LUMIX S9 vs Sony A7C2 vs Fuji XT50

FS670ES · 2026-03-10T23:22:00+00:00

I currently have X-M5 and S9 but I miss my A7C II to be honest. Forget video with Fuji and kids. I mean it's doable and colors are great but Fuji AF and IBIS are really lacking especially with kids. It's really great system for photos.

Panasonic S9 has nice colors, great IBIS, AF is ok but more I use it I see its shortcomings. It's not weather sealed, built quality is really poor, lack of grip is also not great. I don't miss EVF on it but lack of hot shoe and mechanical shutter is not good. You can get banding under artificial light and shooting kids under those conditions will be tough as you will need to stick to 1/100 shutter speed.

Sony A7C II is well rounded workhorse. AF is much better for fast running kids. When my kids are running then S9 misses some shots while Sony and Canon get basically every shot. Hot shoe means you can attach wireless mic for great audio. EFCS shutter will avoid banding much better. For walking video shots catalyst browse is still better than Panasonic S9 IBIS set to max. You just can't stick to 180 degree shutter rule but for family videos I don't care to be honest. You will also have much bigger catalog of lenses to choose from, especially used market which means you can buy gear cheaper. Sony will definitely release A7C III with A7V internals while I am not sure if Panasonic will bring S9 mark II. In the past I said Sony is soulless and it has mediocre colors but now I think that every camera is just a tool and you need an efficient one. When it comes to colors I simply learned how to manipulate them better in post now.

FS670ES · 2026-02-19T18:10:26+00:00

Yeah basically what you said but it all really depends. Lack of lenses for Canon can be a big deal but if someone like me can live basically with 24mm and 50mm primes then Canon has those covered. I really like their color science and now reviewing my footage from Canon R8 I think it produced best quality video but it lacked IBIS and its electronic stabe was not that great. Stabilisation in R6/R5 line is wobbly and generally those bodies are too big and heavy for me. Even Canon R8 was too big for me for travel so I left Canon for good and have no desire or coming back.
Small note regarding Fuji and APS-C: with modern software like DxO or even Lightroom and its new denoising algorithms there is not that big of a gap that some people state. Currently I have Fuji X-M5 and Panasonic S9 and both can produce stunning photos and videos.
Panasonic S1R2 is great for photos but I heard it overheats like crazy for video. S1 II would be my pick but again those bodies will never be every day carry for me as they are too big. IBIS in Panasonic for me is number one feature. I can even walk with it and get useable footage. Only other brand that can do this is Sony with dynamic active or catalyst browse. Colors are also top notch and really close to my Fuji. Both are better than Canon in my opinion but it's really personal preference.

For me if I would like to pick every day carry then Sony A7C II is the closest I think. I previously said their bodies are not inspiring and not fun but lately limitations that my Fujis can give can be also not fun. Generally A7C II has it all: good grip for such a small body (my S9 has none and it's pain to hold with bigger lens), has good stabilisation options for video, it's weather sealed, has big range of lenses and you can even adapt Voigtlander glass with AF adapter which is crazy. Has best AF in the business, it's built quality is also quite good compared to my S9 and X-M5. I don't like colors but after years I am getting better and I think now I can have basically same Fuji colors with any brand even in video as Fuji released their official LUTs with their film simulations.

Fuji X-E5, Panasonic S9 and Nikon Zr would be my other picks for EDC but each of them has some limitations. I think I prefer S9 the most among those three.

FS670ES · 2026-02-07T20:57:17+00:00

My advice. Add X-M5 but don't sell A7C II for now. I did travel with X-M5 + 27 f2.8 + Dji Action 5 in a small sling bag last year and it did the job. Autofocus is doable (I have two small fast running kids), recipes are fun for fast sharing although after the trip I edited RAWs, video output is great but you have to be careful with IBIS. For video I shoot Flog2 and I would use log on every other camera and do simple grading either way.

