Today, DJI announced the newest addition to their “Ronin family of gimbals”. Please welcome the DJI Ronin-SC. It is smaller and lighter than the Ronin-S, features a maximum payload of 4.4 lbs (2 kg) and brings some new features like Force Mobile and ActiveTrack 3.0. Ronin-SC Gimbal. Source: DJI Last year, when DJI announced the Ronin-S, they were entering an already quite crowded market of one-handed gimbals. Because of their good name and popularity of their bigger Ronin-branded gimbals, the Ronin-S too became quite popular. The number of views on our DJI Ronin-S Review and Tutorial walk-through video only confirms its popularity. As many filmmakers pointed out, one of the specs of the Ronin-S didn’t make them so happy. Mostly its weight: The DJI Ronin-S gimbal weighs 4.1 lb (1.86 kg) which is ok for a short shooting, but not so comfortable for longer shoots. To make handling of the Ronin-S easier DJI released the Switch grip dual handle. You can find out more about it in our article from last week. The truth is that the Ronin-S can carry quite heavy payloads – up to around 7.94 lb (3.6 kg), which is twice its own weight. Many mirrorless camera setups are, however, much lighter and don’t need such a high payload. The problem was that DJI didn’t offer a smaller Ronin gimbal for lighter setups. Until today. What is the new Ronin-SC like? DJI Ronin-SC – Smaller and Lighter One-Handed Gimbal As I mentioned above, the new DJI Ronin-SC (C stands for Compact) is a single-handed 3-axis gimbal aimed at lighter setups. The maximum payload is 4.4 lbs (2 kg), which should be enough for most mirrorless cameras with native lenses. It might even work with certain DSLR lenses with adapters, but there is always a danger of the resulting setup being too front-heavy (proper balancing is often limited by the roll arm of the gimbal). Ronin-SC Gimbal – 360 degree roll. Source: DJI The new Ronin SC weighs 2.4 lbs (1 kg), which is 41% lighter than the Ronin-S. It can be easily taken apart to fit into backpacks and cases. Like its larger sibling, the SC also features good and durable build quality with materials like magnesium, steel, aluminum and composite plastic. Its dedicated battery offers users up to 11 hours of operation. Thanks to feedback from the Ronin-S users, DJI now incorporated 3 axis locks on the pan, tilt and roll axis of the Ronin-SC. This simplifies balancing the camera as well as transportation. Additionally, the Ronin-SC features a new position lock system. Once the gimbal is balanced, it is much faster to remount the camera and start working again. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Sport mode. Source: DJI Similar to the Ronin-S, users can control the gimbal movement with the responsive joystick and easily access different modes and gimbal settings with the use of the Mode (M) button and the front trigger button. New Intelligent Modes Using the redesigned Ronin app, users can set up to 3 different custom profiles, adjust various settings such as motor output and run balance tests to ensure that the camera system is properly balanced. The popular 360-degree roll movement can be saved in one of the custom profiles by simply selecting it in the app. Sport mode, which increases the response speed of the gimbal, is easily accessed by holding the Mode (M) button. The Ronin-SC offers the same modes as Ronin-S but with several new additions, including Force Mobile and ActiveTrack 3.0: Force Mobile (similar to Force Pro) synchronizes the movement of the connected mobile device (currently it only works with iOS devices) with the Ronin-SC gimbal. This works at a max distance of 82 feet (24.9 m – tested in an open unobstructed environment) using the new Bluetooth 5.0 connection. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Force Mobile feature. Source: DJI ActiveTrack 3.0 can make the Ronin SC accurately follow selected subject using a mobile device. The new algorithms include deep learning and optimized calculations for human figures. Similar to the technology found in some DJI drones and the Osmo Series, ActiveTrack 3.0 uses the mobile phone’s camera view and sends this information to the Ronin-SC. Users can mount the mobile phone to the top of the camera’s hotshoe with the included phone holder mount, open the Ronin app and select the subject to follow automatically. