New Lumix Full Frame Mirrorless Camera!

In what seems like the endless stream of Full-Frame Mirrorless camera announcements this summer a new contender has just entered the ring!

Exciting New Specs

Earlier today at Photokina Panasonic announced the Lumix S1 and S1R. Similar to Sony and Nikon’s recent offerings the new Lumix camera will come in two flavors. The S1 will feature 24 megapixel resolution and the slightly up-spec’d  S1R will have 47 megapixel resolution.

Other key spec’s that Panasonic is touting for the camera is it’s dual image stabilization, 3-axis tilty-flippy LCD screen, Dual XQD/SD card slots, 100% weather sealing and of all things resistance to low temperatures (Panasonic appears to be trying to shake Canon and Nikon’s strangle hold on the nature and adventure photographer market).

One last feature that the New Lumix will feature is 4K 60p recording (50p for all you PAL folks). The S series is the first, and so far only, full-frame mirrorless to feature 4K 60p recording. THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER!

New Collaborative Mount

Panasonic will also be introducing a new mount to go along with the new cameras. The L-mount is relatively new product of a collaboration between Leica, Sigma and Panasonic. The mount is 51.6mm in diameter and has a 20mm flange distance. The new specs puts it squarely between Sony’s E mount and the new Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts in terms of size and ability to use adapters.

Outside of 4K 60p recording  and 24/47MP sensors not many other details have been released about the new camera’s features. Given the camera’s Lumix lineage it’s safe to assume that the S1 and S1R will have similar max shutter speed and other video modes to the GH5.

Exact Release date and Pricing TBA

Panasonic has announced that the S1 and S1R will be released in early 2019.

Pricing for the camera has not been announced. Going by the competition it is safe to assume the bodies will be around $2000 for the S1 and $3000 for the S1R.

They did not confirm any lenses that will be releasing with the cameras. However, they did announce a commitment to expand the lineup of S-series compatible lenses to more than 10 by 2020. They mentioned 3 lenses in this expanded lineup specifically.

So far a 50mm f1.4, a 24-105mm, and a 70-200mm lens were included in the press release. (No max aperture for the 24-105 and the 70-200 were announced.) Based on some of the photos used during the Photokina presentation, it is safe to assume that these lenses will be released with S1 and S1R. The 24-105mm will likely be a kit option.

Currently, the only L-mount lenses are from Leica. They have 11 full-frame L-mount lenses in production at the time of writing.

Final Thoughts

With Panasonic entering the game it is now undeniable that full-frame mirrorless is (or at least will soon become) the new standard in Photography. Panasonic has lead the way in introducing rock solid video performance in a small package with it’s Lumix GH series cameras.

It’s too soon to say if there will be any major video improvements over the GH5 and GH5s, but the introduction of a full-frame sensor will make the new cameras much more appealing to crossover shooters.

Without official confirmation on pricing and a few other key video features (looking at you 4:2:2 10bit internal) it’s hard to tell how these will stack up against the A7iii and A7riii. If the S1 and S1R come in within a few hundred dollars of the current A7 series lineup, Panasonic will be rocking Sony’s full-frame boat pretty hard.

Overall the Lumix S1 and S1R pack a lot of great features into a single camera which will make Panasonic an increasingly viable alternative for professional photographers who want to switch to mirrorless and videographers who need rock solid video in a full-frame package.

 

The Full Photokina Panel

 

If you have any questions give us a call at 512-440-1400 to speak with a sales rep today or shop Texas Media Systems online here

Panasonic Firmware Releases Update for GH5s and GH5 Cameras

Panasonic has announced a new firmware update for the DC-GH5 (Firmware Version 2.3) and DC-GH5S (Firmware Version 1.1) to further enhance their performance and usability. The new firmware update download is available now and can be found here. Let’s dig into the details of what the new update includes and fixes.

The new firmware includes the following upgrades:

LUMIX DC-GH5 

1. Improvement of AF performance
• AF tracking performance in video recording has been improved.
• AF speed at 180d (180°) has been improved when displaying the shutter speed in degrees in SS/Gain Operation>ANGLE/ISO.

2. Improvement of Body I.S.(Image Stabilizer) performance
• There were cases where peripheral distortion occurred in video recording while walking when used with Panasonic wide zoom lenses (H-F007014, H-E08018). This bug has been fixed.

3. Improvement of sound recording performance
• Sound quality has been improved by optimizing the noise reduction performance of internal noise canceling microphone.

