Lumix S1R experience

[durr3]

Any experience with the Pany Lumix S1R?
Thanks

 

[iiiNelson]

As far as?

 

[durr3]

As far as?

As far as ... your personal experience using the S1R. Good - Bad - Ugly - Quality of image - any problems - etc?

 

[msadat]

I bought three to test out three years ago and i am still in the testing phase, once i finish, will report back

 

[iiiNelson]

As far as ... your personal experience using the S1R. Good - Bad - Ugly - Quality of image - any problems - etc?

Depends on use case as far as personal experience. Overall I have a positive one for photos and IQ. Iposted a rolling review on here a few months ago. Should be a link to it on a different thread. You can see it here but I’ll have to further update it.

Panasonic Lumix S1R - My Notes - iiiNelsonImages - Panasonic Lumix S1R

Leica. Leica M, Kinefiinity, Sony FE, L-mount, E-Mount, Voigtander, Zeiss, Tamron, Sigma, Dulens, Ironglass, DZOFilm, Hobolite, Nanlite

www.iiinelsonimages.com

 

[durr3]

Thanks for the info
Nice gallery!

 

[iiiNelson]

Thanks for the info
Nice gallery!

Thanks. I focused a bit on the shortcomings in my review but my opinion is that the S1R is one of the best cameras on the market. My biggest issue with it (and the S1H by proxy) is that a lot of the allure of the cameras wear off because of how Panasonic manages their flagship cameras from a roadmap perspective. I don’t see myself ever buying another Panasonic flagship body because I kinda feel like they’ll eventually just firmware the entry level cameras to be 95% of what the flagships are.

So if you want an L-mount body, can afford the SL2 then I’d push people that direction if both photo and video are a big concern. If you’re only worried about photos then you can get a demo or lightly used S1R for around the price of a S1 body. The S1R is a hard camera to recommend at retail prices when considering the direct competition and the reality that it’s a 3 year old camera. FWIW I got a demo kit (S1R + 24-105/f4 lens) that seemed completely unused/untouched for $2450 shipped with tax on a Black Friday deal in 2019.

 

[durr3]

Thanks again.

 

[anyone]

I’m also interested in this camera but would need to ensure it works smoothly with Canon EF lenses. Lots of reports how well or not-so-well the Sigma adapter performs. The camera would double as a landscape / everyday camera and scanning camera.

 

[iiiNelson]

I’m also interested in this camera but would need to ensure it works smoothly with Canon EF lenses. Lots of reports how well or not-so-well the Sigma adapter performs. The camera would double as a landscape / everyday camera and scanning camera.

Honestly if you’re set on using adapted EF lenses and plan to utilize AF, then just get a Sony or Canon camera. If you’re comfortable manually focusing then the Lumix is fine.

 

[anyone]

Honestly if you’re set on using adapted EF lenses and plan to utilize AF, then just get a Sony or Canon camera. If you’re comfortable manually focusing then the Lumix is fine.

I dislike Sony for usability reasons and the high end Canon R5 is out of my budget. The pixel shift mode is ideal for scanning purposes. For general photography I do not need the fastest AF, but is it THAT bad?

 

[iiiNelson]

I dislike Sony for usability reasons and the high end Canon R5 is out of my budget. The pixel shift mode is ideal for scanning purposes. For general photography I do not need the fastest AF, but is it THAT bad?

I use both Sony and L-mount and Sony and Canon are really the only legitimate options for using EF lenses with AF IMO from a usability standpoint.

For adapting legacy lenses L-mount isn’t there really. It is more or less unusable IMO. For native lenses designed for mirrorless (it is good enough for most things. Those that utilized EF lenses largely do it for reasons specific to video use. If you’re okay with manual focus then it’s a viable option. The S1R new isn’t priced much differently than the R5 though and any of the A7R cameras would be a more affordable and more reliable AF option.

 

[anyone]

There is a huge price difference between the R5 and S1R when looking the used market, but more importantly, the R5 does not have the high res mode I would need for film scanning.

I think I’ll need to rent out the S1R for one weekend together with the adapter and try it by myself. Of course I would want that it works good enough for me, but your experiences make it seem unlikely. And buying a whole set of new lenses would get me into the GFX100 price range. However, buying one lens for my snapshot needs (= most likely Panasonic 50mm 1.8) would be okay, and then live with rather bad AF for my landscape images.

