CORRECTION: Open gate records in 6k, not 6.2k like I mistakenly quote in the video. My apologies for this mistake and thank you to the person who pointed this out to me!
7:50 - if you're doing pro work or talking heads, just record externally. And if you're doing weddings, none of its flaws matter. You'll most likely mount it or in a gimbal, caged with a handle, field monitors attached, SSD recording, and assistants holding your LED lights, and audio using boom mics or Rode Video mics with zero latency monitoring. I haven't seen a wedding videographer doing handheld with eyes on the viewfinder.
@@PPLRRNthis is the realest comment on the S9. I can confirm this as a Wedding Shooter with 4 - S5 II and now an S9 used on a few weddings this months. Locked off the S9 on my Gimbal.. Atomos Ninja lives on it for better composition but now handle any long form recording for Ceremonies… nothing else for me runs 15 minutes continuously not even testimonials. Rest of day flipping easily from Video Capture and Photo. Absolutely no concerns using this Camera separate from that, it is just fun as an everyday carry.
I have a question. Why are there NEVER a decent storage on a camera? It's always these damned slow cards, and they're expensive as hell! I mean even a smartphone has at least 256GB built in. Are there really no space for that in a camera?
Anything added on top what's there would have driven the price up - or their profit margin down. USD1,500 for a camera designed and optimized to shoot short Tik Tok reels. Yeah.
@@tim_means_heart yeah, very telling that they didn’t build this value proposition based on something like a GM5II. Without recording limits, even better ISIS - which MFT would enable.
I find it insane that they are trying to challenge fujifilm without an evf and mechanical shutter... They really did not understand what made the x100 series so popular.
Honestly the film time limit is a deal breaker for me. I want something this size for travel photography/videography, but for $1.5k I would want this camera to be my travel camera AND my work camera. For now I’m sticking with my GH5 for corporate work and my GM1 for travel.
@@SeanoDragon yeah. If it's a heat issue, I'm sure if they made the camera a couple millimeters bigger, they could have put in a better heat sync or something. For that price point the only limitation for filming should be my memory card size (and potentially extreme heat/cold).
@@Zaise_Chsa I thought time caps on video recording are there because of some tax on video cameras in Japan? If it's because of overheating, does that mean you must wait for camera to cool down after 10 minutes of recording? Tom says you can just start recording again.
@@DrazenKlisuric When filming an event, speech or class, even a fraction of a second pause can ruin it, especially when your client can't afford a second camera. Also, yes, many do cap their video because of the tax, and I just say, pay the tax and include that in the cost of the camera. People like me will pay a premium for uninterrupted video recording.
This is such a shilly and propagandist review it's unbelievable. Using blatantly misleading lines such as "cheapest ff camera of 2024" when it's the only FF camera released in 2024! It's such a poor camera and this review prooved Gerald Undone is bang on the money.
@@andyp5693 what would you recommend that is similar but can record for longer and at 60 fps? i dont care about aspect ratio at all, and im willing to go for price cuts regarding to peripherals and connectivity since i just want something for on-the-go
@@Arxgxmi canon r8, sony a7cii.. both similar sized, both can be held without a 3rd party grip and both superior in basically every way to the crappy panasonic!
Small body fullframe is great and all, but I'll keep waiting for a GX9ii. Gimme tiny m43 with PDAF and some of the new gen goodies and it would be the only camera I'd ever recommend.
@tyyamnitz8408 There's a few things: 1) Cost, availability, and size of lenses - m43 has an abundance of technically fantastic, compact lenses to suit basically any style of photography, which can be had for reasonable money new or often stupidly cheap secondhand. 2) Compact body (smaller than this), with great IBIS. If it weren't for the lack of an evf I'd be ok with them giving a hypothetical gx9ii the same treatment as the g9ii, where they put a m43 sensor in a fullframe body with crazy-good IBIS. 3) m43 has way fewer issues with thermal management and long record times.
As a happy owner of a Fuji X-T4 with a flippy screen, I can say that the lack of EVF is not such a big deal (apart from very bright sun situations). I really like to make photos in portrait orientation, which look better on the phone, by raising the flippy screen. The usage reminds me of old-style cameras where you have to look down from the top. I also usually shoot only with the electronic shutter both with the X-T4 and the X-Pro2 and find it much more discreet and less shaky..
