Panasonic Lumix S1 Autofocus Test vs Sony A7III ( firmware 1.2 )

[@khulabupeh]

The Panasonic 24-105mm lens is underrated. No focus breathing and parfocal? That's only what you find in high end cinema lenses if I'm not mistaken. You can clearly see in this test how it has no focus breathing whatsoever compared to a Zeiss lens.

[@SamSaengsavang]

Agreed. It's definitely a workhorse on its own. Weather-sealed, in-lens stabilizer, parfocal, extremely sharp wide open, 9 bladed diaphragm, ED glass elements, built like a tank with high performance practically.

[@adamlucienroy]

I feel so privileged to have a parfocal lens again. Off the top of my head, none of my M43 lenses have that feature, and I really missed it.

[@陈一峰-y1r]

If you try SONY's 24-105 F4, You will find the same. No focus breathing

[@enricolongo242]

professional cinema lens and camera. parfocal with autofocus??? wow.

[@RayLi23]

Quite remarkable to see is the difference in focus breathing between the zony 55mm and the Lumix kit zoom.

[@ntsan]

yeah, Zeiss 55mm focus breathing is very bad

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes I am surprised by that too.

[@keithgoreham1463]

None of the three Panasonic L-Mount lenses released so far have any focus breathing at all. Really hoping that’s true of the rest of the lenses they’ll be releasing too.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Sorry I've deleted the original video to correct some of the mistakes. So, what do you guys think about Panasonic Lumix S1's autofocus performance with the new version 1.2 firmware? Is it finally the day that Panasonic's efforts and investments into the DFD AF system has paid off?

[@bachisquiri]

You should have more subs!!!! Good video keep it up bro

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@bachisquiri oh thank you. Re more subs, I am working on it! :)

[@keithgoreham1463]

Panasonic is definitely getting there. Seeing the difference that a higher frame rate makes is also very interesting.

[@bachisquiri]

@@keithgoreham1463 yeah ive recently bought a g9 and iam very impressed with it

[@eguitarstar]

Thanks Richard for taking the time to produce this. I hope these improvements trickle down to the M43 models.

[@MarceloLangame]

Oh, God, I promess you, if it happens, I'll be a good man. :D

[@brivnii]

The thumbnail is gold!!!! Love all the hard work you put jntot his

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Haha thank you. Yes I need to up my thumbnail game to get more clicks!! Glad you like my latest attempt

[@photojoseph]

Impressive. Thanks for posting this. I’ll share far and wide.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey @Photojoseph great to see you here. I follow your channel closely and thank you for creating some great contents! Yes please share the news and give credits to the hard work done by Panasonic's engineer team! :)

[@photojoseph]

Richard Wong Thanks man.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I like how smooth the changes are on the S1. Even at times when it’s slower, with the better focus breathing and focus shifting, it all seems like usable footage. Because the Sony focus seems to SNAP (plus the focus breathing - holy hell) it makes the footage much less usable imo when changes occur

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes agree. The Sony seems a bit too snappy to me, at least when both cameras are on default settings. btw, I love your channel and videos!! I watched a lot of your videos!

[@MicroFourNerds]

Richard Wong thank you that’s so cool! I’ve subbed I’m looking forward to seeing more of your videos 😊 especially the S1 ones because I’ve recently bought it too 🎉

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Oh nice!! Yes looking forward to see some of your S1 videos too!!

[@MarceloLangame]

@@MicroFourNerds That's a horrible betraying. You're KZbin's M43 lady. 😆

[@izzy3863]

This is more than promising, it’s game-changing news! Thank you mr Wong!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It is indeed. I have been testing Panasonic's autofocus performance for many years.. and while it has been improving over the last few years, this one is a major breakthrough

[@AlexTheLi0n]

This was the test that I was looking for. I purchased a Panasonic Lumix S1R and am super excited to use it and all the features. Your video sir proved exactly what I was hoping to see. This is hands down the best autofocus video I have seen thus far relating to the Panasonic Lumix S series of cameras great work kind sir, bravo

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Alexander Glad it was helpful!

