Panasonic LUMIX S1 Full Frame Mirrorless Camera with 24.2MP MOS High Resolution Sensor, L-Mount Lens Compatible, 4K HDR Video and 3.2” LCD - DC-S1BODY Black

This is a spectacular camera. From super clean high ISO video files to outstanding JPG/RAW photos, Panasonic has put their best achievements in a single affordable package. I'm pretty convinced that the IBIS system has been sent back from the future - it's simply amazing. I am a Canon 5D IV and Fuji X-H1/X-T3 user so I have no loyalty to any one brand...whoever makes imaging equipment that pushes the technology forward, that's where my money goes. I would get rid of my other cameras in favor of the S1, but this thing is not light/small/portable and will attract attention in certain settings. That's where the Fuji system wins...the X-H1 is actually one of the best cameras on the market for photo and video btw (despite some of the unwarranted negative reviews that Fuji "missed" on this model - NOT true). I would never get rid of my X-H1. The Canon still has the best skin tones and let's face it - there's no substitute for phase-detection autofocus when your subject is moving fast. I didn't get the new Panny S 24-105 F/4 lens with the S1, because F/4 is not very exciting and I already have a couple of fast Canon L lenses already. I picked up the MC-21 Sigma adapter and my Canon lenses work perfectly with the S1 and the IBIS keeps the video rock steady. The Canon 35mm 1.4 L II is particularly good with the S1 for video and photos. Just so happy with this combo right now. It's such a great time to be a photographer/videographer. The only drawbacks I'm noticing is that though the battery life is good, I had to buy a couple of spares and they are not cheap. Also, the weight of the system must be considered before you grab the S1 and head out of the house. The XQD cards will also have you eating mac n' cheese and drinking instant soup out of a foam cup for a few weeks if you want to fill that second card slot. I don't want to buy new cards.

Great camera, no issues whatsoever

Love this camera. Works as expected. Expensive but it supports the L mount so uses all my Leica lens. Very good IQ.

Panasonic has just released a winning series with the LUMIX S1/S1R and soon to come S1H. Simply put, they offer value and technical specs no other FF mirrorless can match. I received my S1 from B&H + battery grip + free battery + 3-year extended warranty promos for $2500 + the now free SFU2 filmmaker firmware update, which allows the S1 to do things no other Full-Frame mirrorless cameras can do. It is the bargain of the year. On the video side, the update brings 14+ stops of V-Log recording, 4:2:2 10-bit 4K MOV 30p/25p internal video recording, 4:2:2 10-bit 4K 60p/50p HDMI output, V-Log and V-Gamut which is the same that can be found in EVA-1 and VariCam cameras, in-camera LUT, a WFM (Waveform Monitor), and high-res 48-kHz/24-bit or 96-kHz/24-bit sound can be recorded in MOV using the XLR Microphone Adaptor DMW-XLR1. And from my own tests and what I've seen, I have to say, I'm bowled over when I look at S1 video quality. The codec is nowhere near as robust as internal GH5 & GH5s, but the image, sharpness, color science is way beyond to me, no doubt due to the superb full-frame sensor and those lenses and the improved H.265 which is twice as efficient as its H.264 predecessor. The image is just phenomenal IMO when watched on a 4K screen. I can only imagine what things will look like when the July update comes in. On the photo side, amazing low-ISO performance, gorgeous color, banding-free images is the norm. In addition, it's perhaps the most versatile FF camera system there is. There's virtually an adapter for whatever lenses you may already own, including their own MC-21 for Canon EF, to get you going if you don't feel like spending the cash on new lenses or feel that there's not enough native L-mount lenses out yet. Old manual lenses, Nikkor F, Medium Format, APS-C, MFT, PL mount Cine lenses, etc... you name it, it should fit-- more often than not with IBIS! The L-mount alliance between Sigma, Leica, and Panasonic promises quite a fantastic lineup of superb optics to use. I currently use the superb Sigma 40mm 1.4 Art lens, one of the sharpest lenses on the market since originally conceived as a cine lens-- and the results are stunning both for photo and video. And the body itself is no slouch! It's build like a tank! The most rugged, sturdiest and pro-like Full-frame mirrorless camera currently available, forgoing a small, toy-like camera body for something more substantial which feels secure in the hand. Plus it is the most weather-sealed body around, has a 400K shutter cycle (twice as many shots as most cameras), dual card slot, a superb 5.76M-dot EVF and dual-hinged 2.1M-dot touchscreen LCD, etc… the list of pluses is long. Consider too that the upcoming FUJI GFX100, sensor aside, offers the exact same specs (tank-like, 5.76M-dot-EVF, 10-bit 4K internal, etc…) as the S1/S1R and the Panasonics retail for $7500 and $6500 cheaper ($8000 and $7000 with the current $400 off trade-in rebate!) and take some pretty convincing 96MP and 187MP images in High Res mode. In other words, I say all that to say, if you're looking for a hybrid FF mirrorless camera, look no further. There is none better.

