We've been busy in the Engadget reviews department over the last few weeks, keeping up with Prime Day, product launches and the accumulating stack of devices on our desks. If you missed any of our in-depth testing recently, you can quickly catch up on the latest camera, laptop, phone and soundbar reviews in the list below.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Samsung made notable design changes on its latest flagship foldable phone, finally giving the masses a significant update after a series of iterative models. Senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford argued the company "has finally achieved foldable phone nirvana" thanks to the reductions in overall size and thickness on the Z Fold 7, making the niche handset appeal to more users. "With its latest flagship foldable, Samsung has removed one of the remaining barriers preventing people from trying out the new breed of phones: excessive size and weight," he said.
Canon R50 V
Content creators who are just getting into vlogging will soon realize they need a camera more robust than their phone for better quality footage. Reporter Steve Dent explained that Canon's EOS R50 V excels at video, thanks in part to its quick autofocus, but the camera lacks the performance and features of its rivals. "Canon’s R50 V is a pretty good first try for a vlogging camera, hitting the mark in key areas like video quality and usability," he wrote. "However, its rival, Sony’s ZV-E10 II, beats it in nearly every area, offering even better video quality, higher photo resolution, faster autofocus, smoother electronic stabilization and neat features missing on the R50 V — like the product showcase."
Samsung HW-QS700F
Like the Z Fold line, Samsung has been on a streak of iterative updates for its flagship soundbars. For 2025 though, the company debuted an all-new model that automatically detects how you're using it and adjusts the speaker output appropriately. It's that trick, along with crisp sound, that makes the QS700F a contender even with its constrained 3.1.2-channel audio. "Caveats aside, the best thing about the soundbar is its automatic orientation adjustment," I noted. "The QS700F is easy on the eyes too, which isn’t always the case with these devices."
Panasonic S1 II
The S1 II may be Panasonic's best camera for content creators, but there's one major downside: the price. Steve's assessment of this model's features, which include 6K RAW video and best-in-class stabilization, will help you weigh the potential $3,200 investment. "Panasonic’s S1 II is a powerful hybrid camera, and if it wasn’t so expensive, it would be a no-brainer for creators," he said. "However, Nikon’s Z6 III has nearly the same video capabilities, is a better camera for photography and costs at least $600 less, so I’m inclined to recommend that model for most users."
Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1
The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is the company's first consumer laptop to feature its recently updated naming scheme, and the change in moniker is accompanied by refreshed styling. Sam explained that while the machine is perfectly capable, especially with the optional LED display, it's lacking personality. "It's a totally serviceable machine, but it doesn't have a single trait or feature that endears itself to its user," he wrote. "Same goes for its name."
Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2
Now that the Switch 2 is out in the wild, Nintendo's handheld console needs protection. Sam put the Belkin Charging Case through its paces to find out if it's a worthy accessory. "I kind of wish Belkin sold a version that doesn't come with a battery for anyone who wants to use their own power pack," he said. "The company’s non-charging version of this case isn’t an ideal alternative as it doesn't have much extra space inside. But even so, this kit offers a solid combination of price and practicality, which is all I'm ever really asking for."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-galaxy-z-fold-7-panasonic-s1-ii-samsung-qs700f-and-more-123027122.html?src=rss
Sony just surprised the photography world by unveiling the RX1R III, a fixed-lens 35mm full-frame compact camera. Coming nearly ten years after the RX1R II, it has a 61MP Exmor R sensor along with Sony's latest image processing technology that promises low noise and high dynamic range.
Apart from all the new tech, the RX1R III is smaller and more streamlined than before and considerably lighter at 17 ounces than its main competition, Leica's Q3 and the Fujifilm GFX100RF. With that, it's designed to be a "carrying around" camera for street photographers, serious amateurs and others.
That small size is due in part to the Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm f2 lens that sits partly inside the body. While more compact than before, it has the same optics as the last model and offers high levels of sharpness and color rendering, according to Sony. It comes with a macro ring that enables users to get as close as 20cm to subjects and feature's Sony's new "Step Crop Shooting" function that allows 35mm, 50mm and 70mm focal lengths by cropping into the sensor, just like the GFX100RF can do with a similar button.
Sony
The RX1R II has up to 15 stops of dynamic range thanks to the high-res sensor and image processing engine. It also features an anti-reflection coating and no optical low-pass filter to boost image quality, though that can cause some moire and other artifacts. Shooting speeds aren't quick at just 5 fps, though it's obviously not designed for sports.
