar to the S1 II but with an older and conventional 24-megapixel sensor from the S5 II, Panasonic has also launched the Lumix S 24-60mm f/2.8 standard zoom that costs just £899/$897. It might not have the same range as the more high-end S Pro 24-70mm f/2.8 or its 11-bladed iris, but is designed to be smaller, lighter and cheaper.
The 24-60mm lens has 14 elements in 12 groups, but it’s an excellent performer with great bokeh and lots of detail. When paired with most of the latest Lumix S cameras, a Hybrid Zoom function can extend focal length digitally up to 187mm. This is a nice feature for when you need that extra reach, and looks better than just cropping stills or video in post.
It’s the first Panasonic with a dual-function focus ring you can reassign to control aperture or exposure compensation and reversed for a custom feel. It’s dust-, splash- and freeze resistant too – a useful, well-priced optic that works well in many situations. You don’t notice the 10mm focal length deficit at the long end either.
Advanced video recording features
What makes the S1 II stand out for filmmakers are features like its 6K/30p open gate recording, which captures the entire sensor area – great when reframing and for vertical workflows. The latest firmware will add multiple frame guides at once, so you can frame with a clear view of what a vertical or horizontal crop will look like in post. For content creators who need to film in both versions for social media, this is a great addition.
As well as the 4K/120p with the 1.24x crop, in 5.7K you get up to 60p with full sensor width capture. Or try 4K or C4K downsampled for up to 60p in amazing quality. For really fast rates, 1080p will overcrank to 240fps in super slow-motion, and audio is captured too.
Unlike some of the crop-heavy alternatives, the S1 II maintains a full-frame field of view, even at high frame rates – which proves a clear advantage for cinematic slow motion without compromised framing.
One of the aces up the sleeve of the Lumix is its internal codec choices, with All-Intra, Long GOP, internal Apple ProRes and ProRes Raw recording up to 4.2Gbps via its CFexpress Type B card slot. Though
the second slot is SD only, so isn’t quick enough to handle this.
Another great feature is that footage can be written to an external SSD via USB. Best of all, if you have recorded onto the CFexpress card then you can plug in an SSD via USB-C and copy all the data to it without a laptop. It’s not particularly fast, but the ability to make instant backups in the field with no laptop is new and simply brilliant.
In terms of gamma, there are lots of choices, and they’re all adjustable to your own taste. From standard and flat to the new Cinelike A2 – all with real-time LUT preview – you’ll find something that works. We found standard a bit too oversaturated, but it can all be tweaked or you can simply choose something different.
Arri LogC3 gamma support
If you are serious about cinema, then, like the GH7 series, the S1 II can accept an Arri LogC3 gamma via a paid firmware upgrade. It’s a bit of a faff to load up and activate – and it costs £179/$200 – but it’s money well spent, as Arri is famed for its beautiful colour rendition and huge choice of LUTs. This brings something similar to Alexa style to a sub-£3000 mirrorless.
Footage shot in Arri LogC3 can easily be converted to your choice of looks from the Arri library that now has more than 80 high-quality styles. The online Arri simulator lets you browse and select the Arri Look File that best fits your shoot. It means the camera will play nicely with real Arris on multicam, big-budget projects.
Although, as the S1 II offers ProRes Raw internally with V-Log, this means a huge amount of colour information that compressed codecs can’t match. So if you know what you’re doing, you can get many similar looks in grading anyway. But the Arri setting offers an easier way to lovely colours. It’s a bit of a shame the Arri setting is for video only and not stills.
If you’re a massive fan of video Raw, the camera can output Raw files to an Atomos monitor-recorder for conversion to ProRes Raw or a Blackmagic device to use Blackmagic Raw (BRAW). It’s ideal for anyone who edits in DaVinci Resolve, which doesn’t really unlock the full power of ProRes Raw files. The £99/$99 Octopus Raw Studio is a good Raw converter plug-in that transforms workflows in Resolve.
Of course, it’s all about what the footage looks like, and it’s simply excellent. Lots of detail, very natural-looking colour and loads of meat on the files to play with in post. There’s lots of choice, the footage looks great out of camera and it can be graded easily.
Built-in cooling and stabilisation
A built-in cooling fan and vents help prevent overheating during long sessions, and thermal performance can be adjusted in the menu if it’s particularly hot. Even in 4K/60p, the camera stayed surprisingly cool and reliable during extended takes.
Panasonic continues to lead the pack with its eight-stop IBIS, which now extends to video stabilisation, even in 4K/60p. This allows very stable handheld shooting, especially when using Boost IS mode. The camera also supports cropless stabilisation, which cleverly uses the pixels at the edge of the sensor to achieve super-stable footage with no crop. It’s a wonderful thing, although occasionally there are a few odd artefacts at the very edges.