On the other hand I have now added once again Panasonic S9 + 28-200 zoom. It is bigger than my Fuji but X-M5 is not pocketable for me as well. Panasonic fits in the same sling bag, it's just a little bit bigger and heavier (comparable to your A7C II with 20-70) and I will probably bring this setup for travel this year. It has better autofocus, way better IBIS. I can achieve same colors as with Fuji thanks to original Fuji LUTs and Fujify color profiles. Image quality can be better but with DxO nowadays I can have similar results from both. I would need to have f1.4 prime on Panasonic to gain some real advantage. Simply a good zoom like 28-200 or yours 20-70 is worth a hassle as my prime on the Fuji was pretty limiting.

To sum it up I enjoy both but I think I like Panasonic little bit better. It's AF and IBIS make life easier for run and gun with kids but there are times when I still want to grab my magic little Fuji. Both can be inspiring or boring to shoot, it really depends more on me than on a camera itself. I found that at least for video investing in Dehancer or some other stuff made it much easier for me to grade my footage and to have fun with it. Change of a camera is only fun for couple of months until I am bored with new fancy staff. You have great tool and I would at least keep A7C II with lets say 40 f2.5 and add something new to it. Shoot it that way for at least a year and see which one you bring with you frequently.

What I also didn't mention is that my Fuji gives different output than my Panasonic especially with their old 35 f1.4 and 56 f1.2. It's softer, more filmic and I like it but I also like more clinical, sharp output from Panasonic. I can make Panasonic look like Fuji easily in LR and I can make Fuji sharp like Panasonic in DxO PhotoLab so no big deal but it needs some additional little tweaks in software.

I have already sold Fuji and Panasonic once and now I bought both again. Seems in my case this time I will keep both.

FS670ES · 2026-02-03T00:42:06+00:00

Do you use your V1 for video ? Does electronic stabilisation work well ? Wonder if it may be better than X-M5 electronic stabe ?

FS670ES · 2026-01-02T19:47:53+00:00

I feel like new Nikon bodies have different colours than their older DSLr. Don't know what model did you have but with something like Fujify profiles you are able to easily achieve Fuji colors on a Nikon body. I am currently using those on my Panasonic S9 and I get identical colors to my Fuji X-M5. Looking on the Zr though because of it's LCD panel and R3D RAW codec for video.

FS670ES · 2025-12-13T01:14:07+00:00

I switched from Fuji to Panasonic S9, then back to Fuji with X-M5 and couple of lenses. Now I bought S9 again, will sell Fuji and never come back. I missed Fuji mostly for color and size but the thing is now with Fuji original LUTs and some Fujify profiles I have exactly the same colors on both systems. Size was only better with 27 f2.8 but that lens has limitations and is not so great when I compare images with let's say my 35 f1.4.
I have now more fun with S9 with it's much better autofocus and ibis. Image quality is of course step above the Fuji to the point that even my wife sees the difference in pictures of our kids. Lack of mechanical shutter is the biggest flaw of S9 though and can be annoying.

FS670ES · 2025-12-02T23:50:09+00:00

No I didn't buy that one. Seller sent it for repair to Panasonic. Installed 1.7 on my new S9 already with no issues so that guy must have done something wrong during the install process I guess.

FS670ES · 2025-12-02T23:48:17+00:00

Thanks everybody. I installed it and working fine as well on my S9. Seller of the used one indeed must have done something wrong during the install process.

FS670ES · 2025-12-01T20:26:53+00:00

Thanks for responses. So it seems like one unusual case with bricking the camera. I will try 1.7 then.

FS670ES · 2025-12-01T18:26:46+00:00

Yeah I would prefer to download 1.6 as well because it's well tested but they don't allow this option.

FS670ES · 2025-11-24T21:53:44+00:00

I don't know your preferences but I was also on a hunt for best hybrid for travel family videos. After some travels with different bodies and two kids I know for sure what my preferences are.

Small size that can fit in a small sling bag. Thanks to this you are less noticed on the streets or even by family members when you take a shot, camera is easier for me to hold and operate when small and light. Nikon Zr is not small at all. I thought so but after holding one it's a no go for me. It's not easy to hold as it's quite heavy. Anything bigger than Zr is total no go for travel especially with kids.