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Active Track Feature. Source: DJI Other intelligent modes inherited from the Ronin-S include: Virtual joystick: Control gimbal movement remotely using the virtual joystick,  useful when the Ronin-SC is mounted on a tripod or monopod. TimeLapse and Motionlapse: Create timelapse content, adjusting settings including interval, clips and frames per second. With or without movement. Motion Control: Set movement paths with Motion Control by selecting up to 10 different points. Panorama: Automatically capture panoramas in multiple rows or columns. The Ronin-SC is compatible with a variety of DJI accessories including a new, lighter external focus motor, Command Unit, DJI Force Pro, DJI Master Wheels, and some third-party accessories. Ronin-SC Gimbal is compatible with various accessories. Source: DJI Pricing and availability The DJI Ronin-SC is available now – we included links below our article. There are two versions of the Ronin-SC available: Ronin-SC Standard includes the essentials and is priced at around $439 US (€359) Ronin-SC Pro Combo adds the focus wheel along with the external focus motor and the Remote Start Stop (RSS) Splitter for $539 US (€459) Ronin-SC Gimbal is compatible with various accessories. Source: DJI DJI Care Refresh is also available for the Ronin-SC. For an additional $49 US (€39) it offers comprehensive coverage as well as up to two replacement units within one year. DJI Care Refresh Express is available for faster replacements. DJI Care Refresh also includes VIP after-sales support and free two-way shipping. Covered regions for the Care Refresh are US, Canada, EU, Switzerland, Norway, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. What do you think of the new DJI Ronin-SC? Would such a compact gimbal fit well into your workflow? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

That one got us by surprise! Along with the introduction of quite a few new lenses for Sony E-mount as well as L-Mount, SIGMA has just unveiled their newly developed SIGMA fp camera, sporting a full-frame 24.6MP backlit sensor! It comes with some welcomed tricks and fresh ideas such as a dedicated switch to set the camera either in stills mode or in cine mode. So here it is: SIGMA’s first camera with true dedication for cine applications. It’s based on a traditional BSI Bayer sensor but this camera is unlike any camera I’ve seen in a very long time. According to SIGMA, this camera is free from genre or categories and it’s designed to be a true user-centric camera. SIGMA fp Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera The camera itself is really tiny, more a box than an ergonomic camera. That’s because SIGMA wants this camera to be as modular as possible to be able to cater for most shooting scenarios. From stills shooters to indie filmmakers, the SIGMA fp can teanform into anything you like it to be. That’s the idea. The back-illuminated Bayer CMOS sensor is 36x24mm with an effective resolution of 6,072 × 4,056 pixels, resulting a total of 24.6 megapixels [in an earlier version we mistakenly wrote 60 megapixels]. The camera uses the new L-Mount which makes total sense as SIGMA is part of the L-Mount alliance and already produces L-Mount lenses. SIGMA fp with attached viewfinder The SIGMA fp comes with a dedicated switch for putting it into either stills or cine mode. And each of the modes transforms the whole camera system in order to only display the items of importance to each use case. No more digging the menus for that specific video setting! Very nice. Furthermore, it comes with a dedicated video record button. Video Recording The SIGMA fp records either raw CDNG in 8, 10 or 12bit (externally to SSD) or it records plain h.264 into a .mov container either in all-i or GOP mode. Supported resolutions include: 3,840 × 2,160 (UHD 4K): 23.98p, 25p,29.97p 1,920 x 1,080 (full HD): 23.98p, 25p, 29.97p, 59.94p, 100p, 119.88p I couldn’t find any intel about color sub-sampling yet but will add these information once I have them. Another thing which is still a bit unclear is the fact that SIGMA states a 1.5 crop in the specifications. Maybe that crop applies to video recording (or UHD recording, at least). It also could be just an option (as seen in the menu – video above @ 2:34), which would be the best possible solution, of course. We will update this article as soon as we know for sure. still from the presentation of the SIGMA fp. For external recording, the video feed can be send out through USB 3.1 (GEN1) to a fast outboard SSD or through HDMI (4:2:2 8-bit only as it seems) to an external recorder. SIGMA specifically names ATOMOS Ninja Inferno and Blackmagic Video Assist 4K as supported devices. More makes and models should follow I assume. Note: The in-camera playback function of recorded CinemaDNG frames will be implemented later with a firmware upgrade so as of now you can shoot CDNG but you can’t play it back on the camera itself. Another curiosity: In their press release SIGMA claims that the fp is able to record 12-bit raw CDNG externally through USB 3.1 while further down in the specifications it reads that the camera is