The Panasonic Lumix S1R is a totally blocking pro camera

The irresistible theme of Photokina 2018 was the mirrorless cameras with huge sensors inside. Leica unveiled the S3 medium format, Fujifilm introduced the GFX 50R in the same medium format class, and Nikon and Canon introduced their recently announced full frame frameless models: the Z7 and EOS R, respectively. Sony already has a full portfolio of excellent frameless full-frame cameras for sale, Panasonic was one of the last big names not to offer such a high-end model, which was corrected to Photokina with the revelation of Lumix S1 and S1R. . The only difference between these two cameras, which will be launched early next year, is that the S1 will have a 24-megapixel sensor, while the S1R will reach 47 megapixels.

The new Lumix S series represents Panasonic's most sincere effort to appeal to professional photographers. The company already has an excellent reputation with videographers and amateur fans with its Micro Four Thirds cameras, but Photokina 2018 is the place where it decided to present its strongest presentation to the still shooters. This means total weatherproofness and double image stabilization, both in the body of the camera and in the lenses provided by Panasonic for this new system. Initially, Panasonic will offer three lenses – a 50mm f / 1.4 zoom, a 24-105mm zoom and a 70-200mm telephoto zoom – and a choice of eight compatible Leica lenses. This is because Panasonic, Leica and Sigma have also announced a new L-Mount Alliance at Photokina, which will see the two Japanese companies adopt the existing Leica lens mount mechanism.

With its own engineering pedigree and a lens ecosystem that is expected to grow faster than anyone, Panasonic is taking the appropriate steps to catch up with Sony, the undisputed leader in popularizing the full-screen mirrorless format.

I am familiar with a prototype of the Lumix S1R at Photokina this week and, although Panasonic emphasizes that the design is not yet final, we are now quite close to the 2019 version of the camera to hope few major changes, even no. so what.

The S1R is big, imposing and full of straight lines and right angles. Having recently supported the ergonomic and sinuous Leica S3 and the subtle refinement Ricoh GRIII, I found the Panasonic model extremely angular in comparison. The S1R features a thick, beautifully curved handle that mitigates the stern appearance of the rest of the camera body. I can not say I'm in love with how this camera beast manages, but it's still early.

The knurled mode knobs, the dedicated white balance shortcut buttons, the ISO setting and the exposure setting, as well as an LCD display at the top of the camera are as many functions that professionals will appreciate. Panasonic has opted for a smoother appearance that promises to be faster, thanks to more immediate physical controls.

Unfortunately, Panasonic did not activate its prototypes at the show. So I can not trust the extra large electronic viewfinder Lumix S1R. The company promises to have the highest accuracy of all EVF filters, so this is something to be hoped for as we approach the launch of the camera.

Panasonic's lenses for the Lumix S will, like the cameras themselves, be big and heavy. This should not bother or surprise anyone who is already working with full-format cameras and high-quality glass, but this somewhat compromises the benefit of the entire mirrorless motion. Panasonic still has a pentaprism bump on top of the Lumix S1R. So it's not like you're saving a lot of space or space when packing your equipment for a shoot. Here again, Panasonic's step with these cameras will be to offer superior performance, with or without size advantage over full-frame digital SLRs.

The Panasonic Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R should be on sale early next year with the first three Panasonic lenses. The company promises to have a set of 10 lenses for the system by the end of 2020.

Photographs by Vlad Savov / The Verge