Yup. A viewfinder is sadly missing.. It's the biggest downside of Lumix S9..

You mean a straight up "Standard" Image Stabilization between the Lumix S9 vs. a Fuji body? I can do a Lumix S9 vs. Fujifilm X-H2S Image Stabilization at some point in the future.

@@camera.mellow yes, perfect

Yeah a silicone grip would be even better for sure.

Well, I wanted a full frame camera in a small package. That's how I ended up with three full-frames S9/A7CII/Zf. Eventually I'll have to keep just one of them.

I'd take an addition of EVF and mechanical shutter over the 20% size reduction and cost anyway. S9 Mark 2 needs to have an EVF.

Yup. EVF is really a deal breaker for a lot of people. I'm sure some people would say that S9's main competition is ZV-E1, but I think the intended target buyer demographic is actually A7CII and X100VI.

Well, I've included both "Standard" and "High" for S9 EIS in the comparison video. "High" is clearly better than "Standard", and it's almost as good as the action cam in certain shots.

@@camera.mellow I agree with this.

I'm not sure if A7CR is much worse than A7CII. I know that higher mega pixels usually means noisier images, but I don't think it's all that significant. Moiré patterns from the lack of low pass filter in A7R II used to drive me crazy when I had that camera, but the noise never bothered me that much. So I honestly don't know if switching to A7CII will make your situation any better. Do you get good noise levels from f/1.4 or f/1.8 prime lenses by any chance?

@@camera.mellow thanks. Sony 50mm 1.4 is one of my think of. Or sigma one. Otherwise, maybe 24-50mm 2.8

Isn't that an APSC crop sensor lens?

For me, the criteria for picking compact cameras are: 1. A7CII ★★☆, S9 ★☆☆ (Look & Feel) 2. A7CII ★★★, S9 ★☆☆ (Lens Selection) 3. A7CII ★☆☆, S9 ★★★ (Minimal Post Editing) 1. A7CII just feels right in hand. Not too small, not too big. Solidly built while the S9 feels a bit more like a toy camera with far less physical controls, and no EVF and mechanical shutter (I ran into a few flicker issues indoors because of this). 2. As for lens selection, it's not even a contest. A7CII has everything. You couldn't really ask for more while S9 is lacking in both compact zoom and prime. Hopefully the new upcoming 18-40mm will remedy this issue, and I want something other than the ridiculous 26mm f8 manual lens for the compact prime setup. 3. I'm still learning A7CII's picture profiles, and they do a decent job in getting me ok jpegs. I'm sure I can make it a lot better eventually, but even after a month of tweaking, I'm still not there yet. If you are willing to sink hours of your time to editing, then A7CII will give you some amazing results. BUT, S9 will give you great jpgs straight out of camera. Simply better and faster. As for video, I don't mind color grading as I have to match footages from different cameras, so SOOC video isn't as important to me. HOWEVER, it's so much harder to save shaky videos, especially ones that were shot at 48fps. This is where the S9 comes in clutch for me. I'd take S9 videos over A7CII videos most circumstances. Overall, I rate A7CII more highly than the S9, and if I have to keep ONE camera, then I'd pick A7CII. But, if I get to pick TWO cameras, one for photos and one for videos, then I'd pick S9 for video, and something else for photos. I should really make a video about it.

I hope so. Its size seems to be a design decision more than anything. There are plenty of smaller full frame bodies out there, so it's not a technical limitation.

D-Log does a pretty good job /w dynamic range. I used to have GoPro 11, and it's a pretty big improvement over that. I can only imagine how much better the Action 5 is. I didn't know that the Action 5 was coming, so I bought the Action 4 only a few weeks before the new one came out ☹️

@@camera.mellow D'oh!! Looks great though! Funny Im just editing a video about the S9 from a M43 perspective... Annoyingly I dont have the camera as I only rented it, so bit of a weird video - but lets see what happens!

Looking forward to your S9 video 😁 I was going to make a video about the new S9 firmware update, but then I got afraid to get the update 'cause there was a rumor of it bricking some people's S9. Panasonic just pulled the new firmware down yesterday. Apparently it was true! 😳

@@camera.mellow omg!? Scandalous!! ⚡️

​@@BenFox01 Also known as "regular update" to us Fuji users 😆

Yup, it's a real let down. I hope that they add a viewfinder in the next version, then it'd be able to really compete with the likes of X100VI for photography.

