Panasonic Lumix S1IIE review: the powerful pedestrian

Jump in your time machine and nip back to late 2018. It seemed the whole world was going full-frame mirrorless, with the original Canon EOS R, Nikon Z6, and Nikon Z7 following a precedent that the Sony A7 had set about five years earlier. Panasonic followed suit in February 2019, with the launch of the original 24.2 megapixel Lumix S1 and 47 megapixel Lumix S1R. The former was superseded in May 2025 by two new models, the Lumix S1 II and the Lumix S1 IIE, which I’m reviewing here.

Both have a very similar megapixel count of approximately 24 megapixels, the crucial difference being that the S1 II has a partially stacked image sensor, whereas the S1 IIE doesn’t. As featured in the Nikon Z6 III, the advantage of the S1 II’s partially stacked sensor equates to fast readout speed, in Panasonic’s case, with a stills burst rate of up to 70fps (frames per second), and super-high frame rates for high-resolution video, with minimal rolling shutter effect.

Even so, the S1 IIE is certainly no slouch, with a burst rate of up to 30fps and 6K video on demand, with a significantly lower purchase price. To my mind, Panasonic has always been particularly focused on hybrid cameras for shooting both stills and video, and the S1 IIE certainly aims to be a top all-rounder that’s one of the best hybrid cameras on the market, as well as one of the best Panasonic Lumix cameras.

Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Specifications

Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Price

Let’s talk money. What price a leading contender as one of the best all-rounders in the full-frame mirrorless camera market? Body for body (not including a kit lens option), popular choices for hybrid stills & video shooters include the Canon EOS R6 Mark II at $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,299, the Nikon Z6 III at $2,697 / £2,499 / AU$4,499, and the Sony A7 IV at $2,198 / £2,149 / AU$3,892.

The Panasonic Lumix S1 II body weighs in at $3,198 / £2,999 / AU$5,299, making it look pretty pricey by comparison. The Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE shaves about 20 per cent off the price of the S1 II, giving it a more competitive cost of $2,498 / £2,399 / AU$4,199.

Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Design & Handling

Full-frame ‘all-rounder’ cameras with about 24 megapixels under the hood hit the sweet spot, as far as I’m concerned. I enjoy the typically excellent dynamic range and signal-to-noise performance, while also appreciating impressive levels of fine detail without going massive on data sizes for image files.

The S1 IIE very much typifies all of these plus points, although, as I’ve alluded to, it features a ‘slower’ 24.2MP full-frame BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS sensor compared with the lightspeed 24.1MP full-frame partially-stacked BSI CMOS sensor of its sibling S1 II. There are a couple of knock-on differences due to the different type of sensor, and if you want to check the details, have a read of our full Panasonic Lumix S1 II review or take a peek at our shorter Lumix S1 II vs S1 IIE comparison.

The original Lumix S1 was a decidedly chunky and hefty affair, but both of the Mark II cameras are much slimmer and more lightweight, more akin to the Lumix S5 IIX. Both the S1 II and S1 IIE have identical dimensions of 134 x 102 x 92 mm / 5.3 x 4.0 x 3.6”, although the IIE is marginally lighter at 795g / 1.75lb vs 800g / 1.76lb, both including battery and memory cards.

Speaking of batteries, both cameras also take the same DMW-BLJ31 Li-ion rechargeable battery, although it has slightly more stamina in the IIE, rated at 380 / 340 shots (LCD / EVF) compared with 360 / 320 shots in the S1 II. And for memory, both cameras also have dual card slots, catering to CFexpress Type-B and SD/HC/XC UHS-II. Use the CFexpress slot and you’ll get slightly less battery life in both cameras.

I’m glad that the control layout of the camera is mostly inherited from the original models. As such, it has a really pro-grade feel with direct access to all the important settings that I crave for creative shooting. I also like that the main mode dials have locking buttons to avoid accidental nudging. Moreover, all of the dials, switches, and buttons have a really high-quality look and feel. Build quality is further enhanced by a solid magnesium alloy shell with comprehensive weather seals and a freeze-resistant design.

