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Engadget
5 days ago
- Engadget
Panasonic S1 II review: A near-perfect creator's camera if money is no object
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. The S1 II is Panasonic's best creator camera thanks to features like 6K RAW video and outstanding stabilization, but it's expensive compared to the competition. $3,200 at Amazon 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The S1 II is Panasonic's best creator camera thanks to features like 6K RAW video and outstanding stabilization, but it's expensive compared to the competition. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
F1 Movie Breaks Boundaries with Apple iPhone Tech For Onboard Cameras
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. With less than ten days left until the F1 movie's release, it has come to light that the makers used Apple technology to record onboard footage of the racing action. A report from Wired confirmed that components for the custom camera were borrowed from an iPhone that could record ProRes footage in LOG format, providing maximum flexibility in post-processing. Cinema cameras are too bulky to mount on Formula One cars for filming at high speed, and mounting a GoPro wasn't exactly what F1 cinematographer Claudio Miranda and director Joseph Kosinski were considering. A custom option was the way to move forward, which gave the production team the high-quality cockpit POV they wanted. Apple's engineering team extracted the broadcast module from the F1 car that is designed to record lower-resolution footage for live TV. The device, located behind the driver and by the side of the engine intake, was replaced with a camera with borrowed parts from an iPhone. The team had to ensure that the camera replicated the broadcast module and adhered to a weight limit. The Apex Grand Prix car of fictional driver Sonny Hayes, to be portrayed by Brad Pitt, for the upcoming Formula One based movie Apex, is seen driving on track prior to final practice ahead of... The Apex Grand Prix car of fictional driver Sonny Hayes, to be portrayed by Brad Pitt, for the upcoming Formula One based movie Apex, is seen driving on track prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 08, 2023 in Northampton, England. MoreThe sensor on the module is most likely powered by an A17 Pro chipset and features the 48-megapixel primary camera from an iPhone 15 Pro. The module was built in a way that could withstand shocks, vibrations, and heat at high speeds. Running on an iPhone battery, the camera lens used an ND filter to limit the amount of light entering the lens. The engineering team ensured the module ran on a custom iOS firmware and recorded videos in ProRes lossless video codec to help filmmakers perform advanced color grading in post. Not only was this feature a huge advantage for the film crew, but also for Apple, since the new firmware helped release two new features on the iPhone 15 Pro. The F1 movie hits theaters on June 25 (June 27 for North America), and fans could receive a high dose of adrenaline-filled action captured on these custom-made onboard cameras. The story is about a veteran F1 driver, played by Brad Pitt, who returns to the sport to mentor an up-and-coming driver, played by Damson Idris. Despite the dramatic story, the producer of F1, Jerry Bruckheimer, stated that high emphasis was given to ensure the movie maintained F1 authenticity. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton served as an executive producer whose role was to ensure the film adhered to F1 realism. Bruckheimer revealed one instance while filming at Silverstone when Hamilton asked Pitt to shift the car into the correct gear to simulate actual Grand Prix conditions. Newsweek Sports reported his comments: "Lewis Hamilton saw a part of it, gave us a critique of how the drivers actually do various things. "The level of specifics that he gave us, like in Silverstone in Turn 3 you're in second gear, and he could hear with his ear we [Brad Pitt] were in third gear. "So it's that kind of thing that he's bringing to the movie, and he said... when he finishes a race, especially like Singapore, where it's very hot, he can barely get out of the car, they lose 10 pounds... and it's not only him, it's all of them. "They're just completely exhausted [and] we're going to show what it takes to be an F1 driver." He added: "Everything that he has brought to this movie, I can't even express our thanks to him and all the folks from F1 who made this all possible. "But the authenticity that he brings, we just can't imagine what goes into what a driver does and what the sport brings to an audience. "Sometimes we don't like to hear some of the things he says, because it costs us more money to fix things, but we're all in, we want to make it great, and he's certainly helping us."
