Full-frame mirrorless with a serious penchant for video, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H is clearly distinguished by its impressive video capabilities, but also features notable flexibility to suit multimedia applications along with an especially durable design. The full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor affords versatile performance to suit both video and stills, with a broad 14-stop dynamic range, sensitivity from ISO 100-51200, and adept processing to realize high color accuracy, responsive recording, and a broad array of video capabilities. Using nearly the full sensor, 3:2-format 6K24p video recording is supported, along with 16:9 5.9K30p and both DCI and UHD 4K60p settings with internal 4:2:2 10-bit sampling. Inspired by broadcast cameras, the S1H also uses the updated sensor design to provide Dual Native ISO settings that prioritize either low noise or low sensitivity in order to realize imagery quality with greater color fidelity and reduced noise. Variable Frame Rate (VFR) recording also permits using slow and quick motion effects and High Frame Rate (HFR) settings allow the use of higher frame rates in conjunction with 10-bit sampling. Additionally, V-Log has been pre-installed, and a Hybrid Log Gamma is also available for achieving greater detail when recording, and to benefit color grading during post-production.
In terms of still photography, the S1H isn't lacking with an impressive 9 fps continuous shooting rate with AF-S, or 6 fps with AF-C. In the cases where 24MP isn't quite enough, a specialized High Resolution mode can be used to boost the effective resolution to 96MP by compositing sequential shots together. Also benefitting stills, as well as video, is a 225-area Depth from Defocus (DFD) contrast-detection autofocus system that achieves quick and precise focusing and subject tracking. Additionally, sensor-shift image stabilization helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by 6 stops for sharper handheld shooting.
Beyond the imaging attributes, the S1H is also characterized by its body design, which incorporates an impressively high resolution 5.76m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder along with a 3.2" 2.33m-dot tilt free-angle touchscreen LCD. The magnesium alloy body is weather-sealed to permit working in harsh conditions and has a 1.8" top status LCD for reviewing shooting settings on the fly. Dual SD memory card slots offer flexible storage capabilities and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity afford remote camera control along with wireless image transferring to tablets and smartphones.
Featuring a full-frame 24.2MP CMOS sensor, along with an updated Venus Engine, the S1H's imaging capabilities have been optimized for high sensitivity, a wide 14-stop dynamic range, and flexible recording modes. The sensor and processor incorporate Multipixel Luminance Generation and Intelligent Detail Processing technologies, which help to produce high resolution and definition by suppressing color moiré, and Color Control further enhances color reproduction, especially in the highlights and shadows. The Venus Engine's processing power also helps to suppress noise levels throughout the sensitivity range, from ISO 100-51200, and yield fast full-resolution continuous shooting speeds up to 9 fps with AF-S or 6 fps with AF-C, for more than 60 consecutive raw files.
Helping to achieve the utmost sharpness when working handheld, Dual I.S. 2 combines the S1's 6 stop-rated 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization technology with lens-based 2-axis image stabilization to compensate for a broader range of movement types to render sharper, clearer imagery. Dual I.S. 2 requires the use of compatible Lumix lenses featuring O.I.S. This stabilization system is able to compensate for approximately 6.5 stops of camera shake. When working with adapted lenses, you can manually select whether to use the in-camera sensor-shift image stabilization or the lens's optical stabilization. Additionally, specific to video applications, Boost I.S. is digital image stabilization feature that aids in creating a stable composition when recording from a fixed perspective.
For accelerated autofocus performance, the DFD (Depth-From-Defocus) technology quickly calculates the distance to subjects and adjusts the focusing position in as little as 0.08 seconds, with sensor and lens communication occurring at rates up to 480 fps. This contrast-detection type focus method benefits both still and video recording modes, as well as subject tracking applications, using Advanced AI Technology, where subject type, color, size, and motion vectors are used to intelligently lock-onto the moving subjects and ensure precise focus. When working with portrait subjects, face/eye detection capabilities make it easier to photograph people and prioritize focusing as specifically as on a subject's pupil. The focusing sensitivity and speed can be adjusted to further improve performance with certain subjects. It also features 225 AF areas, which provide excellent control over where the camera will focus. Additionally, supporting working in low-light conditions, a Low Light AF feature enables accurate AF performance down to -6 EV.
Benefitting manual focus operation, focus peaking is available that highlights bright edges of contrast with a colored outline for quickly recognizing your focus point, as well as Touch MF Assist for touch-to-focus operation. Other AF features include an AF Point Scope setting that temporarily magnifies the subject by 3x to 10x for confirmation of the focus position and a custom selectable AF zone for Multi AF / Custom Multi AF.
Utilizing the S1H's video recording capabilities, a trio of still shooting modes are available for recording continuous 3:2 or 4:3 8MP stills at a 60 or 30 fps shooting rate or 18MP stills at a 30 fps shooting rate:
Bluetooth Low Energy (4.2) provides constant connection between your smartphone or tablet and the camera with minimal power consumption. For more robust wireless activities, IEEE 802.11ac and b/g/n support is also available for faster transmission and more fluid remote control and monitoring.
