S1r how did that happen...

Hi everyone, a long time poster on various forums on this site, and now I can join the L-mount thread too.

We went to visit some friends a few weeks ago and whilst there I popped into the local camera store hoping to wrap my hands around a G9ii and the OM-1ii and see how they compared. I was thinking about upgrading one of either my G9 or EM1ii, hands down the OM1ii felt the best in my hands. The G9ii not as comfortable as it or my original G9 for that matter.

So I made a few images to compare the files when I returned home and both cameras are great but not a huge improvement on my current gear. Down the road the OM1ii will get the nod for my M4/3 setup for travel.

Whilst glancing at the second hand shelf in the camera store I spied a Panasonic S1r and enquired about its price, $1699 OZ dollars, or $1149 USd. A great pice and I always loved the S1 bodies, and had an itch to have a full frame setup again after sold all my Sony in the switch to M4/3 a few years ago. But I would have to factor in a lens too, so I left it on the shelf and in parting asked if the store could check the shutter count for me and let me know how much work it had done.

We were driving home when they called to tell me the frame count was 856! Still I don't need another system but...

A week or so later the same stores second hand gear went on sale with 20% off, so for $1360 Oz or $920 US I was now the owner of one bargain of a camera.

I picked up a new 24-105 f4 lens yesterday for $1360 too, again $920 US, So for $2720 OZ a bargain. That's over $700 OZ cheaper than an Olympus OM1ii body, well that's how I sold it to my wife :-D

So the new set up...



So any set up tips you have would be helpful as I get to know the S1r, first thing I have noticed is the shutter button is super sensitive, much more so the my G9 which always gets talked about but I found fine. So maybe I just need to recalibrate my shooting finger.

So hello and any tips you can share from your experiences with the S1r or S1 would be great to read.

Cheers.

Stephen.

Congrats!

The prices for gently used S1R is a not-so-well hidden secret. I recently picked one up for CDN$1,500 where it used to sell new for CDN$4,500. I sold all the latest Fuji X gear for this and have no regrets. It’s photography on another level, as a first time FF shooter.

I’m going to follow this thread for tips! My second biggest challenge so far is customizing the Q menu, finding the right focus method and exposure.

My biggest challenge is trying to decide on the next lens to buy! There are so many incredible lenses to choose from!

Well done on getting a S1R!

I also got one a year ago, second hand, at a bargain price. As an upgrade to the G9 (which I still have!), it didn't take me long to get used to it - it is pretty much a XXL version of the G9 on steroids. It should therefore be quite easy to set up your new S1R in a very similar way than your G9.

As I shoot in aperture priority 95% of the time, my front command dial is set to control aperture, the rear command dial is set for exposure compensation, and the rear wheel controls the ISO. The front toggle switch is used to activate electronic shutter (quite useful when shooting concerts, etc).

In terms of changes over the G9, in random order:

- I find I use the screen a lot more for certain shots, the tilt screen of the S1R is way more useful for photography than the G9's. The S1R's EVF is sublime though so I'll use it in 98% of my shots.

- I use the joystick on the S1R a lot more (it's a 9 way joystick which makes it easier)

- given the size of the RAW files, I have stopped recording in both JPG+RAW on the S1R (I am primarily a raw shooter anyway).

- a real bummer on the S1R is the fact that the second card slot is CF express... as I have shots wedding and events with my S1R, I have invested in a 128GB model as a precaution, so I record on both cards at the same time

- The CAF performance is about the same on the G9 and the S1R. Yes the S1R can do sports/action, you just need to set up the AF properly and practice a little. I do miss the higher burst speeds of the G9 though (the S1R can only do 7 shots a second max)

- At first, I marveled at the insane level of details the 47MP provide you with. But then I learnt to use the extra resolution to improve my photography: I am mostly a landscape shooter, and I do crop a lot more than I used to. This can be invaluable if you happen to come across a good composition in post which requires cropping your initial shot, for instance.