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
ProRes Log Video on iPhone: What Is It and Why You Should Use It
The iPhone 16 Pro packs an incredible camera setup for both still images and for video production -- including its fun 4K slow-motion mode. But to help it capture pro-standard video footage, it also supports shooting in a Log color profile with Apple ProRes encoding, just like the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max did before it. That might sound like a baffling string of jargon (because it is), so in case you're not a professional video producer, what it all really boils down to is that it allows you to shoot professional-looking cinematic video footage using just your iPhone. But what do the terms Log and ProRes actually mean? How are they better than your phone's regular video? And, crucially, should you actually use them when recording your own videos? Here's everything you should know for getting the best video quality in an iPhone. Read more: The iPhone 16 Pro's High-Res Slow-Motion Video Is the Best Apple Feature in Years ProRes is a video codec created by Apple in 2007 that has been widely adopted by video and cinema professionals. Typically found on high-end video cameras costing many thousands of dollars, ProRes files capture more data when shooting, resulting in better quality footage than you'd typically get from a phone or even some dedicated cameras. Log (short for "logarithmic") is a color profile found on some professional video cameras and which is now also available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (along with an increasing number of Android phones, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra). Log footage preserves more image information in the highlights and shadows, allowing for greater flexibility when it comes to editing colors and contrast in post production. On your iPhone 16 Pro or 15 Pro, go into Settings, then scroll down and tap Camera. Then tap Formats, and within this sub-menu you'll see a section for Video Capture. Toggle Apple ProRes to on and below will be the options for ProRes Encoding. Tapping on it will allow you to switch between HDR, SDR or Log. Bear in mind that while you can toggle ProRes on or off directly in the Camera app, you have to go back to the Settings app if you want to switch from Log to HDR or vice versa. You can shoot 4K footage at 30 frames per second on the phone, but if you want to shoot at 60 frames per second, you'll need to connect an external SSD drive via USB-C and record directly to that. While you can shoot ProRes footage without Log, you can only shoot Log with ProRes. Log files straight out of the camera look flat and have low contrast and low saturation. The files are designed to be edited in programs like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, where colorists will bring back contrast and color tone according to the look they're trying to achieve, a process called color grading. Read more: Best iPhone Camera Accessories for Photos and Videos The low-contrast look of ungraded footage gives colorists the best starting point to tweak the video image however they want. Log footage always needs to be edited and graded before being used. While Apple has yet to implement specific color editing tools for Log footage on the iPhone (which it should), you can get some of the way there using the exposure tools in the 'Edit' options in the Photos app. However, you'll get your best results by transferring the files to your iPad, Mac or Windows PC and editing in dedicated video production apps. My favorite is DaVinci Resolve by BlackMagic, which is an industry-standard piece of software used in professional productions and Hollywood films. It's known for its flexibility with editing color, and I loved using it to see what looks I can achieve from video footage from both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and BlackMagic's own Pocket Cinema Camera. Resolve is available on Macs and PCs but there's also an excellent iPad app version. Best of all, the software is free to use on all platforms, with only some advanced features requiring the paid-for Studio version. But anyone wanting to spice up their footage will find the free version more than capable. BlackMagic has also launched a color-editing panel designed to be used with the iPad. The Micro Color Panel gives fine grain control over color editing in Resolve and allows you to quickly edit your footage using the same pro hardware used on Hollywood movies. Apple introduced the ability to shoot with the ProRes codec on the iPhone 12 Pro, but right now only the most recent iPhone 16 Pro, Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can also shoot in Log. No, Apple has opened up this feature to third-party apps. My recommendation is the BlackMagic Camera app, which gives the same level of control over settings as you'd find on the company's professional cameras. It's a superb tool for getting the best-looking video out