Panasonic Lumix S9 review: Made for creators and Insta-worthy reels

The Panasonic Lumix S9 is a compact full-frame camera that content creators who need a good quality shooter for high quality videos and photos can keep in their backpack. However, given its focus on videos, it might not woo the prosumer photographers.

Panasonic Lumix S9 review - 8/10

Pros

• Compact
• Real-time LUT
• Connectivity options  

Cons

• No viewfinder

In Short

• Panasonic Lumix S9 is available in India at a price of Rs 1,49,990
• It offers a compact design with a LCD touchscreen, perfect for vlogging content creation
• The Lumix S9 has a full-frame 24MP sensor and it supports real-time LUT

Surging video consumption has led to the world of content creators, and it is to target this world that increasingly camera companies are coming out with devices that specifically appeal to them. We have seen a number of such cameras appearing in the market in the last few months. And one of them is the Panasonic Lumix S9, a compact camera with a big heart - read sensor - inside it and some nifty tricks that may make it an ultimate camera for content creators.

The idea is simple: bring together the goodness of a full-frame sensor, and pair it with features like real-time connectivity and real-time LUT, to give content creators a tool that is easy to use and yet powerful. In this aim, at least, the Panasonic Lumix S9 succeeds. But at the same time, it also, in my opinion, falters a bit to appeal to another segment: the prosumer photographers who might get enticed by its large full-frame sensor. It's not that the sensor is lacking. It's the lack of the viewfinder that puts the still photographers at a disadvantage with the Lumix S9.

Compact and made to shoot videos

About all that in a while. First the camera. Given that this is a camera targeted at prosumers and casual users, including users who want a solid camera to record their YouTube or Instagram videos, it is built small and compact. This is perfect because size and weight wise the Lumix S9 is a camera that you can easily slip into a handbag, or a small pouch, or even a jeans pocket. And more so if you pair it with a flat pancake S series Panasonic lens such as SR-26GC. This also means that the size and weight - 486 grams, which is like merely 2X of the iPhone 16 Pro Max - of the Lumix S9 is perfect to carry it while travelling or recording footage on street while strolling through a colourful bazaar.

One part of the design that compliments this casual recording of video through the Lumix S9 is its rear monitor that can be turned and swivelled in different directions including 180 degrees so that you can mount the camera on a tripod, or hold it in front of you, to record selfie footage.

Of course, some of this also depends on the lens you are using with the camera. This is, like most full-frame cameras, is an interchangeable lens camera. With most of the lenses under 100mm focal length, you can easily hold the camera in front of you to record selfie footage while walking down the street. At least with the Lumix R2060 (20-60mm) lens that Panasonic provided us I could do that, although I imagine the experience would be even better with a flat pancake lens.

One thing that this camera should have had is some weather-sealing. Given that Panasonic believes it would be a camera content creators would use, and some content creators - lifestyle and travel - often shoot outdoors, it would have been nice to get protection against light rain and dust in the S9. Sadly, it is not there. Although, the build quality is superb and here is a heft to that camera which indicates it should take to bumps and thumps well enough.

Full-frame sensor and goodness of LUT

Of course, a camera needs to shoot. Both videos and photos, and needs to shoot it all well. The S9 does that. Thanks to its full-frame sensor, a little old 24-megapixel one, the S9 is a very competent camera. In fact, the sensor is one of its big appeals for content creators who mostly use either a phone like the iPhone or a more regular micro four-third cameras to shoot and record their content. In comparison, good full-frame sensor can do wonders, even in lower light.

To try the still photo capabilities of the camera, I tried it - among other places - at the Humayun's Tomb. The results, when used with even a mediocre lens like Lumix R2060, were fantastic with photo capturing brilliant colours, tons of details and good dynamic range. Of course, this is also expected. A 24-megapixel full-frame sensor is a tried and tested commodity now for most camera companies. It is reliable, and even if no longer spectacular, offers enough oomph in it to wow people who have never used anything other than a phone to click photos.