Awesome camera but would love an EVF, mechanical shutter, and screen shat flips like FujiFilm. I has so much potential but just misses, with a few upgrades it would really be able to compete with the A7C line as well as the Fuji X100 line.
Tom, I’d love to see a follow-up video on the process you used to take your LR pre-sets, convert them to LUTs and then upload them to the camera, especially with your trials and tribulations included.
They need to fix the recording time limits. It seems from the reviews that most have been able to "continously" record at least 30 minutes if not 1 hour by just pressing the record right after the 15 minutes are up without any heat issues. So they are being too conservative with the limit. Plus please panasonic we need a f2.8 pancake. Seriously. Or f2 if you can keep it thin.
For 1500$ you can get Canon EOS R8 with view finder and 4K 60p video. Or Nikon Z6 now selling below 1500.... still a nice camera. This camera won't sell at 1500$...have to be around 1000$ to capture the market.
The people this camera is aiming for won’t go for either of those two cameras but would instead likely go for an A7C. Those other two cameras are far too big comparatively.
@@null0byte Z6 is big camera, R8 is about same weight with better specs and lens system, R8 now selling around 1300$ with discount. For smaller and lighter cameras for travel and etc ,the M43 is the best option, but Panasonic and olympus never sold their products with discount. Eventually the M43 is always costlier system to own compared to APS-C.... that's why the M43 is doomed now , literally Canon did that job. L mount system is not going to go anywhere unless the buyer is a Panasonic addict.
Hello Lumix people, we want a successor to the GM1 and keep it on the micro four thirds system. This is also great but micro four thirds is amazing for hobbyists who just want to travel light.
For the current price, I'll spend 20% more to get the A7C2, slightly heavier, EVF, semi-mechanic shutter, 3.3MP sensor, better auto-focus, much more lens choice, hot-shoes, no record limit (as long as you keep it from overheating). But if the price drops about 30%, I'll get the S9 for sure, much more cheaper, lighter, smaller, 6K open gate, C4K, vintage look, better battery life.
Nice video Tom, and love the fancy aspect ratio! Beginning to think all the cool kids chose the green one... PS - Great to meet you properly last week!
Hahaha! Leave it to Tom to bring the bedroom into a camera review! Well rounded and well covered opinions on this. Thanks for sharing the pros and cons. As mentioned at the end (and throughout) this isn't a camera for everyone but love how they made a full frame camera approachable for content creators who like creating on the fly, like me!
I'm happy to bring the bedroom into the camera review, but bringing the camera review into the bedroom, that's where I personally draw the line. Thanks for the comment brother, I appreciate you!
@@robmowe8090 i'd say that it has something to do with the ibis , sony a7c's ( and most sony ) dissasembly showed their ibis has less of a finer control of stabilization unlike lumix;s
@@JosueRodriguez08 Lack of a mechanical shutter means that unless the sensor comes with a global shutter (all pixels read out at the same time), you will see rolling shutter distortion such as moving objects looking slanted or wiggly once the image is taken.
@@JosueRodriguez08 Just to expand on Moonstone's comment, you can see an example of this distortion at 10:32 with the old couple and the warpy poles and bushes in the background.
I like ir, and hope it sells well. If Lumix are reading the comments, I just want a G100ii with PDAF, IBIS and an AF joystick. That'd be the perfect lightweight, vlog/content/C camera, plus it already has all the lenses you could wish for.
I just saw the PetaPixel video on this camera and I have to say: this is an absolute misfire on every front. How could they mess this up so badly and even charge 1500 for it?
@@TomCalton hot shoe, mechanical shutter, evf, grip, no video limits, and maybe not go with an f8 pancake for promotional purposes... This feels like Panasonic really does not live in 2024. And it also feels like reviewers might be a bit (or very much) biased towards getting those nice trips to Japan in the future...
@@944play which is a fine camera, so why make this thing? Just because it's compact? which it's not when you put a real lens on it; For vlogging? Sure, for a maximum of 15 minutes... No, you pay 1500 for something that looks kinda nice, but that's it...
