Why I switched from the Lumix S1 to the Canon R6
After recently selling my Panasonic S1, I decided to make the move to the Canon EOS R6. Below are 5 of my top reasons for jumping ship and moving ecosystems.
1 - Autofocus
The S1 just never got there. When I first picked it up, Panasonic had promised big, touting the inclusion of AI and Depth from Defocus (DFD) as something that had the possibility to rival those faster and more accurate systems implored by Sony and Canon. With the most recent v2.0 firmware update the S1 got better, but I just never had that feeling you get when shooting with Canon's excellent Dual Pixel Autofocus. When in video mode, the S1's focusing issues tended to compound making for a lot of blown shots, tracking was not reliable and backgrounds would pulse because of constant hunting.
Now I am not saying the Lumix S1 was unusable or that it didn't have it's moments. I have shot entire videos where the focus would be as close to perfect as you get, but if I am going to use something, I want to have confidence in the camera and not just hope that it is having a good day.
In photo mode, the S1 was good. I regularly would hit 90% on shoots like engagement photos where you have the time to give the camera your full undivided attention, but you just always had that lingering feeling of "I hope it's working" that you just don't get with the Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) system that Canon uses.
2 - 4K 60p - 1.07x crop vs 1.5x
Big fan of 4K60p, if I am not shooting in 24fps, you can pretty much bet I am in 60 frames. With the Panasonic S1 this came at a cost, that being a 1.5x crop. The Canon R6 is no perfect camera, the R6 has a 1.07x crop in 4K60p, but I find this much more manageable and you don't have to think about using a different lens just to shoot 60fps. Being able to retain that full frame look while still getting 10bit color with the R6 is something that really drew me to this camera. Many have noted and shown that the R6's 4K60p image quality is even better and sharper than that coming out of this camera's bigger brother, the Canon R5.
3 - Lens Selection - RF Mount
Ahh the L-Mount Alliance! Announced during the launch of the Panasonic S1, this lens alliance promised a unified mount for 3 camera manufacturers; Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. To be fair, the quality of Panasonic glass is right up there with some of the best I have ever shot with, but the speed at which these lenses are being designed and produced is what ultimately started my search for another camera brand. For myself, I am most interested in 3 lenses, a wide (16-35mm), a telephoto (70-200mm) and a fast mid range prime (50mm). While these do exist on the Panasonic system, the wide is an f4 and not stabilized, the 70-200mm f2.8 is the size of a small continent and the 50mm f1.4 is priced higher than most f1.2's.
The Canon RF lens lineup is laid out in a way that makes a lot of sense and to be frank, I just really like the direction Canon is going with lens design. They have the holy trinity, wide (15-35mm), mid (24-70mm) and tele (70-200mm) all at f2.8, all image stabilized. The 70-200mm f2.8 is by far the smallest and most compact lens of its kind. Then you have the crazy sharp 50mm f1.2 and the canon ball sized 28-70mm f2. You can get cheap primes like the 50f1.8 for under $200 as well as more affordable 35mm and 85mm variants if you so desire. Canon has first party EF adaptors available that allow full functionality with just about every EF lens and so for me, this is what I was looking for... and so I already got the 15-35mm f2.8 and am loving it!
4 - Size and Build
The Lumix S1 is a tank. Love it or hate it, if you got in a street fight, whoever is wielding this beast is walking away the victor. I have shot in blazing summer heat, freezing cold, rain, salt, ice, you name it, this camera is as solid as they come. But with size comes weight and you can't deny the almost 1lb difference between the two camera bodies. While I love to say I lift and therefore camera size doesn't matter, when you are shooting all day long, having a lighter and more streamlined body can make a big difference.
The biggest issue I have had with the S1 is the grip. It is fairly large which I am a fan of, but at the very top, there is a shelf that juts out just under the shutter button, this textured shelf for whatever reason has always hit weirdly on my finger and has on more than one occasion given me blisters after an all day shoot. Maybe I have guerrilla hands, I may never know, but the R6 contours to the hand in a way you almost have to feel to appreciate.
While I can almost certainly tell the R6 is not made in the same tank like way as the S1, I am willing to give up some of that all weather bullet proof build quality for a more comfortable and lighter weight package.
5 - Investing into the future
For me, the move to the R6 was more than just a switch in camera brands. I shoot almost every day with Canon's cinema line of cameras, the Canon C700. I got my start in the industry shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II and then the Canon C300 after that. I have shot with Canon, Sony, RED, Arri and Panasonic all at some point in my career and have always gone back to Canon for the ease of use and image quality. With the announcement and popularity of the C70, it is not a matter of if, but when Canon starts to transition their cinema line to the RF Mount. I feel this is not just a bump in their road, but a significant switch in direction for the company, much like when EF was first announced many years ago. This is a mount and a company that is committed to building innovative cameras and lenses for the future and this is something that has drawn me to the company for many years. With every camera out their taking beautiful photos and capturing incredible video, you need to find those companies that speak to you on more of a personal note, for me, that has always been Canon.
I hope this article has been helpful for anyone that may be considering the R6 or maybe you have decided the Panasonic S1 is more your style. You can't lose either way, both the Lumix S1 and Canon R6 are incredibly capable systems and it truly comes down to the operator whether or not the end product looks great. Looking forward to getting to know the R6 more and putting it through it's first real shoot!
Like always, if you have any questions, please leave those below and I will try my best to answer them.
Happy shooting! Cheers!!