Last Updated on August 3, 2020
With its competitors releasing new mirrorless cameras, it was natural for Panasonic to join the game with its own range. The Panasonic Lumix S1 full frame mirrorless camera is one of the brand’s first forays into this segment and although it wasn’t the first to introduce mirrorless options to the market, it’s now considered one of the best.
- 24.2-megapixel full-frame (35.6mm x 23.8mm) MOS sensor
- 5.76m-Dot 0.78x-Magnification OLED LVF
- 3.2″ 2.1m-Dot Triaxial Tilt Touchscreen
- 5-AXIS BODY I.S. and DUAL I.S.
- 4K 60p, 4K 24/30P unlimited recording
- Venus Engine Image Processor
- Weather-Sealed Construction
Panasonic and Lumix: A little history
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, Panasonic has been in consumer electronics since 1918 making it one of the oldest and most reliable manufacturers in the world. To keep up with the competition, the company released its first Lumix range of digital cameras that range from point-and-shoots to DSLRs used by professionals. Panasonic also released different versions of its trademark Venus Engine digital image processor.
With the trend shifting towards mirrorless cameras that are considered lighter and more practical to use than the heavy DSLRs, Panasonic announced its partnership with Leica and Sigma last year to develop lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. The brand also announced the first of its range of mirrorless cameras, the Lumix S1 that will feature the L-Mount Alliance forged by the three brands.
But, why choose a mirrorless camera anyway? It’s simple: you don’t have to bring a heavy camera and lens kit everywhere you go making it perfect if you travel often to shoot. Let’s take a closer look at what the Panasonic Lumix S1 full frame mirrorless camera has to offer:
What can you expect from the Panasonic Lumix S1
The Panasonic Lumix S1 full frame mirrorless camera may be the brand’s first foray into mirrorless cameras, but it surely doesn’t disappoint. This well-rounded camera is constructed well and has advanced features that guarantee excellent results for both stills and video. But is it worth the $2,497 price tag? Let’s find out.
Viewing, handling and controls
With the L-mount alliance, you can expect nothing but the best with this camera. For starters, it has an L lens mount with a 51.6mm diameter and a 20mm flange distance supporting a wide range of optics. It also has a high resolution 5.76m-dot OLED EVF with a 60fps or 120fps changeable refresh rate. The camera also come with a large 3.2” 2.1m-dot LCD for excellent live view shooting, playback and menu navigation. The screen is even designed to have triaxial tilting capabilities for working in both low and high angles. It even has a dedicated Live View Boost for working in low light conditions.
The camera’s body is also designed to withstand even the harshest shooting conditions with its weather-sealed magnesium alloy construction that’s dust, splash and freeze proof. The Lumix S1 is also designed for portability with its ergonomic design featuring a right-hand grip, accessible physical controls and an impressive UI design that makes for convenient shooting.
Image and video
One of the Lumix S1’s biggest features is its impressive full-frame 24.2MP MOS sensor that works alongside Panasonic’s updated Venus Engine. This makes the camera’s shooting capabilities second to none with its wide dynamic range, a quick 9 fps shooting rate with AF-S or 6 fps with AF-C, a high sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200 and flexible recording modes.
The Panasonic Lumix S1 full frame mirrorless camera is also reliable in shooting videos with its UHD 4K30p recording with full-pixel readout capability combined with an impressive UHD 4K60p recording time of up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds. The camera also supports full HD recording and boasts of high-speed recording modes.
Storage
The Panasonic Lumix S1 has one CFexpress Type B/XQD slot and one SD UHS-II compatible slot that offer you flexibility in segregating raw and JPEG files or just double your storage space.
Extras and connectivity
The Panasonic Lumix S1 features a USB Type-C port for fast file transfers, an HDMI Type A port for videos, a 2.5mm port for an optional DMW-RS2 remote shutter, a PC sync port for wired flash synchronization and 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks for audio recording. The camera also has Bluetooth Low Energy for constant connetion with your mobile device with low power consumption and you can also download the Lumix Sync app to pair with your camera for remote shooting control and wireless image transfers.
