Pro video blog…Produced by Philip Johnston DoP/Editor

Is it a video or a stills camera and why are we getting so many variations of the same camera as the S1 was the “video version”

I have to say that the extra video features on the S1H make it very appealing and for once Panasonic has given us a tally lamp so you can see when the camera is in record mode, I do hope they bring this feature into the GH6.

The S1H is a 6K monster running at 25p (UK) with 4k 50p 10bit internal recording onto dual SD card slots. This is a welcome addition as my previously owned S1 had one SD card slot and one XQD card slot.

  • Capture 6K/24p, 25p (3:2 aspect ratio), 5.9K/90p (16:9 aspect ratio), and 10-bit 50p 4K/C4K
  • Includes an impressive 14+ stops of dynamic range
  • Features a 24.2-megapixel full-frame imaging sensor
  • Comes with V-Log/V-Gamut compatible with “VariCam” Look
  • Users can enjoy unlimited recording time in all capture modes
  • Offers Body I.S. (Image Stabiliser) for hand-held filming
  • To accommodate continuous shooting a near-silent cooling fan has been developed
  • 6K footage can be used to create high-res 4K videos or for cropping images to 4K
  • Dual-Native ISO sensitivity
  • L-Mount system has been integrated into the camera design for extra compatibility
  • The camera body has a rugged magnesium alloy design delivering high-level professional reliability
  • Dust, splash, and freeze-resistant down to -10 degrees
  • Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) suppresses moire
  • Incorporates large displays consisting of a rear monitor, live viewfinder as well as status LCD that offer high resolution and visibility
  • Waveform Monitor and V-Log View Assist are available
  • Users can choose from Relay Recording, Backup Recording, and Allocation Recording
  • The durable shutter can last about 400,000 cycles and features an external Fast Flash Synchro
  • Multiple customisable Fn buttons
  • Double SD memory card slot
  • Compatible with the 7.4-V 3,050mAh high-capacity battery for long recording times of up to 2 hours

I do love the newly designed swivel LCD for once a designer has remembered the HDMI port and given us an LCD that clears this port. (Please bring this design into the GH6).

At £3,599 you get a lot of camera for your money but the main thing that put me off the Panasonic S1 was the extra weight, the cost of lenses and no 4K 50p in full frame mode (Once again missing from the S1H). The biggest single item that lets this camera down is the autofocus in video mode.

Kriss from WEX has a great video on YouTube all about the new features.

author

Having been working in the video business since 1988 I have amassed a great amount of knowledge of both the kit and production values over the last 30 years.

One thought on “Panasonic S1H is it a video camera or a stills camera ?

  1. Was at Samy’s (Fairfax) in LA yesterday, they were having a S1H demo event. Could not stay for event, but did briefly handle the cam, it is a handful- very big compared to the 5D cams.

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