Panasonic has been making pocket-sized interchangeable lens cameras for well over a decade, since it pioneered mirrorless camera technology (alongside Olympus) with the Micro Four Thirds standard. Now it hasannounced the latest in that long legacy of cameras with the brand new Panasonic Lumix S9.
In a departure from previous Lumix cameras like the Lumix GM5 or 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 has said are enjoying record sales growth.
Given that it's the first with a full-frame sensor, the Lumix S9 is unsurprisingly the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera in Panasonic's lineup, weighing just 403g (14.2oz) and measuring 126 x 73.9 x 46.7mm (4.96 x 2.9 x 1.83 in).
The Lumix S9 also comes in a choice of jazzy color options for the front leather strip including Crimson Red, Dark Olive and Night Blue, as well as the standard Jet Black. This color also extends to the thumb grip on the rear of the S9.
The S9 features a 24.2MP full-frame CMOS image sensor, which is the same size and density as the sensor used to great acclaim in the Lumix S5II (which we gave five stars).
The sensor is also paired with Panasonic’s phase detection autofocus, which has been a huge improvement in the company's most recent models, offering faster focusing as well as subject recognition for human faces and eyes, as well as animals, birds, cars and motorbikes.
It is also supported by Panasonic’s 5.0 stops of 5-axis in-body image stabilization, or the 6.5-stop Dual IS 2 when used with compatible lenses, significantly reducing blurring from camera shake even when shooting handheld.
The S9 is not the first Lumix camera to feature Real Time LUTs in-camera, but Panasonic is pushing this feature further than ever before, featuring a dedicated LUT button on the camera body for the first time. LUT stands for "look up table", which is a term for a predetermined set of parameters that affect the overall look of a photo or video by affecting the balance of color.
LUTs enable share-ready photos and video to be captured in-camera and uploaded directly to social platforms with minimal editing required. You can even apply two LUTs at the same time.
The Lumix S9 enables 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 enables you to create your own bespoke LUTs from scratch, or to load one of the custom LUTs from other creators.
To make offloading video even laster, the Lumix S9 is introducing a new video format called MP4 Lite. This creates a smaller file size for faster transfer, but still enables creators to record in Open Gate in 4:2:0 10 bit in 30p/25p for high-quality footage that can be easily cropped to different ratios for different platforms.
The Lumix S9 will be available at the end of June 2024, and will cost $1,499 /£1,499.99 / AU$2,699 body only. The Lumix S9 will also be sold in a kit alongside the Lumix S 20-60mm lens for $1,799 / £1,799 / AU$3,299 or the Lumix S 28-200mm lens for £2,249 (no word on US and Australian availability for this kit).
Looking for a small but mighty camera? Check out our guides to the best compact camera or best travel camera for more.