@@SA-rz6fj S9 is not a pro camera, as the fashionable colorways connote. It's a pretty appealing product to someone who wants to progress from an EOS M200.
This camera is way too expensive for the fundamental faults it has. This should be 800 dollars with its lack of features. No headphone jack, hot shoe or EVF make it a joke at this price point. They could have made it the basically same size with these features if they want to charge that. This camera is a mistake in positioning.
@@Twangaming I don't think you understand what I'm saying, the body can't dissipate enough heat to do that for 20 minutes. Do you really think if it could they'd arbitrarily limit it, and still put in high quality codecs?
@@LindonSlaght the body can. People have already shown plenty of tests of back to back to back etc recording. I guarantee you within the next 6 months there will be a firmware update to increase the recording limit
Even though the S9 has no appeal for me (an old fuddy-duddy stills photographer), I really hope it’s a runaway success for Panasonic. I AM a LUMIX fanboy. 🤷🏼♂️
Nice cam, but imho for 'direct sharing' an m43 sensor would be enough. It would mean better stabilization, smaller and lighter lenses, longer recording without overheating. and for the weight they could easily fit a tilting EVF inside. Yes, I just want a GX9II
I bought this camera 3 weeks back as a backup camera to my A7R IV, as I was sold to its small and light form factor. People told me that I just wasted my money as I can buy the A7C II instead since I can use the same lens of my A7R IV. But I just want a light FF CAMERA (sorry X100VI) and try another ecosystem. Long story short: it didn't disappoint. The light, small form factor made it really enjoyable to it bring everyday, with a small bag. And during the weekends, I carry both cameras - with the A7R IV and its lens mainstay Tamron 20-40mm, and the S9 with the 90mm 2.8 Sigma. This combination resulted to an unbelievable light load of 1.8kg only, and that's carrying two FF cameras with the best lightweight zoom and prime lenses in the market. The fun side of this is that I don't have to change lenses which I find to be an inconvenient hassle all the time when I shoot exclusively with A7R 2. Gone are the days of carrying a 3.5 kg load of 1 DSLR camera and 2 lenses! I also do think that my combo is much lighter than a Canon R5 and the equivalent lenses that I use for my cameras. It is also worth mentioning that the colors of the S9's SOOC Jpeg shots are much better than the Sony (Standard mode).
I think all the its and bits provided in this camera is just perfect. Some might even crib about dual SD card slots and EVF and what not. but this is a compact camera for a specific market needs. I'm also ok with 15 minutes recording time cap. I think Panasonic has nailed it yet again.
I was really hyped for this camera in the beginning, then I hated it really strong but now after a longer thought I think I might buy it. I am using Fuji X-E4 with XF 27mm f2.8 and I also have Canon R8 + RF 35 f1.8. Most of the time I prefer taking my X-E4 due to the size but I miss IBIS and more DOF control. Canon R8 is a power camera but it's simply too big. Why S9 might be a good choice ? I rarely use EVF, I shoot basically 100% on electronic shutter and hardly ever it was a problem for me (nowadays synchro scan solves many banding issues but not all), IBIS on Panasonic would be great for short travel video and I won't hit 15min record limit ever with my hobby usage. Paired with Sigma 45 f2.8 I would still have compact package and little more DOF control than on my Fuji and LUTs for photo / video is a great add-on for times when I don't like to edit. I hate flashes so no problem for me here either. I was looking hardly at A7C II as it seems like a nobrainer but I hate Sony colors with passion, their IBIS is crap, in electronic shutter mode which I prefer most of the time sensor readout is even worse than Panasonic and generally using Sony is just not fun at all. I will just wait till the end of year for nice discounts as this price is too much or maybe wait a little longer for X-E5 with IBIS.
I was super excited about this camera until I heard about the 15min video limit. I'm assuming the small form factor makes cooling a challenge which is why the limit is so short? At at any rate, Panasonic, it would be cool to see a version of the S9 with better cooling and unlimited video recording.
hi tom,I'm planning to buy a camera recently. The price is required to be as cheap as possible, preferably full frame. There is no limit on the age. Ten or even fifteen years ago is acceptable. There is a high ISO that can be used, which means you can shoot at night. And it has pretty good focusing speed. Please recommend one. Thank you.
