Panasonic Officially Launches Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

2019.02.01

After a brief preview at Photokina 2018 where Panasonic announced their intention to enter the full-frame mirrorless digital camera market, Panasonic officially launched their two twin models that launch the professional-grade S-series and three matching lenses. As already known, the S1R sports a high-resolution 47 megapixels CMOS sensor while the S1 uses a 24 megapixels sensor of the same size.

The flagship Panasonic S1R sports a 5-axis image-stabilization system which is effective to 5.5-stops over hand-holding. Its sensor covers an ISO 50-25600 sensitivity range which is expandable to 51200. The sensor delivers full-resolution images at 9 FPS and 4K Ultra-HD video at 30 FPS using its full-width.A 6K downscaled burst mode at 30 FPS can also be achieved using most of the sensor area. With a roughly APS-C crop, 4K bursts and Ultra-HD video can be recorded at a full 60 FPS. When continuous autofocus is performed, the burst speed drops to 5 FPS. The S1R has a sizable buffer which at 47 MP translates into 50 JPEG images or 40 RAW files.

Taking resolution to the extreme, the S1R can use super-resolution processing to produce a 187 MP image right in-camera which combines multiple exposures into a single-shot while the image-stabilization system moves the sensor in sub-pixels to capture all those details.

An externally identical, save for the model number, Panasonic S1 also sports the same image-stabilization system. Given it has fewer larger pixels, the S1 sensor covers an ISO 100-51200 range, expandable to 204800. Internal processing limits burst rates to the same speed but video is captured differently. Ultra-HD video at 30 FPS uses the full sensor width, while it only needs a 1.1X crop to reach 60 FPS. Since the bandwidth needed to store images is lower, the buffer lets the S1 shoot for much longer. Over a 1000 JPEG images or 90 RAW files can be shot in a continuous burst.

With 24 MP in its sensor, the super-resolution mode of the S1 produces 96 megapixels images in-camera. This allows it to exceed the resolution of most Medium Format Digital Cameras without additional cost.

This pair of Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Cameras feature a Leica L-mount, compatible with lenses produced by Leica plus three new Panasonic offerings made just for this mount. Autofocus is provided by a 225-Area Contrast-Detect AF system which used Panasonic's own Depth-From-Defocus (DFD) technology which communicates with the lens at 480 Hz, twice the speed of Panasonic Four-Thirds mirrorless cameras. The usual extensive focus modes Panasonic provides are all available on the S1R and S1, including Face-Detection and Eye-Detection.

These two cameras are built for the needs of professionals and priced to match. The bodies each features a large 0.78X-magnification EVF with a class-leading 5.8 megapixels and 120 Hz refresh-rate. As one would expect, coverage is 100% and there is an essential Eye-Start for convenience. These cameras offer triple control-dials, a traditional mode-dial, drive-mode dial, an 8-way joystick and plenty of customizable buttons. Panasonic constructed these professional cameras to withstand rain, snow and dust while being freezeproof down to -10C.

The S1R and S1 are set to be among the most feature-rich mirrorless cameras on the market, even boast dual asymetric memory card slots, one for XQD and the other for SDXC. They sport a backlit top status LCD and illuminated buttons. An industry-standard hot-shoe, sync-port, wired-remote port, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 LE round out connectivity. These cameras are operated by powerful batteries which can be charged externally and internally via USB-C. 4K Ultra-HD video can be output via an HDMI port.

The Panasonic S1R and S1 are expected to ship this March with a suggested price of $3700 USD and $2500, respectively, See the Panasonic S1R specification page for more details and preordering or purchasing options, as applicable. The Panasonic S1 specification page offers the same options for the S1.

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