News Lumix S9 - new camera rumor roundup

[Oíche]

Well, I've tuned out now. Nothing to see here. TBH, I'm thinking seriously of an A7RC.

I've always been a one digital camera only person and I expect to keep S5ii for hopefully 10 years.

You never know Lumix might make a small photography orientated version. What about a compact FF with EVF/optical or combo without a rear LCD? The last few photo trips I've been keeping the rear screen inverted and only using the EVF and I never anticipated doing this before my first mirrorless.

I hated DSLR chimping

 

[Markuswelder]

Well, I've tuned out now. Nothing to see here. TBH, I'm thinking seriously of an A7RC.

For sure. I would have left long ago if I'd run into so many issues with lenses as you have. Sony has taken a similar route to L mount with their lens mount, plenty to choose from there

 

[pdk42]

I've always been a one digital camera only person and I expect to keep S5ii for hopefully 10 years.

You never know Lumix might make a small photography orientated version. What about a compact FF with EVF/optical or combo without a rear LCD? The last few photo trips I've been keeping the rear screen inverted and only using the EVF and I never anticipated doing this before my first mirrorless.

I hated DSLR chimping

I'm not particularly hell-bent on a small body, but I'm getting frustrated with options in L-mount for a decent and compact 200mm lens. It seems there are good options there in Sony FE. That's why I'm thinking of giving it a try. But the A7R IV is an option too - but the IBIS is better in the A7CR.

 

[pdk42]

For sure. I would have left long ago if I'd run into so many issues with lenses as you have. Sony has taken a similar route to L mount with their lens mount, plenty to choose from there

Well, I'm happy with the lenses I have now:

- TTArtisan 11 fisheye - cheap as chips and performs really well
- Lumix 14-28 - excellent, especially for its price
- Lumix 24-105 - a great all rounder with respectable (if not stellar) IQ
- Lumix 50/1.8 - lovely IQ and a great price
- Sigma 35/2 - my favourite L-mount lens
- Lumix 20-60 - stunning little kit lens

But every lens I've tried that goes past 105mm has either has IQ problems, or else is too big/heavy.

 

[CharlesH]

Somehow the implication in this thread is that bright sun washes out the rear screen for photography but somehow miraculously the sun doesn't wash out the rear screen for bloggers. Or maybe it's that bloggers can miraculously compose their shots without seeing what they're shooting. After all they've been getting along with just their pathetic smart phones.

So I'm trying to process this compared to my past bright sunlight photo and video shooting experiences. Certainly there have been times when the screen was washed out and I've relied on a viewfinder. Drone shooting is the worst; you are typically out in the bright sun trying to both watch where the drone is (a legal requirement) and see on the screen what you are shooting; and the screen is angled up so the sun hits it directly. I've had two solutions here. One is to invest in a very bright screen. The second is to build a sun shade that keeps the sunlight from directly hitting the screen. Both of these solutions work.

For video I've used both Atomos and Blackmagic recorders with very bright screen. This works pretty well; certainly much better that the built in camera screens. But at the expense of using large batteries that drain quickly.

But I've also use my iPhone quite a bit for video. It is interesting you can do this on a bright day with good results. And iPhones don't have terribly bright screens.

And finally, the recently announced new iPads have very bright screens. They use a technique they call dual OLED, where two OLEDs are stacked. If a camera maker (Panasonic) used this approach the screen could likely be used in bright sunlight.

 

[Pete_W]

I'll go first with the entertainment while you open your popcorn...

8) Looks like a direct competitor to the Sony ZV-E1

This is definitely not the camera for me!

View attachment 4352

Exactly! Panasonic want to grab part of that market because they're big on video. They need to compete with Sony in that space.

And with so few dials and features, this is not the camera that us old blokes who primarily shoot stills want to buy.

But I imagine that once Panasonic get themselves established in that market segment, there will be opportunity for them to tempt S9 owners to upgrade to one of the more fully-featured bodies like an S1H-II.

