Last August Panasonic announced the Lumix DC-S1H Mirrorless Camera Body and the praise & reviews have been steadily rolling in! Since this is more of a video system that can do awesome stills, vs a still camera that can do video, we haven’t dived into the system much yet, but we will! While we’re waiting to get hands-on with the camera ourselves here at SLR Lounge, we’ve put together this list of reviews from other great sources around the web.
The Panasonic Lumix line has long been known for its impressive video capabilities, but along with its impressive video features, the full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor in the DC-S1H allows for versatile performance to suit still work as well. Bundled with a 14-stop dynamic range, sensitivity from ISO 100-51200, and the renowned Panasonic processing to realize high color accuracy, and responsive recording, this rig is sure to provide something to make each side of the creative fence happy. Inspired by broadcast cameras, the S1H also uses the updated sensor design to provide Dual Native ISO settings that prioritize either low noise or low sensitivity in order to provide image quality with greater color fidelity and reduced noise.
 Panasonic DC-S1H Technical Specs:
- Lens Mount Leica L
- Camera Format Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor)
- Pixels Actual: 25.28 Megapixel
- Effective: 24.2 Megapixel
- Maximum Resolution 6000 x 4000
- Aspect Ratio 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 65:24
- Sensor Type CMOS
- Sensor Size 35.6 x 23.8 mm
- Image File Format JPEG, Raw
- Bit Depth 14-Bit
- Image Stabilization Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis
- ISO Sensitivity Auto, 100 to 51200 (Extended: 50 to 204800)
- Continuous Shooting
- Up to 9 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 60 Frames (Raw) / 999 Frames (JPEG)
- Up to 30 fps at 18 MP
- Up to 60 fps at 8 MP
- External Recording Modes
- 4:2:2 10-Bit
- DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) up to 24.00p/50p/59.94p
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) up to 24.00p/50p/59.94p
- Viewfinder Type Electronic (OLED)
- Viewfinder Resolution 5,760,000 Dot
- Viewfinder Eye Point 21 mm
- Viewfinder Coverage 100%
- Viewfinder Magnification Approx. 0.78x
- Diopter Adjustment -4 to +2
- Monitor Size 3.2″
- Monitor Resolution 2,330,000 Dot
- Monitor Type Free-Angle Tilting Touchscreen LCD
- Memory Card Slot Dual Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
- Connectivity
- USB Type-C (USB 3.1), 3.5mm Microphone
- 3.5mm Headphone
- HDMI A (Full Size)
- PC Sync Socket, 2.5mm Sub-Mini
- Wireless
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- Battery 1 x DMW-BLJ31 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.4 VDC, 3050 mAh (Approx. 400 Shots)
- Dimensions (W x H x D) 5.94 x 4.5 x 4.35″ / 151 x 114.2 x 110.4 mm
- Weight 2.56 lb / 1164 g (Body with Battery and Memory)
- Price – $3,998 – Adorama | B&H | Amazon
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H Reviews
Like I mentioned above, we’re very excited to get our hands on it and complete our original review in the near future. Until then, here are some of our favorites from around the web from other respected sources:
ProAV’s Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H Review
Conclusion
According to our colleagues out there, the Panasonic DC-S1H is one of the most capable video cameras in a “dslr” type body on the market. It’s even on the list of approved cameras for Netflix shooting 4k content! The issues, seem to be minor and controllable once you know how to work the system, with grievances limited too the Autofocus being underwhelming, the battery life being varied (pretty common in mirrorless systems), and there can be a rolling shutter issue in certain filming modes. Nothing that would have any serious cinematographer concerned, especially given the impressive list of positives!
The Panasonic line of cameras has become an indispensable system for many vloggers and filmmakers out there, so if you’re interested in creating something a step above the competition then you should definitely consider looking into the DC-S1H. We hope this compilation of reviews is helpful for you until we can get this system in the SLR Lounge studio to do some video testing ourselves! If you have any thoughts or questions please let us know in the comments below.
