GEAR
PANASONIC LUMIX S1R
The biggest disappointment is the AF system, which uses contrast detection with Panasonic’s own Depth fromDefocus (DFD) technology, rather than the hybrid phase and contrast detection of rival brands. Panasonic says its focus acquisition and tracking detects humans, cats, dogs and birds, which allows the autofocus to keep tracking the subject even when its back is turned. There is face, eye and pupil detection for when shooting portraits, too. That all sounds impressive, and the AF can be tweaked to suit certain subjects, but the reality is that it’s just not as snappy, predictable and useable as rival systems such as Canon’s Dual Pixel AF or Sony’s latest AF tracking. In poor light or subjects with low contrast, it does hunt a little, which would ruin a shot. For many filmmakers that’s irrelevant, as they use manual focus for everything. But increasingly, the latest generation of clever AF systems offer real advantages and can work very well in certain situations, such as tracking moving subjects. Despite the S1R offering so much to excite and enthuse, it seems that the pure joy of a full- frame camera perfectly tracking eratically-moving subjects at 180fps is not yet here, sadly.
microphone adapter fits in the hot shoe and has XLR inputs, which is a very good thing for getting that crucial top-quality sound. In terms of the camera’s handling and useability, all is good. Most of the commonly-used settings have dedicated controls that are well positioned. The EVF is very impressive and has two refresh rates, 60 and 120fps. The faster rate uses more battery power, but with the camera’s sizeable lithium cell, that’s not much of an issue. The monitor doesn’t flip all the way round for selfies but tilts and swivels enough to work well with gimbals or awkward tripods. The touchscreen is good for menu settings, too. And the stabilisation is truly impressive, probably the best on any full-frame mirrorless camera. The five-axis system claims a 5.5EV benefit and 6EV with Panasonic’s own OIS lenses, which is what we used. It’s not quite gimbal-steady, but not far off. You can certainly get away with handholding lots of times when you’d normally be faffing with a gimbal or slider. And if you hold it right, you can just about get away without a tripod many times.
“The stabilisation is truly impressive, probably the best on a full-frame camera”
RIGHT The 50mm f/1.4 lens is truly a stunning bit of glass, but it’s big, heavy and expensive. It’s great for stills and decent for filmmaking, too
THE VERDICT This is truly a stunning first attempt at a full-frame mirrorless camera from Panasonic. It’s big and chunky – like many professional users asked for – and uses everything that Panasonic has learned from its years of making MFT mirrorless cameras. And, of course, watching the mistakes of other manufacturers who suffered some teething problems with their own full- frame cams. The marriage with Leica and Sigma means there is a ready-made solution to the full-frame lens mount issue that Panasonic would have faced if it had developed its own mount. There are already Leica lenses on the market, although they do tend to be eye- wateringly expensive. As a stills machine, the S1R is very impressive, with incredible resolution, 9fps shooting for action and that massive 187 megapixel option for subjects that don’t move much.
HOW IT RATES
For video, it shoots beautifully rich and detailed 4K files, and the Flat option makes them easy to grade for a cinematic look. However, the low bitrate of HD files does not give the ultimate quality, and there are to be no 10-bit 4:2:2 options at all, and no Log, either. Which sort of shoots it in the foot for super-serious filmmakers who demand total control. However, the 180fps slow-motion is just incredible, and not possible on anything else in the market (although the camera is let down by autofocus that isn’t as advanced as its rivals). Panasonic needs to get onto the phase detect bandwagon quickly, or else it will get left behind even further – which is a real shame, as the Panasonic S1R is a very capable camera that has a lot going for it, including its competitive price.
Features: 7 The video spec just doesn’t matchmany of its rivals, but the 180fps and 4K 60p is a superb addition Performance: 8 Old-school autofocus lets it down, but fast frame rates and colourful, detailed and sharp footage is a winner Handling: 9 About as good as it gets formirrorless cameras, with easymenus and lots of dials for themost used settings Value formoney: 8 It’s the highest-resolvingmirrorless camera on sale, with incredible 4K 60p OVERALL RATING: 8/10 The S1R shoots beautiful 4K footage and stunning 180fps HD Pros: Image quality is excellent, 180fps slomo Cons: AF is not the best, lack of affordable lenses
More information
panasonic.co.uk
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SUMMER 2019
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