Key Takeaways
- Compact and colourful Panasonic S9 appeals to content material creators for $1,500
- Customizable colours with in-camera LUTs supply Instagram-ready look
- Lack of superior options like sizzling shoe and weather-sealing could deter professionals
Instagram and different visually targeted social networks have undoubtedly performed a job within the evolution of the digital digital camera. Maybe the best instance of that is the current development towards cameras made not for photographers however content creators, creatives who want each stills and video to feed the algorithms. The Panasonic S9 is one such digital camera. Designed with a wholesome mixture of each nonetheless and video options, the S9 crams a full-frame sensor into a colourful but minimalist physique, all for round $1,500.
Whereas social media has influenced a couple of digital camera, the Panasonic S9 is arguably the digital camera that feels most in tune with Instagram. Apart from the touchscreen interface, the S9 integrates LUTs, or built-in shade profiles preferrred for followers of Instagram’s filters — or actually any photographer that will moderately spend extra time behind the digital camera than the pc. The 4 shade choices additionally make the S9 look good within the behind-the-scenes images as properly. However, as one of many extra reasonably priced full-frame mirrorless choices, the S9 makes a couple of unusual cuts to its listing of options.
Is the Panasonic S9 the right entry-level mirrorless for content material creators and Instagrammers? Or are the cuts simply too huge to disregard? I spent a couple of weeks with the S9 to search out out.
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Panasonic Lumix S9
The Panasonic S9 is a compact full-frame mirrorless digital camera designed for content material creators and vacationers. The 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor delivers colourful pictures that may be personalized in-camera by using customized LUTs. The minimalist design makes the digital camera each simple to be taught and extremely moveable. However whereas Instagrammers could love the touchscreen interface, professionals and critical photographers will miss the viewfinder, sizzling shoe slot, and ergonomic grip. It additionally lacks a mic port, secondary card slot, and weather-sealing.
- Compact, colourful design
- Customizable colours utilizing LUTs
- Wonderful picture high quality
- Competative $1,500 body-only worth
- Lacks a sizzling shoe slot and mic port
- Lacking grip and viewfinder is much less snug
- Digital shutter solely
- Slower autofocus efficiency with motion
Specs, worth and availability
The Panasonic S9 was introduced in Might of 2024. The mirrorless digital camera boasts a 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, 30 fps max burst velocity and 6K video at 30 fps all inside a light-weight, compact physique. The S9 retails for about $1,500 by itself, or about $1,800 with a package lens. The digital camera is on the market from a number of main retailers.
What I like concerning the Panasonic S9
The most effective characteristic may be summed up in two phrases: Customized colours
One of many Panasonic S9’s standouts caught my consideration earlier than even opening the field: the worth. At $1,500 for the physique solely or $1,800 with a 20-60mm package lens, the Panasonic S9 is among the extra reasonably priced mirrorless cameras that also have the bigger full-frame sensor.
The S9 is available in extra than simply black. I examined out the digital camera with a stunning olive inexperienced wrap and instantly fell in love with each the look of the digital camera and the scale. Atheistically talking, the S9 is gorgeous to have a look at with its shade choices and minimalist design. However the S9 can also be one of many extra compact full-frame our bodies, weighing a few pound when you add within the battery however measuring below roughly 5 x 3 x 2 inches. It is a travel-friendly digital camera for positive.
Whereas I liked the colour on the outside, the S9 additionally has distinctive shade choices on the photographs themselves. Like different Panasonic cameras, the S9 presents in-camera LUTs. Within the easiest phrases, meaning you may simply customise the colours on the photographs, kind of like making use of an Instagram filter earlier than the picture is even taken. Whereas different Panasonic cameras just like the S5 II have this characteristic, the S9 has a devoted button for it. The S9 can also be suitable with the Lumix Lab app, a a lot simpler approach to create authentic LUTs, whereas the S5 II is anticipated to achieve compatibility with later firmware however would not but assist the cellular creation of those shade profiles.
Plus, the Lumix Labs cellular app makes it simple to create your personal LUT or customized shade filter. After connecting the digital camera to the machine, you may switch some pictures, edit them within the app, after which save these edits as a brand new LUT. Then, you may switch that LUT again to the digital camera as a shade setting and choose it utilizing the LUT shortcut. The shortcut lets you edit your photographs as you’re taking them, which is an distinctive software for spending extra time behind the digital camera and fewer time behind the pc. Another choice is to obtain LUTs from different creators contained in the app.
Even with out the LUTs, nevertheless, the S9 has some stunning shade profiles built-in, together with Cine-like profiles and my private favourite, Leica’s monochrome modes, which provide wealthy distinction with out the price of an precise Leica.
Noise discount in low gentle is fairly respectable as properly, partially due to that lower-resolution sensor.
These shade profiles are added to a 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor. Positive, you will get the next decision with pricer cameras, however pictures coming from the S9 are wonderful. The package lens produced sharp topics and the LUTs delivered wonderful shade with out hours of enhancing. Noise discount in low gentle is fairly respectable as properly, partially due to that lower-resolution sensor.
Stabilization, a quick burst velocity, and wonderful eye detection autofocus additionally work collectively to assist even freshmen take good photographs. I used to be capable of fastidiously hand maintain longer exposures to blur the motion of a river and visitors, all utilizing the 5 stops of sensor-shift stabilization. Whereas the slowest shutter speeds will want a tripod, I might simply handhold pictures at a tenth of a second and get some enjoyable movement blur with out handshake.