[@AlexTheLi0n]

@@TheRealRichardWong I watched your video again and this time was paying closer attention to the colors. I noticed that you driveway/patio seems to be a bit bluer with the Panasonic than with the Sony. I noticed the same with your jeans. On the Panasonic your jeans look blue, on the Sony they look a bit grayer. I also noticed that the colors on your shirt are displayed differently between the two cameras. I guess my question is based on the actual colors of your driveway/patio area, pants and shirt, which camera actually displayed the colors the truest. I watched a video from Gerald Undone, where he shows that believe it or not the Sony A7III has the truest color rendering. While not perfect by any means it was closer to the true color rendering than the Panasonic. I'm really looking forward to using my Panasonic Lumix S1R but I have to be honest. It would be less work in post to fix using maybe a Canon EOS R vs the Panasonic. But as a Panasonic I would love to know your opinion. Again look at the differences in your shirt, pants and the driveway/patio area and let me know what you think. I apologize for my long message.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@AlexTheLi0n The Panasonic is a bit too cool and the Sony is too warm/yellow I feel somewhere almost right in the middle is correct, maybe slightly more the Panasonic side

[@BernardBertrand]

you are for sure the "Autofocus test" superstar on the web ;-)) cheers

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Lol ok that's not bad. I will put that on my title next time! Lol

[@BernardBertrand]

Richard Wong ha ha ha yes ! ;-))

[@lilstarfishdude]

Thank you Richard for the interesting review! Looking at your comparison the S1 focus now seems more stable than the A7III. This is very promising =D

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for watching the video!

[@SteveMayedaTV]

Great video! Thanks for spreading the good word about Panasonic’s gear. Also the 10-25mm Leica Video was great too. I have a GH5, G9 and S1 So your channel is really helpful

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Steve! Glad you like the videos. You have some very nice cameras there. I am tempted to get a gh5 myself after borrowing one from Panasonic for so many times

[@JCANPetros]

Wow Richard, great testing. Very impressed by the results. The S1's auto focus has greatly improved with the new firmware update.

[@markymarek]

It's incredible how the software can improve autofocus

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Indeed, that's one reason why Panasonic is so into DFD because in theory it's really limited by software and processing power both can be improved every year

[@jeanjoseph2288]

When will this come out for everyone ?

[@marin_real_estate_photography]

Thanks for the tests, Richard. As a sony shooter, i am pretty impressed with how the S1 and the 24-105 did. The smoothness of the AF when changing focus on the S1 is really nice (I think the sony can be adjusted somewhat though to change the smoothness when changing focus areas). Also, the minimal focus breathing (and then, only noticeable when an extreme difference in focal point distance to the camera), is also appealing.

[@hakeem-ji]

This is a great review and very timely. I always knew Pany gonna fix this issue with a firmware update, was not quite sure how long it will take them. Good to see its already fixed. Being an IT guy, I have a big faith on intelligence we can give to machines through software instructions :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I was surprised too,. A pleasant surprise

[@jonathanperkins4154]

Sooo glad I bought this camera!!! Can't wait to test this out!

[@CodyTolmen]

Wow stoked to get the update! Looks great!

[@luisneumannp2748]

Are you planning on making a video comparing the autofocus in photo mode too? Would be interesting to see if it has improved there as well

[@keithgoreham1463]

I’ll second that request!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try but I might not have time to do that as I am a bit behind with my other reviews already. But good news is, the new firmware is dining out very soon so many people can also start test it and share the results if I have not get around to do that .

[@DoubleGauss]

Nice ! The AF now beats Sony ..probably Canon too. Can we now say the S1 is the best mirrorless on the market without exception ! ?

[@keithgoreham1463]

Not till we see the new stills performance.

[@wirelesswill1]

Wow!! Big improvement definitely upgrading to an S1 or SR1 system.

[@karlbratby4349]

makes me feel made the right choice going with the Panasonic...looks great

[@astika81]

Finally my faith in lumix as always is not misplaced. Their dedication to customers is why I bought this camera blindly without even testing and It is one of the best purchases I ever made.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enjoy Rami!

[@JericTamayo]

s Panasonic going to be doing a firmware update like this for the m43 cameras i.e g9 and gh5?

[@MarceloLangame]

Oooooooooooh yeah!!!!!!

[@gostaberling8389]

HOPEFULLY! If it comes for my G9 that would be gold!

