Panasonic has been making pocket-sized, interchangeable-lens cameras for over a decade, ever since it pioneered mirrorless camera technology (along with Olympus) with the Micro Four Thirds standard. Now the company has announced the latest from this long camera tradition with the brand new Panasonic Lumix S9.
Unlike previous Lumix cameras like 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 says have seen record sales growth.
Given that it’s the first with a full-frame sensor, it’s no surprise that the Lumix S9 is the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera in the Panasonic range. It weighs just 403 g (14.2 ounces) and measures 126 x 73.9 x 46.7 mm (4.96 x 2.9 x). 1.83 inches).
The Lumix S9 also comes in a range of bright colours for the front leather trim, including carmine red, dark olive and midnight blue, as well as the standard jet black. This colour is also used for the thumb grip on the back of the S9.
The S9 has a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS image sensor, which is the same size and density as the sensor that was well received in the Lumix S5II (which we gave five stars).
The sensor is also paired with Panasonic’s Phase Detection Autofocus, a huge improvement on the company’s latest models, enabling faster focusing and subject detection for human faces and eyes, as well as animals, birds, cars and motorcycles.
It is also supported by Panasonic’s 5.0-stop 5-axis image stabilization in the body or 6.5-stop Dual IS 2 when used with compatible lenses, significantly reducing blur caused by camera shake even when shooting handheld.
The best camera deals, reviews, product tips and must-read photography news straight to your inbox!
The S9 isn’t the first Lumix camera with built-in real-time LUTs, but Panasonic is taking this feature further than ever before, offering a dedicated LUT button on the camera body for the first time. LUT stands for “Look-Up Table” and refers to a predetermined set of parameters that influence the overall look of a photo or video by affecting the color balance.
LUTs allow shared photos and videos to be captured in-camera and uploaded directly to social platforms with minimal editing. You can even apply two LUTs at once.
The Lumix S9 allows you to load LUTs onto the camera via the new Lumix Lab app (available now for Android and iOS), which can then be applied to both photo and video footage, with the effects visible in real time. The Lumix Lab app also lets you create your own bespoke LUTs from scratch, or load one of other developers’ custom LUTs.
To make outsourcing videos even more efficient, the Lumix S9 introduces a new video format called MP4 Lite. This reduces file size and makes transfers faster, but still allows creators to shoot in Open Gate in 4:2:0 10bit at 30p/25p for high quality footage that can be easily trimmed to different ratios for different platforms .
The Lumix S9 will be available in late June 2024 and will cost £1,499.99 / AU$2,699 body only (US pricing to be announced). The Lumix S9 is also sold in a kit along with the Lumix S 20-60mm lens for £1,799 / £3,299 or the Lumix S 28-200mm lens for £2,249 (no information on the availability of this kit in the USA and Australia).
Are you looking for a small but nice camera? Check out our guides on best compact camera or best travel camera for more.