Having said that, still photography is sort of an afterthought with the S9. Instead, its focus is the video performance. And this is also a an area where its unique LUT features comes into true play.

A few words about this LUT. Photographers and videographers know it well but casual content creators might not. Many top content creators shoot their video in Log - colour-desaturated footage - on which they apply their specific colour settings in post-production. In other words, the whole process needs not just a lot of time but also a fast computer. The Panasonic Lumix S9 lets users create, thorough the accompanying app, and apply their specific colours settings aka LUT - or you can call them filters - in real-time when they are shooting the video.

This in some ways can be game changing for content creators. I mean record the video with your specific LUT and put it out on social media quick quick. Quite neat, if you ask me. So big is the LUT aspect of the Lumix S9 that Panasonic has even included a dedicated LUT button for it.

As for the video footage itself is concerned, the quality is quite good even in low light. The camera can record up to 6K footage, which means even if you are putting out your videos in 4K there is enough in the footage to do some creative cropping.

The Lumix S9 comes with 5-axis in-body stabilisation, which Panasonic says is equivalent to 5 Stops. The camera also works with in-lens stabilisation, if you are using such a lens, to better this. The stabilisation too helps when you are recording videos with the camera.

Another feature that is supposed to help creators is the connectivity. Not only the camera connects and syncs with the accompanying app in real-time it can also connect to WiFi networks.

In video mode, the camera provides decent stabilisation, though for better results, using a gimbal is recommended. The app allows you to access more LUTs and even upload photos directly to your phone simultaneously, which is very convenient and time-saving. For any content creator shooting for social media, the camera offers seamless functionality. However, while the app is useful, connecting the camera to the app was a bit of a hassle for me. I don't know if it's an issue with the unit I tested, but I tried pairing it with both my iPhone and Pixel, and several times the pairing failed. I tried with both the Lumix app and Lumix Sync app and faced the same problem in both. However, once the connection was successful, the process was smooth.

Here are some more clicks from the lense of Panasonix Lumix S9:

Any hassles? A few

As much as I like the Lumix S9, there are parts of it that could have been better. Like I mentioned earlier, some sort of weather-sealing would have been nice. At the same time, one thing that I absolutely miss in this camera - although I can understand that it is also about the size and it weight - is a viewfinder. Clicking still photos, despite that lovely sensor and user-created LUTs, is a bit of a hassle because their is no viewfinder. Instead, you have to rely on the LCD screen - it's touchscreen by the way - to compose the photo. On phones that works well enough, on a full-frame camera like the Lumix S9 it feels inadequate.

Another hassle I faced was while connecting the camera to the accompanying app. For some reason the entire process was glitchy as far as I am concerned. It tried it with two phones - an iPhone and a Pixel. On both occasions it was hassling.

Made for creators

During the launch of the Lumix S9, Panasonic pitched the camera as a tool for content creators. And I believe rightly so. Anyone looking for a good camera to film content for their social media channels can consider the Lumix S9 if they want to create high-quality, richer photos and videos without dealing with the complexity and weight of bigger and heftier DSLR cameras. Features like LUTs, the focus button, and others offer quick and easy access to important controls, allowing content to be captured swiftly. With app synchronisation, the camera also enables instant file transfers, making it convenient to upload directly to social media.

At the same time, Lumix S9 is also a good camera for anyone who wants to upgrade their photography and videography experience from their phones. This is a good camera to carry on your evening stroll, if you are into street photography, or on your travels. Although, the lack of viewfinder makes it somewhat of less appealing to those who are serious about still photography.

The price of the camera too is fairly right for what it offers. In India, the Panasonic Lumix S9 starts at Rs 1,49,990 for the body, and Rs 1,79,990 for the S9 kit with the LUMIX S9 body and 20-60mm lens. Although, if you intend to get it my suggestion would be to buy it in body-only mode and then get a couple of lenses - pancakes or something that better than that 20-60 lens - separately.