TESTED: PANASONIC S1

Panasonic's announcement last year that it planned to release two full-frame mirrorless cameras caught us a little off guard. After all, the company had been pushing its Micro Four Thirds system cameras, Lumix G, for over a decade and with great success, especially so for videographers with the hugely popular GH series. We guessed correctly that a more stills focussed camera (the Lumix G9) might follow, but a completely new format with it's own mount? Surely not.

And yet here we are, with Panasonic now offering compelling options for the full breadth of photographers and videographers, and also offering a mount supported by both Leica and Sigma. The Lumix S1 reviewed here is the baby-brother to the big megapixel 47.3MP S1R, which is aimed at comparable cameras the Sony A7RIII and Nikon Z7. But like these, the S1R comes with an eye-watering price tag that means it's really only aimed at a particular end of the market. The S1, at $3,499.95 AUD, body only, loses the large number of Megapixels, but gains a cheaper price tag as a result.

Our testing of the Lumix S1 took us from the Central Coast, NSW to the dusty deserts of Nambung National Park