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Product photographs by Dale Baskin/Mitchell Clark
The Panasonic Lumix S9 is the most recent addition to Panasonic’s line of full-frame mirrorless cameras, although it differs significantly from earlier fashions. It is the primary within the collection to diverge from the normal DSLR type issue. Extra considerably, it is the primary full-frame Lumix digicam aimed squarely at social media content material creators.
The fundamental premise of the S9 is that it is designed to simplify and speed-up the social media workflow. The objective is to permit content material creators to generate photographs or movies able to publish straight out of the digicam with out further modifying in different functions.
Key specs
24MP BSI CMOS sensor with on-sensor part detection
4K 3:2 open-gate video in 25 or 30p (4:2:0 10-bit) with new ‘MP4 (Lite)’ codec
6K 3:2 open-gate video at as much as 30p (4:2:0 10-bit)
6K or DCI/UHD 4K from full sensor width as much as 30p
DCI/UHD 4K as much as 60p (with APS-C crop)
Devoted LUT button to use LUTs in actual time (photographs and video)
Tight integration with the brand new LumixLab smartphone app
Twin conversion acquire sensor with specific ‘Twin Native ISO’ acquire choice
UHS-II card slot
1.84M dot fully-articulating LCD
The Lumix S9 can be accessible from the tip of Could 2024 at a recommended retail worth of $1499. 4 shade choices can be found: evening blue, darkish olive, crimson crimson and jet black.
Alongside the S9, Panasonic additionally introduced a brand new L-mount lens designed to pair with the digicam. The Lumix S 26mm F8 is a fixed-aperture, handbook focus ‘pancake’ fashion lens with a recommended retail worth of $199.
Index:
What’s new:
Beneath the hood, the Panasonic S9 is essentially the identical digicam because the Panasonic S5II. Nonetheless, by necessity, it omits a few of that digicam’s {hardware} options within the curiosity of dimension, together with an EVF, a second primary command dial, a joystick, a second card slot and an built-in fan. And whereas the 2 cameras share a typical expertise platform, the S9 isn’t supposed to be a extra compact model of the S5II: the cameras have very completely different design philosophies and are aimed toward various kinds of customers.
Social media-focused workflow
The S9 is particularly designed with a social media workflow in thoughts. This implies offering social media creators with the instruments essential to generate a novel, signature look to their photographs and movies straight out of the digicam with out requiring any modifying expertise. Panasonic describes this as the flexibility to “Shoot, edit and share in 30 seconds.” Whereas 30 seconds could also be a bit optimistic, it is necessary to grasp that this social media workflow underpins the digicam’s options and design selections.
In essence, the S9 is meant to offer social media creators with a camera-to-social-media workflow that may be executed rapidly and simply, wherever they could be, with out counting on a pc or any third-party software program. Though the digicam can help an fanatic photographer’s workflow, it is not optimized round that use case in the identical method as a digicam just like the S5II and lacks options that devoted photographers are more likely to worth, comparable to a devoted viewfinder, a second command dial and direct controls for options comparable to AF mode and space.
Expanded use of ‘Actual Time’ LUTs
A core characteristic of the S9’s social media workflow is Panasonic’s ‘Actual Time’ LUT system, first launched on the S5II. This does kind of what it appears like: it enables you to immediately apply a look-up desk (LUT) shade transformation to a photograph or video as they’re captured to offer a customized look that will in any other case require further modifying to attain.
LUTs have been a normal methodology of making use of shade transformations within the video world for years, however Panasonic has expanded their use to broadly apply to each stills and video. It guarantees that this LUT-based workflow will allow you to skip the modifying step completely as a result of you should utilize LUTs to attain no matter look you need straight out of the digicam.
LUTs are such an important a part of the S9’s identification that it has a devoted LUT button subsequent to the AF-On button on the again of the digicam. Tapping this button permits you to rapidly cycle by way of all of the LUTs loaded into the digicam to pick the look you need to obtain.
The S9’s Actual Time LUT characteristic permits you to generate customized appears straight out of the digicam.
