46 6 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Testbench
too just worked, letting me
concentrate on creating the
image. The camera became an
accomplice rather than an obstacle.
Both cameras’ impeccable behaviour
and image-making prowess made me
warm to them immediately and soon
I wasn’t shooting with anything else.
Mirrorless misconception
Owing to the excellent selling points
and marketing of Micro Four Thirds by
Olympus, Panasonic and Fujifilm’s
X series, some people seem to expect
any mirrorless camera to be small or
lightweight. As soon as you jump to full
frame (or above to medium format)
certain things change, the most
important being the imaging circle
needed to cover a larger sensor.
Lenses therefore need to be bigger
and the size and weight advantages
of getting rid of the mirror box get less
pronounced. Some manufacturers still
seem to have their top-end full-frame
cameras designed by consumer
electronics engineers, making the
cameras as small as possible. While
being very clever, once a lens is
attached, handling and balance fail
quite drastically. Higher-end cameras
aimed at proficient photographers also
often have extra buttons, dials and a
joystick. Cramming these into a tiny
body just results in an ergonomic mess.
This is where the S1R shines, having
been designed by engineers who
clearly understand the needs of
photographers. They’ve broken the
consumer electronic design mould
and designed a working, professional-
level tool with great balance and
ergonomics. In the full-frame
mirrorless market, the S1R and S1
are the largest cameras (in some
comparisons, only marginally)
but they do look deceptively bigger
in photographs. My advice is to visit a
camera shop and try the camera for
yourself, as it’s extremely comfortable
to hold and feels nicely balanced in use.First impressions
It may seem strange to start my piece
with this, but the lock lever was the first
thing to jump out at me when I unboxed
my prototype S1. The second I saw it I
knew it was a seriously well-designed
camera. A pet hate for me and many of
my colleagues, is how easily settings can
get changed as, while rushing around,
the camera brushes against clothing oryou accidentally press a button when
reaching for the camera. You raise the
camera to your eye and somehow it’s
been set to bulb, in the smallest JPEG
size in monochrome on self-timer. I’m
exaggerating a little, but you get the
picture. Helpfully, the S1R’s lock lever
can be custom set to lock a variety of
things so the camera’s settings don’t
get changed accidentally.
Straight out of the box, the
ergonomics fit. All the buttons and dials
are exactly where I want them to fall
and the hand grip’s size and shape also
just fits. It’s the kind of design perfection
I would expect from a third-generation
camera, not the first. There’s also a
very handy function lever at the front
that allows a fast change of multiple,
user-selected presets. The designers
have done a phenomenal job and I think
we’re in for a great line of well thought-
out cameras as the range develops.
The camera uses a newly developed
47.3MP sensor. Doing away with
the low-pass filter and anti-reflection
coating makes image rendering sharper.
The aspherical microlenses on the
photo diodes helps the camera produce
some beautiful, true-to-life results.Right: An image
captured using the
S1R’s monochrome
picture style
Lumix S 24-105mm F4
Macro OIS, 1/200sec
at f/4, ISO 1000Far right: David
Stone from
The Kings Of
Wonderland,
performing at a
music festival in
Hanwell, London
Panasonic Lumix S Pro
50mm F1.4, 1/200sec at
f/1.4, ISO 2500Below: A shot from
behind the barrier
at the Put It To
The People march
in London
Panasonic Lumix S
24-105mm F4 Macro OIS,
1/500sec at f/5, ISO 640