Panasonic Lumix S9

The Panasonic Lumix S9 is a mirrorless camera from 2024 built around a full-frame sensor in a 486g body. That pairing is its defining idea: a large sensor in a body this light.

It uses the Leica L mount, so lens choice comes from the L-mount range. The finished kit's weight depends on which lenses you choose, since the body itself contributes just 486g.

The 24-megapixel resolution serves both stills and 6K video, so one body covers photography and filmmaking at full-frame scale. It suits anyone building a small kit around L-mount glass, provided they are happy composing on the rear screen rather than through a viewfinder.

The headline video capability is open gate recording. The S9 captures 6K at 5952×3968 in a 3:2 ratio, so you can shoot once and reframe afterwards for widescreen, square or vertical delivery with pixels to spare.

In 6K, recording tops out at 30p and uses 10-bit 4:2:0 sampling. That suits slow and normal camera pacing; for fast motion, 4K is the better mode.

4K runs up to 60p and, unlike the 6K mode, records 10-bit 4:2:2. The fuller colour information gives grading software more to work with, so heavily graded projects are better served here.

Files come in MOV, MP4 and MP4 Lite, so the recording format can be matched to the job at hand.

Stills start with a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor. That resolution sits in a sensible middle ground: enough detail for large prints and generous crops, while keeping file sizes manageable for storage and editing. Cropping into a landscape or a group shot still leaves plenty of pixels for everyday output.

Full frame also lends itself to shallow depth of field. Fit a fast prime and a subject separates cleanly from its background, which flatters portraits, product shots and any composition where the subject should stand apart from its surroundings.

The Leica L mount is the practical backbone. Whatever focal length a shot calls for, the L-mount range is where you look, and anyone already owning L-mount lenses can bring them across rather than buying a fresh set. That makes the S9 a natural second body for anyone already in the system.

The absence of a viewfinder is the defining handling choice. Every shot is composed on the rear screen, which keeps the 486g body slim, and anyone who prefers an eyepiece will not find one built in.

Wi-Fi is built in, so a wireless connection is part of the specification. On a body this light, that connectivity comes without anything extra to carry.

The result is a camera with two clear limitations, no viewfinder and no second card slot, set against a 486g full-frame body with built-in Wi-Fi. Shooters who frame on a screen and keep spare cards handy will find the balance straightforward.

A single memory card slot keeps the body simple but shapes how you plan a shoot. There is no second card receiving a simultaneous copy, and when the card fills you stop to swap it rather than recording on.

Video puts the most demand on that one slot. Open-gate 6K records a 5952×3968 frame at up to 30p in 10-bit 4:2:0, 4K reaches 60p with 10-bit 4:2:2, and every mode writes to the same card. Capacity planning becomes part of the workflow.

The recording formats offer some flexibility. MOV, MP4 and MP4 Lite let you match the file type to the job at hand. Carrying spare cards covers extended shooting, particularly if 6K or 4K video is part of the plan, since a filled card means a pause to swap.