I spent a lot of (digital) effort on how Great camera Panasonic GM1 is, even in 2024. Someone at Panasonic must think so too, because the new S9 it looks like it’s channeling major GM1 energy, and that’s a great thing.
When this image first appeared on my feed, I thought I was looking at the reincarnation of the GM1. And while it may share the same design, it’s certainly larger than the GM1 which is about the size of a deck of cards, about an inch longer, 0.7 inches taller and 0.6 inches deeper while doubling the weight. amount (half pound vs. half pound). pound). Okay, it may look the part, but it’s definitely a bigger camera than its Micro Four Thirds predecessor. But unlike the GM1, this one has a full frame sensor.
Before Panasonic introduced the S-series, I often commented on how great the company’s Micro Four Thirds products were when it came to noise-canceling performance and dynamic range. Even though the S series has been around for a while and the sensors are generally quite good, none of the cameras have broken the mold of what traditional camera manufacturers have been doing. But the S9 ended up being the one that made me take a second look.
Just look at the back of the camera. Both are minimalist works of art.
While the GM1 had a pop-up flash, the S9 loses that but instead has an articulating screen. The screen is a respectable size, in addition to that full-frame sensor, but it’s a shame to lose any kind of flash capability with just a cold shoe on top. The controls are definitely taken from the previous camera but with some added “pro” features like LUT and AF-On buttons.
Up front is where things get a bit hectic. I’ll admit, it is Lumix S 26mm f/8 pancake lens it really made me think I was looking at a reborn GM1. In fact, it’s actually an insult to pancake lenses. Canon and Nikon can do it Full-frame pancake lens with autofocus reaching f/2.8. At f/8 and with manual focus only, it’s a confusing choice for a camera without a viewfinder, and at nearly $200, it’s just a compelling option for on-camera use. This. It looks like it makes for great marketing photos but has less than impressive specs.
It’s not that Panasonic can’t do it. It is usually equipped Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH. Lens with small GF series Micro Four Thirds cameras. Even Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. The lens in the picture above it’s a bit faster and still just as small. In my opinion, those small and wonderful lenses made the whole system shine in the early days of mirrorless cameras, and pushing this f/8 manual focus lens onto the new camera is worth it. $1,498 seems like a big step backwards. Indeed, Panasonic doesn’t offer much else in the way of small but powerful full-frame optics, a glaring omission from their lineup when the S9 existed.
The GM1 is such a good camera that it screamed “take my money” in the early days of mirrorless, so much so that Panasonic took my money for it, three times over. The S9 is capable of sparking the same kind of magic and creativity as that old camera, but with more horsepower. However, they couldn’t have done that without a proper set of official pancake lenses, and much like the GM1, Panasonic just needed to do a bit of work on the lens front to make it happen.
What do you think about Panasonic S9? A win, or not? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
