Panasonic announces the 44MP Lumix S1RII

Panasonic has announced the Lumix S1R II, built around a 44MP BSI CMOS sensor that can capture 40fps image capture and, for the first time in a Lumix camera, 8K video.

The Panasonic S1R II is the first update to the company's original high-resolution L-mount camera, the Lumix S1R from 2019, and on paper at least, the newest edition is a fairly significant offering.  

Firstly, the Lumix S1R II comes with a brand-new 44MP BSI CMOS image sensor with no optical low pass filter (OLPF), and dual native ISO. 

This may be a slightly smaller sensor than the original's 47MP chip, but it gains a number of features that camera lacked, including faster readout, phase detection autofocus, and 8K video.

The contrast detection autofocus of the original was by far its achilles heel, and the new phase detect powered focus tracking system can recognise trains, planes, motorcycles, etc., in addition to the usual humans and animals.

In addition, image stabilisation has also been improved, now achieving up to 8.0-stop shutter speed compensation with in-body stabilisation.

On the outside, the updated body is also far smaller and lighter (from 1,016 g to 795 g), all while keeping the same full-frame size and L-Mount. 

The S1R II has a 3.0” 1840K-dot triaxial tilt touch monitor. It tilts straight up or down, and can also flip out to the side and face forward for selfies and other subjects. And while the 5.8 million dot OLED viewfinder is the same as the S1R, it does have a faster 120fps refresh rate.

A new carbon fibre shutter closing function protects the sensor from dust when changing lenses.

As you might expect, video features of the S1R II are pretty solid. There's 8K30 at UHD or DCI aspect ratios, open gate (3:2) 6.4K30, 4K60 with sound, and 4K120 slow motion, and 5.8K ProRes RAW HQ internal recording direct to CFexpress Type B, along with External 8K video output via HDMI.

With 14 stops of dynamic range for both stills and video, the sensor should also be a strong performer in low light.

In addition, there is also Frame.io integration, proxy recording, and the more usual CFexpress Type B and SD UHS-II/I recording.

Finally, the S1R II also ships with a new smartphone companion app just for video, Lumix Flow, which effectively turns a smartphone into an external monitor, while also offering a way to easily create and manage scripts and shot lists.

The Lumix S1RII will be available in Australia in late March 2025. The body is $5,499, or with a S-R14105GC lens (24-105 mm) for $6,999.

You can find out more at Panasonic's website.