There’s been a lot of buzz around the new Panasonic S1 full frame mirrorless camera. Some of it good, some of it not so good. People like to complain about the size and weight, and the fact that it doesn’t have a flippy out LCD like the GH5. But how about the good? Well, cinema5D has been having a play with the Panasonic S1, and when it comes to low light performance, they feel it could be the new king in town.
In the video, they take a close look at the sample footage shot in daytime, indoor and low light situations. Bear in mind, (almost) all the footage was shot with a pre-production model of the S1, so the footage from the final camera is likely to be at least this quality.
Early on in the video, it is mentioned that all of the S1 footage is shot handheld, which is a compelling testament towards the image stabilisation built into the S1 – although there are some noticeable jerks in parts, especially when we see transitions from a still shot to a pan. And while the stabilisation looks great, there was a little gripe about the autofocus performance. But, this is a pre-production model, so that may be improved in the final release.
But what’s particularly impressive about the S1 is its low light performance. The night time and indoor shots shown at ISOs all the way up to 51,200 look incredibly good. They do note that there is some level of noise, obviously, but depending on what you’re shooting, and the intentional of final video, this may not be a problem.
So, while a few may still complain that it doesn’t have a flippy out LCD like the GH5, the Panasonic S1 certainly seems to have some good selling points that will keep a lot of mirrorless video shooters very happy.
[via cinema5D]