@@camera.mellow I hope they do, but I don't think so. It seems that Canon is preparing a similar camera. We'll see if they add a viewfinder.

I think there's a real opportunity here for Canon here. If Nikon can pull off a comeback like this to mass market appeal with the Zf, then Canon can certainly make real waves.

It's just as great with any other lens. I have tested Image Stabilization with Panasonic 26mm f8, 20-60mm kit, Sigma 45mm f2.8, and they are pretty much all equal in performance. You can see a tiny bit more choppiness with Sigma 45mm, but it's mostly to do with the focal length as I've seen the same thing happening with 20-60mm at 45mm.

@@camera.mellow thank you for sharing. 😁

I'm going to get it once it goes on sale. Panasonic 18-40mm seems to be about the same size as the Sony 28-60mm kit lens, and finally makes the Lumix S9 small enough to compete against A7C II. By all accounts, it seems to be sharp enough in the center, so that'd be great for video, and seems to be a decent enough photo lens as well. Seriously, 18-40 should've been released with the S9 as a kit. My channel's still tiny, so no one's sending me anything to review, so It'll be a while until I get my hands on it.

The silver top version was released in Asia Pacific region only. I thought they'd eventually release it outside of Asia soon, but it seems like that's not going to be the case. They just announced brand new colors for the S9 a couple days ago, and it still doesn't include the silver top. The new colors are going to be Mint Green, and Sakura Pink, and Ash White. It's kinda baffling to be honest. You'd think Silver would be super popular.

Thanks! I'm glad it was helpful for you 😃

I'm thinking of creating another Lumix S9 vs. Sony A7CII specifically for Image Stabilization test including Gyro Data based stabilization (Catalyst Browse). I already have a very superficial Look & Feel comparison here though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGquh5yudq6KbMU

[Boost IS] option was turned off on all scenes for both Standard and High. I learned from my mistake in earlier video of S9 vs. A7CII where I have it turned on, and a lot of people pointed it out for me. So I've even made a Boost IS ON vs. OFF video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5rZk6ipfJZ1ebM

@@camera.mellow Oh ok. Thanks for clarifying that. Lot of stab comparisons, have Boost IS turned on, while doing walking comparison. So yeah. Still, for a FF sensor, it looks amazing without E-Stab High on, compared for the tiny sensor on the DJI.

@@edvelfilms It'd be impressive for a M43 or a crop sensor to match an action cam, let alone a full frame sensor. It's actually insane how close the S9 is to the DJI Action 4 😄

@@camera.mellow I believe the stab on the G9II and GH7 is better than the S5II/X for that same reason.

@@edvelfilms It's the M43 + Panasonic IS magic dust. My Fujifilm X-H2S is a flagship crop sensor camera, and it supposedly has the best IS of any Fuji ever. It's dog p**p in my opinion lol.🤣 Doesn't even come even remotely close to worthy of competing with Panasonic full frame sensors, let alone M43.

I find it amazing that the S9 can actually keep up with the Action 4.

Zf body is already borderline unmanageable in terms of size, and adding grips make it even bigger, so I think Nikon should really reduced the size of the body to be truly competitive against other compact cameras.

That's a really good point. I realized this only after I uploaded the video. 🤔 The Zf is in fact wider by 18mm. That's significant! It's almost as wider as it's taller! I can't believe I missed this. Thanks for pointing out.👍

@@camera.mellow That's a lot, close to 2cm on such small bodies, some 10-20%

Yeah, the Zf is borderline uncomfortable for me as well. But in a strange way, it's only manageable if I don't attach any grips. With every other camera, grips and cases make things better. But, not with the Zf.

I prefer the High setting overall as there are pretty noticeable jitters in "Standard" mode that's quite apparent in steep incline/decline stair shots. But I definitely agree with you that "Standard" looks more natural for turns. "High" does seem to introduce a delayed swing motion in turns that look very unnatural.

@@camera.mellow I think the jitters are just motion blur. You can try the test with a faster shutter speed like 1/250s or faster and see if they improve.

Thank you! Appreciate it 😀

I'd love to try out the Sigma FP one day. I heard a lot of good things about it ever since I started this channel. FP doesn't seem to have any meaningful market share to be considered truly mainstream, but there seems to be a lot of FP fans online. I stretched myself too thin though. Keeping up with 4 different camera brands isn't easy. I gotta get rid of at least one brand before I can try out a new one 🤣 CCW mount is a doozy. Two months in, and I still haven't gotten used to it. I like the ZF /w 26mm f2.8 pancake, but the vast majority of Z mount lenses are just too big, and combined with ZF's hefty body, most of the combos are just massive..

