Panasonic LUMIX S1 vs Sony Alpha 9

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LUMIX S1 compared with Alpha 9

	PanasonicLUMIX S1	SonyAlpha 9
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	May 2017
Image and sensor
Camera type
Camera type	Mirrorless	Mirrorless
Sensor format
Sensor format	Full frame	Full frame
Sensor type
Sensor type	CMOS	Back-illuminated stacked Exmor RS CMOS
Sensor dimensions
Sensor dimensions	35.6 × 23.8 mm	35.6 × 23.8 mm
Effective resolution
Effective resolution	24.2 MP	24.2 MP
Largest image
Largest image	6000 × 4000	6000 × 4000
RAW recording
RAW recording	Yes	Yes
Standard ISO range
Standard ISO range	100–51200	100–51200
Sensor detail
Sensor detail	24.2 million effective and 25.28 million total pixels; primary colour filter and supersonic wave dust filter. High-resolution mode combines eight exposures into 12000×8000 composite files, not native single-shot resolution	Approximately 28.3 million total pixels; stacked sensor with integral memory and backside illumination.
Image formats
Image formats	JPEG, RAW and HLG Photo	JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony ARW 2.3 compressed or uncompressed RAW.
ISO detail
ISO detail	Standard ISO 100–51200, expanded ISO 50/102400/204800; maker firmware 2.0 adds Dual Native ISO Setting. Photography Blog's introductory ISO 80 conflicts with its own later ISO 50 discussion and the maker; not adopted	Mechanical-shutter stills use standard ISO 100–51200, expandable to 50–204800. Electronic-shutter stills use ISO 100–25600 with expanded ISO 50. Movie ISO 100–51200, expandable to 102400.
Image processor
Image processor	Venus Engine	BIONZ X with front-end LSI.
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Lens mount	L-Mount	Sony E-mount
Stabilisation
Stabilisation	Lens and sensor shift	Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst
Maximum continuous burst	9 fps	20 fps
Autofocus
Autofocus	Contrast AF with DFD, human/animal detection, tracking and 225-area selection; firmware adds head recognition and tracking improvements	Current Sony specification lists 693 full-frame phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection points; contrast points increased from 25 through firmware. Phase coverage approximately 93%; sensitivity EV −3 to 20 with an F2 lens at ISO 100. Current features include Real-time Tracking and Eye AF; launch reviews describe earlier firmware.
Shutter
Shutter	Mechanical, electronic front curtain and electronic modes; maker rated shutter life approximately 400000 images	–
Burst detail
Burst detail	Native 9 fps AFS/MF; mechanical/electronic front curtain 6 fps AFC or electronic 5 fps AFC. Maker buffer more than 90 RAW, 70 RAW+JPEG or 999 JPEG with Sony XQD G-series card. Reduced-resolution video-derived 6K/4K Photo modes are separate	Up to 20 fps electronic Hi with AF/AE tracking under Sony's supported-lens and exposure conditions; up to 12 fps with uncompressed RAW, or 5 fps mechanical. Maker buffer claim is 241 compressed RAW or 362 JPEG frames using a UHS-II card under its stated test conditions.
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Five-axis Body I.S.; firmware 1.2 dated 9 July 2019 raises maker rating from 5.5 to 6 stops with S-X50 at 50 mm. Compatible-lens Dual I.S. 2 rises from 6 to 6.5 stops with S-R24105 at 105 mm or S-R70200 at 200 mm, CIPA yaw/pitch	Five-axis sensor shift; Sony claims 5.0 stops under CIPA pitch/yaw conditions with Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA and long-exposure noise reduction off.
Video
Highest video resolution
Highest video resolution	3840 × 2160 at 60 fps	3840 × 2160 at 30 fps
Video detail
Video detail	Optional 5952×3968 6K at maker-labelled 24p requires optional DMW-SFU2 software-key activation and firmware 2.0 dated 6 April 2021; 4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP 200 Mbps. The upgrade also enables 5.9K30/25/24p, 5.4K30/25p, C4K modes and external 12-bit RAW with compatible recorder. Standard launch body offers UHD 3840×2160 up to 60p in 8-bit; 4K60 uses crop and a 30-minute clip limit. Higher-quality internal 10-bit, V-Log and associated advanced modes require the appropriate software-key upgrade; not included in the standard body configuration	XAVC S 3840 × 2160 at 30p/24p in NTSC mode or 25p PAL, up to 100 Mbps; Full HD 120p NTSC or 100p PAL is lower resolution. HDMI supports 8-bit 4:2:2 output. No video picture profiles or S-Log.
