Themagnesiumalloy
bodyshellis fullysealed
againstdustandmoisture,
andinsulatedforoperation
in subzerotemperatures.Focusingmodeselector(with
AFareabuttoninset)is handily
locatedonthecamera’srear.
Joystick-typecontrolforAFpoint/
zoneselectionis below.Monitorscreenhasa three-
waytiltingmechanismsimilar
tothearrangementonFujifilm
mirrorlesscamerassuchasthe
X-T3andGFX50S.Theelectronicviewfinder
is a delightthanksto
highresolution,a 120fps
refreshrateanda
magnificationof0.78x.Continuousshootingspeeds(including
bracketingmodes)canbeassignedtothe
I andII positionsonthedrivemodeselector.ON TRIAL PANASONIC LUMIX DC-S1R
GO BIG
You can’t help thinking that
Panasonic has been aching to build
a big camera for quite some time.
The first Lumix G bodies were as
petite as the M43 format would
allow, but since then they’ve
been steadily putting on weight,
culminating in the G9 which is
actually bigger than Sony’s A7
series full-35mm format mirrorless
cameras.
The Lumix S cameras are
bigger again and, at first glance,
quite imposing in both their bulk
and the very control-heavy external
design. Nor has Panasonic made
any attempt to soften the look so
the styling is, shall we say, on the
industrial side and leaves you in
no doubt that you’re looking at a
high-end camera with professional
aspirations. And, of course, this
is entirely deliberate because the
Lumix S1R is aimed squarely at
anybody who is using a Nikon
D850 or a Canon EOS 5D in any
current variant. It’s more D-SLR-
like in appearance than any of
these D-SLRs and, even more
ironically, it’s more traditionally
‘photographic’ than either the
Nikon Z 7 or Canon EOS R.
The top panel control layout is
much closer to that of an EOS 5D
than that of Canon’s own full-
35mm mirrorless competitor,
the EOS R. In fact, it follows the
basic D-SLR recipe of a main
mode dial, a monochrome info
display, front and rear input
wheels and, arranged together,
dedicated function buttons for
key items such as white balance,
ISO and exposure compensation.
Additionally, the drive mode
selector switch sits below the
beefy main dial and there’s a
simple focus mode selector just
astern of the info display (with an
inset button for the area modes).
This is Old School with a capital
‘O’ and ‘S’. And everything is
big on the S1R... the monitor
screen (at 8.1 cm), the EVF (with
a magnification of 0.78x), the
handgrip and the battery pack
(with 3050 mAh on tap). If you
want more bulk, there’s an optional
vertical grip (the DMW-BGS1)
which also adds another battery
pack and gives you a camera
to rival both the Nikon D5 and
the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II in
terms of sheer bulk. Panasonic
was also obviously thinking about
D-SLR converts when it selected
the XQD and SD formats for the
dual memory card slots in the
S1 and S1R ... a foot in both the
Nikon and Canon camps. The SD
support extends to UHS SpeedClass 90, and the XQD slot will be
upgradable to CFexpress Type B
which shares the same form factor.
The compartment is located in the
handgrip and its cover has a two-
step unlocking process.
On the other side of the body
are two separate connection
bays – one with HDMI Type A
and USB Type C connections, the
other with the stereo audio input
and output which both accept
3.5 mm minijacks (the S1R’s
video capabilities are covered
in the Making Movies panel).
Also here, under its own little
cover, is a 2.5 mm connection
for a wired remote controller.
Wireless connectivity is via WiFi
and Bluetooth LE with Panasonic’s
Lumix Sync app enabling the
camera to be controlled remotely
via smartphone or tablet.
The L mount – originally
devised by Leica – has an internal
diameter of 51.6 millimetres
and a flange back distance of 20
millimetres which compares to
55 mm and 16 mm for Nikon’s Z
mount, and 54 mm and 20 mm for
Canon’s RF. It’s a four-claw bayonet
fitting and fully electronic using
ten contacts.Like Canon, Panasonic is
primarily utilising the mount’s
configuration for what it will
enable in terms of lens design
and performance rather than any
reduction in size so the three
Lumix S lenses announced so
far are pretty well as big as any
comparable model for a D-SLR,
if not bulkier (and the same is
true of Leica’s own L lenses). The
trio are a 24-105mm f4.0 zoom,
a 70-200mm f4.0 telezoom and a
50mm f1.4 fast prime with another
six promised by the end of 2020,
including a 24-70mm f2.8,
16-35mm f4.0 and a
70-200mm f2.8. If you can afford
Leica’s L offerings right now
there’s a choice of eight models
ranging from a 16-35mm f3.5-5.6
wide-angle zoom to a 90-280mm
f2.8-4.0 telezoom. Sigma has
announced 11 L mount lenses- all fast primes from 14mm to
135mm – which are due to start
arriving any time now. Collectively,
the L Mount Alliance says there
will be a total of 42 L lenses
available by the end of 2020, but
this means that both Panasonic
and Leica, in particular, will need
to be very busy indeed over the
WORKING IN
PANASONIC’S
FAVOUR IS THE
SAME PHILOSOPHY
THAT HAS MADE ITS
LUMIX G SYSTEM
SO SUCCESSFUL;
NAMELY, GIVE
PHOTOGRAPHERS
WHAT THEY
WANT WHEN THEY
ASK FOR IT.