[@phazedreality818]

The lens breathing on that Zeiss 55 is nuts.

[@eyeballbilly]

Panasonic has nailed it! great camera!

[@AcidicDelusion]

Well done Panny. The dark horse is already getting into a gallop.

[@johnsimmons1778]

Thanks for the review Richard! Looks to me the S1 is much improved with this firmware update. The firmware pre-release notes amongst other updates mention "Live view display during auto focusing is now easier to see" - did you find that to be the case? - not sure what Panasonic is alluding to here, is it that there is now less focus hunting?

[@walrusgumboot]

I think this is more for burst shooting with stills during CAF. DPReview commented that the viewfinder resolution drops down when burst shooting with CAF. I think this addresses that issue.

[@komandagleby_GB]

If you look not at Richard's face but at the (blurred) background, you will see some pulsation of the degree of the blur or bokeh in Panasonic image. It's somewhat distracting. Apparently, it's how their DFD works. On the other hand, I expected Panasonic to be much much worse compared to Sony.

[@AcidicDelusion]

The whole pulsation thing is blown out of proportion. If you werent looking for it you wouldnt even notice.

[@komandagleby_GB]

@@AcidicDelusion maybe, but not by me: I said "some" and "somewhat". At the same time, for me it was an understatement, because I am quite sensitive to such kinds of things. As an example, similarly, I barely tolerate videos at 30p, leaving alone 24p, especially when panning. I am very interested in Panasonic technology in MFT format and have 3 lower end Pana bodies but almost never use them for video. I believe, customers must be nitpicking to push manufacturers in proper directions.

[@SubConscious.]

Thank you for the helpful side by side comparison. The colours of these two cameras look kind of different. At 7:38 for instance your trousers look blue -ish on the S1 while on the A7III they look grey -ish. What was the actual colour? As for the autofocus, it seems Panasonic keeps improving. Anyway, good job!

[@photomoods-mariobolz8801]

hi, A great test from you. Can you repeat the test today and compare the S1r with the Sony A7RIV or Canon R5 ? Thanks Mario

[@Outtheresomewherewild]

Well done Panasonic lumix, now all we need is to get a good new firmware update on the G9 ... GO LUMIX GO

[@tarboxoj214]

S1 1080P60 vs A73 4K25 ... so S1 can't focus at 4K?

[@rumig3958]

Thanks for the informative video One question, You have a S1 that shoots in 25 FPS, and 60fps. I thought the S1 was only pal or ntsc, has that changed with the latest firmware?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey Rumi, you can choose between 24,25,30,50,60 FPS on the S1/S1R and also the S1H (which requires a clock freq change), at least on the sample I am using here in New Zealand here

[@rumijarl]

@@TheRealRichardWong ok thanks, I'm guessing you have the pal version. Do's NZ shoot in pal?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@rumijarl yes it's a PAL country here.

[@PischkePerformance]

Panasonic has a much smoother and more organic focus pull. The Sony looks robotic in how it snaps from one subject to another. The tracking looks much better with v1.2 and even tracks better than the A7III on the last few shots, wow!! Excited to get this firmware uploaded onto my S1 and also very excited to test out VLog

[@TheRealRichardWong]

new firmware is available now! Give it a try and let me know how it works for you

[@deeyammy783]

Please forgive my ignorance but the second test was between 1080p 60 vs 4K 25 is that even comparable? Why not test them both at the same setting as the first test and see the results? Thank you.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Dee, the Panasonic uses DFD so the result is affected by frame rate. While Sony using hybrid which my understanding is not really affected by the video frame rate at all.

[@keithgoreham1463]

The original GH5 angle-hack relied on a small tweak to the frame rate that doubled the slice of processor time given over to focusing. So I would have either set the Sony to FHD 30p, and/or set the Panasonic to 4K/60 in case the data bandwidth load affected how much time the CPU could spend on focusing. At your settings, the S1 was only writing just over half of the data that the Sony was.

[@Algerie.Football.Officiel]

Hello ; , how did you find the S1R's AutoFocus for sports photos at night, with good lighting? Thank you

[@TheRealRichardWong]

for video or photos?