- the S1R IBIS is great but unsurprisingly not as good as the G9s. You have to factor that in when taking shots with low-ish shutter speeds, even with the 24-105 which has lens stabilisation. Sounds pretty obvious but it took me a while to adjust.

- not strictly about setup, but it's nice that the S1R displays remaining battery life as a %

- one thing I have noticed with the S1R is that shadow noise can be a real problem. You've got to make sure to expose your dark areas properly, otherwise you might get ugly results when lifting shadows in post. This is particularly true for portraits, as I have found out. The good news is that recovering highlights on the S1R is pretty good.

- of course, the biggest difference in terms of user experience coming from the G9 is... size/weight ! But the shooting envelope is so much higher on the S1R that I have grown to live with the extra bulk.

Sorry this is a bit random but I hope you'll find it interesting. Please share your own experience. And happy to help further if you have specific questions!

Cheers

Nick

I always had an eye on it, but could not accept the price until... There was a one week sale # 50% discount. My wife uses it for macros. We have a few Canon ef lenses which do quite well with the Sigma adapter ( with s focus only). I also take it for walks with Sigma I lens (we have the 24 f3.5). It is a very nice setup for casual shooting, great evf, fab ergonomics and very nice image quality. A very flexible camera, a bit capricious at Isos higher than 2000, overall - a lot of fun! Enjoy yours and do not forget to upload the pictures you take with it!

I've used the S1 for nearly 5 years, with by far the majority of images made with the 24-105 lens.

In terms of general reliability, the camera has been a solid performer, producing very usable files (I shoot RAW + JPG fine as a 'back-up' but have never had to resort to using the latter). The general ergonomics are very good. The kinds of subjects I shoot suit single AF, and I'm not going to be drawn into the CAF saga!

There have been many questions over the years about battery life, so here's what I have done to conserve energy:

• Turn off anything you don't need, this includes the top display being visible even when the camera is switched off. Having the top display blank when the camera is off is also reassuring of the camera's state.
• Set the auto-power off delay to as short as possible for whatever you feel is comfortable (mine is set to 1 minute).
• To my thinking, even though the camera turns off automatically (and is awakened by touching the shutter release), there still seems to be more power drain than when it's turned off at the switch.
• Get a spare battery. I've had a spare since the camera was new and it has been a 'life-saver'. The 'bar' display of battery charge is fairly reliable but if the camera is switched off with 2 or 3 bars remaining and not used for a couple of weeks, you might find that within a few frames of being used again the battery suddenly empties. Note that I have never lost any images through this - the camera has reliably written everything to the memory card before 'dying'. I always switch off when changing batteries, never 'hot-swap'.

There is though, in my mind, a question of Panasonic's devotion to continuing the line with 'Mark II' versions of the S1 / S1R. As you'll probably be aware, Leica have their own versions of the Panasonic-Lumix S1 and S1R, and not too long ago released an updated version of the S1R, so I am hopeful that the Panasonic-Lumix camera will follow soon as I would certainly be interested in a having higher resolution. (Before you ask, no, I wouldn't get an original version of the S1R as sensor technology has improved since it was released - you can research the reviews of the S1 and S1R to see how they compared at the time of release. The S5 MkII is not a replacement for the S1 - the viewfinder resolution is lower and there's no top display.)

Very informative post, thank you.

richgb said:

I've used the S1 for nearly 5 years, with by far the majority of images made with the 24-105 lens.

In terms of general reliability, the camera has been a solid performer, producing very usable files (I shoot RAW + JPG fine as a 'back-up' but have never had to resort to using the latter). The general ergonomics are very good. The kinds of subjects I shoot suit single AF, and I'm not going to be drawn into the CAF saga!

