Camera test 68
Photography News | Issue 64 | photographynews.co.uk
Performance: high resolutionmode
High res mode takes eight shots with the image sensor moved between shots, and the final image is merged in-camera, giving images of a 187-megapixel resolution. Processed files open up to 16,736x11,168 pixels and at 300ppi prints are 55x36in. After shooting, the Raw takes about ten seconds to write. In that time, the camera is locked up. For high-res shooting, you need the camera to be on a solid tripod and a time delay mode helps ensure total stability.
In Mode 1, you need static subjects, while Mode 2 can handle gentle movement, such as the leaves of a tree in the breeze. This works by comparing the fine detail of the eight images. The merging process takes no longer than normal high res mode. This scene at IWM, Duxford, was done at various ISO settings with normal Raw and high-res Raw, with images processed in Silkypix Developer Studio Pro8. High res mode is limited to a top ISO of 3200.
From the enlargements, with the subject at the same size (the high res mode shots are twice the size of normal Raws) you can see the benefit clearly to fine-detail resolution and ISO performance. The detail improvement, from an already high base, is very impressive. The noise levels of the high ISO shots are significantly lower, too. With suitable subjects, and when you need all the resolution the camera is a capable of, high res mode is worth using.
Original image
ISO 100 Raw
ISO 800 high-res Raw
ISO 800
ISO 3200 high-res Raw
ISO 3200
awesome prints the size of a house with no problem at all. Buy the S1R and you will need to look at your storage strategy and a faster computer might be a good idea, too. See the panel above on how the high resolution mode performed. With such large sizes, you need to use fast storage media. The S1R has SD and XQD slots. To check shooting and write times, I used a Sony G XQD 64GB card with a claimed 400Mbps write time. In continuous shooting in the high setting with Raws only, I got 40 Raws at 9fps and then it slowed down to about 3fps and the full buffer took around 15 secs to clear. With Fine JPEGs, only continuous shooting gave 55 shots before any signs of slowing down. For faster shooting, the camera offers 6K and 4K photo modes. Amid the backdrop of the S1R’s great skills, one feature I found less amazing was the camera’s AF. The S1R uses Panasonic’s highly respected Depth From Defocus (DFD) contrast detect AF system, which has been around for a few years and used on its compacts and MFT models. Contrast detect AF systems usually work by going through the point of focus and then racking back to give a sharp image. This is done very quickly, but that brief hunting time as the camera focuses back and forth is still lost time. Panasonic’s DFD system checks images at different focus points very quickly to determine what should be sharp and the lens is quickly adjusted to give sharp focus. All this is done in the blink of an eye – the sensor and lens can communicate at up to 480fps. While I found the S1R mostly decisive, fast and accurate, on occasions DFD struggled and hunted back and forth even in decent light.
Verdict
Features Awesome sensor, stunning EVF and built to work, hard Handling 23/25 Assured and there is much to like in use, including the EVF – but with 24/25 Produces top-quality images even at high ISOs. AF can be twitchy Value for money 23/25 It’s a leading-edge camera and priced accordingly. That said, you get a lot for your cash Overall 94/100 Panasonic’s first full-frame camera is an impressive beast, hugely capable and good to use Pros Excellent image quality, amazing EVF, build, feature set Cons Menu, on/off switch position, AF can be indecisive the odd niggle Performance I think Panasonic has got a lot right with the Lumix S1R, from its design concept and control layout to its brilliant EVF and very capable sensor. I like it. I like it a lot. It is an impressive camera with a great deal going for it. When all is said and done, though, this is a top-end, pro-level camera with a relatively small potential market to tap into, and a vast number of those possible buyers are very likely already deeply committed. Whether the S series is going to tempt users to divorce their existing system and switch, only time will tell, because it’d be a hugely expensive process and a massive leap of faith. To those not yet committed or moving up from a smaller format, the S1R has a compelling feature set and very high performance levels, so it’s impossible to dismiss from consideration. 24/25
Put it in poor light, indoors or with floodlit night scenes, itwas even less sure-footed. Panasonic claims good AF in light as low as -3EV in normal mode (-6EV in LowLight AF mode), but that seems optimistic. It was also not very good with small subjects and even with pinpoint AF the system failed to lock on. It is true
DFD did well much of the time, but it did stumble on scenes you would expect it to cope with easily. The occasional AF lapse was the only negative aspect of the S1R’s performance. Autoexposures using the multi-zone system were reliably spot on, while auto white-balance consistently delivered fine results.
The occasional AF lapse was the only negative aspect
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