The camera also offers a USB webcam on MacOS or Windows and wireless timecode syncing through an Ultrasync Blue device.
Ergonomically, the S1 II takes its chassis design from the recent S1R II, which is a rugged magnesium alloy body with tally lamps, lockable dials, dual card slots, an enormous 5.76-million-dot OLED EVF that’s a thing of beauty and fully articulating, tiltable LCD touchscreen.
The bare body weighs 718g/1.58lb – that’s lighter than the S1H but heavier than many rivals. But the ergonomic benefits, grip stability and port layout justify the weight.
However, battery life is moderate. You can expect more than two hours of continuous 4K/60p video or 370 stills per charge. The camera does come with a charger and can take on power via USB-C to keep things rolling.
Hybrid autofocus system
The S1 II uses a hybrid AF system that combines phase and contrast detection, offering coverage across 779 AF points. New Urban Sports detection mode identifies fast-moving subjects such as skateboarders or dancers too. Panasonic’s AI also tracks eyes, faces, skeletal motion, vehicles and animals.
Real-world testing shows consistent improvements over earlier Lumix bodies, though it still doesn’t quite match Canon or Sony in certain cases, particularly fast action tracking.
Subject tracking is less intuitive than on some rival cameras due to a slightly convoluted way of engaging tap-to-focus. Its tracking isn’t the best, especially in low light, but the firmware refinements could – and should – change this.
High-speed still image capture
Good speed for shooting still images in high frame rates – with no viewfinder blackout or lag and minimal rolling shutter skewing – are what makes a camera a true hybrid professionals can use for everything. Well, the rapid S1 II finally delivers.
Although 24.1 megapixels might feel modest next to its 44.2-megapixel S1R II sibling or the 50+ rating of flagship Sony models, image quality is excellent and highly detailed, especially from Raw files. There are also options for 8-bit JPEGs and 10-bit HEIFs.
In photography mode, the S1 II offers 10fps AFC burst shooting from its mechanical shutter, but a blistering 70fps blackout-free with pre-burst up to 1.5secs from its electronic shutter. However, that will fill the buffer in a matter of seconds so it’s of limited use in the real world for the majority of the time. Turn off the pre-burst unless you really need it, be sparing with the 70fps and you’re good to go.
It seems odd that there’s no setting between 70fps and 10fps, especially as 20fps or 30fps is relatively common on sports-focused rivals. Hopefully, a future firmware update will enable more options.
As for needing higher-resolution images, the camera offers a multi-shot option where the sensor is shifted by one pixel as four images are taken. This can then be combined in camera for a 96-megapixel image.
Obviously, this is good for subjects that don’t move because, if there is even a slight movement, then it will show up as a blur. There’s an option in camera to compensate for this, where if a blurry section is detected then the camera replaces that part of the image with one of the single, lower-resolution shots. This is clever stuff and a great feature.
All this tech, massive customisation and huge video control comes at a cost, which is that the menus are massively deep. It’s all done very logically, but 11 pages of video resolution and frame rate choices is off-putting. Luckily, for this particular menu, Panasonic allows you to list and sort the specific features you’re looking for.
Any interested buyers will need to set aside at least a whole day to go through every menu setting and figure out what they do. With totally different menus displayed for the stills setting and movie mode, it’s a steep learning curve, but worth it. You’ll be rewarded not only with mastery of the best hybrid stills-and-video camera that Panasonic has ever made, but one of the best cameras on the market – all at an attainable price for many.
The verdict
For filmmakers who also shoot stills or photographers working with video, the Panasonic Lumix S1 II delivers possibly the most compelling hybrid experience today. With performance specs rivalling more expensive cameras, flexible codec options, great image stabilisation, robust ergonomics and some unique features, it’s designed for multi-format creators who demand pro-level capability.
Yes, Panasonic’s autofocus still needs fine-tuning, and there are lighter options on the market. But if video – particularly cinematic slow motion and high dynamic range capture – is your priority, the S1 II provides unmatched flexibility and value. Panasonic has understood what today’s creatives need and delivered.
How it rates
Features: 10
Has the lot, including ProRes Raw internal, SSD recording and 6K
Performance: 9
The stills and 4K footage excels, while fast frame rates are a bonus
Handling: 9
Smaller than the old S1H, complex menus are obvious to navigate
Value for money: 9
One of the most expensive Lumix cameras, but does so much
Pro Moviemaker overall rating: 9/10
By far the best Panasonic camera for video and stills use
- Pros: Built-in ProRes Raw, lots of quality codecs
- Cons: No fully stacked sensor or in-body eND filter
This article was first published in the September/October 2025 issue of Pro Moviemaker