[@Algerie.Football.Officiel]

@@TheRealRichardWong for photos

[@TheRealRichardWong]

With good lighting I think it's OK! But for sports the S1 might be better with it's high iso performance, unless you really need that high resolution?

[@MrEchyballs]

Hi Richard I was super supperised . you changed my mind completely ! could you also test the 50mm on 1.4 as well . we really wanna see thats a good lens biut without autofocus its useless . I was scared to buy it because of the reason . many thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Are you more interested in shooting stills or video? If shooting stills, Panasonic's autofocus system is actually very good. First, not much hunting and can focus even in very dim condition. It's only when doing continuous focus especially when shooting video that it may not be as good as some top competitors. So if shooting photo at f/1.4 very good, no problem at all. If shooting video at f/1.4, then if you move fast and at close distance, the reliability is still less than perfect.

[@MrEchyballs]

Richard Wong videos only .i found that new firmware with ur hack I mean high fresh rate the focus is remarkable.so just wanna know if 50mm performs like useable lens ? Also would like to know both 50mm and 24-70 2.8 make any noise when focusing? Much appreciated it for ur experience sharing thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@MrEchyballs noise is very minimal with both those lenses. The 50 f/1.4 AF speed is very fast and good for video too. Just don't do afc at f/1.4 as it's still a bit too much for it to handle if you want perfect results. Shoot at f/2.8 or at most f/2 if you want afc tracking and it works quite well.

[@MrEchyballs]

@@TheRealRichardWong thanks for sharing . like ur reviews keep it up

[@HyperspeedMedia]

Does it work as good with 4k 60fps?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes it does

[@MarkMcLT]

I'm glad I watched to the end because in the first test I was thinking "same old, same old" and thought I maybe had more important things to do. But the 60fps results are very impressive. However the issue of the 4k60 crop raises a question in my mind...would it be possible in principle for Panasonic to take focus data off the sensor at 1080p60, i.e. to achieve results like what you show here, but while actually recording in 4k at only 25 or 30 (say), i.e. with _no crop_?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Not sure.. I thought about that too. it means the lens has to also moves between the actual frames, maybe technically possible if the shutter speed is fast enough to allow enough time to shoot another spare frame in between?

[@supersonico9364]

Colors look totally different! Is that normal?

[@jeanjoseph2288]

What are your autofocus setting for your camera both for stills and video

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Normally for stills I use single point but I also use face/eye detection a bit . But video, usually just allow face/eye detection mode to work it's magic

[@doogieham]

Interesting video, Richard. Thanks for your efforts. You are often the first person on YT to test the new tech announcements with mirrorless systems like the Techart E-mount to Z-mount adapter, the Sigma MC-21 adapter and this S1 firmware update. So I really appreciate the timeliness of your videos. I have one question totally unrelated to the AF tests in the video: What picture/photo styles were you using for each camera?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you! I always use standard profile for this kind of tests.

[@drive-story]

As I can see this Zeiss 55mm lens doing faces wider. Could you tell us where is you face right on Panasonic or on Sony? :-) I have Sony FE 50mm 1.8 and no this kind of problem. Is this possible fix this defect in photos and videos?

[@johnnychong]

This is a huge improvement from the last firmware. Now the big question, should we wait for the a7siii? What do you think Richard?

[@keithgoreham1463]

There’s always something new and better on the horizon. Pick the gear that will work best for you now, use it, and ignore the new shiny for 2-3 years. There are plenty of photographers out there making money with 6-8 year old DSLRs without so much as a touchscreen. Much less advanced focus modes.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

But once a7sIII is out (or just announced), you will surely want to wait for a7sIV ? ;) Joke asides, really hard to answer there is always a better camera coming out soon so get what you think works for you and can meet your needs.. if none can.. then wait.

[@pengingamer4510]

what i like more about panasonics autofocus is thats it is smoother not as sudden like the a733 better for video in my opinion.

[@MVargabass]

PenginGamer its because of the focus breathing

[@pengingamer4510]

@@MVargabass you mean the a7III has focus breathing or the s1?

[@r3visuals592]

Well looks like I'm selling my Sony A7iii... Bye Sony! Hello Panasonic S1. I love the bigger body on the Panasonic and was really really hoping the firmware would fix their focus issues. It's not perfect but no camera is. Im really excited to get my S1 thanks for the video

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I 100% agree with your point about no camera is perfect. And even worse is, what is perfect today may suddenly become not so perfect tomorrow

[@TheRealRichardWong]

So pick the one that suits you the most and make the best out of it and enjoy

[@SamSaengsavang]

The firmware update notes specify the improvement is for the [Tracking] AF mode. Is it safe to assume the AF improvement applied to the Eye-AF as well?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Eye AF is more or less just tracking using the detected eye area so it should improve as well. My test was done with face/eye tracking turned on

[@abneresteban5502]

saludos ese mismo firmware v1.2. se puede usar para la S1H

[@gnkstudios6138]

Have you tried this test in 4k 60fps? Please update this test with it's latest firmwares! I am really interested in this camera now. Nevermind. I just got to the end of your video. Lol can you test the 4k 60 in groups of people? Thanks. Cheers.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey there, how do you want to test with groups of people?

[@gnkstudios6138]

@@TheRealRichardWong just really wanting to see how it performs when your trying to focus on a face in a crowd of other people. just trying to see how "intelligent" it is.

[@AcidicDelusion]

This update is also for the s1r , right?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes. I have not tested the s1r though

[@jonathangolgota]

how about shoot on crowd people... which one the best?

[@DaleGrantMedia]

Have you played with any off the settings yet to see if you can get the focus even better? If so I'd love to see them even in a video! Go Lumix 😊

[@dexteroiio]

Thanks! So good test! What do you think about 1080p qaulity on S1? vs A7 III?

[@AcidicDelusion]

A7 iii bit rate is junk. The S1 looks far better

[@justyjust]

Do you think they will be releasing there sports camera???

[@cbflazaro]

worth noting that some cameras really struggle to AF in low light. I would also suggest doing this test indoors/low light. some contrast detection systems struggle at high iso's

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Burno Thanks for the suggestion!!

[@adamlucienroy]

I've only shot photo with the camera so far, but actually did some face detection video last night with my wife (not a euphemism), and even before the firmware, I was shocked and happy with how decent the auto focus. I have a number of really big events coming up to shoot video for, so I'll try auto for at least a lil' bit, although it'll be hard to give up control at first.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

You will like the camera even more after the firmware update!

[@eirjordan337]

Oh wow. This is pretty interesting now.

[@СтасГрищук-ц7б]

Could you recommend S1 for travel blogging and reportage? One reason which stop me оf buying S1 its unpredictable autofocus (

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think with the latest firmware, it is OK! Reliablity and speed are OK. If you shoot with a 50 f/1.4 at f/1.4 at close distance, it is not the best camera to use. But stop down to f/2.8 then it works pretty good.

[@СтасГрищук-ц7б]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks. Is kit lense 24-105 good?

[@Кузя-с1я]

I do not really understand English. But I would like to hear - is autofocus in Panasonic all the same bad? If so, in what situations?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

A few years ago, it was definitely not as good as the market leaders. . But fast forward a few years, Panasonic has improved a lot and their autofocus system is more reliable, response faster and a lot closer to the other brands. It's not perfect and definitely some room for improvements. But i don't think any brand got a perfect autofocus system as well.

[@Кузя-с1я]

@@TheRealRichardWong It turns out that at the moment, Panasonic s1 is a camera for a leisurely photo and the same video. In our country, one blogger said after a review of the camera - this is a very cool camera, which unfortunately few people need. Do you agree with that?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@Кузя-с1я s1 is a great hybrid camera. Excellent photos ,(I did a wedding with it and photos are great) and awesome video. The body feels excellent if you prefer larger size bodies

[@Кузя-с1я]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks for the answer. Have you tried sigma lenses on this camera? Why are they worse than Panasonic lenses?

[@aslamursani1831]

good comparement. Nicely done!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@ThePhotographyHobbyist]

Nice job Panasonic. 👍. Seems like that 55mm on the Sony is a zoom lens ;-)

[@keithgoreham1463]

Nope. The “zoom” effect that you’re seeing on the Sony Zeiss is called “focus breathing”. Where the focal length of the lens changes slightly with the focus. I see this all the time on my Nikon primes. But the three Panasonic L-mount lenses released (I have the two not used in this test) so far are engineered not to have it. Which makes them perfect for video (and also a bit more heavy/expensive). Really looking forward to this firmware update now, as it really seems that Panasonic has all but closed the gap with Sony, at least in video focusing. Will be interesting to see how it does with stills focusing.

