Panasonic S1R Review at Imaging Resource: “very impressive camera”

Imaging Resource published the full S1R review:

Overall, the new Panasonic S1R is a very impressive camera, not only in and of itself in terms of design, image quality and general performance, but also as the first release of a camera in an entirely new system. Of course, Panasonic isn’t starting completely from scratch, as they are building upon their years of experience and excellence with Micro Four Thirds cameras. As a “bigger brother” to the Lumix G9, in a sense, the Panasonic S1R proves to be an excellent professional-level camera for landscape, architectural, portrait and (in some cases) wildlife photographers who need and want high-quality, high-resolution image-making performance. The new 47MP sensor inside the S1R captures fantastic images, with excellent detail, terrific dynamic range and really good high ISO performance; it’s a very versatile, well-built camera all around.

Of course, it’s not without its downsides. Based around a contrast-detection AF system, even with fast DFD technology, the continuous AF performance struggles a bit with fast-moving subjects. And, while it’s perhaps understandable given its resolution, the S1R’s slower burst speed with C-AF as well as its sluggish buffer clearing times also make it less ideal for fast-paced action shooting. Also, it’s price point of $3,700 body-only is relatively expensive, and you have to factor-in lenses, too. It’s definitely a camera designed for the pro or serious enthusiast photographer. However, the price isn’t out of line compared to similar high-res full-frame cameras from other manufacturers, and so you get what you pay for.

In terms of lens selection, Panasonic S lenses are somewhat limited, but it’s continuing to expand. Launching an entirely new camera system is a daunting task, but Panasonic was smart to help create the L-mount alliance and build upon the existing L-mount format. It takes time to build up your system of lenses. Having this jumping-off point with existing lenses (albeit expensive ones from Leica) as well as having Sigma bring a whole slew of their lenses to the playing field, gives the Panasonic S series a really healthy start. Right now, native L-mount lenses from Panasonic themselves are fairly limited, but their roadmap is ever-increasing with more offerings. At this point in time, there aren’t major omissions either, as the Lumix S series lenses cover a lot of ground already, with wide-angle, standard, and short to medium telephoto lenses — both as zooms and primes — already on the market or soon-to-be available. The basic set of lenses for the majority of shooters are here, and Panasonic’s done a lot correctly in a short amount of time.

All in all, the S1R is a super solid, high-quality, robust, professional-class full-frame mirrorless camera. An easy addition to our Dave’s Pick list.