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PANASONIC LUMIX DC-S1R
ISO 50
ISO 200
ISO 800
ISO 3200
ISO 12800
ISO 51200
ISO 100
ISO 400
ISO 1600
ISO 6400
ISO 25600
ISO setting test reveals that the
noise reduction processing is very
well managed up to ISO 12,800 so
both the definition and saturation
remain excellent. Some softening
is evident at ISO 25,600 and it’s
more pronounced at the one-stop
extension setting of ISO 51,200.
These test images were captured as
JPEG/large/superfine files with the
aperture set to f11 and the exposure
time varied to compensate for the
ISO adjustments.
when shooting under incandescent
lighting. The main lighting types are
covered by a set of five presets,
with provisions for creating up to
four custom WB measurements
and up to four colour temperature
settings. The settable colour
temperature range is 2000 to
10,000 degrees Kelvin. Fine-
tuning is available for all settings
and, as noted earlier, there’s auto
bracketing for both colour balance
and colour temperature.
IN THE HAND
It may look a bit of a handful,
but the Lumix S1R is actually a
thoroughly likeable camera to
use. We won’t kid you that it’s a
lightweight – with the 24-105mm
zoom fitted, you’re looking at
around 1.7 kilos – but the balance is
excellent, assisted by the comfort
and control afforded by the well-
shaped handgrip. As observed
earlier, there seem to be controls
scattered everywhere – in the
shape of dials, buttons and levers
- but again the practice proves to
be far more logical and efficient
than first supposed. Everything
is where you want it to be and,
perhaps more importantly, works
as expected. No tricky little trip-ups
here, and nor are you slowed down
by wondering what does what.
There is a greater emphasis
on external controls, but frankly
this is A Very Good Thing when
it comes to settings that often
need changing on-the-fly such
as exposure compensation,
sensitivity or white balance.
Nevertheless, Panasonic’s touch
screen implementation is extensive
and includes the customisable
‘Quick Menu’ which provides an
alternative route – but equally
speedy – to more of the important
stuff. The menu design is an
improvement over that on the
Lumix G cameras with tabs for
both the chapters and sections as
well as numbered pages, giving
three levels of navigation which will
also speed things up if you know
where you’re going. In this regard
it’s all pretty logically arranged.
With its high resolution, high
magnification and 120 fps refresh
rate plus a claimed contrast ratio
of 10,000:1, the EVF is a delight
to use and extremely easy on the
eye even over long periods. It’s
easily the best in this category
and arguably as close to an optical
finder as we’ve seen so far.
The key buttons on the S1R’s
rear panel can be backlit, and
this layout includes the now
seemingly standard joystick-type
controller for selection focus
points, but which can also be used
for various navigational duties.
Similar to the Lumix G cameras,
the customisation options for the
S1R’s controls are numerous and
include the four-way actions of both
the joystick and the rear navigator
wheel, giving 17 user-assignable
options in all. These include five
‘touch tabs’ in the monitor screen
and an ‘Fn Lever’ which allows
fast switching between two
user-assigned settings. Different
settings are available depending
on whether the camera is in the
still or video record modes or the
replay mode, and three customised
set-ups can be assigned to the C1,
C2 and C3 positions on the main
mode dial. Not surprisingly then,
‘Camera Customisation’ is a stand-
alone chapter in the instruction
manual and it runs to 26 pages.
Incidentally, the whole manual is a
fairly weighty tome comprising a
total of 527 pages.
In addition to being extensively
customisable (from a list of 57
functions), the ‘Quick Menu’ also
offers a choice of layout styles.
Additionally, there’s a customisable
‘My Menu’ which can be
created from up to 23 items. Not
surprisingly, the viewfinder and
monitor displays are near-endlessly
configurable, including a dual-axis
level gauge, real-time histogram,
grid guide, highlight warning, zebra
patterns and a nifty little item called
the ‘I.S. Status Scope’. This displays
two concentric circles in the middle
of the screen with a green dot
which jumps around to indicate just
how much the camera is deviating
from the lens’s optical axis. Even
if you think that you’re holding
the camera as steady as possible,
you’ll be surprised at how much
the reference point is still buzzing
all over the place. As on the G9,
the S1R has a ‘Night Mode’ setting
for both the EVF and the monitor
which essentially puts a red filter
over everything so your night vision
isn’t compromised by the brighter
normal displays.
Also as on the G9, the review/
replay screens include a split
screen with a thumbnail and basic
capture info on one side and a
scrollable set of five additional info
screens on the other.