Panasonic S1 II Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in May 2025 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic S1 II a good camera? The S1 II has a Camera Elo of 3126. This very strong rating puts it among the elite group of camera grand masters. The S1 II ranks among the top 10 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the S1 II also ranks among the top 10 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Panasonic S1 II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic S1 II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic S1 II	134 mm	102 mm	92 mm	800 g	350	Y	May 2025	US$ 3 199	amazon.com
2.		Leica SL2-S	146 mm	107 mm	83 mm	931 g	510	Y	Dec 2020	US$ 4 899	amazon.com
3.		Leica SL3	141 mm	108 mm	85 mm	854 g	320	Y	Mar 2024	US$ 6 999	amazon.com
4.		Leica SL3-S	141 mm	108 mm	85 mm	852 g	315	Y	Jan 2025	US$ 5 299	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic GH7	138 mm	100 mm	100 mm	805 g	380	Y	Jun 2024	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic S1	149 mm	110 mm	97 mm	1017 g	400	Y	Feb 2019	US$ 2 499	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic S1H	151 mm	114 mm	110 mm	1052 g	400	Y	May 2019	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S1R II	134 mm	102 mm	92 mm	795 g	350	Y	May 2025	US$ 3 299	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Panasonic S5 II	134 mm	102 mm	90 mm	740 g	370	Y	Jan 2023	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
11.		Panasonic S9	126 mm	74 mm	47 mm	486 g	470	n	May 2024	US$ 1 499	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic S1 II was launched in the US market at a price of $3,199. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check S1 II price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic S1 II features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic S1 II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic S1 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.8	3406	97
2.		Leica SL2-S	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.2	14.1	3504	95
3.		Leica SL3	Full Frame	60.3	9520	6336	8K/30p	25.4	14.8	3295	97
4.		Leica SL3-S	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.8	3383	97
5.		Panasonic GH7	Four Thirds	25.0	5776	4336	5.7K/60p	23.4	13.6	1784	78
6.		Panasonic S1	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.2	14.5	3333	95
7.		Panasonic S1H	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.2	14.2	2805	94
8.		Panasonic S1R II	Full Frame	44.2	8144	5424	8K/30p	25.4	14.8	3406	97
9.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
10.		Panasonic S5 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.6	3158	96
11.		Panasonic S9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.8	3297	96
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The S1 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the S1 II can use is 6K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the S1 II has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 5760k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.78x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic S1 II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic S1 II	5760	n	3.2 / 1840	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
2.		Leica SL2-S	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	fixed	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
3.		Leica SL3	5760	Y	3.2 / 2333	tilting	Y	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
4.		Leica SL3-S	5760	Y	3.2 / 2333	tilting	Y	1/8000s	30.0/s	n	Y
5.		Panasonic GH7	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic S1	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic S1H	5760	Y	3.2 / 2330	swivel	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
8.		Panasonic S1R II	5760	n	3.2 / 1840	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
9.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
10.		Panasonic S5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
11.		Panasonic S9	none	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	30.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is multi-hinged and can be tilted both vertically and horizontally to enable odd-angle shots in landscape and portrait orientation. The LCD thereby offers a lot of flexibility to adjust and use the rear screen in a diverse set of situations.

One feature that differentiates the S1 II from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The S1 II reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic S1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Leica SL2-S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Leica SL3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Leica SL3-S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
5.		Panasonic GH7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
6.		Panasonic S1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic S1H	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic S1R II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
9.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
10.		Panasonic S5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Panasonic S9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the S1 II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the S1 II in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic S1 II	..	..	..	..	..	..	May 2025	US$ 3 199	amazon.com
2.		Leica SL2-S	4/5	..	4/5	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Dec 2020	US$ 4 899	amazon.com
3.		Leica SL3	..	..	4.5/5	..	..	4.5/5	Mar 2024	US$ 6 999	amazon.com
4.		Leica SL3-S	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jan 2025	US$ 5 299	amazon.com
5.		Panasonic GH7	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2024	US$ 2 199	amazon.com
6.		Panasonic S1	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	US$ 2 499	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic S1H	..	..	4/5	90/100	..	..	May 2019	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S1R II	..	..	..	..	..	..	May 2025	US$ 3 299	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Panasonic S5 II	4.5/5	+ +	5/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2023	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
11.		Panasonic S9	..	..	..	..	..	..	May 2024	US$ 1 499	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check S1 II price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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