 

[iiiNelson]

There is a huge price difference between the R5 and S1R when looking the used market, but more importantly, the R5 does not have the high res mode I would need for film scanning.

I think I’ll need to rent out the S1R for one weekend together with the adapter and try it by myself. Of course I would want that it works good enough for me, but your experiences make it seem unlikely. And buying a whole set of new lenses would get me into the GFX100 price range. However, buying one lens for my snapshot needs (= most likely Panasonic 50mm 1.8) would be okay, and then live with rather bad AF for my landscape images.

Would you need higher than 45 megapixels for film scans? Renting is always best for individual needs and native is best for usability.

 

[anyone]

Would you need higher than 45 megapixels for film scans? Renting is always best for individual needs and native is best for usability.

Yes, certainly. More resolution equals less stitching. Besides the pure resolution, also the separate R - G - B capture is an important feature to me.

 

[eddystone]

I use both Sony and L-mount and Sony and Canon are really the only legitimate options for using EF lenses with AF IMO from a usability standpoint.

For adapting legacy lenses L-mount isn’t there really. It is more or less unusable IMO. For native lenses designed for mirrorless (it is good enough for most things. Those that utilized EF lenses largely do it for reasons specific to video use. If you’re okay with manual focus then it’s a viable option. The S1R new isn’t priced much differently than the R5 though and any of the A7R cameras would be a more affordable and more reliable AF option.

On price, in the UK I bought new S1R with 24-105 last year for £2799 and then got £300 cash back and 3 year warranty so net cost £2500. At the time the R5 was £4298 body only (and still is).
Regarding AF I have found AFS quick enough and very accurate. Haven’t really used AFC but if subject was moving I’d be using my EM1 mk2

 

[anyone]

I was also wondering if Sigma Art lenses - I own the 50mm - work better than other EF lenses with the adapter?

 

[iiiNelson]

I was also wondering if Sigma Art lenses - I own the 50mm - work better than other EF lenses with the adapter?

No.

AF is inconsistent with legacy lenses regardless of brand. I’ve used Sigma lenses in store (both DG DN and the legacy HSM lenses). AF is usable with native mirrorless lenses. For AF usable with adapted lenses, I STRONGLY recommend using a Sony or Canon mirrorless camera.

Go ahead and rent the camera combinations that you want to try for yourself but over the last 10+ years I’ve tried nearly everything out there from Micro 4/3 to Fuji GFX (and more or less just about everything in between). When it comes to mirrorless AF, Sony is absolutely the best out there and Canon is a close second. Nothing else has what I would consider great AF though I’d recommend Nikon Z if you were coming from Nikon F cameras. If AF isn’t important to you then just pick what you like using.

It’s really telling that whenever Sigma introduces a new lens on FF cameras that they choose to do so using Sony cameras… and they manufacture their own cameras… and that’s all you really need to know about AF performance for mirrorless. The S1R is great for many things in general but AF is absolutely only usable for most things when using native Panasonic and Leica lenses. Sigma lenses give hit or miss performance but there is a newer firmware update that supposedly makes it a bit better with their native mirrorless lenses (the models denoted with DG DN designations).

 

[iiiNelson]

On price, in the UK I bought new S1R with 24-105 last year for £2799 and then got £300 cash back and 3 year warranty so net cost £2500. At the time the R5 was £4298 body only (and still is).
Regarding AF I have found AFS quick enough and very accurate. Haven’t really used AFC but if subject was moving I’d be using my EM1 mk2

Yes there are deals that can be had from time to time if one is willing to wait. As I’ve stated somewhere onthis forum I bought my S1R+24-105 NIB (Untouched demo) for $2450 after taxes about 8 months after the cameras were released. I’ve never seen it that low again though for a new camera kit.

 

[anyone]

The Sony A7R IV can be bought for the same price as the S1R used, but I strongly dislike Sony UX and a camera I do not like to use... I never use. The S1R seems to have really good usability. I'll need to find out whether the AF is suitable for me. In most of my applications (well over 90%) I don't need any fast AF, since I'm a slow landscape shooter. Manual focus there is also not a problem. Maybe I combine one native lens (the 50mm 1.8) with the body to mitigate the issue.

I think I'll really need to try it out. Thank you for your help!