The electronic viewfinder is middling with 2.36 million dots and 0.7x magnification, though the rear display offers a decent 2.4 million dots of resolution. However, unlike the one on the previous model that tilted out and up, it's fixed in order to save weight and size. It also lacks any in-body or optical stabilization, relying solely on electronic shake reduction.
With Sony's latest Bionz XR and AI processors, it promises accurate tracking of "subjects, human bodies, heads and the position of eyes," Sony said, even if their faces aren't visible. It uses 693 phase-detection AF points covering around 78 percent of the image, just like Sony's A7R V.
It's not nearly as powerful as the A7R V for video, but can still handle 4K 30 fps video with 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling, along with 1080p video at up to 120 fps. No log mode is available, but you do get the log-like S-Cinetone that boosts dynamic range a bit. Other features include a single SDXC UHS II slot, a mic input (but not headphone jack), a microHDMI port and a USB-C input.
The R1XR III is much more expensive than the RX1R II was at launch. It'll go on pre-order soon for $5,100, with shipping set to start on July 31st. Sony is also offering a handful of accessories (also expensive), including a $300 (!) thumb grip, $250 body case and $200 lens hood (!!).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sonys-61mp-rx1r-iii-fixed-lens-compact-camera-is-finally-here-after-a-ten-year-wait-152707087.html?src=rss
Canon has released 20 cameras since launching the RF mount in 2018, but it had one gaping hole in a key market: vlogging. Now, the company has patched that with the launch of the $700 R50 V that’s aimed at creators on a budget and designed to take on Sony’s ZV-E10 II.
The R50 V has the same 24-megapixel APS-C sensor as the R50, but adds vlogging-friendly features like 4K 60p video, C-Log3 for extra dynamic range, a livestreaming button and a side tripod socket for vertical video. It’s cheaper than the $1,100 ZV-E10 II and even costs a bit less than the older ZV-E10. After some lengthy testing, however, I found that it was missing some key features compared to its Sony rivals, particularly those that make vlogging easier for beginners.
Design and handling
Like other vlogging cameras, the R50 V is stripped down both in terms of size and controls. It has a polycarbonate body rather than metal, which reduces toughness and weatherproofing but helps keep it light at just 323 grams. The grip is also smaller than the R50’s, so it’s not ideal to use with large lenses.
One key feature missing from the R50 is an electronic viewfinder. That’s also the case with the ZV-E10 II, but the lack of one can make it challenging to shoot in bright sunlight. On top of that, the rear display is low-res and isn’t particularly bright. However, it fully articulates and flips around for vloggers.
The R50 V is designed to be controlled via the touchscreen, so it has fewer manual controls than other Canon mirrorless models. It does have top, rear and back dials to set primary functions like iris and shutter speed. However, you need to use your thumb to control both of those which makes operation a bit awkward.
The front rocker is designed to control zoom on supported Canon lenses like the new 14-30mm f/4-6.4 IS STM PZ, which was released at the same time as this camera. It also has livestream and color buttons dedicated to creators, plus there’s a mode dial with six different video settings.
Canon's EOS R50 V has decent handling designed for creators but it lacks manual controls for photography
Steve Dent for Engadget
The menu system is typically Canon with color-coded pages for each category (video settings, autofocus and more). However, key settings can also be adjusted from the Quick (Q) menu using the touchscreen when vlogging. Functions in that menu can of course be reprogrammed to your preferences.
The R50 V has both microphone and headphone inputs along with microHDMI and USB-C ports. It uses Canon’s smaller EP-17 battery that delivers an hour of video shooting or 300 shots to a charge, both far less than the ZV-E10 II (113 minutes and 600 shots). It has just a single SD card slot, but fortunately it’s the faster UHS-II type. Finally, there’s a very handy feature for content creators: a tripod socket on the side to make it easier for solo vloggers to shoot vertical video.
Video
Video and vlogging is the R50 V’s primary strength compared to R50. It can shoot both supersampled 4K 30 fps and 4K 60 fps video, with C-Log3 and 10-bit quality. However, the 4K 60 fps setting requires a fat 1.56x crop, which reduces quality as well as bokeh. Sony’s ZV-E10 II, by contrast, only requires a 1.1x crop for 4K 60 fps video.
