Panasonic‘s LUMIX is no stranger to the camera enthusiast. However, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen the brand make a big bang with its announcements – in Malaysia at least. Well, this time, Panasonic is making the biggest bang possible with its new LUMIX S9 – the smallest full-frame camera that the company has produced ever.
Compact, Simple and Quick
The Panasonic LUMIX S9 is no simpleton’s camera. It’s built from the ground up to cater to content creators while keeping up with the standards of professional photography and videography. The LUMIX S9 comes with a 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor that the company first used in its LUMIX S5 II. It has improved real-time recognition autofocus with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) for better subject tracking. The PDAF is complemented by a 5-axis dual image stabilizer that has 6.5 stops of stabilization and is complemented with body image stabilization with 5 stops of stabilization. Electronic Stabilization helps ensure that video footage is smooth and without distortion.
The LUMIX S9 is compact. The body alone weighs a mere 403g or 0.89lbs. This is further accentuated by the compact body that can be held in one hand. Panasonic is doubling down on the compact size with the introduction of two new compact lenses for the S9. The first is a compact prime lens called the LUMIX S 26mm F8 (S-R26). This lens has a primed or fixed focal distance of 26mm and a minimum aperture of F8. The second, the LUMIX S 18-44mm F4.5-6.3, is a compact zoom lens with a focal distance between 18 and 44 mm. Both the lenses are pancake lenses and measure no longer than 3cm from the lens mount of the Panasonic LUMIX S9.
Created with Content Creators in Mind
The compact size is intentional as Panasonic is gearing the LUMIX S9 for content creators. The compact size allows creators to carry it around without breaking their backs with large, cumbersome camera bags. That’s not all, Panasonic is making it even easier to transfer footage between the S9 and your mobile phone for social media with the new MP4 (Lite) codec. Shooting in this format allows users to create high-quality videos without outputting large multi-gigabyte files. This makes it easier to transfer to the phone and post on socials. Panasonic is boasting up to 4.5x the transfer speed.
Like other LUMIX cameras, the S9 shoots in the 3:2 aspect ratio. This allows creators to shoot for both YouTube and Socials with one camera. In fact, you can shoot once and crop the footage into 9:16 and 16:9 depending on which platform or format they will be uploading. With the 6000×4000 resolution of the open gate, full-frame sensor, you will still be left with high-quality 4K UHD footage after cropping.
App Complemented Experience with LUT Profiles
The LUMIX S9 also allows creators to shoot in real-time LUT. This feature allows you to shoot in colour profiles for videos and photos that are catered to your aesthetic. You’ll be able to download and apply LUTs that have been created and customised by other creators as well. This can be done through the LUMIX Lab app. The app will also allow you to develop and share your own LUT profile with friends and followers.
Pricing & Availability
The Panasonic LUMIX S9 will be available in Crimson Red, Dark Olive, Jet Black and Silver. The camera body alone will be retailing for RM7,599. It will also be available in a bundle with a Panasonic LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 (R2060) lens for RM8,999.
The LUMIX S9 will be available for pre-order from 30th May to 30th June 2024 from retail stores. From 6th to 30th June, the camera will be available for pre-order from Lazada and Shopee. Pre-orders will get a SmallRig L-shape handle, a battery pack and a 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SD card.