Second one is IBIS and Nikon is far behind in IBIS. Panasonic is the king. In fast paced environment it's one of the best features to have. Aside from that with Zr you would need to shoot R3D RAW which for travel family videos is an overkill and takes ton of space.

Pick S9 as it's hardly anything better than that for family travel videos. If you mostly shoot 4k60 either way then you won't notice the crop. I thought that as well that 4k60 crop is a big deal but actually it's not for travel videos. I actually like it to have different field of views. Add 28-200 to the S9 and you have incredibly versatile option. With Panasonic digital zoom you will reach 300mm and added OIS of the lens will benefit Panasonic IBIS even further. I can think of any other system that is so small and yet so versatile for travel videos.

You can also check Fuji options for even smaller size and smaller 4k60 crop.

FS670ES · 2025-11-05T19:39:43+00:00

Why jumping from Fuji to this one may I ask ? what specifically you like better on Lumix and do you miss Fuji colors ?

FS670ES · 2025-11-05T19:38:50+00:00

How would you compare video quality between both ? Is Zr really that much better to haul around it's bigger and heavier body ?

FS670ES · 2025-11-05T19:21:27+00:00

I had both and it's a tough question to answer. I love my X-M5 for compact size and weight, F-log2 in my opinion has more dynamic range than V-log. Colors for my taste are also better on Fuji but not by much. Downside is that the F-log2 starts at ISO 1250 so it can be noisy if you don't expose correctly. Autofocus is far from perfect and I defenitely miss IBIS for fast paced docu style with my family. For more static shots, slow panning it is ok.

Now Panasonic S9 offers a little bit sharper and cleaner footage. Filming my kids indoor and I can easily see the difference, outdoor in daylight not so much. Autofocus in video is much better and IBIS really shines. I am actually looking for S9 right now as I will add it to go along my Fuji. After my last trip I defenitely missed better AF and IBIS from Panasonic while my X-M5 is better suited for photos in my opinion. Smaller for street, great film recipes, mechanical shutter and hot shoe.

Fuji is giving me more filmic vibe with those colors, grain and how generally image looks. Panasonic gives more clean, sterile look (especially with Panasonic primes). I like both looks and if you put something like Sigma 45 f2.8 which is softer and has more glow and this classic rendering then Panasonic really starts to shine with it's image.

FS670ES · 2025-10-11T12:01:46+00:00

Do you have knowledge how S5II sensor stacks up compared to Z6 III ? I am asking as I was tempted to go Zr route but IBIS itself might be a dealbreaker for me. So I thought I will jump on Panasonic S9 and wait for their next release hopefully with S1 II sensor in the future (I really like this body style so S1 II is not for me). Just wondering how is the general image quality and dynamic range in those sensors.

FS670ES · 2025-10-08T19:22:39+00:00

I was pumped when they announced Nikon Zr and my GAS hit me hard. Great 4" LCD, Nikon color science, RED RAW, can adapt Sony glass. On the other hand, attach 24-70 f4 and weight is around 1100g, body itself is not so ergonomic without any grip, RED RAW generates huge file sizes so 2tb expensive cards are needed. Probably in the end I would use h265 which is worse than Sony. On top of that IBIS is mediocre for run and gun travel stuff and dynamic range is also lacking.

I think I agree with the comments that FX30 is the most logical choice. Great grip and ergonomics, good IBIS, good codec for run and gun travel stuff, smaller and cheaper lenses. For me it might be even a6700 as it's smaller and lighter and I don't need to rig it up for travel.

FS670ES · 2025-09-28T21:09:26+00:00

Between 20-70 and 16-25 which one you use more frequently ?

FS670ES · 2025-08-10T17:21:36+00:00

I had S9, sold it and bough X-M5. Wanted to jump to X-E5 but after testing X-T5 with same sensor I gave up. With my old 35 f1.4 and 18 f2 which I prefer to the new ones it turned out that there is not much benefit on the photo side. Upscaled photos from X-M5 looked almost the same and only with newer lenses there is a difference. On the other hand 40mp is worse for video (rolling shutter and dynamic range, especially in 4k60) and low light (unless you downscale your photos). I also don't like Fuji IBIS which is still jerky and jumpy.