[@tomibeg]

​@@keithgoreham1463 Well..that was a sarcastic joke from his side, actually xD Obviously he meant heavy focus breathing on the Sony lens.

[@ThePhotographyHobbyist]

Keith Goreham Understood, I was just joking a little. I’ve seen focus breathing on some of my lenses in the past also but the new Nikon Z mount lenses have practically no focus breathing from what I’ve seen.

[@heyimdevin]

Panasonic, can you do 60fps autofocus computation on 30fps as well？ In this way you solved the autofocus problem！Richard help to as Panasonic this question :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hopefully some one from Panasonic will read this too, but I will definitely suggest to them and see if possible

[@jessefilmic]

Thats insane. Cannot wait to update it now. Crazy how much more efficient it is versus the a7iii at a higher frame rate with full HD. could you do one where a different environment where you have a backlit area? I find that the autofocus tends to hunt when its a brighter environment.

[@raredreamfootage]

What about tap to track (real time object tracking)?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Haven't test that yet sorry

[@jeanjoseph2288]

I downloaded the FW 1.2 but I’ve check the menu and I don’t see where to enable the AF near feature would you mind helping me with this

[@TheRealRichardWong]

You just need to assign it to one (two) of the custom buttons, then you trigger it by pressing that button :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Does it work for you Jean?

[@jeanjoseph2288]

No I can’t seem to make it work, I will just wait until you upload your next video hopefully you can go over it quickly. Thank you Richard

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@jeanjoseph2288 I won't be doing a proper video about it, but find me on Facebook or Instagram and I will send you a short video.

[@jeanjoseph2288]

Hey Richard I finally figured it out but if I assign it as AF ON will the camera decide itself or I need to assign it as either AF near shift as well as pressing the button every time ?

[@ookiemand]

It looks pretty good and even, even though the Sony seems to start the refocus earlier, and does not do the pulsing.Wish Panasonic would use a variable focussing speed, smooth start and END of the focus pull. To skip the pulsing they would need to measure the blur around the subject while pulling focus to measure the subject's distance so the focus spull can gently land at that distance and forego the overshooting and pulling back (pulsing).

[@JericTamayo]

Feel like going FF now that I see this. Currently own gh5 and g9. I need the S1 into my arsenal!

[@AlexanderBischof]

Jeric Tamayo why do you want that bulky heavy big thing

[@JericTamayo]

@@AlexanderBischof I have a G9, I walk around the city for hours with a camera in hand. When I do professional work, I'd rather have a FF camera with the same ergonomics as my G9.

[@gostaberling8389]

I own the Panasonic g9 and I love everything about it...besides the video af. Its decent many times but too unreliable. Unfortuntely this update seems to still be unreliable. But I was quite amazed about the performance of panasonic with the changed framerate tho. Is that something that would work with g9 aswell? Anyone knows?

[@leerothman7570]

How surprising. I noted the Sony lost it when you backed up where the S1 kept it dead on in focus. Also the sheer speed of focus lock on the 2nd test seemed as if the Panny was at least as good and in some cases superior to the Sony. Go figure.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes big surprise. When I first check the results on the camera rear LCD screen, I thought I Saw it wrong. Then I load and sync the videos on the computer and I have to double check as I felt the S1 is overall slightly better when in 60p

[@andresandbergfek]

Your videos are great. Just subbed!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very mucg !!! :)

[@panopsata3038]

The focus transition seems a lot smoother on the S1.

[@KeithsTVHD1]

Is this the same with the S1H?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes should be the same

[@codyrobinson22]

I like these autofocus tests Richard but the Sony is using a prime lens which logically is going to be faster than any zoom. Not a fair comparison. Other than that another good autofocus comparison video 😀

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Ideally I would like to use similar lenses but in reality I don't have easy access to every lens I want to use for test! :(

[@AcidicDelusion]

and it looks like the panny zoom is focusing better than the sony prime. ouch.

