Panasonic has introduced the LUMIX S9, a new addition to its camera lineup with a small size and professional-grade features. The camera has a 24.2MP full-frame sensor that works well in low-light circumstances, allowing for high-resolution recording in 4K and 6K, as well as bokeh effects.
The LUMIX S9 offers an Open Gate video recording mode, which takes advantage of the sensor's full height to allow framing freedom, resulting in several aspect ratios from a single picture. The new MP4(Lite) mode allows users to transmit 4K video to smartphones and trim the film to their desired aspect ratio using the LUMIX Lab app.
The camera offers a variety of professional video recording modes, including 4:2:2 10-bit C4K/4K at 60p/50p, 4:2:0 10-bit 6K (3:2) at 30p/25p and 5.9K (16:9) at 30p/25p. It also has pre-installed V-Log and V-Gamut, which give a wide colour spectrum and are compatible with Cinema VariCam Look for post-production colour grading.
The LUMIX S9 has a greater zoom range with Crop Zoom and Hybrid Zoom, which combine Optical and Crop Zoom to expand zoom capabilities for both images and movies. The 96MP High Resolution Mode takes numerous photographs while moving the sensor, merging them into a high-resolution file of 12,000 x 8,000 pixels without the need for a tripod.
The camera has Synchro Scan technology, which matches shutter speed to the flicker frequency of light sources to eliminate darkening and horizontal lines in photographs. It uses the L-Mount system, which is compatible with lenses from a variety of manufacturers.
Highlighting upon the compact design of the camera Manish Sharma, Chairman of Panasonic Life Solutions India and South Asia stated, “Our goal is to achieve higher performance in our cameras, focusing on creating highly compact models. While capturing content in high quality isn't inherently challenging, the real difficulty lies in packing lenses, batteries, sensors, and mechanics into a small, efficient space. By examining the compact yet highly efficient nature of other personal gadgets such as smartphones, we aim to apply similar principles to our camera design. We have placed significant emphasis on ergonomics to enhance both design and durability.”
LUMIX S9 uses Phase Hybrid AF technology and AI-based recognition to rapidly and precisely focus on things such as people, animals, automobiles and motorbikes. It has AFC burst shooting at 30 frames per second and a pre-burst shooting capability that captures moments before they happen.
The camera's stabilisation features include 5-axis Body I.S. with up to 5.0 stops and 5-axis Dual I.S. 2 with up to 6.5 stops, which assist decrease camera shake in low-light settings and at telephoto distances. Active I.S. and Advanced E.I.S. assist to assure smooth footage, even when the camera moves.
The device is capable of recording both slow-motion and quick-motion movies, with up to 7.5x slow-motion in FHD 24p/180fps and 60x quick-motion. It also enables time-lapse video with interval capture and 4K 60p/50p resolution, which results in better exposure transitions.
The DMW-BLK22 battery pack extends the camera's battery life and allows it to be fuelled by a mobile battery or a USB Type-C connector. It boasts an 1840k-dot free-angle display that rotates 180 degrees left and right and 270 degrees up and down, allowing for diverse shooting angles and protecting the screen while not in use.
The camera also has real-time LUT application capabilities, which allows users to apply filter-like effects right in the camera before shooting. The LUMIX Lab app allows for further LUT adjustments and quick content sharing across social media platforms via rapid file transfers.