The feature set is certainly expansive, with the camera catering equally well to stills and videography. Indeed, the video specifications run to a few pages on their own. Either way, for sharp-shooting, two of the features I depend on most are autofocus and image stabilization. The IIE boasts impressive credentials on both counts.

Panasonic’s ‘Next-level’ autofocus technology is based on a phase/contrast-detection hybrid system (and about time, too) with 779 phase-detection points. It also features the now common AI-based attractions for effectively recognizing and tracking people, animals, cars, motorcycles, bikes, trains, planes and even ‘urban sports’. The 5-axis image stabilization system is also very high-end, offering up to 8-stop performance at the center of the frame and as much as 7-stop effectiveness at the periphery.

For autofocus and image stabilization, the S1 IIE is identical to the pricier S1 II, and the same applies to the EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) and rear screen. That’s more good news, as both are of very high quality. Shooting and playback are made very easy on the eye by the large, 0.78x OLED viewfinder, with its 5.76 million-dot display and fast 60/120Hz refresh rate. The same goes for the 3.0″ 1.84 million-dot touchscreen at the rear of the camera, which boasts both tilting and full vari-angle articulation, to suit every need and preference.

Well connected, the S1 IIE features 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth V5, and supports a wide range of apps and cloud-based services. Connectivity is further enhanced in V1.1 of the camera’s firmware. As I’d expect in this class of camera, physical ports include USB-C (10Gbps), HDMI, Microphone and Headphones. XLR and 4-channel microphones are compatible via Panasonic’s DMW-XLR2 adapter, sold separately.

Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Performance

Compared with the S1 II, the S1 IIE’s main drawback in terms of stills performance is that it simply can’t match the pricier camera’s 70fps maximum burst rate. As it turns out, the quickest burst rate is less than half as fast, at a comparatively pedestrian 30fps.

Then again, the 24MP Nikon Z6 II can only muster 14fps, so maybe it’s not that pedestrian after all. And it’s also about twice as fast as some of the quickest DSLRs in the business, like the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III (in viewfinder mode) and the Nikon D6 – cameras that have served some of the world’s top sports and wildlife photographers very well over the years.

In real life, 30fps is more than fast enough for the vast majority of shooting scenarios. I’m impressed that the S1 IIE achieves this speed in electronic shutter mode while maintaining continuous autofocus and metering, along with a blackout-free viewfinder image. And like the S1 II, the buffer depth is sufficient for up to 200 RAW quality shots or 300 JPEGs in continuous shooting.

Autofocus and image stabilization are also every bit as impressive in the S1 IIE, with autofocus speed and tracking abilities being streets ahead of the original S1 and stabilization being pretty much as good as anything else out there at the moment. AF tracking isn’t quite on a par with some of the most tenacious cameras in this respect, like the the Canon EOS R5 II or Sony A9 III, but it’s still highly capable.

Naturally, the bottom line in terms of photo performance is always image quality. In this respect, the S1 IIE is an absolute delight. Color rendition is beautifully natural, with plenty of in-camera style options, and the same goes for dramatic and moody monochrome. Dynamic range is excellent, retaining detail in everything from really dark shadows to super-bright highlights. There’s plenty of fine detail and texture preserved in images, which is maintained even at very high ISO settings, along with an effective stifling of image noise. All in all, stills image quality is every bit as good as from the more up-market S1 II.

The gallery below contains a sequence of shots taken under fairly low, indoor lighting levels. I started at ISO 200 and worked my way up to the ISO 51,200. Check out the results to see how the camera trades retention of fine against suppression of image noise throughout the sensitivity range, when shooting in JPEG quality mode.

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Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Sample Images

The following gallery of stills was shot at the floating harbor in the English city of Bristol. Weather conditions were mixed, with alternating bright sunshine and cloud cover.