The most amazing full frame camera currently available. I own a 5D4, A7R III, G9, A99, and D700. The Panasonic S1 has no competition due to its uniqueness. I highly recommend this camera!!

I've been shooting video on Panasonic micro 4/3rd for ages for commercial, editorial and event video works as well as Canon 5D Mark II, III, IV for stills. To be honest, I thought the S1 would do very well especially after the V-LOG update (which gave the S1 a nice full-gamut 14-15-stop V-LOG color profile & lots of additional video compression rates in 4K such as 10bit 4:2:2 in 24/30P), but I think their high-pricing strategy for body/lenses/accessories has backfired in terms of sales volume as well as a couple missteps in terms of ergonomics/design (too big & too heavy a body & lack of flip screen LCD - who came up with that idea??? to please old-school or famous photographers who don't need to buy it anyways since they get it for free as ambassadors!). It's a shame because I really love the Panasonic S1 and what it offers. Anyhow, I wanted to get a full-frame mirrorless camera that could do it all when it comes to video at a decent price, and after careful consideration, I opted to go for the Panasonic S1 vs the Sony A7III / Canon EOS R or Nikon Z6. I wanted something that could shoot videos like a GH5 while having the low-light performance of the GH5S or better, retaining IBIS (which the GH5S lacks), and wanted to be able to use the Canon EF glasses I currently own. So the Panasonic S1 seemed to best fit my criteria. Upon opening the box for the S1, you can feel it is a big heavy kind of camera, about the size and weight of a Canon 5D Mark IV (actually a bit heavier even), somewhat a let down in terms of weight/size advantage for mirrorless vs DSLR. However, after using it for a while now, I have to say that I'm impressed in terms of its video performances and its photo performance is on par with other mirrorless offerings from Canon/Nikon/Sony except for the lackluster Auto-Focus performance in continuous mode (I know the lack of PDAF is a serious faux-pas from Panasonic). I won't review the photo performances of the S1 much as I primarily shoot video and bought the S1 for that. *** Pros: - Full Frame mirrorless with many great video options from 4K24p/30p (Full Frame 10-bit 4:2:2 internally with unlimited recording time with the VLOG upgrade) to 4K/60p (cropped to APS-C 8-bit 4:2:0 internally with 30-min max recording time or 4:2:2 via HDMI output) to 1080p at 180fps (without possibility to change exposure though). So with the firmware upgrade that provides V-LOG (Full Gamut not V-LOG-Light as in GH5/GH5S) and all the other video bit rates, I'm a happy camper as I basically have a Full-frame GH5 except for the high-bit rate that I never use because they take too much disk space - Great low light performance with clean footage up to ISO 6400 which is on-par to the GH5S. Note that as some have said, for VLOG usage mostly, ISO 4000 is almost noise-free and cleaner than ISO 1600 or ISO 3200. Ditto for ISO 640 vs ISO 800. So best is to use it at ISO 640 for normal lighting situation, and ISO 4000 for low light. - IBIS which is quite good, similar to the GH5 - Decent Canon EF lens compatibility when used with the Sigma MC-21 adapter. No AFC, but the AFS is good enough for casual photo shooting, while not great on the video side since there is no AFC, however, I rarely used AF on my previous cameras for video works, so I don't mind. I have tried the S1 w MC-21 on the Sigma 18-35 F1.8 (needed to upgrade firmware of the sigma lens to enable the auto APS-C crop functionality on the S1), the Canon EF 50 F1.2 (the best lens so far for the Panasonic S1 as the autofocus is just a good/fast as on a Canon lens in AFS), the Canon EF 50 F1.4 which I will use most often with the S1 since it's a small nifty fifty that works well and isn't as heavy/bulky as the F1.2 version, the Tokina 11-16 F2.8 (it's an APS-C crop lens equivalent to 18mm to 26mm full frame), and the Canon 24-70mm F2.8, 70-200 F2.8 and they all worked just fine on the S1. - Amazing EVF resolution and clarity. I really love the EVF on this camera compared to the low-res EVF on the A7III, and so-so ones on the EOS R or Nikon Z6. My partner has the EOS-R and I can tell the difference is night and day in terms of EVF quality/resolution. - 2 card slots though I don't want to pay for xQD for now as it's too expensive but hopefully the prices come down at some point. Fast UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards are good enough for video & photo shooting in most conditions. - Decent battery life for video, as I get about 2.5-3-hours of 4K shoot with 1 battery if I don't touch it while recording (typical battery life is between 2h and 2h30). This is better than the GH5 and almost as good as the GH5 with the battery grip which I usually get about 3-hours of shoot in 4K. This is further enhanced thanks to the USB-C PD charging capabilities