Complementing the camera's wireless connectivity, Lumix Sync is an iOS and Android app designed to pair with the camera for smartphone or tablet-based remote shooting control and wireless image transferring.
| Imaging | |
|---|---|
| Lens Mount | Leica L |
| Camera Format | Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor) |
| Pixels | Actual: 25.28 Megapixel Effective: 24.2 Megapixel |
| Maximum Resolution | 6000 x 4000 |
| Aspect Ratio | 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 65:24 |
| Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Sensor Size | 35.6 x 23.8 mm |
| Image File Format | JPEG, RAW |
| Bit Depth | 14-Bit |
| Image Stabilization | Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis | Exposure Control |
| ISO Sensitivity | Auto, 100 to 51200 (Extended: 50 to 204800) |
| Shutter Speed | Mechanical Shutter 1/8000 to 60 Second 0 to 30 Minute in Bulb Mode Electronic Front Curtain Shutter 1/2000 to 60 Second 0 to 30 Minute in Bulb Mode Electronic Shutter 1/8000 to 60 Second 0 to 60 Second in Bulb Mode 1/16000 to 1/125 Second in Movie Mode |
| Metering Method | Center-Weighted Average, Highlight Weighted, Multiple, Spot |
| Exposure Modes | Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority |
| Exposure Compensation | -5 to +5 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
| Metering Range | 0 to 18 EV |
| White Balance | Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Flash, Incandescent, Shade, White Set 1, White Set 2, White Set 3, White Set 4 |
| Continuous Shooting | Up to 9 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 60 Exposures (Raw) Up to 9 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 999 Exposures (JPEG) Up to 30 fps at 18 MP Up to 60 fps at 8 MP |
| Interval Recording | Yes |
| Self-Timer | 2/10-Second Delay | Video |
| Recording Modes | MOV/H.265 4:2:0 10-Bit 6K 3:2 (5952 x 3968) at 23.976p/24.00p [200 Mb/s] 5.4K 3:2 (5376 x 3584) at 25p/29.97p [200 Mb/s] 5.9K (5888 x 3312) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p [200 Mb/s] DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 47.95p/48.00p/50p/59.94p [200 Mb/s] UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 47.95p/48.00p/50p/59.94p [200 Mb/s] 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 47.95p/48.00p/50p [200 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 47.95p/48.00p/100p/119.88p [100 to 150 Mb/s] MOV/H.264 4:2:2 10-Bit DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p [150 to 400 Mb/s] UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p [150 to 400 Mb/s] 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p [150 to 400 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50i/50p/59.94i/59.94p [50 to 200 Mb/s] MOV/H.264 4:2:0 8-Bit DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 to 150 Mb/s] UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 to 150 Mb/s] 4K Anamorphic (3328 x 2496) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p [100 to 150 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 Mb/s] MP4/H.265 4:2:0 10-Bit UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [72 to 100 Mb/s] MP4/H.264 4:2:0 8-Bit UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 Mb/s] Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [20 to 28 Mb/s] AVCHD 4:2:0 8-Bit Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/50i/50p/59.94i/59.94p [17 to 28 Mb/s] |
| External Recording Modes | 4:2:2 10-Bit DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) up to 24.00p/50p/59.94p UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) up to 24.00p/50p/59.94p |
| Video Encoding | NTSC/PAL |
| Audio Recording | Built-In Microphone (Stereo) External Microphone Input (Stereo) |
| Audio File Format | AAC, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM (Stereo) | Focus |
| Focus Type | Auto and Manual Focus |
| Focus Mode | Continuous-Servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S) |
| Autofocus Points | Contrast Detection: 225 |
| Autofocus Sensitivity | -6 to +20 EV | Viewfinder and Monitor |
| Viewfinder Type | Electronic (OLED) |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 5,760,000 Dot |
| Viewfinder Eye Point | 21 mm |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification | Approx. 0.78x |
| Diopter Adjustment | -4 to +2 |
| Monitor Size | 3.2" |
| Monitor Resolution | 2,330,000 Dot |
| Monitor Type | Free-Angle Tilting Touchscreen LCD | Flash |
| Built-In Flash | None |
| Flash Modes | Auto, Auto/Red-Eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-Eye Reduction, Off, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-Eye Reduction |
| Maximum Sync Speed | 1/320 Second |
| Flash Compensation | -3 to +3 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
| Dedicated Flash System | TTL |
| External Flash Connection | Hot Shoe, PC Terminal | Interface |
| Memory Card Slot | 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Connectivity (New) | USB Type-C (USB 3.1), HDMI A (Full Size), 2.5mm Sub-Mini, 3.5mm Headphone, 3.5mm Microphone |
| Wireless | Bluetooth Wi-Fi |
| GPS | None | Environmental |
| Operating Temperature | 14 to 104°F / -10 to 40°C |
| Operating Humidity | 10 to 80% | Physical |
| Battery | 1 x DMW-BLJ31 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.4 VDC, 3050 mAh (Approx. 400 Shots) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 5.94 x 4.5 x 4.35" / 151 x 114.2 x 110.4Â mm |
| Weight | 2.56Â lb / 1164Â g (Body with Battery and Memory) |