of your phone and, like DaVinci Resolve, it's free. ProRes footage in Log profile is very specialized. It requires additional time in post production to color grade the footage, and the file sizes are many times larger than regular video files. If you just want to shoot footage of your family gathering or your mates at the beach to upload to Instagram or YouTube, then you don't need to worry about ProRes or Log. However if you want to use your iPhone 16 Pro as a professional video production tool and you have the time and resources to color grade and edit your footage, then you should absolutely give it a go. The flexibility of recording allows you to get video out of your iPhone that would give dedicated cinema cameras a run for their money, and it makes the iPhone 16 Pro an exceptionally powerful camera for content creators looking to add some professional flair to their videos. Get $620 off an iPhone 15 Pro with a trade-in See at Apple
Forbes
30-03-2025
- Forbes
Orico Reveals New K20 Mini SSD For Adding Smartphone Storage
The problem with smartphones is that sooner or later you find yourself running out of storage, especially if you are an iPhone user. Apple charges a hefty premium for extra storage capacity so it can pay to look for an alternative. Storage brand Orico has just announced its latest ultra-thin and portable SSD designed specifically for use with smartphones. With a case that measures just 7.5mm and weighs in at a negligible 45g, this lightweight SSD is designed for use on the go and won't block a smartphone's camera lens. Equipped with N52 strong magnets and with a magnetic force of 18N, the Orico K20 Mini can securely clamp magnetically to the back of a smartphone, enabling the user to make one-handed videos while recording footage directly to the SSD. Made from premium aluminum alloy with a sand-blasted satin finish, the silver SSD matches Apple's phone designs well. Available in capacities of 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, the Orico K20 Mini can support 4K ProRes video recording and storage, with enough capacity to record many hours of video footage. Sporting data transfer speeds up to 2,050MB/s, the Orico K20 Mini works seamlessly with macOS, iOS on iPhone 16 and higher, Windows and Android devices for efficient multi-device usage. The SSD is supplied with a flat ribbon-style cable connection for plugging into the host device and can handle video resolutions up to 4K at 120Hz. For smartphones that don't have a magnetic surface, Orico supplies a slim metal ring that can stick to the rear of a smartphone or a laptop so the SSD can be clamped on like a limpet. As well as being useful for storing RAW video and photos, the Orico K20 Mini can also be used for backing up laptops or storing large amounts of data such as audio files, movies, spreadsheets or databases. The data transfer speed is fast enough to work directly from the SSD. The new Orico K20 Mini SSD is available now in capacities of 512GB, 1TB and 2TB with prices starting at $68.99 / £53.30 / €63,95.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Yahoo
We Love This Anker MagGo USB-C Adapter and SD Card Reader and It's Now Only $25
If you own a new iPhone or other smartphone, you'll notice that SD card readers aren't among their nifty features. That means transferring your data, files and photos might take longer than it has to. Thankfully there are accessories you can use to migrate data into a handy SD card. We've spotted this Anker MagGo USB-C adapter for just $25 at Amazon right now. That means you save $10 over its usual price. Amazon deals like this are subject to change, so we suggest acting fast. Anker's MagGo USB-C adapter is a circular magnetic USB-C charger with a slot for an SD or TF card. It safely stays on your phone while enable you to to migrate data, photos, videos and more any iPhone 15 or 16 series phones. With speeds as high as 312 MB per second with SD 4.0, you can quickly upload or save data into your phone. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Keep in mind that this USB-C adapter works only for iPhone 15 and 16 series phones. Apple's native camera requires an SD card with data speeds of 440 MB per second so you can take advantage of its 4K ProRes record mode. As such, you might need to use a third-party application to use this iPhone recording feature with this MagGo USB-C adapter. Looking for more iPhone accessories but not sure if this deal is for you? We have list of the best MagSafe accessories so you can find something that works for you. iPhones include multiple fantastic features, and you can get more out of them with the right accessories. This Anker MagGo USB-C adapter and SD/TF card reader is a great way for iPhone 15 and 16 series users to migrate data, keep an extra copy of their files and upload videos into their phone for edit. It's 29% off right now, which saves you $10. Now is a great time to consider this deal if you've been looking for a useful iPhone accessory.
