molson wrote:
I found that neither the A7R V nor the R5 were useable for shooting hummingbirds with the electronic shutter. The mechanical shutter obviously solves the problem, but at the cost of speed and a lot of audible noise.
For that use, you're using either mech shutter or a stacked sensor. No way a non-stacked sensor is going to read out fast enough for hummingbirds in e-shutter mode.
BrandonSi wrote:
Might rent it and see how it does with adapted M-glass. So glad to see they shrunk it, the S1R was such a chunk.
If it played better with native m lenses, I would still own my s5iix. Here is a controlled test. It’s very similar to a stock Sony. Not as good as the Nikon Z’s. I shot other m-mount lenses like a Noct 50/1, ZM 50/1.5 and CV 35/2 all with degraded IQ due to the sensor stack.
ragsn_old_iron wrote:
my takeaway is that the major change is around the battery, and that the grip is necessary to achieve some camera functions. as someone already in the ecosystem with sixteen oem blj31 batteries, this is disappointing, especially given that Panasonic is a global leader in battery technology and is marketing itself as being environmentally responsible - and ending the life of a battery series after the first generation is pretty lame. it looks that even third-party dummy batteries and usb-c power are limited, and that the only option to unlock all the camera features is the oem grip and/or the oem dummy-battery with its usb-c connector.
on the other hand, the blj31 is notorious for parasitic drain, and in five years two of my oem batteries died and all four third party batteries have died, so maybe they had a critical flaw that needed to be avoided, but going to a smaller under-powered battery (for full functions) and discontinuing a larger capacity battery seems inefficient for such a new platform and totally unexpected on the performance front for a flagship. ...Show more →
The BLJ31 batteries were one of my biggest frustrations with my S1. I have an embarrassing numbers of cameras and as a result the S1 would sit for a while between uses and often when I picked it up the battery was flat, but not only that, my spares were flat as well. If you are using the camera daily and cycling the batteries it wouldn't be an issue, but for me it was a big part of why I moved the system out the door. Hope the new battery is better.
CVickery wrote:
The BLJ31 batteries were one of my biggest frustrations with my S1. I have an embarrassing numbers of cameras and as a result the S1 would sit for a while between uses and often when I picked it up the battery was flat, but not only that, my spares were flat as well. If you are using the camera daily and cycling the batteries it wouldn't be an issue, but for me it was a big part of why I moved the system out the door. Hope the new battery is better.
I didn't have that issue with the BLF19's on my G9, and the current BLK22's are just upgraded BLF19's and perform similarly in that regard from what I've heard.
molson wrote:
Battery life was about the same as my Nikon Z8, and most of the Nikon fans claim that's great performance...
I hear you, but my issue was "the blj31 is notorious for parasitic drain". I could live with the battery life but I didn't use the camera as much as I would have liked because half the time I went to use it, all of my half dozen batteries wouldn't have enough power to start the camera. Maybe my batteries were getting old or something, but I've not had this occur with other cameras I've owned.
CVickery wrote:
I hear you, but my issue was "the blj31 is notorious for parasitic drain". I could live with the battery life but I didn't use the camera as much as I would have liked because half the time I went to use it, all of my half dozen batteries wouldn't have enough power to start the camera. Maybe my batteries were getting old or something, but I've not had this occur with other cameras I've owned.
You're not alone Cal. I have had the same issue, both with the S1 I have now & the S1R I had previously... Despite being the physically largest battery of any mirrorless system that I have ever seen. When I had the S1R it was my main kit at the time, so it bothered more then, but the S1 I have now was picked up dirt cheap, & as well a 'special use' camera so it bothers me far less... I just have to plan ahead if I do want to use it.
Reviving this thread because I'm considering an S1R II again, since there is now an S1 II with a (partially) stacked sensor available to supplement it for certain wildlife applications, like photographing hummingbirds.
Now that the S1R II has been out for about 8 months, what to those who own it (or the S1 II) think about it, particularly for for stills use?
'Panasonic Europe reports record Lumix full-frame market share for 2025:
Panasonic Europe Lumix total FF market share for 2025: 10%
Panasonic Europe Lumix total FF kit market share for 2025: 17%
Panasonic Lumix has achieved a record 10% market share in Europe’s full-frame camera market as of early 2026, according to data the company presented at a recent European event. This marks a significant rise from just 3% in 2020..'
I find the S1rii a great camera for wildlife, including hummingbirds. Unfortunately I don't seem to have permission to upload some images for you, but I've been very pleased with its performance with the Sigma 500 f5.6 and Sigma 300-600 f4. There's an example I posted on Reddit here:
I spent some time with the S1RII and Sigma 500/5.6 photographing eagles. I wouldn't call it a great wildlife camera, but it is easily usable and much improved from the OG S1R
DC-S1RM2500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024 lens500mmf/5.61/1600s2000 ISO0.0 EV
DC-S1RM2500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024 lens500mmf/5.61/1600s2500 ISO0.0 EV
DC-S1RM2500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024 lens500mmf/5.61/1250s2500 ISO0.0 EV