Pros & Cons
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- Pros:
- Impressive image and video quality
- Weather-proof construction
- Touchscreen viewfinder, USB-C and smartphone connectivity
- In-body stabilization
- Pros:
-
- Cons:
- A bit pricey
- Control scheme takes a while to figure out
- Competitor brands can offer more features for the same price
- Cons:
Final Thoughts
Since this is Panasonic’s first step towards mirrorless cameras, it’s understandable that the Lumix S1 may not be the best one out there yet. But if you’re looking for a compact camera that can withstand the harshest shooting conditions and still deliver great images, this is the camera for you.
Head back to the top of this post and take a look at the test footage and video reviews
Test Footage
Specification
Lens Mount | Leica L |
Camera Format | Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor) |
Pixels | Actual: 25.28 Megapixel Effective: 24.2 Megapixel |
Maximum Resolution | 6000 x 4000 |
Aspect Ratio | 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 65:24 |
Sensor Type | MOS |
Sensor Size | 35.6 x 23.8 mm |
Image File Format | JPEG, Raw |
Image Stabilization | Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis |
ISO Sensitivity | Auto, 100 to 51200 (Extended: 50 to 204800) |
Shutter Speed | Mechanical Shutter 1/8000 to 60 Seconds 0 to 30 Minutes in Bulb Mode Electronic Front Curtain Shutter 1/2000 to 60 Seconds 0 to 30 Minutes in Bulb Mode Electronic Shutter 1/8000 to 60 Seconds 1/16000 to 1/25 Second in Movie Mode Bulb Mode |
Metering Method | Center-Weighted Average, Highlight Weighted, Multiple, Spot |
Exposure Modes | Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority |
Exposure Compensation | -5 to +5 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
Metering Range | 0 to 18 EV |
White Balance | Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Flash, Incandescent, Shade, White Set |
Continuous Shooting | Up to 9 fps at 24 MP for up to 90 Frames (Raw) / 999 Frames (JPEG) |
Interval Recording | Yes |
Self-Timer | 2/10-Second Delay |
Recording Modes | 4:2:2 10-Bit UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/29.97p MP4/H.264 UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 59.94p [150 Mb/s] UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/29.97p [100 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94p [28 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 29.97p [20 Mb/s] MP4/H.265 UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/29.97p [72 Mb/s] AVCHD Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94p [28 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 29.97p [24 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94i [17 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94i [24 Mb/s] |
External Recording Modes | 4:2:2 10-Bit UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 59.94p |
Video Encoding | NTSC |
Audio Recording | Built-In Microphone (Stereo) External Microphone Input |
Audio File Format | AAC, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM |
Focus Type | Auto and Manual Focus |
Focus Mode | Continuous-Servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S) |
Autofocus Points | Contrast Detection: 225 |
Autofocus Sensitivity | -6 to +18 EV |
Viewfinder Type | Electronic |
Viewfinder Resolution | 5,760,000 Dot |
Viewfinder Eye Point | 21 mm |
Viewfinder Coverage | 100% |
Viewfinder Magnification | Approx. 0.78x |
Diopter Adjustment | -4 to +2 |
Monitor Size | 3.2″ |
Monitor Resolution | 2,100,000 Dot |
Monitor Type | Tilting Touchscreen LCD |
Built-In Flash | No |
Flash Modes | Auto, Auto/Red-Eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-Eye Reduction, Off, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-Eye Reduction |
Maximum Sync Speed | 1/320 Second |
Flash Compensation | -3 to +3 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
Dedicated Flash System | TTL |
External Flash Connection | Hot Shoe, PC Terminal |
Memory Card Slot | Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) Slot 2: CFexpress Type B / XQD |
Connectivity | 3.5mm Headphone, 3.5mm Microphone, 2.5mm Sub-Mini, HDMI A (Full Size), PC Sync Socket, USB Type-C (USB 3.0) |
Wireless | Wi-Fi Bluetooth |
GPS | No |
Operating Temperature | 14 to 104°F / -10 to 40°C |
Operating Humidity | 10 to 80% |
Battery | 1 x DMW-BLJ31 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 3100 mAh |
Dimensions (W x H x D) | 5.9 x 4.3 x 3.8″ / 148.9 x 110 x 96.7 mm (Excluding Protrusions) |
Weight | 2.25 lb / 1021 g (Body with Battery and Memory) |
Package Weight | 6.385 lb |
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 9.4 x 9.15 x 6.4″ |
Unboxing
Reviews
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