[@ricardogomes4044]

amazing :) THX Richard....It would be awesome if you could also test the same in low light and the Vlog Upgrade which is out now (I'm waiting for my key)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi Ricardo, I did a separate video testing the vlog already. Will see if I can do low light one thanks!

[@finnillson4808]

Panasonic upping their game here.

[@noahyv]

Thanks for the test, but I'd love to see a more thorough comparison or just s1 test with faces and bodies in different orientations and with glasses and different skin tones. It's so rare I'm shooting video of someone who is directly facing the camera. Your test does bode well for s1's focus motor control algorithms but I'd like to see how it decides which subject to track, if it can't find a face, etc.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for the suggestion!

[@leerothman7570]

If they can get CAF on standard photo shooting to the level of the 60fps video I would feel good about buying one

[@motionsight]

We just did a autofocus test for the S1 with the Sigma 24mm 1.4 and the 85mm 1.4, as well as with the Lumix 24-105 4.0, so if you are interested in any of that lenses go check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/enTVgGipfquCbJo

[@maestrostudios7517]

he S1's auto focus has greatly improved with the new firmware update. please sir

[@TheRealRichardWong]

it has improved a lot!

[@hussainalqadhi1198]

Thanks for this great comparison Sony is much faster, but Panasonic is much smoother.... maybe because it's parfocal ?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Panasonic's continuous autofocus is always tuned to provide smoother continuous autofocus results

[@robinmordasiewicz]

The shutter speed still looks odd in your opening.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hmmm you talking about the first two three minutes of the video Robin? Not sure what's going on but i notice that too when watching on KZbin. Will check the original video

[@robinmordasiewicz]

Richard Wong yes in the first two minutes, movement seems weird when you are moving your hands it seems like something isn’t quite right.

[@wenc8796]

Seems like you set you shutter speed too slow.

[@maestrostudios7517]

lumix s1 quality color tone super dft auto focus problem

[@BernardBertrand]

" still a little bit slow " ?! thank you for the test but why don't you ever step into the Custom autofocus menu where we are able to set the SPEED and sensitivity , it make a huge difference and sometimes yes , we would prefer no sensibility and sometimes we would prefer more , same as on speed, and Panasonic offers us this since the GH5, why don't you also add this to your test. As it is not correct to say something such as " still a bit slow " when you don"t even step into the custom menu to increase the speed ;-) Cheers and thank you for your reviews . keep it up

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Bernard, thank you yes I definitely can increase the AF speed on the S1, but then I could also do that on the a7iii and usually when we do that we would scarifice stability and make it unsuitable for scenes with slower movements. My tests are usually more about overall autofocus performance instead how to get the maximum for a particular usage so that's why I usually try to keep all the settings standard on all cameras. I have actually shot a video to demonstrate how to fine-tune the AF settings to get the best results for specific usage and also the pros and cons. but I never get around to edit that together :/

[@BernardBertrand]

Richard Wong that make sense Richard :) thank you 😊

[@Filmmaker809]

Interesting how much the skin tones are most saturated with the Sony A7 III than the Panasonic S1.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes Indeed! And different white balance too

[@drive-story]

Will be fine to test similar lenses. From SONY it is FE 24-105 f4 G. How will be autofocus and stabilization of video.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Unfortunately I don't have access to one right now. Have access to the Tamron 28-105 but I guess people would say that's third party so not fair comparison

[@TL-vt8uk]

Awesome!!

[@osmanlatif9369]

I want to trust s1 autofocus but i cant. But i still bought it and ise af lock butto for focus. Before with gh5 i also use touch autofocus but i didnt find it in s1 any body have idea

[@TheRealRichardWong]

You definitely can do that, sorry can't remember how to do that off the top of my head but maybe other S1 user can help

[@osmanlatif9369]

Thank you for answer 🙏

[@Serenoj69]

Well first of all thanks for the extensive test. However one thing comes to mind: the background was contrasting with you black clothes and with a contrast based system it seems to be an advantages.Of course the AF is really good here but one thing I found most irritating about the Sony is that it is not smooth at all and it is so abrupt you see the whole pic change once it pulls focus...Same performance? Test with less contrast. Might be good light, but less contrast and see how it goes. I understand this is virtually a controlled and equal test, but take the S1 out and just shoot people in all sorts of situation. May be bikers coming to, people walking by etc. And see how it does? Also: how about stills with C-Af and C-AF plus tracking.