The Z50 V also lacks in-body stabilization. That means the R50 V relies strictly on optical lens shake reduction or electronic stabilization. To be fair, that’s to be expected in this price range and the ZV-E10 II is also missing in-body stabilization. The electronic system does a good job removing jolts from handheld video and can even smooth out walking if you try to move fluidly, but it can make footage look soft if movements are excessive. The “Enhanced” electronic mode, which applies a small crop, is designed to make handheld shots look “locked off” like you’re using a tripod.
The R50 V offers good image quality and key creator features like a fully articulating screen.
Steve Dent for Engadget
Background blur and product showcase-type buttons are also noticeably missing compared to the ZV E10 II. That’s too bad, because creators use those features often to quickly focus on objects or blur the background behind a subject — without them, you’re forced to set those things manually.
Rolling shutter distortion is fairly noticeable on this camera with a scan rate around 30ms, compared to just 16ms for the ZV-E10 II. This means sudden pans or jolts can result in “jello effect” video. Meanwhile, video autofocus is rapid and reliable, even if your subject moves around. The AI-powered face and eye detection locks on firmly, and can also reliably track animals and vehicles.
Canon took a page from Panasonic and Fujifilm with the addition of a color button on the R50 V. It lets you quickly select shooting modes like standard BT.709, C-Log, HLG and PQ. Another setting offers filmic looks with modes like Portrait, Fine Detail, Faithful and Monochrome. And the last “color filter” mode allows for tinted video with shades like teal and peach, though the results looked a bit cheesy to me.
With a built-in cooling fan, the R50 V is more resistant to overheating than most small cameras. When recording standard 4K at 30 fps, I was able to shoot for 60 straight minutes with no sign of overheating. The issue doesn’t, er, crop up at 4K 60p either since that mode uses a reduced portion of the sensor.
Overall, video quality is a strong point, with sharp detail when using the 4K 30 fps oversampled mode. Colors are rich and accurate, and skin tones pleasing with a hint of warmness that Canon is known for. The 10-bit C-Log3 footage retains extra detail in shadow and highlight areas, providing outstanding dynamic range for such an inexpensive camera. However, 4K 60p video is considerably softer, and the 1080p 120 fps ultra slo-mo setting lacks sharpness even by HD standards. Low-light capability is average for an APS-C camera, with noise clearly visible starting at ISO 3,200 or 6,400. Beyond that, it becomes intrusive and harder to get rid of using noise reduction tools.
Photography
Though photography isn’t this camera’s raison d’etre, the R50 V performs decently in that regard. It can shoot fairly quickly for a small camera, with burst speeds of 15 fps with the electronic shutter or 12 fps with mechanical shutter. However, it can’t sustain those speeds for very long due to the small buffer that holds just 36 RAW images.
Autofocus is again a strong point, tracking subjects with ease and keeping photos sharp. As with video, AI-powered face and eye detection is quick and reliable for people, animals and vehicles. Rolling shutter is an issue with photos as it is with video, but since the R50 V has a mechanical first-curtain shutter, you only need the electronic mode for photos when silence is required. The lack of in-body stabilization means you’ll need to have a steady hand to take sharp shots at low shutter speeds, or you’ll want to shop for lenses with optical stabilization if that’s an issue.
Photo quality is identical to the R50 since it shares the same sensor. For normal shooting, I saw color-accurate photos with skin tones leaning on the warm side, as is typical with Canon’s color science. JPEGs strike a good balance between sharpening and noise reduction, while RAW files allow a decent amount of room to tweak images. As with video, low-light performance isn’t amazing, so I wouldn’t go past ISO 6,400 unless it’s too dark to film otherwise.
Wrap-up
With a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, the R50 V squares off against Sony's ZV-E10 II
Steve Dent for Engadget
Canon’s R50 V is a pretty good first try for a vlogging camera, hitting the mark in key areas like video quality and usability. However, its rival, Sony’s ZV-E10 II, beats it in nearly every area, offering even better video quality, higher photo resolution, faster autofocus, smoother electronic stabilization and neat features missing on the R50 V — like the product showcase.
That said, Canon is targeting a more budget-minded buyer as the R50 V costs just $700 (body only) compared to $1,100 for the ZV-E10 II. Vloggers constrained to that budget will still get a great camera that easily beats a smartphone when it comes to the final product. If you do have an extra $400 to spend, though, I’d recommend the ZV-E10 II instead.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-r50-v-review-an-affordable-vlogging-camera-that-lags-behind-its-rivals-173028892.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day is always a key period for camera buyers as any discount on such a major purchase is always helpful. Despite the tariffs, this year's sale is particularly strong for photography buffs, with big discounts on most of the major brands including some that don't normally offer deals.
