The Spectacular S

DSLR – Definitely So Ludicrously Redundant? Mirrors are so last year. Actually, so last decade. Panasonic launched the Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix G1, the first digital, mirrorless, interchangeable-lensed AF camera in 2008. Fast forward to 2019 and we now see evolution in full flow, with the full-frame mirrorless S series, winding its way through the camera market.

Those old enough will remember the constant struggle and resistance to new things in photography. The weighing up of fad or marketing hype against real-world advantages. Throughout my 30-year career I've seen some huge changes and realise that we are experiencing yet another evolutionary leap. Mirrorless. Micro Four Thirds. EVFs. Innovation created not as often by the major players, but those either newer to the game or more traditionally on the sidelines. Of course, Panasonic has had many years of experience as a professional video camera and superb consumer compact digital camera manufacturer, but its foray into professional stills cameras doesn't have the heritage of some of the more established names. For me, the G9 was the first Micro Four Thirds Lumix that really caught my eye. In 2018 it was pretty much all I shot with, and I have several awards, publications and exhibitions to thank it for. Now, the question for me was, what of the S series? The Lumix S1R has taken that perfection of ergonomic design and professional performance from the G9 and given it a protein bar, a gym membership and a double espresso. The GH5, GH5S and G9 have already shown serious intent from Panasonic Lumix, but the S1R, with a design slogan of ‘Full Frame Without Compromise' has definitely brought Lumix to a new level. Another illustration