able to record 12-bit raw CDNG internally. We will have to wait and find out what’s actually the case here. Audio is being recorded in Linear PCM (2ch 48kHz /16bit). The fp camera records to one of the following types of media: SD / SDHC / SDXC Memory Card (UHS-II compatible). Furthermore you can use an external USB3 SSD which will be bus-powered. The BMPCC 4K springs to mind! Stills Mode vs. Cine Mode Since this camera sports not one but two cameras in one body, let’s run through the features of both modes! In general, this is really a nice (maybe even overdue) feature to have in modern mirrorless hybrid cameras. Using the dedicated switch you can flick between stills mode and cine mode effortlessly without any menu digging. stills mode vs. cine mode Furthermore, in each mode you only get the relevant information displayed on the screen and these information reflect the mode you’re working in. For example you’ll get a 16:9 image in cine mode without any overlaying icons. You can, however, enable some overlays such as audio meters or a waveform monitor. Additionally frame guides can be displayed (and adjusted of course). TC will be displayed in cine mode but not in stills mode. Exposure correction is a feature stills photographers need, video shooters not so much. You get the idea. I think this feature alone is a huge breakthrough for video capabilities on small mirrorless cameras such as this SIGMA fp. Other manufacturers should think about separating both modes of operation as well! Other Specifications The SIGMA fp is a tiny camera, indeed. With overall dimensions of 112.6×69.9×45.3mm and body weight of 370g, without battery and card, the SIGMA fp is not your average mirrorless camera. Maybe that’s why the fp stands for fortissimo & pianissimo: Strong and light at the same time. The rear TFT screen can’t swivel or tilt. It sports approximately 2.1 million dots and it’s a touchscreen, of course. The camera offers a 3.5mm mic input and, as a scratch audio source, a built-in stereo mic. It also offers a tiny speaker for audio playback but somehow SIGMA forgot to implement a headphone jack. That’s really a bit strange since this camera is clearly aimed towards video (at least in cine mode), so I can’t think of any reason to not implement a headphone out.. Maybe SIGMA adds this with a future module of some kind. Let’s just hope proper audio has not been forgotten here. The SIGMA fp offers a a so-called director’s mode, i.e. director’s viewfinder. With it you can mimic another camera’s sensor size as well as film cameras and even anamorphic lenses. Available and build-in camera profiles include the ARRI ALEXA LF, MINI LF, AMIRA, Sony VENICE, RED MONSTRO 8K and many more. So this camera could even be a directors accessory on fully-flegded productions. Not exactly necessary but still a nice addition. In a later firmware upgrade you will also be able to record and playback video while in director’s mode. With a whole stack of accessories for this new camera, SIGMA lets you transform it into whatever camera you like. Add a handgrip and a hot shoe for adding a flash? No problem! Need a proper viewfinder and a large handgrip along with a mount converter for shooting video? Not a problem! You really can transform this camera to match your exact needs for the given job. Pretty neat I’d say. For a full review we need to go hands-on of course but from what I can see here this SIGMA fp could be a really capable tool for stills shooter and indie filmmakers alike. In terms of power, the fp uses a SIGMA lithium battery (Li-ion Battery BP-51). And since the camera sports USB, you can charge the battery through that USB port, but only if the camera is turned off. SIGMA fp – Combating camera body heat. Pricing and Availability The SIGMA fp is set for a release later this year (around fall) but there’s no word on pricing yet. SIGMA’s Kazuto Yamaki holding the new SIGMA fp. I love this photo. A moment of pride Links: Website What do you think? Is this the camera you’ve waited for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Zacuto recently introduced a new baseplate system designed for mirrorless and DSLR cameras – or any camera up to 50 lbs – called the Zacuto Polaris. Zacuto Polaris Concept The Zacuto Polaris is a lightweight yet robust baseplate built around an Arca Swiss compatible quick release system. Otherwise, the Polaris plate and QR receiver are not a traditional Arca Swiss mount. To attach your camera, you first have to snap it in the QR receiver. To lock the camera down, the Zacuto Polaris uses a knob that you have to screw 1 1/4 turn. Finally, to release your camera, you have to turn the same knob 1 1/4 of a corner and pull the knob to release. Like every Arca Swiss system, it has safety