Three things that don’t matter about the LUMIX S9

[@EwenBell]

If you want to look at my custom setup for the Lumix S9, there's a video and download on another of my videos here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZXFaXanotxojtk

[@colingerard7863]

Hi Ewen. Thank you for linking me to this review. It certainly gives me food for thought and, confirms that Lumix will be a brand I switch over to next year. Cheers.

[@kameralife4817]

I love this camera. It goes EVERYWHERE with me. The people that trash this camera never used it. Great video.

[@EwenBell]

Thankyou! I agree that anyone who's actually used this camera loves it. I'm in Nepal right now and it's not leaving my side.

[@samgarner5866]

Such good info, was just wondering how to deal with the no flash issue, but you're right just use a continuous light set up! Thank you!

[@EwenBell]

We stopped using conventional flash many years ago, partly because it's great to have the freedom to shoot video and stills with the same lighting. I love travelling with the S9. It's my favourite camera in the LUMIX range.

[@stevefogden]

Love your take on the camera. I had come to the same conclusions despite all the negatives I’ve been seeing.

[@EwenBell]

🤍

[@miklosnemeth8566]

Excellently explained. I purchased S9 after a week of heavy testing and in-camera-store hands-on comparisons against X-T50 and Zf, since I wanted a soapbox shaped no-grip camera.

[@EwenBell]

I do love the form factor :)

[@cmolina31]

Excellent video. It moved me closer to getting one. Thank you,

[@EwenBell]

Lovely!

[@BenFox01]

Same!

[@Сергей-щ6ш7э]

Good work, thank you!

[@TopshelfJunior]

I have been trying to tell people that the screen works GREAT in shade - sunlight - direct sunlight - sundown - sunrise, etc. Never had an issue w/ the screen on the S9.

[@EwenBell]

It really does deliver!

[@BenFox01]

Good to hear!

[@lashesfordaze]

Please review a few small lenses for this camera. Thank you!!

[@EwenBell]

It's on my list :) I think they're pushing the downsizing of camera bodies harder than the lenses at the moment. Sigma's Contemporary range are first to mind right now. 35mm F2 and 20mm F2 are just lovely. They have a 45mm F2.8 and 17mm F4 that are even smaller.

[@markr041]

​@EwenBell Yes. More videos showing those lenses on the S9, rather than the oversized Lumix primes and the ludicrous and almost useless 26mm f8 lenscap lens. The Sigma lenses also have an aperture dial, making up for the limited dials on the S9 body.

[@EwenBell]

@@markr041 Yeah I dunno what they were thinking with the 26mm F8. I've asked Sigma if they can spare a few lenses to road test. Watch this space!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

I have the Sigma 17,24,45,50,65,90 lineup of the DG DN C. Using on the S9 and s5iiX and they all provide great consistent quality. The 45mm 2.8 is the perfect street photography lens it is the smallest of the bunch and the s9/45mm combo handles nicely. Its like having a Leica.

[@EwenBell]

@@videosuperhighway7655 They only two you don't have are the only two I do have :) Good to hear positive reports from someone using the wider range.

[@BenFox01]

Hey Ewan! New here! And I loved your positive appreciation of the camera! Im currently changing my channel to focus on my film work and looking to get an S9 too. Thanks for your wisdom - cant wait to watch you japan videos! Nice speaking voice too

[@EwenBell]

Thanks so much Ben! Looking forward to seeing where the S9 takes you on your journey too.

[@miklosnemeth8566]

15 minute limited video recording is actually a major factor that now I plan my video making strategy a lot more organized and the result is a lot of time saved. The image quality is so superb that I simply love this camera after the third week.

[@EwenBell]

Glad you're enjoying the camera. Always critical that we make the best of our gear and focus on the enjoyment of the craft :)

[@miklosnemeth8566]

@@EwenBell Exactly! My approach is that definitely the engineers are smart enough they had good reasons to do features this and that way, so our job is to learn to use them and adapt our workflows accordingly. I have a fantastic Sony AX100 videocamera, and I could record practically hours, but why would I do that, noone would watch it, and I had to spend a hell lot of work to cut out the unwanted parts. Isn't it better just to to record the keepers?

