A video from Ordinary Filmmaker has popped up on YouTube with information about an upcoming Panasonic camera. It’s not the S1 II announcement that many of us were perhaps expecting but an update to Panasonic’s video-centric camera, the S1H. Yes, that’s right, it seems the next camera on Panasonic’s list will be the S1H II. Normally, such videos don’t get much attention from us, but he has been right before.
Amongst the highlights of the leak are a 50-megapixel(ish) resolution sensor capable of shooting 8K video at up to 60 frames per second and 8K and 6K ProRes RAW. Of course, the headline feature is Panasonic’s new phase-detect autofocus system, first introduced on the S5 II. And yes, that’s coming to the S1H II as well.
2019’s Panasonic S1H was a well-received camera. At least, as well received as an L mount camera can be. It was their hybrid video-centric full-frame mirrorless camera. Their answer to cameras like the Sony A7S series and the Canon EOS R5. If the leaked specs are true, it’s about to get a pretty big upgrade in its Mark II successor.
- 50-megapixel(ish) full-frame sensor – Note: No word on whether or not it’ll be stacked or BSI
- Phase detection autofocus like the S5 II
- 8K UHD/DCI video at 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
- 4K (likely oversampled) possibly up to at least 120fps
- 8K and 6K RAW output
- 8K and 6K ProRes RAW – Note: It’s not clarified whether this is internal, so assume using an Atomos Ninja V+
- Memory Card Slots: At least one CFexpress (8K video demands it)
These are very basic specs, although they already make the camera sound pretty exciting. Given that it’s rumoured to shoot 8K video at up to 60fps, I’d be a little disappointed if 4K video only went up to 120fps. I’d hope to see it sitting at least 180fps, similar to shooting 1080p HD in the Panasonic GH5. Hopefully, they’ll also go with dual CFexpress slots rather than one CFexpress and one UHS-II SD.
Other than the resolution of the sensor, there’s no information on the camera’s stills capabilities. Of course, this is a video-centric camera, so that’s not surprising. While I’m sure it’s a capable stills camera, on something like the S1H series, it’s secondary to its video capabilities. Still, I’d expect them to be plenty good enough to satisfy the stills needs of most people who get their hands on one of these. I think we can reasonably assume it will be at least as capable as the S1H, which is no slouch.
There’s no news of a price yet, although the video suggests that it’s possibly going to be announced before the end of this month, or at the very latest, within the next 30 days.
As usual, we’ll just have to wait and find out!
What do you want to see in a Panasonic S5H II?
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