of the camera which allows you to charge the camera with the battery in, via a USB-C cable that came with it, and an external power bank. So I can literally shoot all day (8-hours+) with it if the camera doesn't need to be moved (great for podium/concert events) - Lots of customization for your shooting styles. I love the Panasonic User Friendly interface vs that of Sony... and prefer it to even Canon, especially on the EOS R which really is a let down. *** Cons: - No 3rd party battery grip option for now and expensive OEM batteries. Luckily you can now find many 3rd party battery for 1/3rd of the OEM battery. But you can't find a third-party battery grip yet so you have to settle for the expensive $370 battery grip (when counting taxes) from Panasonic... I really hope someone sells a cheaper battery grip soon. The pricing is prohibitive for such an essential item. - No LCD Flip Screen: The fact that Panasonic didn't keep the LCD as a flip-screen was baffling. I still don't like it, but I am getting used to the LCD design. It was a major faux-pas... that they've remedied with the S1H, if only the S1H wasn't so expensive! - Heavy camera - defeats the purpose of mirrorless: Though again, I am getting used to it and will use the S1 with smaller lenses when I run and gun like the canon 50mm F1.4, or one of those all around Sigma/Tamron zoom lenses. I will use it with the Sigma 18-35 F1.8 or 24-70 F2.8 as well, but I will need a good gimbal or camera support rig system as it will definitely be heavy to shoot with for long hours. - Expensive and heavy L-mount lenses: I wished I could afford more L-mount lenses but then again they are too heavy for me as well. I have the Panasonic 24-105mm F4 L-mount lens and it works fine for everyday use in photo & video modes but it's not the fastest lens at anything, and it's well OK (sharp & little distortion), pretty bulky but nothing exciting to rave about. Good AF-S performance, so-so AFC performance with the S1. But expensive! I hope that 3rd party vendors will come up with cheaper manual focus alternatives to Panasonic or Sigma (not even mentioning Leica) - No AFC on the Sigma MC-21 and so-so AFS performance but again I don't really care since I use it mostly for video in manual focus mode. But sometimes I wished there was a small lightweight zoom lens like the 12-35 F2.8 on Micro 43rds that could perform great on the GH5 and similarly on an S1. - Weird Blue Light cast in low light conditions when V-LOG is on... I hope they fix it in a firmware update. I never had this issue with the GH5/GH5s in V-LOG-L mode... it seems to be a sensor reading issue with the blue levels. Update: This issue seems to have gotten a partial fix lately with the latest firmware upgrade for the S1. In summary, - If you're into Photography and want to shoot continuous autofocus accurately, I would not recommend the S1 over the Canon EOS R or A7 III or Z6 because it's heavier and not as tailor-made for photography due to the lack of PDAF and lackluster AF-C performance. With canon EF lenses mounted on a MC-21, I wouldn't recommend the Panasonic S1 for photo as well as it's really not that great in terms of AF-S (let alone no AFC) performance. The S1 does a good job with its native 24-105 F4 Panasonic L-mount lens in terms of AF-S, and OK AF-C, but not stellar. - However, if you're a Video shooter and have been accustomed to the GH5/GH5s little brothers, then you will be right at home with the Panasonic S1 and will most likely love it. The Panasonic S1 is a great bargain at the moment given that you basically get the performance of a GH5 in terms of video quality/bit rates/IBIS on a full-frame with the low light performance of the GH5s (which doesn't have IBIS) and the V-LOG functionality available since July 2019 for an extra $200, while you can use cheaper & widely available Canon/Sigma EF lenses. Especially with Canon moving to RF lenses now, the EF lenses are becoming cheaper and cheaper, and you can get one for your S1 and shooting video easily. I honestly love what the S1 offers for videography. This is a great upgrade to the GH5 if you don't mind the heavier load that comes with it. I will most likely use the S1 alongside my GH5, using the GH5 on a gimbal while the S1 with EF glasses (or my 24-105 F4 L mount) will be on a tripod or a small rig and be used for low light conditions. I hope that Panasonic fixes some of the blue light casting issue in low-light high-ISO V-LOG mode in upcoming firmware as well. But so far so great with using the S1 for my video projects. It is really a great all-around video performer that is better than the GH5S and the GH5!

tested for a few months, great lowlight, dynamic range, long record times, good battery life and intuitive menu. Gave 4/5 stars because although there are several lens adapters for photography autofocus there is no adapter for continuous autofocus for video yet so expect to pay up for the expensive lenses if you want that.