The Panasonic Lumix S1R and Lumix S Pro 50mm f1.4 meet the DeLorean
During the summer of 2019, I was extremely lucky when Lumix Canada sent me the amazing Lumix S1R for testing. I was ecstatic for the opportunity and I couldn’t wait to go out and start snapping! Paired with the Lumix 50mm f1.4, it’s a dream combo for any professional photographer!
I’ve reviewed the Lumix S1 (http://lumixstories.ca/panasonic-lumix-s1-first-impressions-review/), and other than the image quality, not much is different compared to the S1R. Both cameras share the same physical features, and all the menus and customization are the same. Saying that, the 47 megapixel sensor of the S1R is outstanding and the fact that you can boost it up to 180 megapixels with the sensor shift technology is phenomenal!
I had to go out and find an interesting subject to photograph and my cousin was able to provide the perfect solution. Meet his 1983 DeLorean!
We drove the car over to one of my favorite scenic wineries, Peninsula Estate Winery, in Beamsville, Ontario, Canada. The DMC DeLorean was designed by Automobile engineer Giorgetto Giugiaro, and in 2007 only 6500 were known to be in existence. It’s a really unique piece of car history and made testing out the Lumix S1R such a fun experience.
Using the Lumix S Pro 50mm f1.4 to photograph the DeLorean at sunset was awesome, and it provided an incredibly shallow depth of field, isolating my subject for a beautiful look. The low light performance of the Lumix S1R with the new 50mm is like having night vision. I love how the Lumix 50mm renders the background when shooting wide open at f1.4. You really have ultimate flexibility and creativity while photographing a wide variety of different subjects.
As you can see, this is one hefty professional combo. The amazing build quality and weather sealing of the Lumix S1R and Lumix 50mm f1.4 give you the confidence to rely on your gear in any condition. The Lumix 50mm f1.4 is by far the best lens I have ever used and if I owned it, I would never switch lenses. It allowed me to creatively capture the DeLorean in all its unique glory.
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic sci-fi movies of All Time, and the DeLorean was a big part of creating the image of the franchise. It’s always a popular car for the fans at car shows , it’s definitely a head turner!
The doors are so cool, I had to highlight them in a few photos. I really like the symmetry in the following photo showing off the unique features of this car. The bokeh in the foreground is just as smooth as the out-of-focus elements in the background which is signs of a very high-quality piece of glass.
Yes! It comes with a Flux Capacitor!
That is the funniest door ajar warning symbols with the scissor door!!
The next three photos demonstrate an experiment comparing a natural light image to one created with flash strobes. In the second photo you can see how I held the Cactus RF60 flash in my one hand and my iPhone in the other. I was using the Lumix Image App to control the camera via WIFI. After taking over 30 exposures and moving the flash in different spots, I was able to blend the layers in photoshop and the final result turned out pretty cool. The third example definitely has a more “pop” than the natural light example, and really shows off the stainless steel body.
We also drove down to the waterfront and I got to test out the high-resolution mode, which gets me a 180 mega pixel raw image capturing an incredible amount of detail. Please check out the close-up detail in the following example. I can’t believe the resolution of the camera! I just keep zooming in to the photo and the detail doesn’t end! I also found that the high resolution image suppresses image noise at higher ISO settings.
With the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix 50mm f1.4 you are given a combo that allows a huge amount of artistic freedom. With the ability to create ultra-high-resolution images you can do extreme cropping or large-scale printing. The low light capabilities are incredible retaining excellent sharpness all the way up to 12800 ISO and minimal grain noise up to 6400 ISO. It’s a special day when a photographer gets to use gear like this.
It was a thrill photographing the ultra-rare “unicorn” that is the DeLorean with this outstanding new combo from Panasonic. I’m so happy to share my experiences with you!! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the images!