So why they put such an amazing sensor there, but limited its use in any possible way? They were so close to making one of the best travel cameras, but they ended up making camera that is pointless.
Gotta say,without mechanical shutter I don't really want it. The photo quality is questionable, especially since finding a gm1 to.keep.in my pocket,it's not so much smaller compared to,say, Sony a6400 with pancake 28 mm lense... I love that they got rid of evf which I don't need for street photo but getting rid of mech shutter doesn't make sense. I feel like betting on saving money and buying Sony a7cii or Fuji xt50 is a much better option even though they are slightly bigger in size.
2:01 I just now realised what EVF (electronic view finder) stands for haha. In Germany we call this the "Sucher" which literally translates to "searcher", as in the medium through which you can "search" for the image.
So the next iteration of the A7C or a smaller body A7? The whole point of the RX series is of a high-end point-n-shoot or bridge camera with the built in lens.
Love to see the S5 in an even smaller form factor. The lack of a corner EVF and dual SD slots make this one a no go for me. I would love to see a corner EVF (similar to the A7C) and dual micro SD slots on the next version. Give it a 30 min record limit in 4K and up the S5III to unlimited 4K record time
Might be appealing to some "content creators" but way too many limitations for general purpose photography. Rolling shutter? Yep. No EVF? Yep. No hot shoe? Yep. No headphone jack? Yep. Short recording time? Yep. Etc. For an additional $300 the S5 II seems like a MUCH better investment if you're in the L mount camp. The green color is nice, though.
Could the 15 minute limit be to get around EU import duty? Continuous recording would classify this as a video camera and be subject to import duty increasing the price for the consumer - while stills cameras don't have the same import duty. Might be old and outdated info and could be a technical limitation like you say in the video. I'd be interested to see if other regions have the same limitation
People are complaining about the price- but you get a full frame, mirrorless camera that’s small enough to fit in your pocket and shoots 6K, all for under $2,000
So, I'm not much of a photography guy. I've just been looking for a handy little camera to have in my backpack and use instead of my phone (because I want to reduce my phone usage). So when RU-vid recommended this video I was expecting something along those lines. You can imagine my surprise when he dropped the price xD
I like it, it reminds me of my gx9. But it's colorful, small-er than most full format cameras and affordable . Maybe this S9 is Lumix's way of bringing the full frame to the average consumer.
I traded in my two GH5s for Sony a while back. The S9 will not be tempting me back. Besides the 15 min rec limit, the lens options are not good. I never got on with the Pana lenses on the GH. And, a slow 20-60mm does not get my heart racing. The S9? Interesting but it's not for me!
This camera feels like a missed opportunity. It's great that they decided to use the S5II sensor with IBIS and all video modes, but unfortunately the lack of a mechanical shutter is a deal breaker for me. I guess the camera would have to be a little thicker and more expensive, but the usability would be on a different level. The lack of a mechanical shutter means there is no need for a hot shoe, which further limits this camera for any serious photography work. Finally, there is no EVF, and I agree that in many situations you don't need one, but if you're shooting travel, landscape, or street photography and want to quickly review your photos on a bright, sunny day, you just need an EVF to make sure you got the right shots. I think Lumix could create an electronic viewfinder as a separate, detachable accessory for this camera. So in the end, this is not the camera for me, before the premiere, when I was reading all the rumors I had great hopes that it would be my dream hybrid mirrorless, full-frame camera.
I think the only a group of people will consider to buy is the L mount user want a retro style camera to carry around. But panasonic need to introduce another compact lens tho
Feels like the spiritual successor to the Lumix GX85, although that still had a view finder, cost me $600 AUD new and included 2 lenses. But other than that, very similar vibes.
I am looking to move from a G9 to Panasonic full frame. The S9 will be perfect for this migration. I do not do that much video, but I do shoot about 1500 photos a week. To me the real time LUTS will be a game changer. I can see myself using less of my Lightroom skills in the future. I do hope that there will be good availability of the S9 upon release.