Along with a devoted LUT button, the digicam improves upon the system discovered on the S5II in a number of methods. The S9 can retailer as much as 39 LUTs in reminiscence, up from ten on the S5II, and LUTs can now be utilized to any of the digicam’s photograph kinds; beforehand, LUTs might solely be utilized to the V-Log fashion. Customers now have the flexibility to regulate LUT opacity, starting from 10-100%, and it is even doable to use two LUTs directly by making a ‘My Picture Model’, which helps you to select a base photograph fashion and apply one or two LUTs on prime of it.
The result’s a just about limitless mixture of appears that may be created and saved in-camera for fast entry on the contact of a button.
New LUTs will be added to the digicam rapidly and simply utilizing a companion smartphone app, although it is also doable so as to add a LUT in .dice or .vlt format from an SD card if desired.
LumixLab app
Alongside the S9, Panasonic is launching a brand new smartphone app known as LumixLab, particularly supposed to help the S9’s social media workflow. In contrast to most smartphone apps for cameras, which function an non-obligatory device, LumixLab is prime to the S9 person expertise, to the purpose that the digicam’s headline characteristic of utilizing actual time LUTs will depend on it.
The LumixLab app permits to create and handle LUTs in your digicam.
LumixLab permits you to apply LUTs to photographs and to handle the LUTs put in in your digicam. Nonetheless, the actual energy of LumixLab is the flexibility to rapidly and simply create your personal customized appears and generate customized LUTs based mostly on these appears. The app consists of varied modifying instruments, together with publicity, shade, HSL, tone curve, break up firming, sharpening, noise discount, sharpness, and even simulated movie grain. For those who edit a picture or video clip and get a glance that you just need to reproduce sooner or later, you possibly can immediately save a customized LUT based mostly in your edits and cargo it into one of many digicam’s 39 reminiscence banks.
The thought is to let you create a signature look you could mechanically apply to any media you seize sooner or later just by deciding on your customized LUT utilizing the digicam’s LUT button.
LumixLab additionally features a library of ready-to-use LUTs, together with LUTs created by Panasonic and LUTs shared by different social media content material creators. This implies you have got many inventive choices to select from, even with out having to make LUTs your self.
It is price noting that LumixLab does not replicate all the options of Panasonic’s current Picture App, comparable to the flexibility to regulate your digicam remotely. Panasonic tells us the 2 apps will coexist for some time however that it will definitely plans to merge them. LumixLab can be accessible for obtain from the Apple App Retailer and Google Play Retailer on Could 29.
4K open-gate recording and MP4 (Lite) codec
The S9’s default video mode is 4K open-gate video, downsampled from 6K, utilizing the complete space of the digicam’s sensor somewhat than a 16:9 area, as most cameras do. This makes it simpler to generate horizontal and vertical video from the identical grasp clip however with smaller file sizes that switch extra rapidly to a smartphone than full-resolution 6K open-gate video. Apparently, this default mode helps 25p and 30p recording however not 24p.
This default video mode makes use of a brand new codec, which Panasonic calls ‘MP4 (Lite)’, which information at 50 Mbps. This will likely appear low in comparison with the upper bit charges we have change into accustomed to in recent times, nevertheless it considerably quickens transfers between the digicam and smartphone and might be adequate for many social media, the place video is closely compressed for streaming.
Side ratios
Body charges
Bit-depth
Chroma
Max bitrate
6K Open gate3:2, full width
3:2
29.97, 25, 24, 23.98
10-bit
4:2:0
200
4K Open gate3:2, full width*
25, 30
50
6K full-width
16:9, 1.89:1
29.97, 25, 24, 23.98
200
4K full-width
4:2:2
150
4K APS-C
59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 24, 23.98(48, 47.95)
200
*Open gate 4K recording is the default video mode for digicam
The default video mode even will get its personal slot on the digicam’s Q menu, separate from all different video settings. You continue to have entry to most of Panasonic’s different video settings, proper as much as 6K open-gate video, however you will want to modify out of the default video mode to make use of them.
Equally, you get entry to Panasonic’s wonderful video options like waveform monitor, shutter angle, zebras, Log view help, document body indicator, and the opposite typical suspects. Nonetheless, the digicam does have a 15-minute recording restrict.