[@edjefferson9175]

I have had problems with electronic shutter shooting dance theater due to the increased use of LED lighting. There is often a "strobing" effect on fast movements of hands/feet. And the light is so very hard with weird color but that's a different story.

[@EwenBell]

Trick is to reduce your shutter speed. Depends on the lighting setup, but down at 1/60th or slower you should see less banding from led buzz. Same goes for DSLR.

[@edjefferson9175]

@@EwenBell Can't shoot ballet (or sports) at 1/60. And it was not banding. I have encountered that ugly phenomenon in the past. 60/50Hz (depending on where you live) banding lines fill the width of the image. This was different. I was getting clear sharp multiple images on fast moving hands. Not motion blur either. It's a shame because we are not allowed to shoot a live performance with audience with mechanical shutter noise. I have had good results in the past with electronic shutter. This particular venue was different for some reason. It is 100 percent LED. Usually incandescent lighting is used for general illumination with LED adding color. Using my S5.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Another interesting video, Ewen - thank you.

[@EwenBell]

Cheers Peter :) I might take the S9 for a walk on Thursday!

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@EwenBell Should I bring my H-lump?

[@EwenBell]

@@peterfritzphoto Yeah would be lovely to check it out :)

[@joematiacio3449]

I've had no issues with the screen except when wearing shades. That happens with all camera screens. I had one issue with e/shutter with a too high shutter speed and indoor lighting. All part of the learning process. I love my S9 because it's FUN!. Good info!

[@EwenBell]

Ahhhh yes my polarised sunnies turn the screen black when I shoot portrait! I forgot about that! Probably the biggest downside to shooting with the flippy screen for me :)

[@miklosnemeth8566]

As for electronic shutter this is the 2nd week with my S9 and I took 500 photos, half them in doors with artificial lighting and not a single photo with banding. I took photos of step dancers and I noticed no jellos. To me jello is a creative feature since I know how to make it. You cannot make a jello with A9 which I used to have.

[@IronChefShellie]

What a clever little camera!

[@EwenBell]

:)

[@gordon3988]

Nicely done! I think the recording limits may be the biggest issue, but then for the target market I don’t it would be an issue…still if they could double! It does need some more small lenses to go with it though. If it had weather sealing I would probably be sold on it…still, tempting.

[@EwenBell]

Was interesting to me after nearly a month shooting with the S9 in the summertime that it just never got hot. I think the capped recording times are a decision rather than a necessity, and maybe not the right one.

My old Sony a65 teach me to use my screen the way you say, and is totally true. Is great.

[@pete_au]

Great video, thanks! I am planning to get an S9 to replace my old GX85 for when I don't want to take the S5II out. With some small Sigma primes, the S9 looks like a great option.

[@EwenBell]

That GX85 is such a great little unit isn't it! If I had a direct line to the geeks in Japan I'd ask them to bring out a new version of that next :)

[@ulfjonsson2122]

very interesting video!

[@EwenBell]

Thankyou!

[@MrJapanforce]

Great video. Perfect camera. So sorry for all those toxic miserable haters...

[@EwenBell]

:)

[@jan-martinulvag1962]

even the bell rings

[@thepan]

The majority of concerns came from professional photographers & videographers. Which are NOT the camera's intended audience 🤦🤦

[@EwenBell]

I take your point. Most of the people I know are professionals and they love the idea of this camera and want to carry one. They won't be setting it up in a cage and a matt box for their next Netflix shoot though :)

[@CallMeRabbitzUSVI]

Unfortunately, your statement is false. Its for content creators whom makes money off of their content (Short form or Long) and since they do that for a living they are Professionals. Don't belittle them, especially when some of them make more money than alot of us photo/videographers.

