If the Panasonic Lumix S1H didn’t look good enough for serious filmmakers, the company can now boast another feature of the powerful mirrorless camera: certification for Netflix productions as part of the streaming giant’s Post Technology Alliance. Netflix has, in recent times, published its requirements for cameras and settings that must be used when creating Netflix shows, and this list has generally included higher-end (and much larger) cameras. Panasonic is making this level of filmmaking quality more accessible with the S1H, since it is now the first mirrorless camera to make the cut.
Baseline specs for potential certification include a true UHD 4K sensor, a capture format that is, at a minimum, 10-bit with data rates in excess of 240 Mb/s, and a log capture transfer function. That isn’t everything required for certification, because Netflix will consider more subjective aspects such as form factor and workflow compatibility. Being certified isn’t just about hitting some numbers. Among the other factors that went into certification were the inclusion of timecode jamming and the ability to capture a dynamic range of more than 14 stops with V-Log.
The requirements do also ask for pixel-for-pixel readout, which the S1H is able to do with DCI or UHD 4K recording in full-frame or Super 35. The camera then requires the use of the 10-bit 4:2:2 All-I mode at 400 Mb/s to reach needed requirements. Additionally, 4K at 60 fps is supported since it will perform pixel-for-pixel readout using the cropped Super 35 area of the sensor. This makes it extremely capable and a versatile addition to any film production.
Netflix’s requirements for secondary cameras makes this one of the most affordable options on the certified list, and the S1H will excel as a B or C camera. Its compact and lightweight form factor will also be an asset for capturing select shots. Smaller productions may even be able to use the S1H as their main camera, should the production call for it, and it opens the door to many up-and-coming filmmakers wishing to create films.
Does this make the S1H an even more appealing choice for your future films? Don't forget, the S1H is also getting raw video output with support from Atomos that will make it even more capable. Be sure to leave your thoughts and questions in the Comments section, below.
3 Comments
Call me a fanboy, but I've used Panasonic since the GH1, and it continued to baffle me how some people wouldn't take me seriously until they saw what these cameras produce. Panasonic has consistently been ahead of the curve on video production in an interchangeable lens "DSLR" form factor. I'm currently content with my GH5, as I was with my GH4, GH2, and GH1, but the day may come when I want to invest in the full frame capabilities of the S1H or its successors. Or I'll get the chance to work on a big budget movie in the future and utilize the Panasonic 8K Organic Sensor beast that looks ready to revolutionize the market again. Yes, I may be a Panasonic "fan boy" but in my book, they have more than earned it.
I like Panasonic's durability, which seems to hold thru all Panasonic products. Much better than Sony, which has become more unreliable.
interesting