“In the S1H, the company delivered on a tough and powerful professional camera”
trouble with high-frequency vibrations, so I wanted to see how far I could push the S1H before its sensor lost stability. We mounted the camera on a Ronin 2, which was attached to a vehicle via a Black Arm and, as it turns out, the S1H never gave us a problem so long as we were using a vibration isolator.” WELL-MATCHED GEAR An advantageous aspect of any new camera is its ability to work well with current movie gear. Filmmakers will not want to use other gear with a new camera, but stuff they already own or can rent easily. This is something Panasonic took into consideration with S1H’s design, and Smith was able to rig it up with the same complement of accessories he would use with any other digital cinema camera. “This included outboard monitors, Gratical EVF, wireless follow focus and iris controls, matte boxes, wireless video transmission and Gold Mount battery systems. And when we combined this rig with the PL mount adapter for the Atlas Orion anamorphic primes, we were able to use the camera just as we would with a full-size cinema camera,” he reflects. “The S1H has been designed with a lot of small, thoughtful features that make it really easy to build out. “Having the ability to power the camera over USB-C meant that I didn’t have to invest in a dummy battery, which was a huge time saver. We were also able to strip the camera down and take advantage of its small form factor when the mounts required it. Its size was especially helpful for our drone shots where we relied on DJI’s Matrice 600 helicopter, which is much smaller than the heavy lift octocopters we
IMAGES DOP David C Smith puts the new Panasonic S1H to the test on-set
going to need to compromise on image quality when you use them. Sometimes, it’s a worthy trade-off to be able to get a shot that wouldn’t be otherwise possible with a large camera. With the S1H, there is no trade-off. The image from your crash cam looks as good as the image from your A camera. And having full access to V-Log and V-Gamut in a robust codec with non-proprietary recording media means the S1H can work seamlessly alongside its big brothers.” As a long-standing Lumix owner and user, from the GH2 to the S1H, Smith felt right at home with the camera’s menu system, labelling it “intuitive and logical”. He also favours its ability to customise settings, so that it can be tailored to your shooting style. Nonetheless, he says the camera’s greatest strength is the company behind it: “Panasonic is steeped in the tradition of listening to its customers and giving them what they want. In the S1H, the company delivered on a tough and powerful professional camera that is truly unmatched for its size, weight and price.” Lumix S1H is available to buy from £3599.
would normally need to achieve the image quality of the S1H.” PROFESSIONAL SHOOTING After releasing his film to coincide with the camera’s launch, Smith coined the nickname “Varicam Micro” for the S1H, saying that the overall look of his footage is seamless when intermixed with other models in the Varicam line. He explains: “The S1H is clearly designed to fit into the larger production world. It has all of the features and functions that a professional camera team can expect from their gear. It has reliability, image quality and is able to match other models in terms of look and workflow. A camera that produces beautiful images, but can’t run continuously, overheats or has a terrible battery life, will quickly find itself being left on the truck. So, I started thinking of the S1H as a Varicam Micro, because it ticked off all those requirements and more. “Cameras that have a smaller form factor have been infiltrating larger film sets for years and there’s often the sense you’re
MORE INFORMATION: panasonic.co.uk
NOVEMBER 20 1 9 | DEF I N I T ION 41
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