First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R One of the most interesting announcements at this year's Photokina show in Germany was the Panasonic / Leica / Sigma L-mount partnership, the first fruits of which are two upcoming professional-oriented mirrorless ILCs from Panasonic.
We've seen non-functional mockups of the S1R already, but earlier today we were lucky enough to get access to a working prototype camera in the VIP area at Panasonic's booth. Click through for a closer look.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
We couldn't power the camera up, so for now our impressions are limited to general handling and ergonomics but the S1R certainly feels good in the hand. It's a large camera, especially for a mirrorless ILC but it doesn't feel too heavy, and the camera+24-105mm combination shown here is nicely balanced.
Panasonic tells us that every aspect of the camera was decided upon on the basis of detailed customer feedback, including the demand from professional users for large, well-placed controls and a deep grip.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
These blocks of plastic show the evolution of the S1R's grip shape, over several prototype iterations.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
Apparently what you get when you ask professional photographers what they want is something that looks an awful lot like a traditional DSLR. Resembling an upsized G9, Panasonic claims that 'no compromise' has been made in the S1R's performance, which is intended to satisfy the needs of the most demanding professional photographers.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
While final specs are still to be confirmed, Panasonic tells us that the viewfinder in the S1R will 'rival human vision', i. e, a hypothetically perfect optical finder. We're curious to see for ourselves what this means in practice but judging by the excellent finder in the G9, Panasonic has what it takes to create very high quality, immersive EVFs.
This view shows the S1R's conventional, button-laden rear control layout which includes an AF positioning joystick and twin rear dials. The grip texture is provisional - final shipping cameras will feature a textured faux leather finish.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
The touch-sensitive rear LCD (specs are again TBD) is articulated, which means you can fold it out. . . .
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
. . . and down, allowing for waist-level shooting in both landscape and portrait orientations.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
Now there's a thing - twin card slots. The S1R is aimed squarely at professional photographers, and the option of XQD and / or SD should fulfill demands for backup, redundancy, or 'stills to this card, video to that one' shooting. Like every point on the S1R's body, the card door is gasketed to protect against dirt and moisture incursion. Panasonic claims that the S1R should rival the GH5/S for durability in unusually cold, hot or wet environments.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
The S1R we handled was missing a battery, but Panasonic tells us that battery life was a priority in the new models and as such, both will take a new, larger-capacity battery than those found in the company's M43 cameras.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
This image shows the S1R without a lens attached. The S1R will accept existing Leica L-mount lenses marketed alongside the SL, as well as forthcoming Panasonic-branded lenses and future Sigma alternatives. This view shows off the S1R's two customizable front-mounted buttons, to the left (as seen from this direction) of the lens mount. In a thoughtful touch the upper button is convex, while the lower is concave for ease of identification by touch.
First look at Panasonic Lumix S1R
The S1 and S1R will be sold alongside four lenses: a 50mm F1. 4, 24-105mm, 28-70mm and a 70-200mm F2. 8. Final specifications are still to be confirmed, and the lenses shown here are non-functional mockups, displayed under glass.
Learn more about the Panasonic S1/R
. dpreview.com2018-9-27 14:16