4. New functions
L.Monochrome D has been added to Photo Style.
Grain Effect can be added and adjusted in Photo Style.
Live View Boost has been added, which makes it easy to check the composition on the monitor in low-light environment.
Night Mode has been added, which reduces glaring on the screens when recording in low-light environment.
• Maximum 20x enlarged view is available in MF Assist.
Focus Ring Lock has been added to [Custom] menu, which disables focus ring operation to lock the focus.
WB/ISO/Expo. Button has been added, which enables adjustment of WB/ISO/Exposure only while the exposure compensation button is pressed. This can be set at Custom>Operation.
Dial has been added to the Custom>Operation Lock Setting.
• Power/Wireless Indicator has been added in the Setup menu, which enables turning off the status indicator and wireless connection lamp.

5. Other improvements
Like 709,V-LogL* and V-LogL View Assist* in Photo Style can be used in photo shooting.
LUT Monitor Display* and LUT HDMI Display* can be used in playback mode.
• Focus Ring Lock, E-Stabilization(Video), Mic Rec Level Disp., Live View Boost, Night Mode and L.Monochrome D can be assigned to the Fn button that works in recording mode.
LUT Monitor Display*, LUT HDMI Display* and Night Mode can be assigned to the Fn button that works in playback mode.
• Vector Scope can be displayed on the screen while adjusting white balance.
• It is possible to choose images from group display such as burst shots in RAW Processing mode.
• Restarting time from sleep mode has been shortened while using Image App and Bluetooth connection.
You can choose to shorten the time of remote operation and image transfer or remote shutter control by going to Setup>Bluetooth>Returning from Sleep Mode.
• Remaining battery status is indicated by 1/4-gauge, indicating approximately 25% per gauge.
• There were cases where folder name was garbled when connecting wirelessly with Windows10-based PC. This bug has been fixed.

* Upgrade Software Key DMW-SFU1(sold separately) is required.

LUMIX DC-GH5S 

1. Improvement of AF performance
• AF performance of photo shooting under low-light, low-contrast environment has been improved.
• AF speed at 180d (180°) has been improved when displaying the shutter speed in degrees by going to SS/Gain Operation>ANGLE/ISO.

2. Improvement of sound recording performance
• Sound quality has been improved by optimizing the noise reduction performance of internal noise canceling microphone.

3. New functions
L.Monochrome D has been added to Photo Style.
Grain Effect can be added and adjusted in Photo Style.
Focus Ring Lock has been added to Custom menu, which disables focus ring operation to lock the focus.
WB/ISO/Expo. Button has been added, which enables adjustment of WB/ISO/Exposure only while the exposure compensation button is pressed. This can be set by going to Custom>Operation.
Dial has been added to Custom>Operation Lock Setting.

4. Other improvements
Focus Ring Lock, E-Stabilization(Video), Sound Rec Level Disp. and L.Monochrome D can be assigned to the Fn button that works in recording mode.
• Vector Scope can be displayed on the screen while adjusting white balance.
• It is possible to choose images from group display such as burst shots in RAW Processing mode.
• There were cases where the Image Stabilizer icon was not displayed when switching the settings of Image Stabilizer using the Fn button on the H-ES200 interchangeable lens. This bug has been fixed.
• There were cases where folder name was garbled when connecting wirelessly with Windows10-based PC. This bug has been fixed.

The details of each firmware program is also available on the following pages:

LUMIX DC-GH5 Firmware Ver.2.3

LUMIX DC-GH5S Firmware Ver.1.1

To buy or rent either the GH5 or GH5s give us a call at 512-440-1400 or visit the Texas Media Systems online store here. 

Panasonic GH4 Pricing and ETA Update

Panasonic announced pricing and updated availability for the new GH4 4K Camera.

The GH4 Body and 4K Video Interface will be available for purchase separately in May 2014.

Kits will be available in June 2014.

Here’s the GH4 pre-order links below:

GH4 Body $1699.99 ETA May 2014

4K Video Interface Unit DMC-YAGH $1999.99 ETA May 2014

GH4 Kit with the 4K Video Interface Unit $3299.99 ETA June 2014

Panasonic Lumix GH4 Body

Panasonic 4K DSLM Camera

Panasonic LUMIX GH4 “The Land of South Kyushu – Where Fire and Water Gush Out” in 4K by Takehito Miyatake

LUMIX GH4 Special gallery: