Panasonic has been making pocket cameras with interchangeable lenses for over a decade, having pioneered mirrorless technology (alongside Olympus) with the Micro Four Thirds standard. Now it has announced the latest in that long history of cameras with the brand new Panasonic Lumix S9.
Unlike previous Lumix cameras such as the Lumix GM5 or the Lumix GX90, this is the first of its kind to feature a full-frame sensor. This continues to build on the success of the Lumix S5II and S5IIX, which Panasonic said are enjoying record sales growth.
As the first to feature a full-frame sensor, the Lumix S9 is unsurprisingly the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless in Panasonic’s range, weighing just 403g (14.2oz) and measuring 126 x 73.9 x 46.7mm (4.96 x 2.9 x 1.83 inches).
The Lumix S9 is also available in several jazzy color options for the front leather strip including Crimson Red, Dark Olive and Night Blue, as well as the standard Jet Black. This color also extends to the thumb grip on the back of the S9.
Panasonic Lumix S9 in crimson red (Image credit: Panasonic)
The S9 features a 24.2MP full-frame CMOS image sensor, which is the same size and density as the sensor used to great acclaim in the Lumix S5II (which we gave five stars).
The sensor is also paired with Panasonic’s Phase Detection Autofocus, a huge improvement over the company’s latest models, offering faster focus as well as object recognition for human faces and eyes, as well as animals, birds, cars and motorbikes.
It is also supported by 5.0 EV 5-axis in-body image stabilization or 6.5 EV Dual IS 2 when used with compatible lenses, significantly reducing blur caused by camera shake even when shooting handheld.
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The S9 isn’t the first Lumix camera to feature in-camera real-time LUT, but Panasonic is taking this feature further than ever, including a dedicated LUT button on the camera body for the first time. LUT stands for “look up table”, a term for a predetermined set of parameters that affect the overall appearance of a photo or video by affecting the color balance.
Night Blue S9 with Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens (Image credit: Panasonic)
LUTs allow you to take share-ready photos and videos right in-camera and upload them directly to social platforms with minimal editing required. You can even use two LUTs at the same time.
The Lumix S9 lets you load LUTs into the camera via the new Lumix Lab app (now available for Android and iOS), which can then be applied to both photos and videos with effects visible in real-time. The Lumix Lab app also allows you to create your own custom LUTs from scratch or load one of your own LUTs from other creators.
To make video downloads even more permanent, the Lumix S9 introduces a new video format called MP4 Lite. This creates a smaller file size for faster transfer, but still allows creators to record in Open Gate in 4:2:0 10-bit at 30p/25p for high-quality footage that can easily be cropped to different ratios for different platforms.
The Lumix S9 will be available at the end of June 2024 and will cost £1,499.99 body only (US and Australian prices TBC). The Lumix S9 will also be sold in a bundle with either the Lumix S 20-60mm lens for £1,799 or the Lumix S 28-200mm lens for £2,249.
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