Audio
Audio	Stereo microphone and monaural speaker; microphone/line input, headphone monitoring and optional DMW-XLR1	Built-in stereo microphone; 3.5 mm stereo microphone and headphone sockets; compatible Multi Interface Shoe audio accessories.
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Screen size
Screen size	3.2″	3″
Screen dots
Screen dots	2,100,000	1,440,000
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Tilting screen
Tilting screen	Yes	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	Three-point-two-inch 3:2 capacitive touchscreen approximately 2.1 million dots with triaxial tilt; separate top status LCD	Rear TFT LCD tilts approximately 107° upwards and 41° downwards.
Viewfinder detail
Viewfinder detail	OLED approximately 5.76 million dots, 100% coverage and 0.78× with 50 mm lens at infinity, −1 dioptre and 3:2 ratio; 60/120 fps display	0.5-inch Quad-VGA OLED, 3686400 dots, 100% coverage and approximately 0.78× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity; selectable 60/120 fps display.
Connections and design
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	400 photographs	650 photographs
Body weight
Body weight	899 g	588 g (better)
Release detail
Release detail	Maker Japan confirms 23 March 2019 sale; headline month avoids assuming an exact UK day. Advanced recording firmware and optional-key requirements are separate from original release specifications. No inferred direct successor across co-sold S1/S5 generations	Sony Japan lists 26 May 2017 for ILCE-9; this is the Japanese first-sale date, not a UK release claim.
Recording media
Recording media	Slot 1 XQD with CFexpress support through firmware 1.3 or later; slot 2 SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I/UHS-II including V90	Slot 1 accepts UHS-I/UHS-II SD; slot 2 accepts UHS-I SD or Memory Stick Duo. Simultaneous and separate-format recording supported.
Ports
Ports	USB-C SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1, full-size HDMI Type A, 2.5 mm remote and 3.5 mm microphone/line/headphone connections	Multi/Micro USB, Micro HDMI Type D, wired LAN, sync terminal, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets and Multi Interface Shoe.
Wireless connections
Wireless connections	Wi-Fi 2.4/5 GHz and Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2; 5 GHz subject to regional availability	Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHz; Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC; smartphone location linkage supported.
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Maker 7.4 V 3050 mAh 23 Wh pack. CIPA with S-R24105 and SD approximately 400 LCD/380 EVF shots; with XQD 380 LCD/360 EVF. One-second power-save EVF 1150 SD/1100 XQD is conditional, not headline	NP-FZ100; CIPA approximately 650 photographs with LCD or 480 with viewfinder; USB charging and power supported.
Charging
Charging	USB charging/power and dedicated charger	–
Dimensions
Dimensions	Approximately 148.9 × 110.0 × 96.7 mm, excluding protrusions	Approximately 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7 mm (width × height × maximum depth); grip-to-monitor depth 63.0 mm.
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 899 g body only, 1016 g with SD/battery or 1020 g with XQD/battery; lens excluded	Sony Japan specifies approximately 588 g body only or 673 g with battery and memory card, excluding lens. The UK page labels 588 g as including battery/card, conflicting with the explicit Japanese split.
Materials
Materials	Dust/splash-resistant construction, not waterproof; recommended −10 to 40 °C	–
In the box
In the box	Maker Japan lists body cap, hot-shoe cover, eyecup, flash-sync cap, battery-grip contact cover, shoulder strap, cable holder, battery, charger, AC adapter, mains cable and USB C–C/A–C cables; regional contents vary	NP-FZ100 battery, BC-QZ1 charger, power cord, cable protector, AC-UUE12 AC adaptor, shoulder strap, body cap, accessory shoe cap, eyepiece cup and Micro USB cable, according to Sony UK.