[@池田敦-q8d]

比較の動画とてもわかりやすいです。

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@justyjust]

Good news now I we just need Panasonic to up the frame rate and it could be used for sports or action.

[@photomoods-mariobolz8801]

Nice , thank you

[@DSP1337]

The pulsing is still there, which makes the camera unusable for anything with shallow DoF and a more or less static subject involved. Plus, in the most relevant video mode (4k25p) the camera is still slower for at least 60% of the time. And there are some occasions where the camera struggles to even find the focus at all, keeping the subject out of focus for seconds! 1080/60p is not cutting the cake anymore imho. 4k25 and 4k50/60p have to be the benchmark for cameras at this price point. Props to Panasonic though for having no focus breathing in their standard zoom (which is still overpriced, but oh well).

[@keithgoreham1463]

DSP - These results (and your concerns) are nice and all, but when is perfect video autofocus actually a must-have feature? Let’s keep this in perspective. Unless you’re shooting video for sports or rapid wedding/wildlife action, focusing manually is almost always the better way to go. I’ve been shooting a lot of video with my S1, and even when it video-focuses just fine, I find myself going manual more and more. So that I have more control over what’s in focus at any given time. Especially with crowds or multiple animals where autofocus will just jump to whichever subject is closer. So I’m much more interested in a stills autofocus comparison, as that’s where you really need AF speed and accuracy.

[@baihu4u]

Give me the slightly slower, smooth focus transition any day over that distorted jello snapping effect of the A7iii focus system.

[@juliancroot]

You can still see it twitching in the bokeh balls in front of the roof towards the left of the frame, but most people probably wouldn't know it if they weren't looking for it. I'd say this is very similar to the G9's autofocus now, which is to say at times it can be extremely good and very smooth. BUT, as much as I will occasionally use it on the G9, the performance is not repeatable.... it does something different every time with the same scene. I'd also say that low contrast scenes, low light scenes, and people wearing glasses confuse it... so there are only a limited number of scenarios in which I will trust it. In a nut shell, tests like this only prove so much.

[@tominfhl]

Perhaps you could rent the camera and try it and share your findings. Would love to know your hands-on opinions.

[@felixcaparas1071]

I am not a video guy but I am crushing on the S1 and I know how good the A7iii is. I just notice in the latter test, from 5:25 onwards, that the S1 does not blur you when you walk away and towards unlike the A7iii. The A7iii, however, focuses faster when you come in and out from the side of the frame. So I guess the firmware did a good job. Thank you for this review, Sir.

[@keithgoreham1463]

The rate of video focus change can be tweaked on the S1. Not sure about the Sony, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t have a similar feature.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes you definitely can adjust the AF speed and sensitivity, but keep in mind all these settings are really for fine-tuning for some special purpose filming. E.g shooting fast action. Vs shooting static scenes

[@jnvproductionsuk]

Who would have thought that panasonic would compete with sony’s autofocus

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think a lot of Panasonic users would be very happy

[@KeithsTVHD1]

S1H for ME!

[@sflxn]

There are a few things I wish you had done in your test. The first is testing the Panasonic with built-in encoder instead of using the Atmos. In previous tests by others, it was shown the GH5 does AF pretty decently with the Atmos but falls apart when encoding internally. The reason is CDAF uses CPU power to focus and when you need to encode at the same time, there’s not much CPU power left for AF. Unfortunately, this test needs to be redone because as it stands, if you were using the Atmos the entire time, it’s kind of a useless result set.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The video was recorded internally at the same time as well as output to external (for the last bit). So the load on the processor is more than just record internally

[@sflxn]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks for that update. This does seem like Panasonic is on a good path as far as accuracy and speed. Their user just needs them to keep going and to solve the CDAF focus wobble. If they can solve that, then they will be viable vs Canon and Sony.

[@fredaberyEPP]

How bad is the focus breathing on that overpriced Zeiss? Wow!

[@clifftotten7609]

Dang,...have your Panny contacts seen this yet? Very interesting! I'm surprised!!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes I have sent the video to them!