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Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Video

Just as with stills, the impact in terms of reduced video performance compared with the S1 II, is due to the image sensor. Without a partially stacked architecture and therefore a slower readout speed, the S1 IIE can’t manage some of the exotic frame rates delivered by the S1 II. For example, while both cameras can shoot at 6K 30p (open gate) and 6K 60p (2:4:1), the S1 II can capture 5.9K at 60p and 4K at 120p. The S1 IIE drops to a maximum of 5.9K 30p and can only manage 120p at FullHD (1080p) rather than 4K.

Even so, I like the inclusion of open gate, which uses the 3:2 aspect ratio of the whole image sensor and makes it more efficient to crop for horizontal or vertical orientation in post. Again, the video options for both internal and external recording are so comprehensive in both cameras that, if I were to list them all, you’d probably still be reading this review tomorrow.

I found that in-body image stabilization worked really well for handheld shooting of video as well as stills, so that’s another big plus point shared with the S1 II. The only real downside, fan-cooled resolutions and high-end frame rates aside, is that the slower data readout of the S1 IIE’s more conventional sensor gives a greater risk of the dreaded ‘rolling shutter’ effect. This is a phenomenon caused by the length of time it takes for data to be outputted line by line from the image sensor. If you’re shooting a fast-moving object, like the blades of a propeller of a truck speeding from one side of the frame to the other, their shape will be deformed due to the change of position from the start of each frame to the end. It’s commonly referred to as the ‘jello effect’. Sure enough, the S1 IIE can’t compete with the performance of the S1 II but it’s still pretty darned good. Let’s cut to the chase… Here’s a sample video clip, shot at Bristol docks in the UK.

Lumix S1 IIE: Lab data

For our lab data comparison we compared the Lumix S1 II to its three direct full-frame rivals: the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Nikon Z6 III, and Sony A7 IV.

Resolution (line widths/picture height):

As you'd expect, the three ~24MP cameras resolve similar amounts of fine detail at lower sensitivities. However, as the ISOs increase, the S1 II's images are more detailed than equivalent shots from the Canon and Nikon cameras, thanks to Panasonic's lower noise levels.

Dynamic range (EV):

Dynamic range is a measure of a camera's ability to record extreme brightness ranges and still retain detail in the brightest and darkest parts of the scene. It's measured in EV (exposure values, or 'stops').

The S1 II captures excellent dynamic range throughout our tested sensitivity range. It matches the previous class leader, the Nikon Z6 III, at lower sensitivities, and even manages to beat it at higher ISOs - an impressive performance.

Signal to noise ratio (decibels):

This test compares the amount of random noise generated by the camera at different ISO settings as a proportion of the actual image information (the 'signal'). Higher values are better and we expect to see the signal to ratio fall as the ISO is increased.

As with dynamic range, the S1 II beats its rivals for low image noise levels. Throughout our tested sensitivity range it consistently produces cleaner images than the competition.

Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE: Verdict

I’m old enough to remember the release of a song called Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. The quality of mid-1980s pop music is a moot point, but one thing’s for sure, especially right here, right now. Nobody wants to spend money for nothing, or at least on something they don’t need. The partially stacked image sensor of the Panasonic S1 II makes it a real speed demon, as called by my colleague Gareth at the head of his review. But to use a motoring analogy, do you really need a Ferrari if you’re just commuting and going to the supermarket?

The 70fps burst rate of the S1 II is way more than I’d ever need for shooting anything that I can think of, including sports and wildlife. And yes, the super-fast readout speeds of the partially stacked image sensor pay dividends for the highest-resolution video capture at the highest frame rates. Again, though, I don’t really need that. Give me the S1 IIE any day and I’ll happily take its still excellent quality and performance for both video and stills, with a 20 per cent discount to put back in my pocket.

Alternatives

The Nikon Z6 III is a similar price to the S1 IIE yet has a partially stacked sensor, rivalling that of the more expensive S1 II. The Nikon is great for stills but can’t quite compete with the S1 IIE for video specs.

Nikon Z6 III review

The Canon EOS R6 Mark II matches the S1 IIE in not having a stacked or partially stacked sensor. It can't compete with the open gate or 6K video of the S1 IIE but the Canon is a great hybrid camera and undercuts the S1 IIE for price.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II review