Some key deals include discounts on DJI drones, along with sales on models from Sony, Canon, GoPro and Nikon. Many of those cameras are ranked highly in our most recent camera guide, like Nikon's Z6 III, Canon EOS R5 Mark III and the GoPro Hero 13 Black — so feel free to check that out as you add items to your cart. Without further delay, here are the best Prime Day camera deals you can get for the last day of the sale.
Best Prime Day camera deals
Canon EOS R100 with RT-S18-45mm lens for $549 (15 percent off): Canon's EOS R100 is the only modern mirrorless camera you can get with a kit lens for under $600. It comes with a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor that delivers great picture quality with Canon's pleasing skin tones.
Canon EOS R50 with RF-S18-45mm lens for $749 (15 percent off): Canon's 24-megapixel APS-C EOS R50 is great for travel, parties, street photography and more thanks to the portable size and built-in flash. It offers nice image quality with warm, human friendly photos and is capable for creators as well with 4K 30fps supersampled video, with 10-bit and HDR capability.
OM System OM-5 for $899 (25 percent off): For creators on a budget, the 20-megapixel, Micro Four Thirds OM-5 from OM System (formerly Olympic) is a great option at this price. It lets you shoot 4K video and 20MP stills at up to 10 fps. The design is nice with a full complement of manual controls, a fully articulating display and 7.5 stops of built-in stabilization.
Panasonic Lumix S9 for $1,298 (13 percent off): The S9 may be Panasonic's smallest full-frame camera but it comes with the same 24MP sensor and similar video features to the popular S5 II. To that end, it offers up to 6.2K video, in-body stabilization and reliable autofocus. The key feature though is a special LUT button that lets you easily choose a custom cinematic look designed by professional creators.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II for $1,899 (5 percent off): Canon's R6 Mark II offers a great mix of video and photography features. You can now shoot RAW stills at up to 40 fps and video specs are equally solid with sharp full-sensor 4K at up to 60 fps. It comes with in-body stabilization that's great for video and photos and autofocus is quicker and more versatile than ever.
Nikon Z6 III for $2,197 (12 percent off): Nikon's Z6 III is the best hybrid mirrorless camera for the money, thanks to the incredible performance of the 24-megapixel partially stacked sensor. You can shoot RAW bursts at up to 20 fps in electronic shutter mode while nailing sharp shots thanks to the much-improved autofocus. On the video side, it supports 6K RAW at up to 60 fps, or 4K 120p. All of that makes it ideal for creators and photographers alike, with the only drawback being the reduced resolution.
Sony A7 IV for $2,198 (19 percent off): It beats many rivals with 33 megapixels of resolution rather than 24, with image quality much improved overall. Video is now up to par with rivals with 4K at up to 60p with 10 bit 4:2:2 quality. Autofocus is incredible for both video and stills, and the in-body stabilization does a good job. The biggest drawback is rolling shutter that limits the use of the electronic shutter.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II for $3,999 ($300 off): It's company’s best camera in years thanks to improvements in areas like autofocus and video. It comes with a high-resolution 45-megapixel stacked sensor, but still lets you shoot blackout-free bursts at up to 30 fps — and most of the shots will be sharp thanks to the updated autofocus with AI tracking. Video is also strong with up to 8K 60p RAW and 4K 120 fps shooting.
Best Prime Day action cam and drone deals
DJI Osmo Mobile 7P gimbal for $125 (15 percent off): This three-axis gimbal keeps your smartphone video as smooth as can be with DJI's ActiveTrack 7.0, and includes a magnetic snapping mechanism so you can install your mobile device in seconds. The latest feature is native tracking that follows you around, thanks to the included Multifunctional Module.
DJI Osmo Action 4 for $209 (30 percent off): DJI's Osmo Action 4 is a tremendous deal at this price, as you're not giving up much in comparison to the most recent model, the Action 5. It has the same big 1/1.3-inch sensor that delivers excellent video quality, especially in low light. It also features a D-LogM profile to boost dynamic range, DJI's excellent clip-on mount and high-quality 4K 120p video.
