NEWS
viewfinder, such as being able to precisely
display exposure and depth-of-field results
in real-time, plus the plethora of readouts
and displays (such as horizon lines and
histograms), and not working with a mirrorless
camera suddenly becomes a chore. Some
photographers suggest the DSLR no longer
seems sophisticated enough to use!
The Lumix S series’ LVF (Live View Finder,
which is Panasonic-speak for EVF) boasts the
world’s highest 5,760k-dot resolution. High-
speed OLED technology delivers a smooth 120
fps display, a minimum time lag of less than
0.005 second and an exceptional 10,000:1 high
contrast ratio.
Looking through the viewfinder, the
image quality is great and the standard 0.78x
magnification ratio can be switched to 0.7x or
0.74x, an excellent feature for glasses-wearers
who can adjust the magnification in order to
see the full frame.
On the back of the camera, a 2,100K-dot
triaxial tilt touch monitor can be used in
conjunction with the viewfinder as a Touch Pad
AF, allowing you to set focus on any point in the
field of view at a touch. If you have a long nose,
you may find this feature initially sets the focus
point where your nose touches the screen, but
this feature can be easily isolated if required.
TWO RESOLUTIONS
So why two cameras? Well, they’re different! So,
what are the differences? Mainly resolution.
The S1R has a 47.3-megapixel full-frame
CMOS sensor (36x24 mm), the highest
resolution in its class and supports low-light
shooting at up to ISO 25,600 (extendable to
ISO 51,200). In comparison, the S1 comes with
a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
(35.6x23.8 mm) that provides a wider dynamic
range and supports low-light shooting at up to
ISO 51,200 (extendable to ISO 204,800).
At the risk of over simplifying the equation,
the S1R is aimed at landscape and commercial
photographers who want the highest resolution
files possible, while the S1 works for portrait and
wedding photographers – and video producers- where low light performance is of more value
than lots of pixels.
And if you want super high resolution files,
both models offer a high resolution mode
where the camera captures and combines eight
consecutive images, in-camera (similar to the
Lumix G9). The S1R produces a 187-megapixel
equivalent (16,736x11,168 pixel) raw and/or
JPEG image while the S1 creates a 96-megapixel
equivalent (12,000x8,000 pixel) image. A tripod
is needed for capture and obviously there are
limitations with moving subjects, but it’s a really
useful feature to have when high resolution files
are required.
IMAGE STABILISATION
Panasonic’s Dual I.S. 2 technology combines