Rangefinder is a member of the Technical Image Press Association, which has contracted with the test lab Image Engineering (IE) for detailed camera evaluations. Here are their results for the Panasonic Lumix S1R. 

At Photokina 2018, Panasonic told the world it intended to court pro photographers with a pair of full-frame mirrorless cameras. This year, those models—the Lumix S1 and S1R—went from tantalizing press releases to full-blown reality.

The S1R is the high-resolution heavy-hitter, boasting a 47.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with no low-pass filter. It has a native ISO range of 100 to 25,600, expandable to 50 and 51,200. On the video front, the S1R can record 4K/60p video internally (8-bit, 4:2:0) but with a crop. Full HD can be recorded up to 180 fps.

The S1R uses the Leica L lens mount and features in-body five-axis image stabilization good for 5.5 stops of shake reduction. When paired with select Panasonic lenses that support Dual I.S., shake reduction jumps to 6 stops.

The AF system on the S1R uses contrast detection and Panasonic’s Depth from Defocus technology to achieve AF acquisition in as little as .08 seconds. The AF system has been enhanced with the use of an AI-derived algorithm to improve object recognition and object tracking, even when a subject turns its back. According to Panasonic, its face and eye-tracking has been improved so that the cameras can locate and focus on the pupil of the eye.

The camera can burst at 6 fps with AF/AE tracking or at 9 fps with focus fixed on the first frame. The S1R is capable of focusing down to -6EV. As in prior Panasonic models, there are 6K and 4K Photo Modes to take one-second bursts of video and extract a still image (18 megapixels for 6K, 8 megapixels for 4K). The burst rate for 6K Photo is 30 fps, while 4K Photo will fire off at 60 fps.

As far as its design, the S1R has a joystick for selecting AF points and is weather-sealed with a shutter rated for 400,000 cycles. It has dual memory card slots for SD and XQD memory—CFExpress compatibility is due in the future. The camera offers a USB-C port that can recharge the battery while it’s still in the camera body. There’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for remote control and image transfers to mobile devices. 

Resolution

At base ISO, the S1R can resolve 96 percent of its sensor’s theoretical maximum (out of a total possible score of 120 percent). That’s a shade below the Sony a7R III, which hit 98 percent, and the Nikon Z7, which resolved 103 percent. 

Resolution remains consistently high as you push into higher ISOs. At ISO 800, for instance, the camera can still resolve 94 percent of its max resolution and 93 percent at ISO 1600. Even at the top of the ISO range, IE found the S1R’s resolving power to be solid with the camera resolving 84 percent of its theoretical maximum at ISO 25,600.

Texture reproduction in high-contrast areas was also quite good up to the top of the ISO range. Only at ISO 25,600 did IE deem texture reproduction “poor.” IE found strong sharpening effects along low-contrast edges, even at low ISOs. 

Noise

When viewing the S1R’s images on a display at 100 percent, IE found that noise would be noticeable to “somewhat disruptive” at lower ISOs (through ISO 1600) and “very obvious” at 6400. 

However, when viewing S1R images as a postcard-sized print or a print that’s 15 inches tall, noise won’t be noticeable through ISO 6400. Noise is barely noticeable in these conditions even at ISO 12,800 and then mostly visible in mid-dark tones, IE noted. This performance tracks that of the Sony a7R III.

Dynamic Range & Color

The S1R delivers a peak dynamic range (when measuring JPEGs) of 9.4 stops at ISO 1600. That’s far behind Canon’s EOS R (14.1 stops at ISO 800), the EOS RP (11 stops at ISO 400) and Panasonic’s own G9 (10.6 stops at ISO 200). It also lags the Sony a7R III, a7 III and a9. 

IE found that dynamic range hovers around 9 stops for most ISOs, including 9.1 stops at the camera’s base ISO. Above ISO 3200, the dynamic range dips below 9 stops.

Color reproduction was deemed “fairly good” with six colors showing strong deviation from their reference target. In terms of overall color reproduction performance, the S1R falls below the Nikon Z6, the Panasonic G9, Canon’s EOS R and the Sony a9. It does outperform other mirrorless models, though, including Canon’s RP and the Nikon Z7. (IE noted that the automatic white balance was not great).

Video

Resolution in video measures in at 90 percent of the theoretical maximum and nearly the same at high ISOs. IE found texture reproduction in video to be excellent, particularly at low ISOs. The camera will apply a high degree of sharpening to videos, particularly along low-contrast edges. As you ramp up ISOs, sharpening decreases. The auto white balancing will fare better at low ISOs, but it still isn’t excellent. 

Dynamic range in video, however, is better than in stills with a max of 10.3 f-stops at low ISOs and 9.7 at high ISOs. That’s slightly better than Nikon’s Z 7 (10 stops) and significantly improved from the a7R III (8.7 stops).

Price: $3,700
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