GoPro Hero 13 Black for $329 (23 percent off): GoPro’s Hero 13 Black is now available with a new family of modular lenses called the HB series (ultra-wide, anamorphic and macro), making it far more versatile for action creators. It also has a slightly bigger battery that allows longer capture times, up to 90 minutes for 4K 30fps video. Other specs remain the same, including up to 5.3K at 60fps in 10-bit color, along with the excellent Hypersmooth stabilization.
Insta360 X4 for $349 (30 percent): Insta360 simply dominates the 360-degree category, thanks to its ability to capture action at up to 8K 30fps or 5.7K at 60fps — providing more detail when you reframe it to 16:9. At the same time, the Me Mode that produces flat video (with automatic selfie stick removal) has been upgraded from a maximum 2.7K 30fps to 4K 30fps. It also offers solid battery life, waterproofing to 10m and a free editing app.
Best Prime Day deals on camera accessories
K&F Concept 25L backpack for $50 (17 percent off): A large 25L three-tiered camera bag that can hold multiple cameras, lenses and drones. It has quick side access and features durable materials with a rain cover, making it great for outdoor travel, weddings or vlogging.
Elgato Key Light 2800 lumens for $133 (26 percent off): For presentations or simple studio shoots, you get a silent, low-heat studio light with high output and a 2900-7000K temperature range. It's controllable by WiFi and has an opal glass face for glare-free diffusion.
DJI Mini 4K drone for $309 (21 percent off): The Mini 4 weighs less than 249 grams so it doesn't require a permit, but can still shoot 4K video at up to 30 fps or 2.7K at 60 fps with three-axis stabilization. It can fly up to 31 minutes on a charge and has one-tap movements like dronie, helix and panoramic shooting.
Elgato Prompter for $190 (37 percent off): Whether you're a creator on YouTube or present on Zoom, the Elgato Prompter is an elegant and popular choice thanks to the built-in display that allows you to read scripts while looking at the camera. Support more cameras than ever, even with wide lenses and features an easy setup.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/the-best-amazon-prime-day-camera-deals-you-can-still-get-during-the-last-day-of-the-sale-104502374.html?src=rss
As to be expected, we're seeing many early deals in the lead up to Prime Day 2025, which starts on July 8. Blink Outdoor 4 cameras are among them, with discounts up to 62 percent on a bunch of bundles. If you're just starting out, you can get a one-camera system for only $45, 55 percent off its usual price. That gives you one security camera and the Sync Module 2, which lets you expand and connect more cameras down the line. If you want to start off with more, a three-pack is 62 percent off and down to only $100.
Blink cameras that come with battery extension packs are on sale, as well. The Blink Outdoor 4 already has a two-year battery life, but the units with extension packs can last for up to four years before their batteries need to be replaced. A two-camera bundle with battery extension packs is on sale for $90, down $125 from $215. Meanwhile, the five-camera bundle with battery packs is down to $210 from $460, though you can also get a single camera and a pack of three.
The Blink Outdoor 4 cameras can provide live views of the area in 1080p, has infrared night vision and two-way audio. They can also alert you to motion faster than their predecessors. Take note that the cameras come with a free 30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plus Plan, which adds the ability to notify you about any person the cameras detect, as well as the ability to store footage in the cloud. The subscription costs $10 a month or $100 a year after the trial period ends.
In addition to pure Blink Outdoor 4 bundles, the sale also includes packs with Blink video doorbells, the Blink Mini and a system hub that extends the range of what the camera can see.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/pick-up-a-blink-outdoor-4-camera-for-as-low-as-45-ahead-of-prime-day-115908395.html?src=rss
After a six-year wait, Panasonic's S1 II is finally here and there's a lot to unpack. As you’d expect from this company, it’s creator-centric with up to 5.8K ProRes RAW internal video recording. At the same time, it’s Panasonic’s fastest full-frame photo camera ever with 70 fps burst speeds and reduced rolling shutter distortion thanks to the new partially stacked 24-megapixel sensor. And with an AI-powered hybrid phase detect system, autofocus is no longer a weak point as it was with the original S1.
There is one issue though, and a surprising one for Panasonic: the price. The $3,200 S1 II is similar to Nikon’s Z6 III, right down to the partially stacked sensor and internal RAW video. However, the latter is some $700 cheaper and can often be found on sale for even less. Since Panasonic often undercuts rivals, that puts the S1 II in the unusual position of being overpriced next to the competition. After testing it for the last month, I’ve found that whether it's worth it depends on your priorities.