The way it compares
Panasonic’s pitching this digicam squarely at creators who’re nonetheless primarily capturing with their telephones. If it desires the S9 to woo them, it has to do two issues: be nearly as handy to hold round and shoot with as a telephone, whereas producing a lot higher-quality photographs. The digicam’s compact dimension, together with the revamped app, are performs at making it handy, whereas its full-frame sensor ought to present sufficient uncooked photograph and video high quality to face out in a crowd of smartphone photographs.
In fact, the S9 is not the one selection for creators seeking to step as much as a devoted digicam. Sony’s ZV-E1 is a direct rival that is centered on assembly the wants of creators. We have additionally included the Panasonic DC-S5II, the corporate’s extra photographer-friendly mannequin underpinned by related {hardware}.
Lastly, the Sigma fp is admittedly a barely left-field comparability however its lack of viewfinder, reliance on digital shutter and use of the identical sensor makes it an attention-grabbing level of comparability.
Panasonic S9
Sony ZV-E1
Panasonic S5II
Sigma fp
MSRP
$1499
$2200
$1999
$1899
Pixel depend
24MP
12MP
24MP
25MP
Viewfinder(Res/Magazine)
N/A
N/A
3.69M dot OLED,0.76x
Elective
Rear Display screen
3.0″ 1.84M dots, absolutely articulating
3.0″ 1.04M dots, fully-articulating,
3.0″ 1.62M dot, fully-articulating
3.2″ 2.1M dot, mounted
Picture stabilization
Physique: 5EV
w/lens: 6.5EV
Physique: 5EV
Physique: 8EV
w/lens: 8EV
N/A
Cont. capturing price
30fps e-shutter
10fps e-shutter
30fps e-shutter7fps mech (AF-C)
18fps e-shutter
Mechanical shutter
No
No
Sure
No
Video decision
6K 3:2 <30p
6K/5.9K <30p
4K 60p (APS-C)
4K <30p (full width)
4K <60p
1080 <120p
(4K <120p, 1080 <240p by way of f/w*)
6K 3:2 <30p
6K/5.9K <30p
DCI/UHD <30p
DCI/UHD <60p (1.5x crop)
Video bit-depth
10 bit with HLG and Log
10 bit with HLG and Log
10 bit with HLG and Log
12 bit Cinema DNG
Mic/Headphone sockets
Sure / No
Sure / Sure
Sure / Sure
Sure / Sure
Card slots
1x UHS-II
1x UHS-II
2x UHS-II
1x UHS-II
Battery life (CIPA) LCD / EVF
470
570
370 / 370
280
Weight
486g (17.1 oz)
483g (17oz)
740g (26.1oz)
422 g (14.89 oz)
Dimensions
126 x 74 x 47 mm
121 x 72 x 54mm
134 x 102 x 90mm
113 x 70 x 45 mm
*A free firmware improve is required to entry 4K/120 capturing on the ZV-E1
For its worth and dimension, the S9 has a fairly spectacular spec sheet for a mid-level digicam, largely owing to its high-res, full-frame sensor, and its ample video options. The corporate’s stabilization tech and autofocus are additionally aggressive, although Sony nonetheless holds the crown within the later class.
Which makes the comparability with the Sony ZV-E1 attention-grabbing. It too goals to make creators’ lives simpler, however by way of completely different means. The S9’s forte is making it simple to seek out or create a search for your photographs, whereas the ZV-E1 is tuned to make filming your self simpler. Its “Auto Framing” characteristic will mechanically crop your video in order that it follows your topic and it features a “product showcase” mode that’ll particularly give attention to objects that you just’re holding as much as the digicam, each making it suited to single-person operation. Its sensor can also be higher matched for video, so it may document 4K at 60fps with none crop or 120p with a slight crop.
That sensor’s decrease megapixel depend places the ZV-E1 at a drawback in terms of capturing photographs, although, and whereas it does have its personal customized LUT characteristic, it is largely centered on video as a substitute of photographs. The MSRP can also be considerably larger than the S9’s.
