Panasonic Lumix dc-s1h Mirrorless Digital Camera Review

Panasonic has clearly put a lot of thought in the Lumix DC-S1H. The GH5, GH55 and G9 have been market favorites due to their impressive performance and features. With the Lumix DC S1H, Panasonic has another winner with 6K video, sharp picture quality, and superb low-light performance. Aimed at videographers, the Lumix S1H has stolen the show from competitors like Sony.

Announced at the 2019 Cine Gear Expo in Hollywood, Panasonic has designed the Lumix DC S1H to be a full-featured video camera. If you want to know its effectiveness, then Netflix has approved it to be used in their original productions. The camera took a while to begin shipping and distribution but it has managed to make a mark in no time. Priced at US$3,999, the Lumix DC S1H is the love-child of Panasonic’s VariCam and Lumix GH5. It is currently the smallest and the cheapest camera to get Netflix approval, giving independent filmmakers and amateur videographers a fighting chance. The S1H is sturdy, efficient, and designed for any weather condition you can think of- rain, shine, low-light, dull conditions, or brightly back-lit. The camera is supposed to handle anything and everything you can throw at it. It has a huge range of resolutions and frame rates for photographers and videographers to choose from.

Photographers can use it for stills but that’s basically unfair to the S1H. For photographers, the Lumix S1 is better designed, a hybrid but specially designed for stills. They are siblings and identical in most aspects.

It is clear that the Lumix S1H was designed for video, enhancing the video capabilities of its sibling and predecessor, the Lumix S1. The sensor for S1H was developed to handle the new camera’s pro-level video capabilities. You can choose from 6K/24p to 4K/30p to 4k/60p, and other frame rates with most of them available at no crop. If you feel the need to crop your footage, there is a Super35 Mode available which also maintains 4K resolution.

Every video resolution is available with 10-bit color, which offers plenty of editing flexibility during post-processing. There is also 4:2:0 color gamut for the 6K and 5.9K options. If you need more chroma information, then you will need to shoot in 4K that records with 10-bit in 4:2:2 color. You also have the option to choose anamorphic lenses for the camera. Anamorphic shooting is available using the full 3:2 sensor in 6K in the 10-bit 4:2:0 color space. There is de-squeeze functionality available on-board while viewing footage shot with anamorphic glass, with several aspect ratios available in the menu system.

If you are shooting something for Netflix, you will need to use a maximum AII-I 400 Mbps bitrate that is available only for 4K and DCI 4K at up to 30fps.

Supporting a whole array of video resolutions in different frame rates means a complicated and confusing menu. However, Panasonic has refreshed the interface, making it easier to filter the resolution, frame rate, codec, and HLG setting. The My List option introduced with the Lumix S1 is available in the S1H, allowing you to limit the menu to only the options you think you will need.

Panasonic has included an anti-aliasing filter on the S1H, which is important for any video-centric camera to reduce moire. Panasonic has included its Dual Native ISO system in the S1H. This feature comes into play when shooting in V-Log/V-Gamut, when the native ISO jumps from 100 and 640 to 640 and 4000, and is very handy in low-light situations, resulting in sharp footage with low noise.

The in-built five-axis stabilization of the S1H is quite excellent when it comes to keeping footage smooth when shooting handheld. Combining this with the two-axis Optical Image Stabilization of OIS lenses gives the cinematographer the ability to shoot without a gimbal if required. This Dual IS 2 technology allows for better precision and smooth footage when using the camera handheld for long periods of time. These results are however dependent on the user. The camera isn’t light as other mirrorless cameras and can feel heavy after a short duration. Beginners or new videographers can get shaky footage if they are unaccustomed to holding a camera or heavy cameras for a longer period of time.

To sum it up, this is undoubtedly the best and cheapest option for videographers or filmmakers in the market currently. Not many competitors offer as many shooting options as the Lumix DC S1H, with most of them being limited by sensor size or limited frame rates. In the hands of an expert or a professional, the S1H will work like a dream and provide you with fluid, beautiful footage. The cooling system, the menu options, or the in-body stabilization are intricate details that Panasonic has ensured complete the magical experience of using the S1H.