It's plastic, and very much feels like one as well unfortunately 😔

@@camera.mellow Thank you for replying back

S9 absolutely feels rushed. An EVF and a mechanical shutter would've made it the best compact full frame camera on the market. At the cost of probably a slightly thicker body and a slight increase in price.. such a shame 😕

Yes, the EVF is what I miss the most from the S9. I've brought up the camera to my face only to realize yet again that there's no EVF countless times.

Hopefully DJI makes it even better next time. Just like how they improved the second version of the DJI Mic so much over the original 😃

Yeah, Viltrox 28mm f4.5 would be a no-brainer. It'd be so much superior to the 26mm f8 MF lens. At this point, I'd even take a simple AF version of the same 26m f8 lens. Seriously it wouldn't even take Panasonic that much effort to make it AF.

A7CII is more like a multipurpose do-it-all kinda camera. But it seems like you already got so much ground covered with S9, X100VI, R5 II, Z6 III and Z8. A7C II won't particularly be better than them in any category. If you shoot more photos, I'd say go for the Zf, but you already own Z6 III and Z8. Zf is like Z6 III wrapped in a mega-sized X100VI body. If you shoot more videos, then S9 will simply be better. A7C II has slightly better AF, but I don't see any other advantage that it has over the S9 in video. A7C II is such a "middle-of-the-road, good-at-everything, but best-at-nothing" type of camera that I'd easily recommend if you are going to use it as your main camera, but not as fun secondary/tertiary camera. 🤨

I really like how Nikon Zf feels in hand without any extra grip. I think I'm in the minority about this though. I don't think I have small hands, but adding extra grip makes the camera too big for my hands to the point of being slightly unwieldy.

Hey Ben. KZbin really wants you to upload every few days, eh? My view counts just took a nose dive once I stopped uploading frequently. I can see how people could be forced into putting up just any crap to please the algorithm gods 😂 Anyways, I'm glad you rented the S9. There's nothing like actually trying out the camera yourself. The same goes for the A7CII. My impressions of these two cameras keep changing over time though, so I might just make a short video about it. As for the Image Stabilization, S9 is SO MUCH BETTER than the A7CII. It's not even close. ActiveSteady shots from A7CII look mostly good in static or panning shots, but forget about walking shots, they look awful. You can do post stab. /w gyro data in Catalyst Browse, but there's a few caveats. You gotta turn off IBIS, and jack up the shutter speed to 300+ to get rid of the jitters, and this could mess up the consistency in the look of your vids if that's your thing. Anyways, I'll make a couple of videos comparing the two cameras in Normal IS, High IS, then gyro data post processing, etc. It should take me a week or so to make it.

@@camera.mellow Hey buddy! So strange I dudnt get a notification for this comment! But glad I checked up... Yes in-hand is everything right! And the Sony feels so good. Im wondering wether I can do without super stabilization for this camera and lense choices - Lets see! I think next is hire the A7CII and go from there :) Gosh and I understand the algorithm pressure! Its the devil! Beware! Take me word for it... You do you! And don't compromise - It will protect your sanity and nervous system :) Maybe we should collab one day!

A pretty high pressure day job and three kids make it rather difficult to put up a video every week, but I always wanted to do this, so I'm hoping that it'll get easier with time 🙂 Yeah, I'd love to collab. I don't know what that could entail, but yeah, I'd love to do something.

Everything's big with Zf 😆

The silver version was only released in Asia for whatever reason.🤨

I'd love to get my hands on a Zfc if a Mark 2 version gets released at some point in the future.

I think these 3 are a pretty good representative of compact full-frame bodies. Even though they all different styles, when people search for compact full-frame, it's very likely that A7CII, S9, Zf are in consideration. That's how I ended up with them as well. No one's sending me anything, so I'm just comparing what I own.😄

@@camera.mellowI agree. I think plenty of people are cross shopping these cameras

No particular reason. I just like the look of it 😀

If you are used to DSLRs, then the Zf must feel like a toy cam in your hands 🤣

It's absolutely a joke of a lens, BUT at least for the S9, I like it better than the Sigma 45mm f2.8. Simply because it keeps the whole body small as intended, and that's why I include them. Even though the Sigma is a much better prime lens, it makes the S9 too big and it defeats the whole purpose of getting the S9 in the first place.

