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I was in for a shock when the Panasonic Lumix S9 came in for review. Trying to find an SD card to use for the review, I realised I did not know where my camera, a Canon 1200D, was. I hadn’t used it for years, though close friends would be shocked to see me traveling without my camera. But such are the times and the impact of smartphones on those who love photography. The Panasonic Lumix S9 is meant for a whole new segment of people who need cameras for very different reasons from what I would have used it for.
The Lumix S9 is surprisingly small for a full-frame mirrorless camera that caters primarily to those who have moved up from a smartphone for their photography needs because of social media pressures. In simple words, Panasonic has made this camera for creators and social media influencers who find better reach with better quality content.
The camera body is compact and weighs under 500 grams, though it has all the dials and buttons you find in a full-function camera, except a viewfinder. There is a 3-inch free-angle screen you can use to monitor the framing as you shoot. The camera uses an L mount for lenses and Panasonic offers a wide range of options here. I did the review with the versatile 20-60mm Lumix lens with both auto and manual focus options. You can add external microphones etc as needed.
The S9 is easy to use, even for someone like me who hasn’t used a proper camera for a long time. That is because the controls are intuitive and the settings are not as intimidating as you could find on a lot of professional cameras. But that does not mean anything is missing. There is more stuff here than you would find on most cameras for instance. For me, the biggest add-on features were the ability to change the LUT settings with just a click and a wide range of aspect ratios. Both these gave me the option to come up with some cinematic shots that usually take a lot of post-processing work.
Video recording is just one tap away at all times and you have a full manual as well as a S&Q mode dedicated to this. Using the Q button you can change most settings and styling. This is where the Lumix S9 gets very interesting, giving you the ability to adjust saturation, select LUT formats, even custom ones you have saved, as well as the aperture mode of your choice. The combination of this makes your videos look unique and soon you will have a signature style that makes it stand out from everyone else on Instagram or YouTube.
Now, this is a camera for a special set of people and the S9 excels at being more social than others of its ilk. There is the Lumix app that connects wirelessly using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, better than other cameras do, and lets you import all the photos and videos to the camera for editing and resharing. It works like a dream and does not get stuck every time you switch off the camera or lose the link like in most other cameras I have used. Plus, you can use this app to record and shoot remotely, or even livestream directly from the camera.
Panasonic has another app called Lumix Labs which lets you edit the photos as well as the LUT presets from the camera. For instance, if you edit a photo using the app, there is also the option to save the settings as a LUT and move it to the camera. Here you can also download LUTs shared by other creators.
Delhi can be boring if you don’t go out much to the monuments. With no muse for a shoot in my Noida locality, I drove to Lodhi Garden one evening to capture some twilight photos. And this is when I realised that while this camera is great for all types of content creators, the freedom it offers travel vloggers is even more, especially with the ability to shoot cinematic frames. However, I did notice that when you move about with the camera you do miss image stabilisation a bit, so invest in a good Gimbal that takes care of this.
I was so engrossed with the video aspect that I forgot to shoot stills. But when I did the S9 made it clear it is good at that too and can deliver what you expect and more. For instance, shooting stills in a 65:24 or 2:1 aspect ratio was a new thrill for me and I ended up with some creative frames I would not have thought of otherwise. I also realised that when it comes to taking photos I am a purist who cannot do without a viewfinder. This is something I missed terribly and am convinced impacted my framing also to some extent. But then new kids don’t have these hangups and will do well with just the display.
I loved how the camera gave stunning results in low light and the ability to offer different hues when you are shooting otherwise. You can tap on the screen and lock focus wherever you want, like you would do with a smartphone. The burst mode is so fast you don’t realise it’s clicking.
Who should buy the Panasonic Lumix S9?
This is an easy question to answer given that the camera is very clear about its sense of purpose. Yes, you buy this if you are a creator. But I will go a step further and say this is best for the more creative creators, for instance, those who travel a lot and shoot in different conditions all the time, and not those who are always in a controlled studio environment. This is one investment that will make you stand out in the clutter creator space.