 

[Oíche]

Exactly! Panasonic want to grab part of that market because they're big on video. They need to compete with Sony in that space.

And with so few dials and features, this is not the camera that us old blokes who primarily shoot stills want to buy.

I've concluded it is a great release for Panasonic. The colour options are also appealing especially for the target market. Stripping it down making it as light and small as possible makes sense, the S5ii is too big/heavy/unweidly for most vlogging.

I tried video hiking down difficult mountain terrain (with 24-105 f4) and the likes of this S9 would have been more ideal. It looks great for this but it really needs these smaller/pancake lenses and if it becomes a hot seller there most likely will be more lenses made for it and we can use them for photography, they don't need to be pixel peeper sharp and they'd be great on our bigger cameras. I used a tiny Pentax 15mm f4 for years and probably got my best ever photo from it. It is nice to "go alpine" sometimes. Yes I know the Sigma 17mm f4 but smaller again than this range, flatter/shorter more pancake would be good. Many of us will buy these for all kinds of L-mount so there is certainly a market waiting...

 

[xaviergut]

I've concluded it is a great release for Panasonic.

+1 here.

Lumix managed to put IBIS and PDAF in the size of a Sigma FP, which was a videocentric camera according to the Sigma CEO.

I just hope that the price is an "entry level" one, aimed to young "content creators" with no much money in the wallet. Usually the Lumix cameras are more affordable than the Sony equivalent cameras... so, I hope is cheaper than the Sony ZV-E1.

 

[Oíche]

Usually the Lumix cameras are more affordable than the Sony equivalent cameras... so, I hope is cheaper than the Sony ZV-E1

The ZV-E1 is very expensive, the S9 will be around £1000 cheaper, maybe £1500 territory which ain't cheap but a lot cheaper.

 

[Nomad Nate]

I've concluded it is a great release for Panasonic. The colour options are also appealing especially for the target market. Stripping it down making it as light and small as possible makes sense, the S5ii is too big/heavy/unweidly for most vlogging.

I tried video hiking down difficult mountain terrain (with 24-105 f4) and the likes of this S9 would have been more ideal. It looks great for this but it really needs these smaller/pancake lenses and if it becomes a hot seller there most likely will be more lenses made for it and we can use them for photography, they don't need to be pixel peeper sharp and they'd be great on our bigger cameras. I used a tiny Pentax 15mm f4 for years and probably got my best ever photo from it. It is nice to "go alpine" sometimes. Yes I know the Sigma 17mm f4 but smaller again than this range, flatter/shorter more pancake would be good. Many of us will buy these for all kinds of L-mount so there is certainly a market waiting...

Okay I have been skimming the thread trying to catch up but did you all hear the rumor that there will be a pancake lens that is something that has never been attempted before? Maybe a pancake f1.4? Or a pancake with OIS? Curious to see what comes of that. Hopefully it's something decently sharp as well.

 

[CMS]

Maybe a pancake f1.4

I'm also interested in the new pancake lens. Andrea from l-mount-rumors confirmed in the comments yesterday that it will be a bodycap f6.3 lens. He wants to tell more today.

 

[PJD]

A f6.3 pancake or bodycap lens only interests me if the image quality is relatively high & the price relatively low.

Otherwise I prefer something like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens. B&H has it on sale right now for $264 (US).

 

[Quentinquirelino]

A f6.3 pancake or bodycap lens only interests me if the image quality is relatively high & the price relatively low.

Otherwise I prefer something like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens. B&H has it on sale right now for $264 (US).

While I also think that a f6.3 pancake isn't as convincing, I wouldn't get the Sigma 30mm DC DN. The Sigma 30mm is a huge Aps-c lens. I would rather get the Sigma 45mm f2.8 or 24mm f3.5.

 

[CMS]

While I also think that a f6.3 pancake isn't as convincing, I wouldn't get the Sigma 30mm DC DN. The Sigma 30mm is a huge Aps-c lens. I would rather get the Sigma 45mm f2.8 or 24mm f3.5.

