Panasonic S performance with rangefinder lenses (including images){merged}

[jaapv]

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There is an interesting offer going on with our major shops right now   The camera has been reduced by 400 Euro to 1749 Euro, there is an importer cashback of 300 Euro bringing  it down to 1449 and  it comes with 625 Euro worth of freebies (not  that I need things like a zoom workshop or an introductory Lightroom license ) A Capture One license is useful though, I only have older versions. At any rate impossible to resist for somebody already considering the camera.  There are similar offers for the other S series cameras. It seems like Panasonic has gone on the offensive. 

[Alberti]

Panasonic are well-integrated with Capture One. I see it even has a C1 function on the knob. 🤭

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[michali]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

There is an interesting offer going on with our major shops right now   The camera has been reduced by 400 Euro to 1749 Euro, there is an importer cashback of 300 Euro bringing  it down to 1449 and  it comes with 625 Euro worth of freebies (not  that I need things like a zoom workshop or an introductory Lightroom license ) A Capture One license is useful though, I only have older versions. At any rate impossible to resist for somebody already considering the camera.  There are similar offers for the other S series cameras. It seems like Panasonic has gone on the offensive. 

Jaap, can we assume that your order has been placed....? 💸

[Alberti]

Is it a sign of an impeding end-of-life for this version,  just like the CL was phased out I guess last year, and the Leica Store offered their demo camera for € 1.200?

[jaapv]

3 hours ago, michali said:

Jaap, can we assume that your order has been placed....? 💸

Already delivered in my practice; I'll have a look at it Monday.

 

[jaapv]

3 hours ago, Alberti said:

Is it a sign of an impeding end-of-life for this version,  just like the CL was phased out I guess last year, and the Leica Store offered their demo camera for € 1.200?

Not very likely, given that the camera was introduced  in September 2020, plus the offer is valid for all S cameras

[LocalHero1953]

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3 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Already delivered in my practice; I'll have a look at it Monday.

 

Is this a possible replacement for your CL?
FF & weatherproof, etc etc. The option had occurred to me, given Leica's silence on the CL, but rejected (size, weight). I'll be interested in your comparisons.

[jaapv]

No. It is mainly a back for my 150-600 and general backup. 

[jaapv]

But I will certainly test its performance with some other lenses in due course. 

[michali]

21 minutes ago, jaapv said:

No. It is mainly a back for my 150-600 and general backup. 

Given the size of the 150-600mm, ergonomically it makes sense to mount it on a bigger body. I found the setup awkward  with long lenses when I was using the CL as back up to the SL2 and eventually added the SL2-S as back up to the SL2.

Edited October 21, 2021 by michali

[Simone_DF]

5 hours ago, Alberti said:

Is it a sign of an impeding end-of-life for this version,  just like the CL was phased out I guess last year, and the Leica Store offered their demo camera for € 1.200?

No, I don't think so. The camera was on offer last year too. 

But the S1R has been marked as discontinued in pretty much all the shops, we may see an updated model in 2022.

[jaapv]

4 hours ago, michali said:

Given the size of the 150-600mm, ergonomically it makes sense to mount it on a bigger body. I found the setup awkward  with long lenses when I was using the CL as back up to the SL2 and eventually added the SL2-S as back up to the SL2.

Yes, the S5 is nice and chunky without having a large profile. 

[gotium]

4 hours ago, jaapv said:

Already delivered in my practice; I'll have a look at it Monday.

 

Oooh, can you let us know what you think? I was very temped with this too, and nearly got one when they were discounted in the US last month. But I didn't...

[jaapv]

Well, I had to go to the practice for an emergency anyway, so I picked up the camera this afternoon.

First impressions:
Build quality: excellent, near Leica level.
Ergonomics: good despite the small(ish) size - except for the depth, it is quite chunky. Good grip and balance. I like. the feel, especially with long and heavy lenses.
Controls: obviously more cluttered than I am used to, but well-positioned, default values of the buttons clearly marked and logical. They are where the fingers expect them. Actually, I found not much to customize, despite all being programmable. The three-wheel systam. is a useful carry-over from earlier models..
Menu structure: logical and easily understood by users familiar with Leica, down to the "front Page" touchscreen menu. There are loads of options, it will take me a while to work through the ones that interest me, but the camera can be shot well with its out of the box settings. Happy to see that there are 4/6K and HiRes stills options. 5-axiis IBIS The Video (very extensive, clearly aimed at pro use) and stills sections are well separated in the menu and can be set separately, with optional carry-over.
Panasonic has obviously expanded and streamlined the GX8 menus, options and improved the ergonomics.
This is not a. camera for purists and those who have no interest in the wizardry of modern. digital technology. Make no mistake, despite its entrance level status, it is fully specified, both with stills and video options and with extensive hardware: dual card slot, HDMI, USB (+charging, )stereo mic jack, speaker out. Most owners will only use but a part of everything it offers, but it is quite easy to set the camera to personal requirements and forget all the rest.
Image quality is supposed to be the on par with the S1.

Now I will have to put it through its paces with various lenses. Don't expect comments within a few hours...   Time is in short supply presently.  

[Alberti]

On 10/21/2021 at 2:47 PM, jaapv said:

But I will certainly test its performance with some other lenses in due course. 

I am very interested in the way the M-Rokkor 40mm works. I read a lot that some lenses get blurred, mistreated corners .. :sad

[huwm]

I've been a bit slow getting the hang of the controls but as you have previous Panasonic experience I expect it'll come a lot quicker.

I find it a lot easier to handle the big lenses than I did with my CL(deceased-water) and the IBIS is a real boon for me esp. if 'doubled up' with a stabilised lens.

I've tried it with a Jupiter 50mm f2, Canon 50mm f1.4 and Leica 40mm f2 and the all seem fine and have given me the urge to get some more vintage glass.

I mostly use the Panny 70-300mm to complement the Q2 or if the Q2 is staying at home take the Penny 20-60mm as well, covering a huge range in just 2 lenses.

May succumb to the big sigma in due course.

[jaapv]

What I will certainly do is get the Sigma 45 as I found out that the camera will do 6k in-camera focus stacking with touch-screen range selection. 

[jdlaing]

27 minutes ago, jaapv said:

What I will certainly do is get the Sigma 45 as I found out that the camera will do 6k in-camera focus stacking with touch-screen range selection. 

Take a look at the Sigma 35 DC DN as well.

[jaapv]

I did. After consideration i think I prefer the longer focal length. I’ve given myself till Monday to decide. 

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[jdlaing]

6 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I did. After consideration i think I prefer the longer focal length. I’ve given myself till Monday to decide. 

I use one on the CL and like it a lot..