locks so the unit can’t slide out if the knob isn’t all the way lose. I prefer the clamp locking system of the Kessler Kwik Release system which is – in my opinion – much faster, takes a smaller footprint, and less prone to operator’s errors. Zacuto Polaris Baseplate The Mirrorless Polaris Baseplate kit includes a camera plate, a mounting plate, a 15mm rod support base, and a set of 12″ rods. The rods are tightened with two mini ratcheting levers. The 15mm rod support base is height adjustable to align popular cameras to standard matte box height. Also, various accessories are available if you need to extend your rig, like a Polaris Shoulder Pad. You can purchase additional Polaris camera and mounting plates if required. Finally, some of the camera cages from Zacuto, like the GH5 Basic Cage will be updated with a built-in Arca Swiss compatible plate to be “natively” Polaris compatible. Other cages for the Sony A7 III/A7R III and A9, Blackmagic 4K Pocket Camera, Nikon Z7/Z6, Panasonic S1, and Fuji X-T3 should be updated pretty soon. Or, if you already own a cage, you can screw the camera plate at the bottom of your cage. Of course, the Zacuto Polaris is compatible with all 15mm rod accessories from Zacuto like the Z-Drive, the Tornado, and the Trigger Grips. Indeed, it is also compatible with every Arca Swiss and 15mm rod standard accessories you might already have. The Zacuto Polaris Shoulder Pad Pricing and Availability The Polaris Baseplate System will cost you $350.00, but there is currently an instant saving of $70.00 at B&H. Individual parts are also available for pre-orders. Shipping will start in about a week. What do you think of the Zacuto Polaris system? What type of quick release system do you use? Let us know in the comments down below!

As Nikon and Atomos have announced, the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will output RAW video signal via HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V will record it in high-quality ProRes RAW format. During CP+ we spoke with Shoji-san from Nikon, about this new capability. Please note that CP+ is a local show taking place in Japan and as such, most Japanese company representatives speak Japanese only. We chose to highlight this subject and bring you the video in Japanese with English subtitles. (Please turn CC on if needed) As you might already know, in January 2019 Nikon and Atomos have announced that the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will be able to output RAW signal through HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V recorder will be able to record that stream as a high-quality ProRes RAW video. My colleague Olaf wrote a nice article about the announcement titled “Why Atomos ProRes RAW Recording for Nikon Z7 and Z6 Could Change our Industry”. Give it a read if you haven’t already. Shoji-san states that Nikon received feedback from their pro photographers, who are being asked to also shoot video next to photo, by their clients, nowadays. That’s why Nikon decided to include pro video features in their cameras. As the company does not have any cinema cameras range to protect, they can include whatever innovative feature they can, in their mirrorless cameras. At the moment, both Nikon cameras record in 8-bit H.264 internally and up to 10-bit with N-log externally in ProRes 4:2:2. Soon, these cameras will be able to output 12-bit RAW signal and the Atomos Ninja V will record the footage into ProRes RAW. The function was developed together with Atomos. We didn’t get any information on when exactly the RAW output will be available, yet. One important piece of information Shoji-san did share with us (without disclosing too much about future plans), is that Nikon is closely looking at the possibility of including high-quality internal recording in their future cameras. Reading between the lines, we won’t be surprised if some sort of internal high quality recording will be available within a reasonable timeframe… What do you think of Nikon cameras outputting high-quality RAW signal? Would you consider buying one of their cameras because of the new feature? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Samyang recently announced their first venture into the Canon RF world. The Samyang MF 14mm F/2.8 RF and Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 RF will be the first in line for native compatibility with the Canon EOS R Mirrorless cameras. The new mirrorless line from Canon brought a new mount – RF mount is much more compact due to not needing to account for a large mirrorbox found on DSLRs. The result is a much shorter flange distance than Canon EF. Canon themselves announced an EF to RF mount alongside the first Canon EOS R camera, but that won’t stop third party manufactures making more practical native-compatible lenses. The first offerings from Samyang are two manual focus, wide aperture primes – the MF 14mm f/2.8 RF and the MF 85mm f/1.4 RF. Looking at the design and specification of these lenses, they use the structure of existing Samyang lenses, just with the longer back end to account for the shorted flange distance. Samyang MF 14mm F2.8 RF Specification Aperture range : 2.8-22 Construction 14 elements in 10 groups Coating UMC Min Focus Distance 0.28m (0.92ft) Mag. Ratio x 0.08 Aperture Blades 6 Angle of View 115.7˚ Weight 800g Samyang MF 85mm F2.8 RF Specification Aperture range : 1.4-22 Construction 9 elements in 7 groups Coating UMC Min Focus Distance 1m (3.3ft) Mag. Ratio x 0.09 Aperture Blades 8 Angle of View 28.3˚ Weight 730g Both are naturally compatible with the full frame sensor format, and are weather sealed “from light rain and snow”, the rubber gasket on the rear also helps with lens-body stability. Expect many more from Samyang here, they have a wealth of manual focus primes that I’m sure will receive the same rehoused treatment to allow native compatibility for Canon RF Mount. Article will be updated with pricing, but current similar Samyang lenses in other mounts are both sub $300. In other Samyang news, the lens we saw back at Photokina 2018 that the Korean company bill “the world’s widest no-distortion full frame lens” has been officially announced. The XP 10mm f/3.5 covers up to 130° angle of view, is constructed from 18 elements in 11 groups, will be available in the Spring (Canon mount first, then Nikon) and cost around €1099. What do you think of the new lenses? Let us know in the comments below.

The Yongnuo YN450 is a smart mirrorless camera with Android operating system and a 16MP micro four thirds image sensor. It features a Canon EF mount, a 5″ multi-touch 1080p display, as well as a 4G SIM card slot for instant content sharing. Yongnuo is a Chinese company, well known for their affordable LED panels, flashes and lenses, too. Lately, they have been expanding their repertoire: The company first teased their Android-based mirrorless camera last year in October. We spoke with a Yongnuo representative during CP+ 2019 in Japan and asked some questions about the YN450 mirrorless camera. Yongnuo YN450 Mirrorless Camera The camera consists of a very slim, smartphone-like design (except for the lens with the mount, of course). There is a 5″ 1080p multi-touch display on the back-side of the body. The Yongnuo YN450 will apparently run on the Android 7.1 operating system with a Qualcomm 8-core processor. It has a 16MP micro four thirds image sensor from Panasonic, and shooting photos in RAW will be possible. The camera has 32GB internal memory and a micro SD (TF) memory card slot. It seems like that slot will be limited to 32GB (?!) cards – and SDXC standard will not be supported. In my opinion, the combination of such a small internal memory and a limited memory card slot does not make much sense. Hopefully, the manufacturer will decide to include a bigger storage once the camera is released. Yongnuo decided to equip their camera with the Canon EF lens mount, which might have to do with Yongnuo’s lens portfolio, which is based on Canon EF mount (and Nikon F mount). However, that mount makes the whole camera-lens combination very bulky and actually prevents one from being able to use more compact micro four thirds lenses, which would be a better match for the sensor, in my opinion. The camera will shoot 4K video with 30fps, which is currently the only information about its video capabilities. Let’s hope that other frame rates will be available too, when launched. The camera supports autofocus either by tapping on the desired area on the display, or by half-pressing the shutter button. The additional features of the Yongnuo YN450 move it closer towards a smartphone. There is a SIM card slot within the camera’s body to connect it to 4G for instant content sharing, andWifi connectivity will also be available. Furthermore, there is a front-facing 8MP camera next to the display, as well as built-in GPS. The removable 4,000 mAh battery should be able to power the camera for up to 4 hours of continuous use. The company aims to launch the camera for the Chinese market already during April 2019. Next might possibly be availability in the US. The price of the device is said to be under $500 USD. What do you think of the Yongnuo YN450 smart camera? Do you think cameras with built-in smartphone OS are the future? Let us know in the comments underneath the article. Additional source: Yongnuo Rumors

