Panasonic Lumix S1, Harley-Davidson LiveWire and more from Panasonic’s CES 2019 booth!

As part of CES 2019, I spent a lot of time with Panasonic (they were one of our sponsors this year,) checking out a bunch of their current and future tech innovations. We shot a video that teased the top 5 tech that we were going to be exploring in the booth, (don't miss the Harley Davidson electric motorcycle!) Here's the breakdown:

1. Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle
2. Panasonic Projection Mapping and Real-Time Tracking
3. Panasonic CIRRUS Intelligent Transportation Solution
4. Human Characteristic Sensing and AI
5. SPACe_C eMobility Concept 48v ePowertrain platform
6. ELS Studio 3D Premium Audio System (bonus!)

LUMIX S1 & S1R

Of course, in addition to these, Panasonic also showcased the new Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R full-frame mirrorless cameras in the booth as well. I ran a poll on Twitter asking my followers which tech from the Panasonic booth they were most interested in hearing about, and the winner by far was the new Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R mirrorless full-frame cameras. 

Lots of great #PanasonicTech coming out of #CES2019! What are you most excited for? #PanasonicCES

— Andru Edwards (@AndruEdwards) January 9, 2019

I was able to get a Panasonic Lumix S1 hands-on, speaking with product manager SeanRobinson about all the new Panasonic Lumix S series features, release date, and more:

The Lumix S1 is the simpler model, and it’s set to feature a newly developed 24MP full-frame sensor. This appears to be the model that Panasonic will look to target towards those wanting to shoot both stills and video, rather than resolution-hungry photographers who would be better suited by the Panasonic Lumix S1R. The S1R will be positioned slightly higher, and will arrive with an also-new 47MP full-frame sensor.

At CES Panasonic revealed that both cameras would feature a High Resolution mode. In this mode, with the aid of the Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R Body Image Stabilizer mechanism, eight consecutive images are captured while shifting the sensor. These eight images are then merged into a single high-res image by the new Venus Engine image processor, although Panasonic didn't share what resolution this final image will be output at.

We can also expect a High Dynamic Range mode on both the Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R as well. Known as HLG Photo, it allows images to be shot with a wider dynamic range and retain more detail in both the highlights and shadows, which can otherwise be burnt out if overexposed or underexposed.

Panasonic believes this new HLG Photo mode will allow photographers to achieve rich, precise color reproduction, with the HSP files that are output in this mode able to be played back on the latest Panasonic HLG-compliant 4K TVs via a HDMI cable connection or other HLG compatible devices.

Finally, we now know when we're going to be able to get our hands on the Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R, with Panasonic stating that shipping will start at the end of March this year. Pricing, though, is still to be confirmed, while there's still no word on what kind of body and lens configurations the company is intending to make available.

OTHER TECH

In addition to the Lumix S series news, take a look at these other videos I did with Panasonic, each of which highlights a different section of the booth: