Panasonic has unveiled the 24.2 MP LUMIX S9, designed to attract both photographers and social media enthusiasts seeking a blend of compactness and retro aesthetics. Weighing just 403g, this camera offers full-frame quality in a lightweight package. While reminiscent of rangefinder cameras, it opts for a rear screen exclusively and doesn't feature an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
Interestingly, like the recently announced Fujifilm X-T50, it has an on-camera shortcut to enable footage and photos to have ‘film simulation’, or in the case of the S9, a dedicated ‘LUT’ button that applies classic or bespoke colour styles in-camera.
The accompanying new LUMIX Lab app will help expedite the sharing of work (purportedly under 30 seconds) on social media. The app also allows you to create your own LUT custom presets so you can have your own signature look to your footage or stills.
When it comes to focusing, the camera features PDAF (Phase Detection Auto-Focus) for precise subject tracking. It also incorporates 'Active I.S.' with up to 5 stops of image stabilisation for the body alone, extending to over 6.5 stops when paired with a compatible IS lens.
In the video department, it shoots up to 6K, as well as slow motion at 180fps. Furthermore, it can shoot in ‘MP4 Lite’ which is a new smartphone-optimised flexible framing (Open Gate) video mode, so you can use the Lab app to crop to your desired aspect ratio.
different vertical and horizontal formats found on social media platforms.
The camera is available in a range of colours from June 2024 at a RRP of $2,699 for body only. Alternatively, there is a camera and lens kit (LUMIX S 20-60mm) for RRP $3,299 which comes in either Jet Black or Dark Silver. Other colours for the body are Crimson Red, Dark Olive, Night Blue.
Unveiled alongside the camera is the unique manual focus LUMIX S 26mm F8 (S-R26) lens, priced at $349 RRP. This compact, lightweight pancake lens features a slim, pocket-sized design and astonishingly only weighs only 58 grams. With a fixed f/8 aperture, it stands out as probably the 'slowest' pancake lens in the world.
Otherwise, the S9 camera can use any of the other 16 LUMIX L-Mount lenses or 16 Leica L-Mount lenses.
With TikTok videos and reels on Instagram being super popular with under 25's we can see why Panasonic is trying to cater to this demographic and offer them a product that will create far superior imagery than a smart phone, at a fairly competitive price. Anything that encourages people to delve deeper into real photography and videography has to be a good thing!
You can find out more about the LUMIX S9 on the Panasonic website.