I’ve used cameras that would get considerably decrease than that 1/tenth of a second, however contemplating the worth, I discovered the stabilization to be ample.
I used to be additionally extremely impressed with the digital camera’s eye and face detection autofocus because it rapidly locking on to an individual or an animal. The one concern I had with the topic detection is that it wouldn’t acknowledge a darkish topic on a darkish background, akin to a chestnut brown horse inside a shadowy steady. Which means you could have to assist it out a bit in case you are working indoors.
Entry-level cameras are usually on the slower finish, however the Panasonic S9 can shoot as fast as 30 fps. That is due largely to the truth that the digital camera would not even have a bodily shutter, solely an digital one (like what a smartphone makes use of). The place the S9 reveals its finances worth in velocity is that these bursts are restricted to round 32 photographs, so you may solely shoot for a few second in case you depart the digital camera on its quickest burst velocity.
All the things that I liked concerning the photographs coming from the Panasonic S9 additionally stretched into video. The colours, topic detection autofocus and stabilization all carryover to video. The S9 is able to 6K at as much as 30 fps and may also shoot with the complete sensor, moderately than a crop.
What I did not like concerning the Panasonic S9
Superior options (and a few commonplace ones) are missing
Whereas I in a short time fell in love with the colour wrap and aesthetic on the Panasonic S9, I discovered the ergonomics missing. There’s nothing in the way in which of a grip, which helps the digital camera keep compact however tends to be uncomfortable in case you’re capturing for hours (and might also play a job in my incapability to get tremendous sluggish shutter speeds handheld). My wrist tended to get sore fairly a bit sooner working with the S9.
Within the title of measurement, Panasonic additionally axed the viewfinder, so there’s simply the LCD display screen to shoot with. I additionally sorely missed the joystick that I exploit on my different cameras to rapidly alter the autofocus level. As an alternative, it is adjusted extra like a smartphone by tapping the touchscreen.
One oddity of the S9 is that the steel slot for sliding in a flash on the high is a chilly shoe moderately than the extra conventional sizzling shoe. Because of this, whereas it appears just like the S9 might use flash, it could actually’t. A chilly shoe doesn’t talk with the digital camera like a sizzling shoe does. It is primarily a holster for a steady LED gentle, however it’s not able to firing a flash on the correct second. Videographers and vloggers must also word that the digital camera would not have any kind of mic port. Each stills and video shooters must also know that the digital camera has a single SD card slot, moderately than the 2 extra generally discovered on professional-grade fashions.
Videographers and vloggers must also word that the digital camera would not have any kind of mic port.
The S9 additionally joins the rising listing of cameras that use solely an digital shutter, moderately than a mechanical one. The digital shutter is quicker and, in good lighting and sluggish or stationary shifting topics, most will not discover any points. However, digital shutters up to now have been recognized to expertise banding below sure sorts of synthetic lights, the place the picture seems to have virtually a coloured stripe working by it indoors. Digital shutter may also distort fast paced topics, akin to trains. Whereas I didn’’ detect these points throughout my evaluation, I additionally did not get a possibility to attempt the S9 in each state of affairs, like photographing a practice or working below florescent lighting.
Whereas I liked the attention detection autofocus, I discovered the main target system total on the S9 a bit missing with sooner motion. The S9 had a tough time maintaining with topics working straight for the digital camera, delivering fairly a couple of smooth frames. In low gentle, the topic detection efficiency suffers. The digital camera does okay with movement at a strolling tempo, or working backward and forward moderately than straight on the digital camera. However the trickiest autofocus situations churned out extra smooth photographs than sharp ones.
The Panasonic S9 additionally doesn’t have any kind of weather-sealing, so it wants further safety if you wish to take photographs within the rain. However, regardless of the title, weather-sealing is sweet for extra than simply inclement climate. As an unsealed digital camera, anticipate the sensor on the S9 to get dusty sooner consequently.
Is the Panasonic S9 price it?
The S9 is not for me, however smartphone photographers shifting as much as an actual digital camera could find it irresistible
The chilly shoe slot, lack of climate sealing, and inadequate ergonomics imply the Panasonic S9 didn’t make it onto my private want listing. However, I am additionally an expert photographer, which isn’t the viewers meant for this kind of digital camera. The query shouldn’t be if the Panasonic S9 is price it, however moderately, who goes to like the S9.
Panasonic S9 is the kind of digital camera that Instagrammers seeking to step up from the smartphone’s pretend background blur are going to fall in love with.
With its built-in LUTs, full-frame sensor, touchscreen interface, and compact measurement, the Panasonic S9 is the kind of digital camera that Instagrammers seeking to step up from the smartphone’s pretend background blur are going to fall in love with. If the one digital camera that you just’ve ever used is a smartphone, then you definately’ll love the compact measurement, touchscreen and easier management scheme. The picture high quality is superb and the power to customise the colours with LUTs will create a huge impact on anybody who loves Instagram filters however desires a extra customized look. One other group that I believe could love the S9 is vacationers, because the digital camera is fairly compact, although the L-Mount lens household might use a couple of extra compact choices.
Nonetheless, creatives that want flash, all-day ergonomics, sports-ready autofocus, weather-sealing, and plentiful ports for mics and equipment will need to skip the S9. Whereas the picture high quality is not primary, the ergonomics and have listing are, pushing creatives that want extra options in the direction of choices just like the Panasonic S5 II, which sits one other $500 greater, or one other model fully.
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