The S9’s give attention to creators means there are many options that might push fanatic and extra photo-focused consumers in direction of dearer cameras just like the S5II. The S9’s greater cousin has a second SD card slot and, in fact, an EVF. It is also better-equipped for video, with a full-size HDMI port versus a fragile micro one and a devoted headphone socket (with the flexibility to document to an SSD on the dearer S5II X mannequin). The S5II’s further options come at a price although, each figurative and literal; it is over 50% heavier and its MSRP is $500 larger than the S9’s, each components that might be dealbreakers for on-the-go content material creators or people who find themselves simply beginning out.
Physique and dealing with
The S9 has a really smooth design, harking back to previous rangefinder movie cameras. Its face is a largely flat floor, a leatherette cowl that is available in 4 colours. (Actual ones too; it is good that Panasonic hasn’t skimped on saturation like many gadget-makers are lately.) In contrast to Panasonic’s higher-end choices, the S9 does not have any programmable buttons up entrance.
The digicam is comparatively compact for housing a full-frame sensor; it is smaller and lighter than Panasonic’s 4 thirds-equipped G9II. Nonetheless, the S9 continues to be not a small object, and we felt its thickness, rounded edges, and lack of ergonomic affordances made it tough to confidently shoot it one-handed, like you possibly can with cameras just like the S5II or GH5II. Its floor finishes are comparatively slick, and it does not have any entrance grip to talk of. (There’s a leatherette-covered thumbrest, however it may solely achieve this a lot.)
On the prime of the digicam is the mode dial, together with a programmable command dial that runs across the shutter button. There’s additionally a programmable crimson button that, by default, will begin recording video even in the event you’re in a photograph mode, although in a restricted set of resolutions and framerates. (It’s going to begin recording in MP4 Lite, normal MP4, or MOV, however you will have to modify to video mode to shoot above 4K.) Lastly, there is a chilly shoe mount, which might be helpful for equipment like vlogging microphones or on-camera lights so long as they will present their very own energy.
Shifting to the again of the digicam, there’s the flip-out touchscreen, which is the S9’s solely show. In contrast to most different cameras within the present Lumix S or G lineup, there isn’t any EVF to be discovered. The show can also be the principle method to choose your focus factors, as there isn’t any joystick or directional pad. It is responsive, crisp and clear at 3.0″ and 1.84 million dots (960 x 640px), nevertheless it’s vulnerable to glare even on comparatively overcast days.
Above the show, you will discover the LUT and AF On buttons, each of that are programmable and simple to succeed in whereas capturing. All the way down to the suitable is the management wheel, together with the remainder of the digicam’s buttons. We discovered the dial to be fairly delicate, which restricted our selections whereas selecting its perform; it is no enjoyable wanting down at your digicam and discovering that you just by chance modified to a black and white photograph fashion, or adjusted your white steadiness.
That sensitivity does enable you zip round menus, nevertheless it does not make it any simpler to make use of the wheel once you’re one-handing the digicam. It is positioned such that you will have to take away your thumb from the thumbrest to make changes, one thing that can nearly definitely unbalance the digicam except you are supporting it with a second hand.
Photographers that spend most of their time in handbook mode, or who ever need to management their main parameter whereas additionally getting access to publicity compensation, will most likely want for an additional command dial, and those that hate diving into menus will seemingly need an additional programmable button or two. Nonetheless, it is undoubtedly doable to get by with the controls included on the S9, particularly in the event you take the time to customise the Q menu and “My Menu” techniques. The primary menus of the digicam are additionally fairly simple to navigate, and you’ll management them with both dial, or utilizing the touchscreen.
Battery
The S9 makes use of Panasonic’s 16 Wh DMW-BLK22 battery, the identical one discovered within the S5II, G9II, and GH5II. It is rated to present you round 470 photographs per cost, although as all the time that quantity is probably going effectively under what you will get throughout real-world use. That is fairly displaying, particularly for a digicam of this dimension; that is sufficient energy that almost all photographers might head out for a weekend of capturing with out worrying about bringing a second battery, except you intend on capturing a variety of video.
The S9 does not include an influence adapter or battery charger, nevertheless it has a USB-C port that you should utilize with normal charging bricks. In accordance with Panasonic, you need to have the ability to preserve it topped up with a battery financial institution, supplied it and your USB cable help outputting at 9V at 3A.