Once again, my colleague Johnnie met Mr. Kazuto Yamaki from SIGMA corporation, to talk about future trends and products for the Japanese lens – and also camera – manufacturer. During this interview, taking place on the CP+ 2019 exhibition floor, Kazuto Yamaki speaks about new L-Mount lenses, their new L-Mount adapter and briefly about the upcoming SIGMA L-Mount mirrorless camera. Many New Lenses for L-Mount As you might know from our previous article, SIGMA will release 11 new Art prime lenses for the L-Mount system – 14mm F1.8, 20mm F1.4, 24mm F1.4, 28mm F1.4, 35mm F1.4, 40mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 70mm F2.8 macro, 85mm F1.4, 105mm F1.4, and 135mm F1.8. Those lenses are not entirely new, but SIGMA engineers take the whole – already existing – SIGMA Art full-frame primes line-up and redesign them for L-Mount specifications. The lenses are already available for Canon EF mount, SIGMA SA mount and Sony E-Mount. Precisely, the mentioned E-Mount versions are now being redesigned for L-Mount, which is most likely the case due to the similar flange focal distance – 18mm for E-Mount and 20mm for L-Mount. As Kazuto Yamaki told us, SIGMA engineers are working hard to make sure these lenses will be available during the second half of this year. We also found out that SIGMA already works on additional lenses for L-Mount and some of them should become available this year, too. Unfortunately, we do not know anything more about those lenses yet. Possibly some zoom lenses, like the 24-70mm F2.8? In any case, this really shows SIGMA’s 100% commitment to provide a high-quality lens portfolio for the L-Mount ecosystem. It looks like there will be a handful of native lens choices for the new Panasonic S1 and Panasonic S1R cameras very soon. SIGMA L-Mount Camera and MC-21 Converter SIGMA does not only work on native L-mount lenses, they have also announced the MC-21 mount converter, which will allow mounting existing SIGMA lenses with Canon EF mount or SA mount onto L-Mount cameras. SIGMA has a similar product out there already, for EF/SA mount to E-Mount conversion – the popular SIGMA MC-11. The MC-21 adapter will support quick autofocus (but not continuous autofocus for filming), as well as correction functions of a camera, such as peripheral illumination, chromatic aberration of magnification, and distortion. Last but not least: Already at Photokina 2018, Kazuto Yamaki told us that SIGMA is working on their own L-Mount mirrorless camera. The camera will be based on SIGMA’s own Foveon full-frame sensor. Now at CP+ 2019, we were told that due to slight delays in development, the camera will not be released this year. The new release year for the camera is 2020. What do you think about the L-Mount system and the upcoming SIGMA L-Mount lens lineup? Are you planning to invest in the new system? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

The Panasonic LUMIX S1 is the latest in Panasonic’s offerings. It is a full frame camera, aimed at advanced photographers, but can also capture high quality 4K videos. The new camera will greatly benefit from the firmware update scheduled for later this year, so the appeal for videographers will be even higher. I’ve been running around with the yet to be released camera and had a chance to explore its video capabilities a little  further.  Panasonic LUMIX S1 While getting to know the new Panasonic S1 in Barcelona was nice, I felt that there is much more to explore about it and have therefore decided to dedicate some extra time and review the camera, although it is still in a pre-production stage. First, let’s have a quick recap in regards to its video specifications. Panasonic S1 Video Specifications: 24.2 MP CMOS Sensor 4K HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) internal video recording, HEVC codec in 10-bit 72Mbps 4K 50/60p, 4:2:0 8-bit, cropped to APS-C, internal recording limited to 29:59 min 4K 24/25/30p Full Frame, 4:2:0 8-bit, unlimited recording Various Full HD recording modes Various High Frame Rate recording options in 4K and HD (No control on any of the recording parameters like shutter speed and ISO, no autofocus, no sound. 150fps and 180fps in HD mode are cropped) Native ISO of 100-51,200 Future paid firmware update unlocks: 4K UHD up to 30p, 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording (At 150Mbps) 4K UHD 50/60p, 10-bit 4:2:2 external recording via HDMI with APS-C crop FHD at up to 60fps, 10-bit 4:2:2 at 100Mbps  V-Log Panasonic S1 top view – Large, robust, comfortable to hold Panasonic LUMIX S1 – First Impression and Handling As a reviewer, I get to use many of the new cameras out there and leaving specifications aside, there are always those cameras that simply feel more comfortable in the hand – the Panasonic LUMIX S1 falls into this category. This mirrorless camera is big, heavy and robust (especially when equipped with the new 