Pro Moviemaker Autumn 2019

PANASONIC S1HNEWS

Panasonic reveals a 6K mirrorless S-class camera that’s on the way soon

Panasonic has revealed it will soon be unveiling the S1H, aimed at professional filmmakers. While the S1 is a great all-rounder for stills and video shooters, the S1H is unashamedly targeted at those who just want their camera to make movies above anything else. It is the world’s first full- frame camera of its type capable of recording at 6K/24p in a 3:2 aspect ratio, 5.9K/30p at 16:9 aspect ratio, and 10-bit 60p in 4K and C4K. The reality is that the 6K makes a good headline figure, but the vast majority of filmmakers will want the 16:9 aspect ratio, so will use it in 5.9K mode. There will also be a 4:3 Anamorphic mode, similar to the GH5S, which proved successful as several manufacturers have made affordable anamorphic options to fit the MFT mount. Whether many will follow suit and make the full- frame version that the S1H would need is unlikely, due to the cost. The American-based Atlas Lens Company has already made anamorphics to fit the camera from its full-frame Orion lens range, starting at £6300/$7995 each. There are already many anamorphic lenses available from top-end manufacturers. The S1H features V-Log/V- Gamut with a wide dynamic range of over 14 stops, which is virtually the same as the Panasonic Cinema VariCam. Footage is compatible, therefore, with V-Log footage recorded by VariCam or V-Log L from the GH5/GH5S.

The key issue is that Panasonic refuses to comment on the sensor. If it uses the same 24.2-megapixel sensor from the S1, this has a resolution of 6026x4017 pixels, so a 6K image of 6000x4000 would be possible. Panasonic spokesman Barnaby Sykes says the S1H is designed to be a real A-camera for serious production use, where something like a GH5S could work alongside it as a B-camera. He said: “The camera isn’t finalised yet so I can’t comment on the final spec, sensor or fast frame rates.” He refused to answer questions about whether the camera would match or beat the 180fps frame rate of the S1 and S1R, whether Phase Detect AF might make an appearance, or whether the S1H could even be used to output Raw video. “Raw is a big buzz in the market right now, as is striving to reduce rolling shutter,” he said. “We do know that 6K is the next step forward. Like when we went to 4K, and many people used it to downsample to 1080, the 6K can be effectively downsized to 4K for amazing quality. There is a trend to downsampling as it brings inherent quality benefits, and the S1H capitalises on that.”

The S1H looks just like the S1 and S1R, with many of the same controls, but does not share the same body. The most obvious difference is that the S1’s front Mode button is replaced by a bright red Rec button on the S1H. But the body of the S1H is actually taller, and the shutter release knob has the on/off switch around it rather than as a separate switch, as on the S1 and S1R. This larger body could be due to the increase in heat from a 6K sensor, which is usually dissipated by fans in large cinema cameras. The roomier body would help with cooling the unit. It will use the S series batteries and accessories, and can be charged by the USB-C port like the existing cameras in the range. The new camera will have no time limit on recording and should go on sale this autumn. Panasonic claims the price is to be around $4000, which means it’ll be roughly £4000 in the UK by the time you take into account VAT and other costs. But apart from that, no other specs are available. We got a look at a prototype at the Cinegear Expo show in Los Angeles in May, but the camera was a non-working dummy.

ABOVE Despite a lot of excitement surrounding its release, the S1H remains shrouded in mystery

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AUTUMN 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER

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