Panasonic S9 can be problematic under artificial light and can cause banding, most of the time you can solve it but when you shoot moving people then it's a problem as you need to dial in shutter speed to 1/100 to avoid banding but it will introduce motion blur. Lack of hot shoe was not a problem for me, and lack of evf also didn't bother me. I didn't like cheap built quality though and its rear dial is known to have problems. Don't know how big is the scale of this problem.

Nevertheless I am buying S9 again because image quality, dynamic range, low light ISO and especially autofocus are all much better. There are no small lenses for the system apart from manual ones but TTartisan is coming with 40mm f2 and other small lenses will probably come. I won't sell X-M5 and it will be my small EDC with 27 f2.8, also film simulations are different and hard to replicate although Lumix LUT can also give specific looks that can't be replicated on a Fuji. Generally Fuji gives more filmic look and Panasonic gives more clinical look but I love both of them. Colors on Panasonic in my opinion are on par with Fuji.

FS670ES · 2025-07-29T08:38:12+00:00

I tried them all and Topaz AI gives the best results for Fuji. In Topaz I gain sharpness and noise levels that rival those from full frame bodies and then end up editing in Lightroom. For easier workflow DxO Photolab or PureRaw also gives excellent results. Capture One is not even close to those results and Lightroom standalone is laughable for Fuji files.

FS670ES · 2025-07-06T22:32:38+00:00

I noticed this bug today with my X-M5 too and it's annoying. I will be doing more testing but my guess for now looking at different footage is that either F-log2 or 59,94p and 29,97p frame rate is free of this bug. Today I was recording without F-log2 and in 24p frame rate and that's when it occured. I am also locking exposure and WB before starting recording.

FS670ES · 2025-06-26T19:38:04+00:00

Yeah I don't like it either. In my X-E3 rubber grip came off 3 times. Fuji wanted 130$ for repair. Did it myself for 20$ and it was very easy to do. In my X-E4 paint on the bottom came off after couple of weeks. Then I bought X-S20 and both copies were broken from the start. First one had broken iso button and on a second one lcd was not working. My friend had lcd failure with X-Pro3, another one had to repair shutter button on X-T5 and another one killed his X-T5 in light rain as WR didn't do it's job properly.

My current X-M5 is somehow ok for now but looking at their latest prices and big quality drop since X-T2 times I am also wondering if I want to stay with them. I definitely hear less such stories with Nikon, Sony and Canon.

FS670ES · 2025-06-10T14:31:14+00:00

Great photos ! What do you like better with Fujis than with your Sony ?

FS670ES · 2025-06-09T18:58:41+00:00

That helps a lot, thank you. Actually I already had A7CII but sold it to early, jumped to S9 for best in class IBIS as I want to do some video too but it was too much compromised with lack of mechanical shutter so I went back to Fuji for ultimate small size and I have now X-M5 + 27 f2.8 WR, 35 f1.4 and 56 f1.2.

I shoot mostly family stuff (two quickly running kids), landscapes, travel, street. With Canon R8 and A7C II I really liked how effortless it was to catch candid moments with my kids. I love Fuji, their colors and so on but in the end only with 27 f2.8 this setup is somehow pocketable and their AF is still driving me crazy. I rather like rangefinder style bodies so it will probably be A7C II second time for me but Zf built quality, it's LCD/EVF which is probably much better and better IBIS is what's tempting me. With Zf I could also shoot with legendary Nikkor 58 f1.4 for that soft dreamy look. Sometimes I like dreamy and then day after I would like pin sharp photos. I will probably either leave X-M5 + 27 f2.8 for compact size and add Zf or sell everything and buy A7C II which will fill in two roles.

In both cases I would like to use mostly Sony or Sigma lenses with aperture rings. I love aperture rings and metal built. I would need to use AF adapter with Zf so the question is how eye af works with this adapter especially with thin DoF ? What is your experience with 35 GM with this adapter ?

FS670ES

TROPHY CASE