Handling and design
The S1 II shares its excellent body design with the higher-resolution S1R II and the cheaper, non-stacked S1 IIe. It’s considerably lighter than the original S1 at 1.76 pounds and much smaller as well, both of which make it less burdensome. It’s also easy to hold thanks to the big ridged grip. However, it’s more angular and has a harder rubber skin than Canon’s rival EOS R6 II, so it’s not quite as comfortable over long shooting sessions.
The excellent control layout makes the S1 II a breeze to use. It has all the buttons and dials you need and they’re well located — particularly the joystick and control dials. There’s a dedicated switch for photos, video and slow and quick (S&Q) modes, and each has separate adjustments so you won’t mix them up. It also has a dedicated autofocus switch, two video record buttons (top and front), 10 other programmable buttons and a tally light.
I rarely needed to search for settings thanks to the logical color-coded tabs and easy-to-use quick menu, both accessible by touch or the joystick. Panasonic also made it simple to program buttons, dials and the quick menu to your personal preferences and it allows you to save them to a memory card as a backup.
The S1 II’s electronic viewfinder is bright and sharp, matching the Z6 III with a resolution of 5.76 million dots and 0.78x magnification. The rear display not only swivels out but also tilts up and down for overhead or hip-level photography. In comparison, Nikon’s Z6 III screen doesn’t tilt, so it’s not as versatile.
As with the S1R II, battery life isn’t a strong point here, with only 360 shots on a charge or 320 when using the EVF. To be fair, that matches the Z6 III exactly (and Panasonic’s non-stacked S1 II is only slightly better at 380 shots), but Canon’s cheaper R6 II has more than twice the battery life at 760 shots.
Steve Dent for Engadget
In order to capture RAW video, the S1 II has a CFexpress Type B card slot along with a slower SDXC UHS-II slot. Like the S5 IIx and GH7 (and several Fujifilm models), it also supports high-bandwidth RAW video capture to an SSD via the USB-C port.
The S1 II comes with a full-sized HDMI port that supports Blackmagic and ProRes RAW capture. You also get mic and headphone ports, and you can capture 32-bit float audio via the optional XLR2 accessory to reduce the possibility of clipping. Finally, the S1 II has a carbon fiber curtain that comes down to protect the sensor like recent Canon and Sony models.
Performance
The S1 II can fire bursts at a pedestrian 10 fps in mechanical shutter mode, but supports a superb 70 RAW images per second with the electronic shutter. And if you’re worried about skewed images, don’t fret. Distortion is minimal in electronic mode thanks to the partially-stacked sensor that has a rapid readout speed of around 12 milliseconds. That’s fast enough for sports or wildlife photography, unless the subject moves very rapidly.
Pre-burst capture, which starts when you half-press the shutter, is also available at the highest speeds. That lets you save up to 1.5 seconds of photos you might have otherwise missed once you fully press the shutter button. The buffer is a bit small, though, so you can only capture about three seconds (220 shots) at the 70 fps speed.
The hybrid phase-detect autofocus is the best of any Panasonic camera I’ve tested to date. However, it’s not yet up to Sony and Canon’s standards for speed and accuracy, and falls a bit short of Nikon’s Z6 III. If you’re shooting a fast-moving subject at the maximum burst rate of 70 fps, you may see more than a few out-of-focus photos.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The S1 II supports multiple AI modes — including animals, birds and vehicles — on top of human eye-tracking modes. I had mixed success with those as the camera had trouble locking onto the eyes of some birds and marine mammals I shot at the Vancouver Aquarium. However, it was better with more typical animal subjects like dogs, cats, horses and geese. Panasonic also introduced an AF mode called Urban Sports that improves tracking for breakdancing, skateboarding and parkour. I tested that mode with some skateboarders at the highest burst settings and saw a high percentage (90-plus) of in-focus shots.
One area where Panasonic tops its rivals is stabilization. That’s been boosted to eight stops (slightly short of the R6 II’s eight and a half stops), which allowed me to shoot at shutter speeds down to a half second and still get sharp shots. And as I’ll explain shortly, the S1 II is peerless when it comes to video stabilization.
Image quality
I’ve been impressed with Panasonic’s color science of late, finding that it matches Nikon in delivering some of the most color-accurate images of any system. By comparison, Canon’s images skew warmer, and I feel that Sony models like the A7 IV lack some accuracy, particularly with blue-green colors.