For me, if this had a mechanical shutter and a means of seamlessly transferring LR presets to the camera, I think this would be an absolute game changer. At the moment, I fear it leans a little too heavily towards videographers. But I'm very excited to see where they go from here!
Right now you can pre-order the S9 for $1500 or get the Canon R8 for $1200. But even w/o the discount, the R8 is $1500 as well. You don't get open gate and real time LUT, but you get better AF, an EVF, a mechanical shutter, no recording limit, a faster reading sensor. You also don't get IBIS, but digital stabe does better at wide FL's anyway and if wou use tele, lens stabe does most of the work anyway. My point is there are some trade-offs, but the R8 is a better all-round performer, it can be had right now and for a not negligible $300 less than the S9.
Sounds like either the Software is a bit buggy but with my S5 the Lightroom exported LUTs look the same. You just have to match the PictureStyle. If your Lightroom Edit uses Adobe Color or SDT then you have to use it in the Camera aswell. Maybe it was in Vlog, then it would be way to flat. Sadly not quite the Small FF Camera I hoped for. maybe they will release a more photocentric one with mechanical shutter down the line. I like that you can use 2 LUTs, so you can use you Video VLOG to Rec709 ConversionLUT as Base and then you Style LUTs after. Hope this comes to the S5 II X. I also hope that some people see the benefit of LUTs more. I you use the same LUT in every talking head video you can safe time by just using it direktly but I think people are just too stubborn and keep using VLOG and edit after.
I don't know Tom. I think the A7c xx is still the better option; I don't know what the retail is, but aside from the same form factor, the EVF is a requirement for me, and did Sony put the SD slot on the side on the newest A7c? I thought they did. As always great review.
The S5ii is on sale for $100 less than the launch price of this crippled S9. It needs to be half the price to make it a compelling purchase. It was suppose to a full frame interchangeable version of a Fuji X100Vi but just came out a hot mess.
An excellent point. I live in a very sunny country and no EVF essentially means no viewfinder at all (apart from winter). A very backward step and who wants to pay for missing features.
I rocked with Lumix from the G1 back in 2010 to the G7 then moved to Sony FF when the A7 came out and never went back. I was excited for this as a potential upgrade for my RX1R as a more modern FF daily photo camera but the lack of EVF, flash, mechanical shutter as well as manual dials will keep me away from the purchase. Hopefully in future models things will change but by then I feel like Sony will put out a successor to the RX1RII. A bit of an identity crisis of a camera IMO.
This camera is... weird. It's not ideal for vloggers or video creators because of the recording limits. And it's not ideal for photographers because of the lack of EVF and controls. The lack of small, light primes kind of negates the small size of the camera unless you were going to 'rig it out' with a cage and monitor and all that, but Micro-HDMI is loathed by most video creators as it's fragile and buggy, and it doesn't really have good audio options. Yeah, it's only $1500, but for not much more than that, I can get an S5II or IIx lightly used and I'd have a more full-featured camera that balances better with their normal primes, and offers more functionality and better ergonomics. I think if they had done a left-side EVF similar to the Sony A7C, and given it some better controls, it might be more appealing to stills photographers, but I just can't figure out who they made this camera for...
I wonder how much money does Panasonic wanna squeeze out of that 24.2MP sensor, this is like the probably the 5th camera using that 5 year old sensor. Wished that they took S1H's tilt rotatable screen design though, would have been amazing as a street photo/video cam for this small cam.
Lots of criticisms regarding this camera by photographers, but they are missing the main point of this camera, it is designed for the content creator, the one who creates short-form or long-form videos. This is primarily a vlogging camera, like the Sony ZV series, not a stills camera. If you keep that in mind, what Panasonic kept in and what they took out make sense. Well... except for the cold shoe, they could have at least put in a hot shoe and offered an optional shoe mounted EVF, like Canon did with the M6Mk2. Having said that, the Canon R8 is the same price, and is not that much larger.
8:40 its an overheating issue for sure.. and to be honst, nobody that works as a pro, will use this as a main cam, the s5ii is way to cheap for money complains.. its for holidays, private stuff... not pro work ;)
