LUMIX S9 review

Features

Before we talk about the performance and functions of the LUMIX S9, the first thing I want you to take a look at is its exterior. The slim, compact body size is achieved by eliminating the grip that is held with the right hand and by eliminating the mechanical shutter. The flat top surface of the camera is achieved by eliminating the EVF. The exterior is wrapped in a luxurious leather-like cover. As a result, this camera is born as a smart and elegant camera. In one word, it’s “cool.”

This design is reminiscent of the LUMIX GX7MK3, which was once popular but is no longer in production, and I think it is exactly the look that LUMIX fans around the world have been waiting for.

Its excellent design has struck a chord with not only Lumix fans but many other camera fans as well. I would like to state in advance that this size, lightness and design are the greatest features of the Lumix S9.

For this review, I took this camera around to various places to take some sample photos, and it was well received wherever I took it. I felt that I could take pictures without having to hold the camera, much more so than with previous LUMIX cameras. The fact that people can take pictures so easily may be one of the strengths of this friendly design.

Key Specifications

Here we will write down the external dimensions, weight, and main differences in functions between two L-mount mirrorless single-lens camera models that are likely to be compared.

What caught my eye was the width. The LUMIX S9 is 8.3mm smaller than the S5II. Since the LUMIX S9 does not have a grip, the battery is placed sideways, just like the S5II. Even though the space to house the camera’s mechanical parts is narrower than the S5II, I imagine it must have been very difficult to make the width even smaller.

The weight has also been significantly reduced from the S5II, coming in at just 486g (including battery and memory card), less than 500g. The total weight will depend on the lens you attach, but even with the 20-60mm kit lens or the LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 attached, I didn’t feel it was out of balance.

However, I would like to add that this is based on the SmallRig L-grip for the Lumix S9 that I used to take the sample photos. I highly recommend this product when using a large lens.

I have included comparative dimensions of the fp L, which is a small L-mount SLR camera like the LUMIX S9, but I personally think they are completely different cameras. However, with the arrival of the LUMIX S9, the number of times I use my fp L will likely decrease dramatically.

Real-time LUTs

Real-time LUT is a function unique to LUMIX that was introduced on the LUMIX S5II and G9II models that allows you to shoot with your favorite colors by adding an original “Photo Style.”

A function installed in LUMIX that allows you to adjust the color and image quality (contrast, saturation, etc.) to your liking within the camera before shooting.

Although I was not able to try it out, a smartphone app called “LUMIX Lab” was released to coincide with the release of the LUMIX S9, allowing anyone to easily create LUTs. During this trial, I used the LUTs created by Akira Teruyama and Kotaro Kumazawa, who I have often used in the past.

The LUMIX S9 has a “LUT button” that has not been available on previous models, located in a prime location to the left of the “AF-ON button.”

When you press this button, you can instantly switch to “Real-time LUT” regardless of the photo style you were shooting in. Then, by selecting the LUT you want to use with the directional pad (or the top or bottom dial) and pressing the confirm button, you can immediately change the color.

Since the LUMIX S9 allows you to register up to 39 LUTs, if you find it troublesome to select one by one with the cross keys, you can select from the conventional list display by pressing the “DISP button.” Another good point about the list display is that you can check the base photo style.

The reason I have introduced real-time LUTs in such detail is because I believe that the LUMIX S9 is a camera designed to be enjoyed using real-time LUTs.

Since the early days of digital SLR cameras, the conventional wisdom has been that coloring should be done carefully using RAW data (undeveloped raw data) after you get home. In fact, I have been doing so for the past quarter century. However, since I started using real-time LUTs, I have discovered the joy of shooting while enjoying the results of coloring on the spot. Select your favorite color and shoot with a composition that matches it. This is not possible with the traditional shooting method of coloring after getting home.

　 　　

　 　　

Another way to enjoy real-time LUTs is to use the LUTs of your favorite photographer (filmmaker) and have fun shooting as if you were that person. Currently, many LUTs are available on LUMIX Color Lab, but if the “LUMIX Lab” app spreads to more users, I look forward to the day when many LUTs can be shared and enjoyed by photographers and filmmakers alike.

Real-time LUTs trick

Here’s a handy little trick when using real-time LUTs. If you want to change from another photo style to real-time LUT, you can do so with a single press of the “LUT button,” but conversely, if you want to go back from real-time LUT to the original photo style, press the “LUT button” and then the “Q (Quick Menu) button” to return to the original photo style.