The S1 II delivers pleasing JPEGs with a nice balance between sharpness and noise reduction, though the latter can get overly aggressive at high ISO levels. RAW images offer plenty of detail in light and dark areas of the image, letting you tweak and correct to a fine degree. Keep in mind that using the electronic shutter in burst modes reduces RAW bit depth from 14 to 12.
The downside of any stacked sensor is additional noise, and the S1 II is no exception. This is most apparent at higher ISO levels where the camera exhibits a bit more grain than Panasonic’s S5, which has the same resolution but isn’t stacked. That said, the S1 II has about the same low-light prowess as the Z6 III and beats most fully stacked cameras.
If the native 24MP resolution isn’t enough, the S1 II offers a high-resolution mode that captures eight images with a slightly offset sensor position and composes them into a single 96-megapixel file (either RAW or JPEG). I was able to take sharp images in that mode without the use of a tripod thanks to the S1 II’s excellent in-body stabilization system.
Video
The S1 II doesn’t shoot 8K RAW like the 44MP S1R II due to its lower resolution. However, it does support 5.8K 30 fps ProRes RAW, open gate full sensor video and super slow-mo (4K 120p) — all with far less rolling shutter distortion. Because of that, I think this is a better camera overall for creators.
Of course, the S1 II offers 10-bit video in both MP4 and Quicktime formats on top of RAW. Panasonic’s V-Log is also on tap to boost dynamic range, and thanks to a recent firmware update, you can pay $200 to get ARRI LogC3 to match that company’s pro digital cinema cameras.
With that same firmware update, the S1 II now supports 17 frame aspect ratios (up from 10), and enables simultaneous display of up to three frames at once (unlike the LogC3 update, these are free). That will let you shoot open gate, for instance, while seeing how the image will look in both vertical and horizontal aspect ratios.
Overall, video quality is outstanding with sharp oversampling, excellent color accuracy and decent dynamic range. The latter can be increased using Panasonic’s dynamic range boost option, although that effectively doubles rolling shutter distortion. Without the setting enabled, skew from rolling shutter is only an issue with whip pans or very fast-moving subjects.
Video AF is solid, keeping subjects in focus as long as they don’t move too quickly. Face, eye, animal, urban sports and vehicle detection work well, though you’ll see a bit more accuracy and speed on Canon and Sony’s latest models.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The S1 II offers better video stabilization than its rivals, though. Optical stabilization provides good results for handheld video, while electronic stabilization (EIS) provides gimbal-like smoothness at the cost of a significant crop. As with other recent Panasonic models, the S1 II also offers “cropless” EIS that corrects corner distortion when using wide lenses, while also reducing rolling shutter.
Thanks to a built-in fan, overheating is rarely an issue with the S1 II. The only time I ever saw a problem was with 5.8K at 60 fps and 5.1K open gate recording, when the camera shut down after 50 minutes and 40 minutes respectively. That’s still excellent for a small mirrorless camera. Those limits are eliminated, by the way, if you record to an SSD via the USB-C port.
Creators may wonder how the S1 II compares to Nikon’s Z6 III. The latter offers more RAW options, with the choice of 5.8K Nikon RAW (N-RAW) at up to 60 fps rather than just 30 fps. Both offer similar video quality as they use the same sensor. The Z6 III has slightly better autofocus, but the S5 II has superior stabilization and handling. Finally, the S1 II has some nice pro features like timecode, waveform monitoring and pro audio. I’d say the S1 II is slightly better for video shooters, but the Z6 III is significantly cheaper.
Wrap-up
Panasonic’s S1 II is a powerful hybrid camera, and if it wasn’t so expensive, it would be a no-brainer for creators. However, Nikon’s Z6 III has nearly the same video capabilities, is a better camera for photography and costs at least $600 less, so I’m inclined to recommend that model for most users.
Another option at a lower price is Panasonic’s new $2,500 S1 IIe, which was announced at the same time as the S1 II. It has the same body and mostly the same feature set, but uses the non-stacked sensor from the S5 II, so rolling shutter is more of an issue.
If you favor photography, the higher-resolution S1R II is a better option and costs just $100 more. However, if you’re a video pro who needs features like time code, ARRI LogC3 and advanced monitoring or audio features, the S1 II is a solid choice. Those folks might want to wait for a sale though.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/panasonic-s1-ii-review-a-near-perfect-creators-camera-if-money-is-no-object-174509182.html?src=rss
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