I agree with you. Hopefully Panasonic will use the pancake lens to serve the missing 28mm focal length.

 

[Nomad Nate]

I'm also interested in the new pancake lens. Andrea from l-mount-rumors confirmed in the comments yesterday that it will be a bodycap f6.3 lens. He wants to tell more today.

I don't think that's it (and hope not at least) and here's why: in the camera conspiracies channel, he's done two videos now with the s9 (going by clues he drops in the video) and it seems he's had both lenses already teased. His second video was definitely the 18-40 at 18mm. But the first looked like 24-35mm or so and with a moderately shallow DoF like a 2.8 (the talking head portions). I'll admit, it doesn't look super sharp, but he does have a glimmer glass 3 on it or something.

Here's the second video

You can tell this is wider aperture like f3.4-4 or something. Wouldn't be surprised if the 18-40 is 3.5-5.6

 

[CMS]

I don't think that's it (and hope not at least)

I would also look forward to faster lenses. Perhaps and hopefully I have misunderstood Andrea.

And yes, the video makes me feel optimistic.

We'll definitely know more later - I'm curious.

 

[Oíche]

A f6.3 pancake or bodycap lens only interests me if the image quality is relatively high & the price relatively low.

This is entirely possible and relatively easy to do, Pentax made a pancake 40mm f2.8 FF. I owned the more modern and smaller again APSC version which was razor sharp so f6.3 is viable on FF and I don't care about corner sharpness.

This is what I thought was needed since first hearing about this camera and I'd buy it for my S5ii

I must have loved 40mm focal length as one time I owned 7x 28mm primes for APSC.

This turns me on more than any f1.2 could so they better deliver.

 

[Nomad Nate]

I don't think that's it (and hope not at least) and here's why: in the camera conspiracies channel, he's done two videos now with the s9 (going by clues he drops in the video) and it seems he's had both lenses already teased. His second video was definitely the 18-40 at 18mm. But the first looked like 24-35mm or so and with a moderately shallow DoF like a 2.8 (the talking head portions). I'll admit, it doesn't look super sharp, but he does have a glimmer glass 3 on it or something.

Here's the second video

You can tell this is wider aperture like f3.4-4 or something. Wouldn't be surprised if the 18-40 is 3.5-5.6

Sorry to reply to myself - but actually at the very end of that second video I linked - he reaches forward and zooms the lens in, so I'm 99% sure that's the s9 with kit 18-40. The xt50 was already just announced, Canon isn't going to be sending Casey an r1 and I doubt Nikon is sending him a z6iii.

But I just noticed that the first video talking head angle looks more zoomed in than the end of the second video where he zooms the 18-40. Not sure if he zoomed it all the way to 40 or if the first video was shot on aps-c mode.

 

[PJD]

While I also think that a f6.3 pancake isn't as convincing, I wouldn't get the Sigma 30mm DC DN. The Sigma 30mm is a huge Aps-c lens. I would rather get the Sigma 45mm f2.8 or 24mm f3.5.

Oops. My mistake. I forgot the Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN is APS-C.

And yes: I'd like a full-frame f2.8 pancake lens with a focal length anywhere from about 24mm to 35mm.

 

[Nevyn72]

I think that at least one of the two lenses will be really cheap to produce, almost as cheap as a 'lens cap'..

I checked the Google search trends by country, and I looked at who are interested in the S5ii.

If we look at the search trends, by far China is no. 1.... Note these are not complete, and not exact because Google Trends is not exact...

China	73.53%
Hong Kong	3.68%
Hungary	2.21%
France	1.47%
Germany	1.47%
Austria	1.47%
Switzerland	0.74%
Australia	0.74%
Japan	0.74%
Netherlands	0.74%

For the S9 there is not enough information yet.... But the S9 especially made for people with less money to spend... Panasonic really knows what they are doing