PANASONICLAUNCH
S CLASS IS AWINNER FOR STILLS
resulting 187-megapixel files – that take up over 350MB of storage – can be enlarged to 1.4m on the longest dimension at 300ppi without any interpolation. I was blown away by the image quality – impressive even at ISO 3200 – but was less overwhelmed by some points of handling. The right-sided on/off switch is ideal in theory but its design isn’t great to use. I found myself moving the AF point by touch too easily, while the AF itself is silent and fast but wasn’t always accurate. This could be user error, of course, and I was using a pre-production sample. On the plus side, the five illuminated buttons were a nice touch, the focus lever that lets you move focus points diagonallywas great, and the EVFwas simply the best - in terms of looking like an optical finder - I have seen to date. The Lumix S-system has enormous potential and lots going for it, and I can’t wait to try a final production camera because on the basis of my time with it, it could be a blockbuster, and could even tempt more than a few to switch brands.
video with pixel binning. A 1.09x crop is not as severe as the APS-C size reduction on the S1, but is used for all video settings on the S1R. It also shoots HD up to 180fps, recorded to the internal SD or XQD cards or externally via HDMI. Audio on both cameras is via a 3.5mm microphonesocketandmonitoringthrough the 3.5mm headphone port. Panasonic’s current DMW-XLR1 microphone adapter fits in the hotshoe to allow XLR inputs. The viewfinder has a refresh rate of up to 120fps, and the rear touchscreen is a 3.2- inch 2.1-million dot type. The cameras have in-body five-axis image stabilisation to give a 5.5-stop advantage, which goes up to a six-stop gain if you use Panasonic stabilised lenses. The AF system uses a combination of contrast detection and Panasonic’s own DFD technology. The focus acquisition and tracking detects humans, cats, dogs and birds to allows the autofocus to keep tracking the subject even when its back is turned. There is face, eye and pupil detection when shooting portraits. The footage was sharp and detailed, with very pleasing skin tones. The AF managed to track things like moving motorcycles in traffic, and there was no sign of rolling shutter. Of course, we used a pre-production camera so the final results are likely to be different. Panasonic has announced a Pro support and service network for professionals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. New G and S series cameras can be signed up for the programme free until 31 March. and the very highly priced 50mm f/1.4. Having tried all the recent full-frame mirrorless cameras, I can honestly say that the S1R was the camera I was most loath to hand back at the end of the day. The 47.3-megapixel stills images are awesome, so sharp and so detail-packed. If you like your shots to be magnificently endowed with detail, the S1R could be the camera for you. This is with a pre-production camera, so shots from the final version that goes on sale could be even more awesome. I tried the high-res mode, too, and while it is tripod only and suits mostly static scenes, the Panasonic has taken a different direction to the rest of its mirrorless full-frame rivals, and its no-compromise approach means that the S1 and S1R are substantial cameras – there is no pretence that going mirrorless can save you weight and space here. I spent a couple of hours shooting with the Lumix S1R, mostly fitted with the 70-200mm f/4, although I got a fewminutes with the 24-105mm,
“The S1 and S1R are substantial cameras – there is no pretence that going mirrorless can save you weight and space here”
ABOVE L-Mount enables ‘mixing and matching’ APS-C and full-frame bodies with lenses from Leica, Sigma and Panasonic
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SPRING 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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