Panasonic has announced a new Lumix S1RII camera, which it claims is its “best hybrid mirrorless camera yet”.
It features a new sensor, smaller body and faster autofocus compared to its predecessor, and up to 8K video recording at 30 frames per second.
When capturing video, the company says the camera features cropless electronic image stabilization with distortion correction that reduces “peripheral distortion while preserving the original angle of view.”
Both SD UHS II and CFexpress Type B card slots are included in the camera, but videos can also be captured to an external SSD drive using the camera’s 10Gbps USB-C port. The Lumix S1RII features a full-sized HDMI port to connect it to a larger display.
The 44.3-megapixel back-side illuminated CMOS sensor allows the camera to capture 5.8K Apple ProRes RAW HQ or ProRes RAW without an external recorder.
With a faster hybrid autofocus system that introduces phase-detect AF, the Lumix S1RII now comes with AI-powered technology for improved human eye and face detection.
The camera can capture full-resolution 12-bit RAW still images at up to 40 frames per second using its electronic shutter, or up to 10 frames per second using its mechanical shutter’s “High Speed Plus” mode.
The camera also has a handheld high-resolution mode that can capture still images at 177-megapixels by shifting the sensor half a pixel and capturing and merging multiple exposures.
The Lumix S1RII includes an OLED viewfinder as well as a three-inch touchscreen LCD display that flips out and rotates for convenient use.
The S1RII has a number of improvements to its weight and dimensions compared to the S1R which was released back in 2019. The new camera has gone from 1,016g to 795g. The old version was 148.9mm wide, 110mm tall, and 96.7mm deep. Its successor is now 134.3mm wide, 102.3mm tall, and 91.8mm deep.
With “Frame.io” integration, Panasonic says transfer of photo and video files can take place directly to the cloud, reducing the physical requirement of uploading files.
The Lumix S1RII will be available in Australia next month. The body of the camera will be priced at $5,499, while the camera along with a S-R14105GC lens will cost $6999.
