Panasonic has been making pocket-sized interchangeable lens cameras for over a decade, ever since it pioneered mirrorless camera technology (alongside Olympus) with the Micro Four Thirds standard. Now it has announced the latest in that long legacy of cameras with the brand new Panasonic Lumix S9.
Unlike previous Lumix cameras such as the Lumix GM5 or Lumix GX90, this is the first of its kind with a full-frame sensor. This builds on the success of the Lumix S5II and S5IIX, which Panasonic says are seeing record sales growth.
Being the first with a full-frame sensor, the Lumix S9 is unsurprisingly the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera in Panasonic’s range, weighing just 403g (14.2oz) and measuring 126 x 73 .9 x 46.7 mm (4.96 x 2.9 x 1.83 inches).
The Lumix S9 is also available in a choice of jazzy color options for the leather strip on the front, 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 back of the S9.
The Panasonic Lumix S9 in crimson red (Image credit: Panasonic)
The S9 features a 24.2MP full-frame CMOS image sensor, which is the same size and density as the much-praised sensor in the Lumix S5II (which we gave five stars).
The sensor is also paired with Panasonic’s phase detection autofocus, which is a huge improvement over the company’s most recent models, offering faster focusing and subject recognition for human faces and eyes, as well as animals, birds, cars and motorcycles.
It’s also supported by Panasonic’s 5.0 stops of 5-axis built-in image stabilization, or 6.5 stops of Dual IS 2 when used with compatible lenses, significantly reducing blur from camera shake, even when shooting handheld.
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The S9 isn’t the first Lumix camera to feature Real Time LUTs in the camera, but Panasonic is taking this feature further than ever before, with a dedicated LUT button on the camera body for the first time. LUT stands for “lookup table,” which is a term for a predetermined set of parameters that affect the overall appearance of a photo or video by affecting its color balance.
A Night Blue S9 with the Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens (Image credit: Panasonic)
LUTs allow share-ready photos and videos to be captured in camera and uploaded directly to social platforms with minimal editing. You can even apply two LUTs at the same time.
The Lumix S9 allows you to load LUTs onto the camera via the new Lumix Lab app (now available for Android and iOS), which can then be applied to both still and video footage, with the effects visible in real time. The Lumix Lab app also allows you to create your own custom LUTs, or load one of other makers’ custom LUTs.
To make video transferring even longer, the Lumix S9 introduces a new video format called MP4 Lite. This results in a smaller file size for faster transfers, but still allows creators to record in Open Gate at 4:2:0 10 bit at 30p/25p for high-quality footage that can be easily cropped to different ratios for different platforms.
The Lumix S9 will be available in late June 2024 and will cost £1,499.99 / AU$2,699 body only (US price TBA). The Lumix S9 will also be sold in a kit alongside the Lumix S 20-60mm lens for £1,799/3,299 or the Lumix S 28-200mm lens for £2,249 (no word on the availability of this kit in the US and Australia).
Looking for a small but powerful camera? Check out our guides for the best compact camera or best travel camera for more.