24-105mm f/4 L lens), so you better think of it as if you are carrying a DSLR, but in this particular case, this is NOT a bad thing, as the camera felt very balanced in my hands and I could work with it for exceptionally long periods of time. This brings me to another advantage of working handheld with this camera: its IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) system is simply working very well! If you feel the need for even extra smoothness in your shots, you can turn the E-Stabilization (Video) “ON” and – on the expense of a slight crop – you will get perfectly steady shots. (Everything that you see in the above video nut two shots, was shot handheld and although the stabilisation is enhanced digitally, to my eyes, there was no drop in picture quality). Panasonic S1 E-Stabilization option Call me an old-fashioned cameraman, but a viewfinder is a much more valuable and suitable for my style of working than an external monitor, as it gives me an extra gripping point when working handheld and also, in bright light, I can judge the exposure more accurately and easily. The reason I’m mentioning this here is because up until now, most – if not all – of the mirrorless cameras I’ve worked with had “just an OK” EVF (with the exception of the Leica SL). The Panasonic S1 brings back the faith in the possibility that an excellent EVF can be included in a mirrorless camera. I can report first-hand that manual focusing is a breeze and eye fatigue is a thing of the past, when extensively using that particular EVF. Well done, Panasonic! Last but not least, a word about battery life. The new DMW-BLJ31  7.2V 3,100mAh large capacity battery did very well during my shooting day(s). Again, Panasonic kept its reputation of equipping their cameras (aka GH5/GH5S) with long lasting batteries. Panasonic S 24-105mm f:4 L mount lens – ISO 5000   Panasonic S 24-105mm f:4 L mount lens – ISO 30,000   Panasonic S 24-105mm f:4 L mount lens – ISO 2000   Panasonic S 24-105mm f:4 L mount lens – ISO 12,800 Lowlight capability (The above images were taken from the editing timeline) This is where the camera REALY shines! Previously, I’ve seen similar results only when testing some of Sony’s cameras. As a documentary filmmaker, the lowlight capabilities of a camera can be a deal breaker, when considering what camera to purchase, as I never know where I’m going to find myself filming, or if I will have the time to set up proper lighting on location (whenever possible). With the Panasonic S1, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Aggressive NR (Noise Reduction) or not, you can shoot and expect clean images up to ISO 30,000. (Not that above that figure the images are not usable, they are but with additional noise). As a picture is worth more than a thousands words, I encourage you to take a look at my above video and see for yourself. Autofocus system If there is anything that needs some extra care and attention from Panasonic’s side, it is the autofocus system. The main thing, when using autofocus with any camera, is the ability to get good and constant results. With the Panasonic S1, I got mixed bag results. At times, I was very happy with the speed and accuracy of the autofocus system and then, there were times where the camera simply did not function well. As I was testing a pre-production model with a non-final firmware, I assume that Panasonic will do all they can do, in order to fine-tune the autofocus system within this camera, before it hits the stores. Dynamic Range Test We are continuing with our tradition of testing the Dynamic Range of new cameras, and although the sample unit we had is NOT a final one, we were rather curious about what ballpark range we stand in. Please head to this link in order to learn more about our Dynamic Range tests. Gunther, our DR specialist has tested 3 picture profiles and modes. HLG, Cinelike D and the new Flat picture profile. Here are his observations:  HLG option in the camera menu HLG, ISO 400 (12.2 stops) V-Log will come at a later stage, with a paid firmware upgrade, however with the Panasonic S1 you can already shoot in Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) mode. (HEVC codec, 4:2:0 10bit long GOP 72Mbps).  