Panasonic Lumix S1 Mirrorless Camera

The Panasonic Lumix S1 Mirrorless Camera is a full-frame mirrorless body marking Panasonic’s entry into the full-frame segment, built around the L-mount developed by Leica and supported by the Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma alliance. Designed for professional photographers and videographers who demand high-quality performance, versatility, and advanced features, it’s a well-rounded camera offering robust physical construction alongside strong stills and video capability.

At the core of the S1 is a 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor (35.6 x 23.8mm) with no optical low-pass filter, paired with Panasonic’s Venus Engine image processor, offering a native ISO range of 100-51,200, expandable to 50-204,800. Autofocus uses a contrast-detection system with Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology across 225 selectable points, supporting Face/Eye Detection, tracking, and touch AF, with sensitivity rated from -6 to 18 EV. Continuous shooting reaches up to 9fps with focus fixed (AF-S), dropping to 6fps with continuous autofocus (AF-C), with a buffer of 90-plus RAW or 70-plus RAW+JPEG frames.

In-body 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization, combined with Panasonic’s Dual I.S. 2 system when paired with a stabilized lens, delivers up to 6 stops of shake compensation, allowing confident handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. A 96MP multi-shot High Resolution mode combines several images in-camera for exceptional detail in static scenes. Video capability is a defining strength, with UHD 4K recording at up to 60p (from a 1.5x-cropped Super 35-style region) or oversampled 4K at 30p using the sensor’s full width, along with 10-bit HLG recording built in and optional 10-bit 4:2:2 V-Log output, and notably no 30-minute recording limit thanks to an internal heat-pipe cooling design that allows continuous recording beyond an hour.

Handling centers on a 5.76-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with adjustable magnification (0.78x, 0.74x, or 0.7x) along with a 3.2-inch, 2.1-million-dot triaxial-tilting touchscreen LCD that tilts for both landscape and portrait-orientation shooting. The mechanical shutter ranges from 60 seconds to 1/8000 second, rated for 400,000 cycles, with Program, Aperture-Priority, Shutter-Priority, and Manual exposure modes along with multiple metering patterns.

Build quality includes a fully weather-sealed magnesium alloy chassis, giving the S1 a substantial, DSLR-like feel at approximately 149 x 110 x 97mm and just over 1kg in weight. The camera includes dual card slots (one XQD/CFexpress, one SD/SDHC/SDXC), a USB-C port for power input/output, Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz), and Bluetooth 4.2. The S1 uses the Leica L-mount lens system, giving it access to native L-mount lenses from Panasonic, Leica, and Sigma.

Key Features
– 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor (no optical low-pass filter) with Venus Engine processor
– ISO 100-51,200 (expandable to 50-204,800)
– Contrast-detection AF with DFD technology, 225 selectable points
– Face/Eye Detection, tracking, and touch AF
– Up to 9fps continuous shooting (AF-S); 6fps (AF-C)
– 5-axis in-body image stabilization with Dual I.S. 2 (up to 6 stops)
– 96MP multi-shot High Resolution mode
– UHD 4K video up to 60p (1.5x crop) or oversampled 4K 30p (full sensor width)
– 10-bit HLG built-in; optional 10-bit 4:2:2 V-Log
– No 30-minute recording limit (internal heat-pipe cooling)
– 5.76M-dot OLED EVF with adjustable magnification (0.7x-0.78x)
– 3.2″ 2.1M-dot triaxial-tilting touchscreen LCD
– Mechanical shutter, 60 sec to 1/8000 sec; rated for 400,000 cycles
– Fully weather-sealed magnesium alloy body
– Dual card slots (XQD/CFexpress + SD/SDHC/SDXC)
– USB-C power input/output
– Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.2
– Leica L-mount lens compatibility (Panasonic, Leica, Sigma)