It is tempting to select the desired photo style from the menu, but with this method you can go back with two pushes, so users should remember this.

Sample Real-time LUT images:

　 　　

　 　　

Hybrid Zoom

The LUMIX S9 is equipped with a function called hybrid zoom, which is a combination of optical zoom and digital zoom, allowing users to use the digital zoom in conjunction with the optical zoom without feeling out of place.

When using a zoom lens at the wide-angle end, digital zoom is turned off. Depending on the amount of zoom, digital zoom is applied accordingly, and when the final telephoto end is reached, digital zoom at the maximum magnification that has been set is applied.

In other words, it is a convenient function that extends the telephoto side of the zoom lens you own. It means that the kit lens 28-200mm can be used as a maximum 28-600mm lens, which is a dream come true.

There are some points to note, which we will introduce here.

Among the hybrid zoom settings is a setting called “wide-angle crop zoom.” After testing it with multiple lenses, I found that when this function is turned on, the wide-angle 20% setting does not become a hybrid zoom.

“Wide-angle end crop zoom” can be turned on or off separately for video and still images. It is said to have the effect of suppressing zoom jerks when shooting video, but I did not notice much of a difference in my usage. Still images are more important, and if this function is turned off, the image quality will become M size as soon as you zoom in even 1mm from the wide-angle end. If you want to ensure L size image quality when shooting on the wide-angle side, I recommend leaving this function on.

The following is the number of recorded pixels when the aspect ratio is 3:2.

　 　　

Video recording on the S9

For this article, I took some sample photos at Yunoyama Shelter Cat Cafe Matatabi-an in Komono-cho, Mie. The interior of the cafe was kept quite dark so that the cats would feel comfortable, but I think I was able to take photos with little noise. The LUMIX S9 has a limit on the continuous shooting time of videos, but if you are connecting short scenes together, I felt that the time limit was not a problem.

Hot shoe and flash sync speed

On social media, there were reactions that were almost like lamentations that the LUMIX S9 does not have a “hot shoe (a shoe with electronic contacts)” and that a flash cannot be used. The LUMIX S9 has eliminated the mechanical shutter and replaced it with an electronic shutter, making it difficult to synchronize with a flash.

Here are the flash sync speeds of the main recent models equipped with electronic shutters.

Considering the price range, it may be about 1/30 of the price of the fp, but there may have still been many requests (among camera enthusiasts) for it to be equipped with a hot shoe.

However, considering the character and cost of the LUMIX S9, wasn’t it inevitable that they chose a cold shoe without electronic contacts? Personally, I would have preferred a hot shoe, but I would like to praise the LUMIX S9 for being born because they had the courage to choose a cold shoe.

LUMIX S 26mm F8

When I borrowed the LUMIX S9 for this review, I also borrowed the LUMIX S 26mm F8 at the same time, so I’d like to write down my impressions of using it.

The first thing that surprised me when I took it out of the box was that there was no lens cap. There was no filter mounting screw. So the outer lens was always exposed to the outside air. It was truly a body cap lens.

The image is good if the focus is correct, but it is surprisingly difficult to focus. Is this a lens that you should use while staring at the rear LCD screen of the LUMIX S9? I wondered. The way I came up with is to set the focus ring to infinity and fix it with tape. Then I attached it as a body cap, pointed it at the subject, and released the shutter without checking the monitor.

This produces a lot of photos that are slightly out of focus, as if they were taken with a disposable camera. But that has its own charm. The images make me feel nostalgic, as if I were looking at photos from the late Showa period, when I was still in elementary school.

I believe that the combination of this lens and the LUMIX S9 allows for such enjoyment.

Summary – LUMIX S9 is fun and functional

The camera is extremely well-made, reminiscent of the original LUMIX S5, but it also has a frustrating feeling that it is lacking something. The design more than makes up for that. That was the impression I got.

If you need a camera with all the functions you need for work, you can choose the LUMIX S5II. However, the LUMIX S9 has an attractive design and a lot of fun to it, and I want many users, beginners and experts alike, to pick up this camera and enjoy the fun of taking photos and videos.

I think there’s a lot I’d like to say to fans of old-school photography and cameras in particular. But I want you to try it out at least once. Because I think it’s a camera that will give you so much fun and satisfaction that you won’t want to put it down once you’ve used it.