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AI-generated summary
The Lumix S9 is Panasonic’s latest full-frame mirrorless camera, aiming to offer a new philosophy for image creation and sharing.
I don’t know about you, but I find this camera absolutely adorable 🥰 — it’s available in red, blue, green, and black. OK, these colours are just stickers, but it still looks a lot better than what Sony puts out.
The camera has a unique design with minimalist controls and customisable buttons. No frills here — you’ll even need to add a grip, much like the Leica Q , for a more comfortable hold. Be warned though: it has no EVF, so shooting in bright sunlight will be a challenge — you’ll have to make do with the LCD screen on the back. I believe I’ve seen that the screen can fold completely flat to protect it.
A key feature of the S9 is its ability to apply “LUTs” (Lightroom presets) directly in-camera, letting users quickly apply creative colour corrections and styles to both photos and videos. No more post-session editing — you can even send your photos with the Lightroom presets already applied directly to your favourite social networks via the app on your phone.
Panasonic has developed a new mobile app called Lumix Lab, which serves as the LUT management hub.
The camera features an “open gate” sensor that allows flexible cropping and framing in both photo and video modes, with support for high-resolution 6K video. The sensor has no mechanical shutter — only an electronic one — which can produce odd artefacts in artificial low-light conditions.
Despite its compact design, the S9 offers advanced features such as hybrid autofocus, high-speed burst shooting, and an image stabilisation system. The autofocus speed is nowhere near what Sony offers, but subject/eye recognition is present.
Although the 15-minute video recording limit may be a compromise, the camera’s lightness and portability make it a solid choice for vlogging and content creation on the go. The S9 also has a fully articulating screen, which makes selfies easy 🥸.
At €1,699 for the body, the S9 is positioned as a high-end — or upper-mid-range — camera, targeting amateur photographers and videographers who prioritise creative control and mobile workflows.
I’m particularly fond of this type of compact full-frame camera. I sold my Fujifilm X100V and X-Pro3 to go back to full frame because I love shallow depth of field. The A7C is a soulless camera that doesn’t make you want to take it anywhere — unlike this new S9. But the recipe isn’t quite right for me: the missing EVF is a no-go, and there’s a lack of lenses in the same spirit as this type of camera — meaning performant and compact. Panasonic releases a 26mm F8 pancake!!! Yes, you read that right: F8…
See you in three years for the S10 🥂.