[@Mo2008di]

It for Sure will be my camera from the first day announced it BUT I will wait until Lumix make the price 1200-1300$ in promo heheh and one more thing missing for me it’s Airplane AF detection like in GH7…last week I sold my S1…now have the S5 mark 1…

[@Mo2008di]

I use E-Shutter, Screen instead of EVF, never recorded longer than 5 minutes at a time, for Flash as you mentioned I will use my Continuous light….so the camera is really what I look for….only the price I feel it’s really steep

[@EwenBell]

Yes the price will drop over time. And the firmware updates will keep coming :)

[@natureredux1957]

Anyone that previously complained about the S9 don't matter since most of them that complained are now praising the just Released Sony camera with mostly the exact same issues yet isn't even FF. So take with a Grain of Salt most reviewers Bought and Paid for by Sony.

[@EwenBell]

We all have our bias, myself included, and it's important for folks like me to be really aware of that. That's why I try to focus on the good stuff in general, unless it's a design flaw that breaks my brain! Plenty of good stuff in the S9 to focus on :)

[@ryankwan1934]

Need more pancakes or a compact zoom for the S9 to make sense. I respect why Panasonic primes are all the size they are, but I find they didn't sit with the body well.

[@EwenBell]

I've been shooting a lot with the chunky 14-24mm F2.8 on my S9 these past few weeks and it feels funny but also just love that smaller body regardless! Would like to see more tiny lenses for it though :)

[@miklosnemeth8566]

As for EVF I prefer tilt up huge EVFs like Leica makes for M9, M10, M11. This is the only thing I am a bit sorry about S9 that without an intelligent access shoe this kind of external EVF is not possible 😢

[@JoeOberster]

As a hybrid video and photo professional that uses OCF in many situations, the lack of a hot shoe and mechanical shutter keeps me from buying this body that I otherwise REALLY REALLY want. The S9 would make an amazing compact backup camera to my S5 if it had one. Even the lack of a headphone jack can be easily worked around by monitoring and recording to any number of tiny mic kits these days. While I still want the S9 and would love it for what it is, it would only be as a travel camera and dad-cam (currently my X100V covers those jobs), and quite frankly it’s too expensive to be just that.

[@kiinybas]

Not being a weather sealed at this price ... Disappointed

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Works great in Ukraine for combat video/photography. Fits in a dual NATO magazine pouch.

[@EwenBell]

Gotta admit, did not expect that level of feedback when I woke up this morning :) Respect.

[@zanakil]

🤑🤑🤑

[@UP209D]

huge turn off for me that is lacking of built in flash.

[@waveland]

Two things knocked the S9 out of contention for me. First, the ports are on the grip side of the camera. Absolutely no one talks about this but having the HDMI out and the USB-C where your hand belongs is very limiting. Secondly, the controls (especially the dial) feel like they came off a toy. It’s a cute camera and it will serve some folks fairly well for occasional use but I’m not convinced it will stand up all that well to regular use.

[@TopshelfJunior]

Now that we got that settled, are you buying the S5ii/X ? Are either of those in contention ?

[@waveland]

@@TopshelfJunior Now that the Z6III has come on the scene Lumix is out of contention period, the same with Blackmagic. I’m finished with slow sensors and external SSDs and/or external recorders.

[@TopshelfJunior]

@@waveland Understood. I’ll check back in w/ you in a week or so, month tops…to see how your new Nikon is going. Enjoy it mate !

[@imohammad]

"the controls (especially the dial) feel like they came off a toy" Yes, I totally agree with you, it's a problem! The quality and feel of a camera you always carry with you is very important! But the design and size are very attractive, perhaps we should wait for Lumix S9 II

[@TopshelfJunior]

@@imohammad The guy above us aint waiting lol. He said he's DONE ! Said he's buying a Nikon Z6III. Can't wait to see it.

[@AI3Dorinte]

I love using vintage lens = manual focus, no evf means I can't use this camera, video limit is also a big issue for anybody making talking head videos/interviews/etc...

[@rleeshutter]

You mention one very specific example why you don't need an shutter, to say it's not a big deal is disingenuous. What about on camera flash snap shots when you are out traveling (which is what a small "hybrid" camera like this is designed for)? What about banding under artificial lighting? Both very common examples of when and why you would need a mechanical shutter and hot shoe. No compromise? I disagree especially for the price.

[@EwenBell]

I never use flash on camera for photography. Never saw any issues in my use with indoor lighting. Not disingenuous at all. Just disagree with you.