Reviews COMING VERY SOON…Panasonic S1 and More…

Reviews COMING VERY SOON…Panasonic S1 and More…

Hey guys! Just an update to let you know that I will have a review of the Panasonic S1 coming soon. My unit arrives tomorrow and I will be doing a side by side with the Leica SL. 24 MP vs 24 MP ; ) I am not interested in the S1R as to me, 24 Megapixels is the perfect sweet spot. I am curious as to how it will shoot with Leica M lenses, Canon Lenses and of course Native lenses when compared to the Leica SL. The SL is one of my all time favorite cameras ever, and even after four years it is still amazing to me. I shoot my SL with Canon glass like the 50 f/1.2 EF and of course M lenses. It offers to me, the best manual focus implementation of any Mirrorless Camera I have shot with. Will soon see how the S1 does. I feel the color will be different from the Leica SL and I will probably stick with the four year old, still wonderful SL.

Two with the SL and Canon 50 f/1.2. Top image at ISO 12500

The Panasonic, on paper should be better. Higher res EVF, 5 Axis IS, newer sensor, and same size and build as the SL. What we lose it seems is the Leica design (which I prefer for its simplicity) and zen like approach as the Leica has minimal buttons. The Panasonic has many.

I look forward to comparing the the two to see which one I prefer. Will the S1 beat out the SL for me when I mainly use adapted lenses? I will also have the 24-105 Kit lens with the S1 so will give that a whirl on the SL and S1.

New UNIQUE Lenses for Review

I also have a couple of new UNIQUE lenses here I started shooting. The all new Zenit 85 1.5 Helios lens, made in Russia. It’s quite a nice lens actually, and what I would call an “Artists” lens. It renders in a unique yet nice way and is actually quite sharp for the under $400 price point. This is an all new version of this lens and it even can in great packaging. It’s heavy, solid, and serious and I thought it would be very soft but so far it has surprised me with its color reproduction, artistic flare and Bokeh. I love unique lenses as most these days try to go for perfect this and perfect that and to me, perfect gets boring quick. I love character so I try to find lenses that have gobs of it. This is one of those lenses and reminds me of a modern day Canon Dream lens for about $4000 less $$$. There are other lenses available and they are CHEAP! Check them out HERE. 

Three from the Helios

One from the Zenit website that shows the character of this lens..WOW!

BTW for all of these images I am shooting it on the Leica SL via an adapter as it is in Canon EF mount.

I also have the new Voigtlander 35 f/2 Ultron M mount lens and it is a beauty! Small, light, built very well and super nice looking. Coming in at $799 it is giving the old Leica 35 Summicron “Bokeh King” a run for its money. It’s sharp, easy to focus and truly a super 35mm for the money. I am buying this copy. I’ll have a review soon but spoiler alert, IT IS GORGEOUS! Get it HERE. 


So be on the lookout for all of this, as I am working on it all now!

Steve

12 Comments

  1. Steve, got my S1R yesterday. Took a few comparison shots. I find the S1R easier to hold (more ergonomic grip) and the EVF with PIP makes manual focusing even easier than on the SL. looking forward to your thoughts.

    • Ive had the S1 for a day. Low light destroys the SL. EVF is better but I set the S1 to magnify full frame for manual focus. I do not like the small screen blow up. So same implementation as the SL but it’s even better due to the higher res EVF. EVF gets a little laggy in low light, as does the SL. Handling I much much much prefer the SL. If this sensor in the Panasonic S1 (24MP) was in the SL body I would be happy for the rest of my life. I have been shooting ISO 51K on the S1 and getting semi clean results. It’s pretty amazing, best low light camera I have used (The S1). The body feels more clunky than the SL as it’s grip is fatter and you feel all of the buttons and back LCD that sticks out some. Sl is smooth, clean lines all the way. Menu is good on both but I prefer the SL control and menu. But for IQ using M lenses, even Canon lenses, I prefer the S1. It’s sensor here, however they implemented it is gorgeous. For IQ, low light, EVF quality, 5 Axis, and video use the S1 beats the SL for me. Handling, menus and control go to the SL, for me. At the end of the day though, I would have to choose the IQ as I shoot in low light and this camera has such low noise at most all ISO’s. It’s pretty incredible. Color is super nice as well. Out of camera JPEGS of the S1 beat the SL easily as well. It’s a winner, and for the cost could be my fave full frame mirrorless camera right now. Have more to test but so far so good.

    • Oh man it is even better on the Panasonic S1 (not the R). This lens is blowing my mind on this camera. Just has an amazing vibe about it.

  2. I hve to disagree with your statement that the SL offers the best manual focus of all mirrorless, especially when discussing using EF lenses. The EOS R has hands down the best manual focus using the DPAF powered ‘manual focus assist’. This is THE focus aid for manual focus use. The only downside? It has to be used with chipped lenses. But hopefully (especially if we spread the word) manufacturers of adapters will start to cotton on and include chips with their adapters to enable this feature with M glass etc.

  3. I’ll look forward to your upcoming S1 review and comparison to the SL. I agree that the minimal button layout on the SL is a very well done interface vs. multitudes of buttons.
    I had an SL for about 2 years and thought the SL was a terrific camera except for one thing… when looking through the EVF wearing polarized sunglasses, the image is black. I reluctantly sold my SL due to this. I’m hoping SL 2.0 will have an OLED EVF. If so, I’ll take the plunge, again.

  4. No interest whatsoever in these new panny-cams as I’m way too heavily invested and still quite infatuated with in my Alpha RIII and G Master lenses. However, I can definitely see a VM close focus adapter and that new Voigt Ultron 35/2 in my future. I’ve been contemplating adding a small 35 and that one looks to have my name all over it 😉

  5. The SL at high ISO (e.g. 12500) looks so much like Ektachrome slide film. I’d say because of that, it is a better low light camera than any Sony, Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad etc. I wonder if the M10 is similar.

  6. It sounds like you have SL #4 I hand? I was thinking you did since you showed one in the Q2 video. It’s a great camera!!

    • P.S. The Voigtlander 35mm lens looks like a winner at 1/3 the price of the Summicron. Thank you for reviewing it also!!

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