Panasonic S1R Review
- 47MP full-frame CMOS sensor
- 5-axis in-body “Dual IS” system
- 187MP “High Resolution” mode
- 4K video at up to 60p with 1.09x crop
- 6fps burst mode
- 2.1m-dot touchscreen LCD
- Fully weather-sealed
- 360-shot battery life
The Panasonic S1R was best known when it first came out in 2019 because it was the highest-resolution full frame mirrorless camera in the world.
Since this time, the Panasonic S1R has lost this title. However, it’s still an incredible piece of equipment designed with professionals in mind.
In this Panasonic S1R review, I’m going to walk you through its specs, the Panasonic S1R design, and its video performance.
Panasonic S1R Specs
The Panasonic S1R features a 47MP sensor, a 5-axis in-body “Dual IS” system, and incredible 4K/60p video capture.
Notably, the Panasonic S1R also comes with a 187MP “High Resolution” mode, which will come in handy for photographers working in marketing.
It’s EVF features a crazy 5.76M-dot resolution, which makes the shooting experience one of the most fun I’ve had in a long while. You can literally see everything in picture perfect detail.
Despite the high resolution on this mirrorless camera, it isn’t designed for sports or wildlife photography because it only features a 6fps burst mode. This mode works really well because it comes with continuous AF, but it isn’t high enough for a serious sports or wildlife photographer.
The touchscreen is dual-hinged and features a 2.1M-dot resolution.
Other Panasonic S1R Specs Include:
Panasonic S1R Body & Design
The Panasonic S1R body is serious business. It is completely weather-sealed and made out of magnesium alloy.
The camera features an 8-way joystick so that you can easily direct the AF system. The camera also features a lock switch that is customizable so that you can turn the touchscreen off or lock all of the dials.
In comparison with past Panasonic batteries, this one works way better. You get 360-shots out of a single charge and can get a lot more than that if you’re shooting wisely.
This camera uses a menu that is extensive, yet simple to use.
Panasonic S1R Build & Handling
The Panasonic S1R build is hefty. This camera weighs 2.25 lbs, which lends it a very serious feel, and measures 5.87” x 4.33” x 3.82”.
If you have ever shot with similarly designed cameras from other manufacturers, then you know that the Panasonic S1R is much larger and heavier than its competitors. Of course, this just gives the photographer peace of mind knowing that it would be pretty hard to damage this camera. It works in temperatures down to 14-degrees fahrenheit.
When it comes to the Panasonic S1R handling, one of my favorite aspects is the EVF. It features such a high resolution that it easily trumps its competitors in this category. Importantly, the lag time on this EVF is only .005 seconds. If you are upgrading to this camera, you will be amazed how realistic the shooting experience is because of these facts.
The touchscreen LCD is also a ton of fun to work with. It is double-hinged so that you can tilt it up and down if you are doing landscape work, but you can also turn it for shooting portraits as well.
But, some of the smaller features are what really make this camera a joy to handle. For instance, all of the buttons come with a backlight, so that you can shoot in the dark without any issues at all.
Of course, since the Panasonic S1R is being billed as a “professional” camera, it also comes with dual card slots. You can use a UHS-II SD and a XQD card and pick how each of them is used.
Learn More:
Panasonic S1R Video Performance
Thank you to DSI Pictures for the video test above.
As I already mentioned, this camera features 4K video at up to 60p, though this mode will come with a very slight 1.09x crop. Conversely, you can shoot Full HD video at up to 180p, with output at up to 60p.
When you are shooting 4K video, you can only do so for clips up to 15 minutes in length. Since this camera does require pixel binning to shoot 4K video, you do need to keep it in mind that when you use a smaller crop, your noise performance will be a lot worse. Since this camera is relatively new, there isn't a huge range of Panasonic S1R lenses to choose from, so when you use a smaller crop you may not find a lens that allows you to capture a wide-angle.
Given some of these limitations, I think it would be fair to say that this camera wasn’t designed for videographers. However, a stills photographer can absolutely get great video footage from it.
Panasonic S1R Price
Given the fact that the Panasonic S1R is still relatively new to the market, and given the fact that it has so many impressive features, you would be correct in assuming that it definitely isn’t cheap.
If you buy a new Panasonic S1R, then you can expect to pay nearly $4,000 for it. However, you can get a much better Panasonic S1R price if you buy this camera used.
I like to recommend that my readers go to MPB for all of their used camera needs first because it is one of the few used camera retailers that I actually trust.
You’ll get a huge discount on every piece of camera gear that you buy there, but you won’t be giving up any quality for it.
So, I checked out MPB for a used Panasonic S1R and was pleasantly surprised. You can expect to get almost a 50% discount if you buy a Panasonic S1R there. Whereas a new Panasonic S1R costs almost $4,000, you can get a used Panasonic S1R on MPB starting at just $2,050. If you want a Panasonic S1R in “like new” condition, you can get it for $2,160.
If you need help getting that price down even more, you can trade in your old camera gear to MPB and use whatever money you make off of that sale towards this purchase.