This is not a joke) The concept of using such a combo for street photography. You put the lens in a position where everything will be sharp from three meters to infinity and walk down the street. And if you add lumix sync to the phone here, you can take photos from the phone without attracting attention))

@@Sergey_PashninWhy would I want everything in focus? I do a lot of street photography and that is not my style at all. It should be an option to do.

I heavily laughed and critisized that plasticky, manual constant f8 26mm of Panasonic. But when I bought and used it, I was amazed how fast the manual focusing is due to the short throw and oh my, it's very sharp as well. But it's only good with photography IMO, and using it videography would be Disastrous.

I feel ya there, haha. I thought I'd be able to handle the extra 200g, but quickly realized that it's not just the weight but the overall bulk as well. It's just a tad big to be considered unwieldy. I wish that it was like 20% smaller and lighter, and a small zoom lens, then it'd be a perfect travel combo. While I do enjoy taking photos with the Zf so much more than A7C II, it's for nothing if I don't take it out with me.

Yeah, I was against getting the 26mm f8 for two months before I finally broke down and got it. It's just mind boggling that Panasonic thought it'd be ok to release a f8 manual focus lens for full-frame camera in this day and age. You'd think it's from the 80's from the spec sheets, and the only reason I can think of why this thing even exists is because Panasonic execs probably told the engineers to come up with something quick with super tight deadlines. F8 Manual Focus!? Honestly, even generic Chinese vendors selling on Temu can come up with something better.

It's hard to believe that Panasonic is unable to make something close to Nikon 26mm f2.8. They must be able to at least make something like f/4 or f/5.8 autofocus. Panasonic probably decided to release the S9 early, and told their engineers to just come up with something right away for the impending release. Otherwise, the specs don't make any sense. Who in the world thinks they can sell f8 MANUAL FOCUS(!!!!) in this day and age unless you are going to sell it for 50 bucks on AliExpress? 🤣 Canon has something very close to Nikon 26mm f2.8's size and brightness as well, so it's not like Nikon has a major upper hand in the industry, so it 's even more of a shame how Panasonic bungled the S9's release with a crappy lens. As much as I love the Zf's look and feel, its size and weight gives me a pause when I go out with my family. I love how satisfying it is to take photos with it, but I just don't take it out of the bag as much as with the other two cameras... But, I have also regretted taking the S9 with me, as manual focus is definitely the wrong choice for an outing with 5 year old, so A7C II is usually the default choice for me.

​@@camera.mellow i agree with you on the compactness but sony's f2.5 lens are expensive to get that combo need to spend $2800 anyways thanks for the reply very good insight.

@@reek75 Yeah, the 40mm / 50mm f2.5 lenses are way too expensive, and they are still double the size of Nikon 26mm f2.8. It's one of the reasons why I'm just sticking with the kit lens for A7CII.

I've been using Samyang 35/2.8, which is just as small and light, and I find 35mm FL a lot more useful than 26mm. There is also Samyang 35/1.8, which is also small and light and actually better optically than Nikon 40/2 -- and I have both and tested them side by side. I have many Sony and Nikon lenses and also ETZ21 Pro adapter, E-mount choices are a lot better than Z-mount. The only reason for choosing Nikon system is the quality of NEF files, which in my view are the best.

@@ElementaryWatson-oxo I was actually surprised by the fact that Nikon 26mm f2.8 is significantly better than 40mm f2.0 in terms of sharpness wide open. It's half the size, but a lot sharper. I don't think that's a big endorsement for the Nikon 26mm. Rather it's a testament to how poor the 40mm f2 is optically. I've never used Samyang lenses, but I'm definitely interested in the 35/2.8. It's more useful focal length for sure.👍

I plan to do so sometime in the future.

I love this pairing too. I used to have a GoPro 10 & 11 /w DJI mic, but it required a GoPro media attachment and the DJI receiver with wires, etc.. It was too cumbersome and clunky. Compared to that, this is just amazing.

@@camera.mellow yes indeed but vlogging should be light and fun, DJI mic 2 connects instantly with osmo action 4 and the setup is great. But unfortunately it’s very underrated

@@HassanRizwan yeah, it's a real game changer. I've used all kinds of different mic connection solutions for the GoPro, but none ever came close to the straight forward connection of the DJI Mic 2. It also works great with my android phone as well. Just connect to my phone's bluetooth, and it just works. It's as simple as that.😃

what do you mean by p p??