There have been many questions over the years about battery life, so here's what I have done to conserve energy:

• Turn off anything you don't need, this includes the top display being visible even when the camera is switched off. Having the top display blank when the camera is off is also reassuring of the camera's state.
• Set the auto-power off delay to as short as possible for whatever you feel is comfortable (mine is set to 1 minute).
• To my thinking, even though the camera turns off automatically (and is awakened by touching the shutter release), there still seems to be more power drain than when it's turned off at the switch.
• Get a spare battery. I've had a spare since the camera was new and it has been a 'life-saver'. The 'bar' display of battery charge is fairly reliable but if the camera is switched off with 2 or 3 bars remaining and not used for a couple of weeks, you might find that within a few frames of being used again the battery suddenly empties. Note that I have never lost any images through this - the camera has reliably written everything to the memory card before 'dying'. I always switch off when changing batteries, never 'hot-swap'.

There is though, in my mind, a question of Panasonic's devotion to continuing the line with 'Mark II' versions of the S1 / S1R. As you'll probably be aware, Leica have their own versions of the Panasonic-Lumix S1 and S1R, and not too long ago released an updated version of the S1R, so I am hopeful that the Panasonic-Lumix camera will follow soon as I would certainly be interested in a having higher resolution. (Before you ask, no, I wouldn't get an original version of the S1R as sensor technology has improved since it was released - you can research the reviews of the S1 and S1R to see how they compared at the time of release. The S5 MkII is not a replacement for the S1 - the viewfinder resolution is lower and there's no top display.)

Click to expand...

Do you think one would still be safe to purchase a mint used S1R today, or would the sensor vintage be a risk? I used one for a week and loved it.

I don't recall seeing anything which queried the quality of the sensors in the S1 / S1R or their longevity. The point is, rather, if you're looking for a camera with a ~47MP sensor, are there other cameras on the market which would be better than a 5 year old S1R, which would be long out of manufacturer's warranty? (Let's ignore the economics for the moment - few would buy a camera solely on price).

Of course, the number of MP is only one factor, and the S1 / S1R have other attributes which have been praised, e.g. the quality of the EVF, the controls, the build quality (albeit making it heavier). The L-mount system also has a wide range of lenses.

If you're undecided, I suggest you look for some reviews of the S1 / S1R from 2019 or so when the cameras were released to get an idea of other people's impressions, and compare these to more recent cameras with a similar spec.

The one tip I have (and thus is based on my experience with the S1 and original S5) is to set up a button for near focus shift.

My S1 and S5 og will often focus on the background for no apparent reason

Thanks everyone for your reply's.

Marc, I went with the 24-105 for the range, sync IS and image quality. Hoping to make it a one and done lens for a long time, I have the excellent Olympus 40-150 f2.8 which will take care of longer focal on my G9, it's a great combo.

Thanks Nick for your detailed post, indeed I have done my initial setup based off my G9 settings. Yes the CFx card is something I will bite the bullet down the track and get for the second slot. And I have never had any issues with the G9 focusing system so I see no issues there. Years of shooting M4/3 teaches you to nail the exposure to deal with the limitations of the smaller sensor, but I will watch my shadows a little more closely, thanks for the tip.

And it sounds like our shooting styles are very similar, although my G9 set up in not so small :-D



Gripped with the P/L 10-25 f1.7, I am looking forward to doing some comparisons between this set up and the new S1r.

Thanks Eli, yes to me the camera is just about perfect in the hand, and even after a few quick shots yesterday I can see the bump up in image quality I was after. Not really worried about high iso performance as I have never shot above 800 iso, the old school film photographer still lives inside me

Thanks Rich, yep went full power saving mode too, and picked up a spare battery also. Thanks for the tip re battery depletion after a few weeks on non use, I make sure to charge it the night before any important shoot. And while new sensors can be better, with the type of shots I plan for the S1r the older one will be just fine.

And finally thanks Mark, the near/far front button setup was the first thing I changed as its a game changer for the Panasonic AF system.

Thanks again everyone, its was great to get you thoughts, just need the weekend to roll around now so I gat get out a shoot a few frames.