Preliminary impressions
By Dale Baskin
The Lumix S9 is a big departure from Panasonic’s earlier full-frame mirrorless cameras, not solely when it comes to its bodily design but additionally the complete design philosophy behind the digicam. After utilizing it for every week, I really feel like I’ve developed a fairly good sense of not solely what the digicam is but additionally what it isn’t. And that’s an necessary distinction.
For those who discovered images on a devoted digicam, likelihood is the S9 wasn’t designed for you… in the event you discovered images on a digicam that might additionally make telephone calls, it’s completely doable it was
It’s tempting to have a look at the S9 and see a extra compact model of the S5II. (Or, probably even a supersized model of the Lumix GM1, a tiny Micro 4 Thirds digicam from a decade in the past.) It’s a classy digicam, and the expertise underpinning each fashions is basically the identical. However don’t let the rangefinder-esque styling and barely retro appears idiot you: the S9 is a really completely different digicam than the S5II, designed for folks with completely different priorities.
Actually, in the event you discovered images on a devoted digicam – probably even one with a passing resemblance to the S9 – likelihood is fairly good that the S9 wasn’t designed for you. You may want it had been, nevertheless it’s most likely not. Then again, in the event you discovered images on a digicam formed like a flat slab of glass that might additionally make telephone calls, it’s completely doable this digicam was made for you.
I discovered the S9’s LUT-based workflow labored fairly effectively, and it was typically fast and simple to make use of. It solely took about 5 minutes to create my first LUT and set up it in one of many digicam’s reminiscence banks for fast entry.
Panasonic says it expects folks to make use of it for photographs as a lot as they are going to for video. Nonetheless, in the event you’re in search of a standard photograph capturing expertise, you’ll seemingly discover the digicam’s design irritating.
There’s no EVF, which purist photographers will certainly miss, and it may be an actual problem to make use of the LCD open air in vibrant gentle. It lacks a second command dial and has few customized buttons, so that you’ll go menu-diving to alter settings, and the shortage of a mechanical shutter limits its potential to make use of flash and will introduce rolling shutter artifacts. As enticing because the digicam is, carrying it round like a stills digicam for lengthy durations is fatiguing. It’s telling that on the launch occasion in Osaka, Panasonic supplied members of the media with an adjunct grip made by SmallRig that screws into the digicam’s tripod socket.
As a lot because it appears prefer it is perhaps designed for fanatic photographers, its superpowers lie elsewhere.
The story is completely different as a device for social media creation. We’ve seen loads of cameras that declare to be made for social media customers, together with from Panasonic itself, nevertheless it’s usually not completely clear what worth these cameras have added to a content material creator’s workflow.
What I recognize about Panasonic’s method with the S9 is that it didn’t merely create a brand new digicam with a selfie display and declare it to be the right social media digicam, largely “As a result of we mentioned so.” As an alternative, Panasonic appears to have made a fairly good try at understanding an actual workflow concern that makes it difficult for social media creators to undertake a devoted digicam for his or her work.
I captured this photograph utilizing the S9’s Commonplace shade fashion, made some changes in LumixLab to create a barely nostalgic look, and exported my settings as a LUT to the digicam. As soon as I had accomplished that, I used to be in a position to seize further photographs with the identical look merely be deciding on my customized LUT within the digicam.
Most social media content material creators aren’t nervous about the identical issues as fanatic or skilled photographers. They’re much less involved about decision and dynamic vary than they’re about having the ability to create one thing with a novel look straight out of the digicam and getting it on-line rapidly, regardless of the place they’re. Offering a workflow that enables them to do this, with out having to do any further modifying, goes a protracted method to fixing that downside.
The S9 prices $1499, about $500 lower than the S5II, and whereas they’re very related from a expertise perspective, the selection between them isn’t as a lot about worth as it’s about the issue you’re making an attempt to unravel. For those who’re a purist photographer in search of a standard digicam expertise and workflow, the S5II has you lined. However in the event you’re the kind of particular person whose priorities embrace an environment friendly workflow for social media with as little post-production as doable, the S9 might be match.
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