Setting both, sharpness and noise reduction (NR) to -5, I was able to get a Dynamic Range of 12.2 stops at ISO400 for a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 2 (13.4 stops at SNR = 1), see figure 1 below. Fig. 1: Panasonic S1 waveform plot of the step chart in HLG ISO400, noise reduction set to -5 (lowest). Visually, 12 stops above the noise floor are visible – a very good result! This is a very good result, which is only topped by the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro – see figure 2 below. Fig. 2: Dynamic Range comparison of the Panasonic LUMIX S1 – it comes in just behind the URSA Mini Pro 4.6 If we compare this result to the Dynamic Range of the Panasonic GH5S in HLG mode (ISO800, NR = 0) coming in at 9.9 stops, this is about 2.3 stops higher! Now, the same GH5S has a Dynamic Range of 10.7 stops (ISO400) with V-Log L, hence, there is some potential for the Panasonic S1 to have an even better DR reading once V-Log becomes available! Looking at the noise floor and the lower steps of the step chart of the Panasonic S1, there is very little noise visible – it looks ultra clean. Although noise reduction was set to the lowest setting, we can assume that there is still a lot of internal noise reduction going on. (I also tried shooting the chart with noise reduction set to 0 (NR = 0), but there was very little difference). Personally, I would prefer to have more influence on the internal noise reduction through the settings – maybe a future firmware update will enable this. For me, if the image is too clean, it lacks mojo. Cinelike D picture profile (10.8 stops) Panasonic LUMIX S1 Cinelike D DR result If you are not interested or ready to shoot in HLG, Cinelike D might be a good option. As you can see from the chart above, we got 10.8 stops of DR in this mode. Flat picture profile – Unmeasurable Flat picture profile – Unmeasurable I was very curious to measure the new Flat picture profile – especially as Johnnie shot all of the above video in that mode – but to my surprise, it was unmeasurable. As you can see in the above figure in the upper chart, there is a very abrupt transition in the brightness value (density) response curve from the higher into the lower stops (representing the Xyla 21 patches). Furthermore, in the middle chart the RMS noise curve falls off to zero between -5 and -4 LOG exposure values (on the x-axis), and in the lower chart again, between -6 and -4 LOG exposure the lower stops (shadows) of the Xyla chart show zero pixel noise (lowest chart of the three) – thus confusing IMATEST. The software, therefore, shows a wrong 12.6 stops for all signal to noise ratios – which cannot be real, of course. I don’t know what it is, but it seems as if a very aggressive noise reduction is responsible for those unmeasurable results. In general, we can only hope that Panasonic will consider giving us more control on the noise (meaning, the ability to turn the reduction off all together) in a future firmware update. Choose between FullFrame or APSC filming options Conclusion The LUMIX S1 camera is Panasonic’s first attempt (alongside the S1R) of entering the world of full frame sensor cameras and as such, I think they did really well! They are presenting a well-balanced shooting device (specification- vs. performance-wise), although I have to say that I wish the video images received would have a bit more “mojo” in them. The Current  image is very clean – maybe too clean, at times. It is only in post-production that you can actually turn it into having a more distinguished identity (keeping in mind that it is an 8bit camera, so color correction needs to be treated gently)… Moving to pricing, in Panasonic’s eyes, this is probably a camera for photographers first and then for us filmmakers, hence, I do understand the reason why they decided to charge extra money for the additional features. I guess, they do not want photographers – who are the main target of that camera – to pay a price if it is not needed. Fair enough. Saying that, it is an expensive camera and the price cannot be neglected, when doing the overall calculation before buying (any) camera. And further than that, we have gotten spoiled, while one of the companies to spoil us most is… Panasonic. They proved in the past that they are able to provide us with cameras that can shoot high data rate, 10bit, 4:2:2, all Intra, internally, so I won’t be surprised if this will be the case this time, too. The basics are all there, all Panasonic needs to do is top up the video specifications and produce a “video centric” camera and charge us a fair price. In case this ever happens, it’s going to be a real treat! Panasonic LUMIX S1 The above video was shot handheld on a pre-production Panasonic LUMIX S1 camera. Image quality is not final. Picture profile “Flat”. Edited on Adobe Premiere CC latest edition and color corrected with FilmConvert. The music used in the video above is courtesy of Music Vine. Get 25% off your next music license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer). What do you think? Does the new Panasonic LUMIX S1 interest you? Will you consider buying it or do you prefer waiting for Panasonic to produce a more capable camera that shoots video? Share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.