ON TRIAL Panasonic Lumix Dc-s1R
compliant 4K or 8K display with
much better detailing in both the
highlights and shadows. There’s
the option of recording at either
the 4K or 8K video resolutions,
the latter still giving a resolution
of 27.9 megapixels at the 3.2
aspect ratio or 33.2 MP at 16:9.
In a nutshell, HLG delivers a more
natural-looking extended dynamic
range (there’s the potential for
17+ stops) than the traditional
HDR processing which is actually
compressing the contrast range.
The S1R’s sensor works
in concert with a new version
of Panasonic’s ‘Venus Engine’
processor which delivers more
speed and power in order to be
able to handle the ultra-high-
resolution files. Consequently,
continuous shooting is possible at
up to 9.0 fps with the autofocusing
locked to the first frame or up
to 6.0 fps with frame-by-frame
adjustment. The burst lengths are
pretty decent too; up to 50 best-
quality JPEGs, 40 RAW files or 35
frames with RAW+JPEG capture.
In-body image stabilisation is
achieved via sensor shifting and
operates over five axes, giving
up to six stops of correction for
camera shake when working in
conjunction with an optically-
stabilised lens.
The system uses a gyro-
sensor, the image sensor and an
accelerometer to more accurately
detect camera movements with a
particular improvement in the area
of low-frequency displacements.
Sensor shifting also delivers
a multi-shot ‘High Resolution’
capture mode which captures
eight frames – with pixel shifting in
between – in quick succession and
then merges them in-camera. The
eight shifts increase the resolution
(by a factor of four) and also record
full RGBG colour at each pixel
point so the overall image quality is
significantly enhanced.
Panasonic hasn’t gone as far
as Olympus with the E-M1X – or,
indeed, its own G9 – which allow
for hand-held shooting with high-
res capture, so you’ll still need to
use a tripod, but the resolution
is boosted to a massive 187
megapixels at the 3:2 aspect
ratio (and there are also 4:3, 16:9
and 1:1 settings). A shutter delay
function allows for the camera to
settle for optimum stability, but
motion blur processing is available
to counter any slight subject
movements. You can also opt to
record a normal shot separately
(it’s actually the first frame in the
sequence) as well as the merged
high-res RAW file.There’s no JPEG capture
option here (unlike on the E-M1X),
but the high-res RAW can be
converted to a JPEG in-camera.Fast Photos
If you want more speed rather
than more resolution, the S1R has
the same suite of 4K/6K Photo
modes as the G9 and the GH5
series models. These are video-
based so the 4K Photo modes
deliver 8.3 megapixels frames
with shooting speeds of either 30
or 60 fps, while 6K Photo delivers
18 megapixels stills while shooting
at 30 fps. The capture modes
are called Pre-Burst, Burst and
Burst Start/Stop and operate over
various durations. Pre-Burst starts
capturing frames when the shutter
release is at the half-way position
(i.e. for autofocusing and metering)
which is a feature Panasonic
pioneered but is now available on a
number of mirrorless cameras. The
other 4K/6K Photo modes can also
be set for pre-burst recording.
Continuous autofocus is
automatically activated with 4K/6K
Photo capture and any of the
standard ‘PASM’ exposure control
modes are available (albeit with
a few restrictions). All four frame
aspect ratios are available with 4K
capture, but only 4:2 or 3:2 at 6K.However, the 8.3 MP or
18.0 MP image sizes are essentially
maintained in each instance
so, for example, the 6K frames
are 4992x3744 pixels at 4:3 and
5184x3456 pixels at 3:2. Regardless
of the mode, you’re going to
end up with a lot of frames so
searching is made easier via a
touch screen slider-type control or,
alternatively, a ‘slide view’ inset
browser which is again navigated
by touch. Bulk saving is available
and batch processing for automatic
noise reduction or correction of any
rolling shutter distortion. Obviously,
at these shooting speeds, the
camera’s sensor shutter is being
used. Also derived from 4K or 6K
video recording are the ‘Post Focus’
and ‘Focus Stacking’ modes. ‘Post
Focus’ captures a high-speed burst
at either the 6K (30 fps) or 4K (30
or 60 fps) resolutions, changing
the focus point in each frame.
Subsequently, by simply tapping
on any part of the displayed image
(except at the very edges), you
can select the frame which used
that particular focusing point.
Alternatively, all or a selection of
images can be merged in-camera
via the ‘Focus Stacking’ option with
the potential to greatly extend the
depth-of-field irrexpective of the
lens aperture used.Panasonic has now announced
the more video-orientated S1H
which will undoubtedly be the
pick of the Lumix S litter for
dedicated video-makers, but the
S1R still delivers enough satisfy
photographers who also dabble in
moving pictures.
It records the 4K UHD
resolution (3840x2160 pixels) at
50 or 25 fps (PAL standard) in
the MP4 format with Long GOP
compression (which is a form of
interframe coding) and a maximum
bit rate of 150 Mbps. You can also
record UHD clips at the cinematic
24 fps with a bit rate of 100 Mbps.
It’s with 8-bit 4:2:0 colour internally
and 8-bit 4:2:2 colour externallyvia the camera’s HDMI connection
(however, the S1 has 10-bit colour
internally and is upgradable to a
10-bit 4:2:2 output). Usefully, an
HDMI cable lock holder is supplied
with the camera. Full HD video
is recorded in the AVCHD format
at 50 or 24 fps plus there are 150
and 100 fps speeds for slow-mo
effects. There are also 50 and
48 fps speeds for slow-motion
4K video clips (i.e. 2x either 25
or 24 fps). There’s a small crop of
1.09x on the sensor with some
pixel binning.
While there’s no V-Log
recording option (and nor will it be
available as a paid upgrade), the
S1R’s ‘Photo Styles’ menu include
two ‘Cinelike’ gamma profiles
with adjustable parameters (D
and V, both flatter to enhance
dynamic range) plus ‘Like709’
which provides an adjustment –
known as ‘knee’ in the video world- for controlling overexposure
via a gamma curve correction.
Curiously, despite having the HLG
Photo modes, there’s no HLG
gamma profile available when
shooting video.
The S1R has built-in stereo
microphones with manually
adjustable levels, an adjustable
limiter (attenuator) and a wind
noise canceller. UHD recording at
50 fps is with the higher-quality
LPCM audio, otherwise it’s AAC
(or Dolby Audio with AVCHD). A
stereo audio input and output are
provided via standard 3.5 mm
minijack connections. An optional
XLR mic adapter is available,
enabling a balanced input.
The S1R also has zebra
patterns (two options, each with
adjustable brightness thresholds),
time stamp recording, a centre
marker, a focus peaking display
and the ‘Dual I.S. 2’ five-axis
image stabilisation is available
for video recording. The video
functionality includes continuous
autofocusing with subject tracking,the full set of ‘PASM’ exposure
modes, adjustable sensitivity
and exposure compensation, the
lens corrections, dynamic range
and resolution processing, many
of the filter effects, and the rest
of the ‘Photo Style’ presets,
including the new Flat profile
which is probably more useful for
video than photography. Many of
these adjustments are accessed
in the camera’s ‘Creative Video
Mode’ which also allows for touch
control over a number of settings
(including exposure) to minimise
handling noise.
Panasonic makes it quite clear
that the S1 model is intended to
be a hybrid photo/video camera
hence the S1R’s less glamourous
video spec, but it still delivers
exceptional image quality in both
4K and 2K while providing more
than sufficient controllability. For
many photographers who also
need to shoot video, it’s more than
capable of doing a very fine job.