Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R Body

Panasonic have entered the full-frame mirrorless camera market with the launch of the flagship Lumix S1R. It has a 47.3 megapixel sensor with no low pass filter, an expanded ISO range of 80-51200, new Venus image processing engine, and the world's highest resolution electronic viewfinder. A standout feature is the High Resolution mode, which allows the Panasonic S1R to capture 187-megapixel equivalent photos by rapidly taking 8 separate images and combining them into one. Other key features include a 6-stop Dual Image Stabilizer (when used with compatible lenses), 6fps continuous shooting with full-time auto-focusing (9fps without), auto-focusing speed of 0.08 sec down to -6EV low-light, Eye AF mode and animal recognition driven by Artificial Intelligence Technology, and 4K video recording at up to 60/50p in 4:2:0 8-bit quality with a 1.09x crop of the full frame sensor.

Panasonic’s S1R is a good, high-resolution, full-frame mirrorless camera, but it can’t hold up to the competition. Rugged and heavy, it delivers great handling, an ultra-sharp EVF and effective 5-axis stabilization system. The contrast-detect autofocus is good, but inferior to Sony’s faster, more accurate hybrid system. Images are sharp and color-accurate, but again can’t hold up to the Sony A7R III in terms of low-light noise and dynamic range. However, video features and quality are very respectable for a camera in this category. The main downside, though is the $3,700 price. That’s $200 more than Sony’s incoming A7R IV, and a whopping $1,200 more than the rival A7R III.

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R is an impressively well-built full-frame mirrorless camera with lots of resolution, well thought-out controls and ergonomics and competitive video quality. Unfortunately its burst shooting speeds are simply outdone by the competition and for less money, and it falls slightly behind in overall image quality and autofocus performance as well. But the fact remains that the S1R is enjoyable to use and is worth a look for those that want a well-rounded high-resolution professional camera.