Panasonic S1II studio scene: how does the speedy Lumix perform?
With the release of the S1II, Panasonic became the second company to market a camera with a "Partially Stacked" sensor, which uses more sophisticated readout circuits to get data off the sensor faster than possible with existing BSI designs. (Though not nearly as fast as fully Stacked designs allow.) We've had the chance to put it in front of our studio test scene to see how it performs in terms of image quality and dynamic range.
Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.
Image Comparison
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The S1II performs well at shooting our test scene, providing great image quality. Looking at base ISO Raws, the S1II captures similar levels of detail as the other 24MP full-frame cameras on the market*, though Panasonic's JPEG engine doesn't seem to get rid of quite as much moiré artefacting as Nikon or Canon's.
Speaking of that JPEG engine, we've been pleased with Panasonic's colors for a while now, and the S1II is no exception; like the rest of its competition and the company's previous cameras, its colors are solid.
At mid ISOs to high ISOs the S1II's noise levels are competitive. Its JPEG engine does an admirable job of reducing noise while still retaining detail.
* The S1II's price puts it in competition with much slower, but higher-resolution cameras like the Sony a7CR and Panasonic's own S1RII; if you care more about image quality than speed, that's worth noting.
The S1II provides a good amount of dynamic range, giving you room to pull your shadows up without the detail being overwhelmed by noise. However, given the lack of chroma noise visible in our tests, it seems like there may be some noise reduction going on, either in ACR or in-camera. Either way, there's plenty to be squeezed out of the files, with no nasty surprises, though you will see the effects of a little extra read noise if you're shooting at base ISO to maximize dynamic range.
Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance
This is still a relatively new sensor, but it seems like Panasonic is getting a lot out of it. The S1II's image quality is very similar to other 24MP full-frame cameras with much slower burst rates and less capable video specs. Speaking of, be sure to stay tuned: tomorrow we'll be taking a look at video stills from the S1II.
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