Cheers.

Stephen.

Now the only thing left to do Is post some photos!!!

There is usually a monthly image thread in this forum. But you are always welcome to start a thread with your iwn photos

John Jennings said:

Do you think one would still be safe to purchase a mint used S1R today, or would the sensor vintage be a risk? I used one for a week and loved it.

Click to expand...

If you love the camera use it! The sensor delivers great and stunning quality even if some cameras today can do a bit better. But you will have to pay a much higher price!
Also the Sigma Art lenses will deliver great results for much less money, than you have to pay for CaNiSo lenses.

Actually I own some „original“ lenses from Lumix, but I could live with Sigma lenses alone!

My recommendations:

if you sometimes use a tripod with ballhead, get a l-bracket. The camera and lenses are quite heavy, so by using a l-bracket you can use smaller ballheads for portrait format.

There are some programmable buttons, so if you encounter functions you need quite often use a button for it.

If sometimes something is not working as expected anymore, check the small 1/2 switch at the front! I sometimes changed it unnoticed and was wondering why the camera behaves strange… ;-)

For portraits I found a battery grip second hand. As good as new, but but for 149€ only. I use it not for normals pictures, but for portrait/people it is great (and holds a second battery).

I still use raw/jpg at the same time, but jpg small! So even with small laptop or smartphone I can browse very fast through the result or send pictures to others. The big raws will be developed at home .

Try the high res shot for real still pictures. But be carefull: theses files are huge! But they can deliver awesome detail if the setup was right!

reinhard becker said:

If sometimes something is not working as expected anymore, check the small 1/2 switch at the front! I sometimes changed it unnoticed and was wondering why the camera behaves strange… ;-)

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This gets me every time on my S1.

I wish they had just made those two locks in to some kind of a function button (or function+toggle button, similar to the AF Area button in the center of the AF Mode switch).

After owning the S1 for about four years now, I am STILL searching for something to assigne them to.

Off The Mark said:

The one tip I have (and thus is based on my experience with the S1 and original S5) is to set up a button for near focus shift.

My S1 and S5 og will often focus on the background for no apparent reason

Click to expand...

I have an S5 and it occasionally focuses on the background. I am not aware of "near focus shift." Can you elaborate on this? A menu item I assume and is it called near focus shift or something else?

Thanks,

dcassat said:

Off The Mark said:

The one tip I have (and thus is based on my experience with the S1 and original S5) is to set up a button for near focus shift.

My S1 and S5 og will often focus on the background for no apparent reason

Click to expand...

I have an S5 and it occasionally focuses on the background. I am not aware of "near focus shift." Can you elaborate on this? A menu item I assume and is it called near focus shift or something else?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

I son't think it is an individual Menu entry.

I think you will need to go in to your custom function button set up, where it will be listed as an option.

On my original S5:

Menu > Gear > Operation > FN Button Setup > Focus/Shutter 2

Not sure if this is a different location than on S1 / S5 II etc.

Hope this helps.

Off The Mark said:

dcassat said:

Off The Mark said:

The one tip I have (and thus is based on my experience with the S1 and original S5) is to set up a button for near focus shift.

My S1 and S5 og will often focus on the background for no apparent reason

Click to expand...

I have an S5 and it occasionally focuses on the background. I am not aware of "near focus shift." Can you elaborate on this? A menu item I assume and is it called near focus shift or something else?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

I son't think it is an individual Menu entry.

I think you will need to go in to your custom function button set up, where it will be listed as an option.

On my original S5:

Menu > Gear > Operation > FN Button Setup > Focus/Shutter 2

Not sure if this is a different location than on S1 / S5 II etc.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU! With this information I was able to find it in the manual also on page 96. One of those obscure features that is totally customizable.

I really think you will love what it can do. I still have mine, though i now shoot mostly with Sony. Lots of good affordable and compact L-mount lens options, though less than half as many as Sony