Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body #DC-S1BODY Black Review

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 is a camera that feels a bit lost. It's built around a solid 25.9MP sensor, but it's let down by a bunch of 'just okay' features and a price that doesn't make sense. The one thing you need to know is that it's a weirdly specialized tool, scoring decently for product photography but being genuinely bad for vlogging. Unless you have a very specific, stationary use case, you can do better.

Honestly, nothing here is a huge surprise. The sensor is fine, landing in the 70th percentile, so your stills will look good. But the autofocus is below average, the video features are weak, and there's no in-body stabilization. It performs exactly how the specs suggest: competently for static shots, and not much else. The 91st percentile connectivity is a nice touch, but it feels like putting racing stripes on a minivan.

Not worth it. The price swings from $2010 to over $2500, and even at the low end, it's a bad deal. You're paying premium money for a camera with mid-tier autofocus, no stabilization, and a fixed screen. For product photography, you could get a cheaper, older DSLR that does the same job. For anything else, the competition runs circles around it.

Look at the Canon EOS R6 Mark II instead. It costs about the same but gives you phenomenal autofocus, great in-body stabilization, and a fully articulating screen. If you're on a tighter budget, the Sony a6400 is a much smarter buy for video and general use. Even the Fujifilm X-S20 offers better all-around performance and features for less money. The Lumix S1 is outclassed by every one of these.

Skip it. The Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 is a niche camera that forgot what niche it's in. It's okay for product photography in a studio, but that's a tiny bullseye to hit. For literally any other use—travel, events, video, vlogging (which it fails at)—there are better, cheaper, and more enjoyable cameras to use. Don't let the LUMIX badge fool you; this one's a pass.