Today we bring you an in-depth comparison of the Panasonic S1 vs Sony A7iii, to see if the new kid on the block (Panasonic S1) beats out the classic, Sony A7iii. Let’s check out the specs.
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Picture Quality Test
The color looks very different between the two. The Sony is much cleaner and much cooler. The Panasonic looks a lot more like Canon color.
Zooming in. both images are super sharp. Using 2 50mm lenses paired with these 24megapixel cameras makes for an exceptional image.
Dynamic Range Test
The Panasonic is much warmer and the Sony is much cleaner.
-1EV
-2EV
This might be where we start to see some noise.
-3EV
Both images are starting to clump up, but the Sony is more extreme.
-4EV
The Panasonic has a better dynamic range, at least in the shadows.
+1EV
+2EV
Both cameras are still looking good.
+3EV
Now you can see that color shift all across her face and shoulders. Definitely has an orange/green look.
+4EV
Maybe the Panasonic has a bit of an edge in the shadows, but other than that, they perform identically.
The Sony is usually a top contender in the dynamic range, so the fact that the Panasonic is equal to it, if not a touch better, says a lot. This means if we stack the Panasonic against the Nikon Z7 or the EOSR we might see some really good results.
ISO TEST
400ISO
If I had to take these 2 out of the box, I would take the Panasonic, hands down. These two color wise are pretty dang close.
800ISO
1600ISO
3200ISO
6400ISO
The Panasonic has this really nice, organic texture to it, whereas the Sony seems to block up.
12800ISO
If you squint, the Panasonic still looks really good.
25600ISO
51200ISO
We think the Panasonic wins here, just for consistency. It’s a little bit cleaner, but really, it’s about the color. The color maintains with the Panasonic.
Auto Focus Test
Time for the autofocus test, where we just have her walk towards the camera.
The Panasonic, even though it is a contrast based autofocus system, it performed really well.
We know that the Sony does really well with eye detect and it did capture more images, so maybe you got the same amount of in-focus images between the 2 cameras, but the Panasonic did have more consistency.
Video Test
We’re going to shoot with the 4k video on both of these. We don’t have the new 10bit 4.2.2 as it’s not available yet. When the firmware is introduced for this camera, we will get it back in and shoot the 10bit video in V-log and see how it compares to S-log.
Both of these images look really smooth. The Sony is obviously blighter and a little flatter, but both images resolve really well. They probably look closer to each other than any of the other cameras we’ve done this with.
CONCLUSION
The more we use these cameras, the more we feel like the actual experience of using the camera is the most important factor.
Even though the Panasonic is a much larger camera than the A7iii, it’s nice to have all the real estate for buttons. In comparison, it’s a nice weight and sits in my hand better, but this weight is not well suited for everyone. It would be too heavy for a lot of people and they would find it not worth the weight.
The Panasonic is a really well-balanced camera. I think the buttons are well placed. The placement is actually similar to the Sony A7iii, but because there is more room it seems less cramped. The fact that it’s so similar in image, it really brings it down to agronomics. So some will prefer the feel of the Panasonic and some will prefer the small form factor of the Sony.
Which would you choose?
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Gear used:
Panasonic S1
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2IIKYOL
Lumix S Pro 50mm 1.4 Lens
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2IHswpE
Sony A7iii
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2tudps8
Planar T FE 50mm f1.4 ZA Lens
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2MhlHgB
Datacolor SpyderCHECKR
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2OErSLk
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IzEpNP
Vanguard Alta Pro 2+
Get 20% off anything at VanguardWorld.com with our code: SLANTEDLENS
B&H: https://bhpho.to/2rAZnDY
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IS2HBR
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