PANASONIC LUMIX S9 GEAR
The full-frame Lumix S9 is the first camera to feature a dedicated Look-Up Table button A LUT TO LIKE COLOUR CONFIDENCE
WORDS ROGER PAYNE
W hether you’re a filmmaker, photographer or perhaps somewhere in between, Panasonic’s Lumix S9 appears something of a bargain. For £1499/$1498 body-only, it offers a full-frame 24.2-megapixel sensor as used in the S5 II, which brings with it a host of benefits like finer control over depth-of-field and impressive low-light capabilities. And to hammer home its filmmaking credentials, it’s the first mirrorless camera to have a dedicated LUT button. Naturally, you can’t make a full- frame camera at this price point without some compromises, but the only obvious miss is a viewfinder. For stills this isn’t great, but it ’s certainly more desirable for filmmakers. Viewfinder aside, the on-board specs are impressive, considering Panasonic’s target audience for the camera. It’s been aimed squarely at social media content creators, presumably frustrated by the limited functionality and lower quality from their smartphone. The four colours the
be more forensic. Using conventional settings, the S9 has a dual-native ISO sensor with bases at 100 and 640 ISO, can shoot in anamorphic and offers 6K/30p 4:2:0 10-bit recording as well as C4K/60p in 4:2:2 10-bit. Also new is a free companion app called Lumix Lab. Available for Android and iOS, it allows fast file transfers from camera to phone and a modicum of editing prior to posting online. Videos (and photos) can be cropped, brightness adjusted or a LUT applied.
camera is available in also suggests a tilt to a more Gen Z demographic. Choose from Jet Black, Dark Olive, Classical Blue or Crimson Red. With these users in mind, the camera introduces a new MP4 Lite mode, which creates files that can be easily transferred to a phone for social sharing. MP4 Lite still gives you 4K 10- bit open gate recording but only at 30p or 25p. It was tricky to discern any real difference between that and standard MP4 footage, but pixel-peepers may
HUES OF THE WORLD The little Lumix comes in a choice of colours but is a serious tool
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