Panasonic recently announced the LUMIX S1H, the first mirrorless camera to shoot full-frame 6K/24p (3:2), 5.9K/30p (16:9) and 10-bit 60p 4K/C4K. It is designed specifically for cinematographers and video creators. The S1H can be hand-held and perform without compromising professional-level standards. It combines excellent video performance from the cinema industry and the functionality developed within mirrorless cameras.
Video Performance with Cinema Quality
The S1H has a newly designed 24.2-megapixel full-frame image sensor and now offers Dual Native ISO. With Dual Native ISO, it has incredible low-light performance, allowing the camera to switch from a standard sensitivity to a higher sensitivity with minimum noise.
The S1H provides a wide dynamic range of 14+ stops (8 stops under / 6 stops over) and V-Log/V-Gamut will be built in, matching that of the VariCam line. It offers 5-axis Dual Image Stabilization, making it the perfect camera to be attached to a gimbal or drone and used for active filming. It can be used as either an A camera on a movie or tv production or a B camera because of its size and stabilization to use it off a tripod.
With a full-frame sensor, users can crop to 16:9 in post-processing, providing much more flexibility. It is also capable of 4:2:2 10-bit internal recording and output through HDMI. Anamorphic 4:3 modes are also available as well as tools such as tally lights, night mode, VFR (Variable Frame Rate), HFR (High Frame Rate), Time-Lapse Video with 4K and much others. Although the S1H will not have RAW capabilities straight out of the gate, it is in development and will be released via a firmware update (free of charge). Panasonic is working with ATOMOS to provide RAW output via HDMI.
One major feature to note is that the LUMIX S1H can handle unlimited recording without overheating due to a new built-in fan, an industry first. The S1H has a double SD card slot with UHC-II compatibility and in Relay Recording mode, you can continue recording to the second card after the first card runs out. To make sure power is never an issue, the S1H provides a USB power supply so that you can continue to record while charging the battery.
Body Design Engineered for Intuitive Operation
The S1H comes with a new tilting and articulating 3.2-inch LCD monitor with touch screen, a 1.8-inch high-resolution status LCD with low power consumption and a real viewfinder with 5.76 million dots high-resolution. The camera also offers a rugged mirrorless design that is dust, splash and freeze resistant.
Competing Cameras
Currently, the S1H competes with Red Cinema Cameras and the Black Magic Pocket Cinema 6K. The benefit of the S1H is you get the capabilities of a professional-level camera for a fraction of the price at only $4,000. It’s the ultimate bang for your buck. When compared to the Black Magic which is $2,500, you are getting things like in-body stabilization, lens stabilization, a viewfinder, an articulating monitor and of course a full-frame sensor.
The Panasonic Lumix S1H will be available September 25th, 2019 for $3,997.99. For more information, head over to Panasonic's website.