Panasonic S1

Panasonic S1 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Compact camera initially launched on January of 2011. It comes with a 12 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" size sensor with a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000.

The S1 is scored #188 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and all-around #1132 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to use our Advanced camera search to get camera ratings based on your personal requirements.

Below is a diagram of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Panasonic S1 is part of a family of products. You can read the detailed list underneath.

You can look at the S1 from several angles in the gallery below.

Here is a checklist of upsides and downsides of the Panasonic S1 based on factors which are normally viewed as important in a camera.

The Panasonic S1 is run by the Venus Engine IV chip. The sensor measurement in the Panasonic S1 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels using aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera boasts Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is superior than digital stabilization as the latter can easily produce cropping.

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The CCD sensor boasts 12MP and gives a native ISO range of 100 - 6400. Sadly, RAW photos are not supported so the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The picture underneath illustrates the S1's sensor size when compared to other common sizes. The S1 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is pointed out in green.

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To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Panasonic S1 is 0.26 pounds (117g / 4.13 oz) and the physical size of the camera is 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g so the Panasonic S1 is lighter as compared with various competitors.

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Underneath is a shot of the Panasonic S1 besides a soft drink to help you have a sense of its size.

The top view underneath will provide the button design on the S1.

The S1 offers a fixed lens having a focal range of 28-112mm making it a 4.0 x zoom which is not great nevertheless it will be convenient in certain circumstances.

At it's widest 28mm, the lens will have an aperture of f3.1 and that is very sluggish and not good in low light situations and you might struggle to capture good bokeh. You could also have to raise your ISO setting producing noisy files. Towards the long end, 112mm comes at f5.6 which is really slow and you may have to apply slow shutter speeds.

The S1 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Cameras that come with NFC and / or Bluetooth support can easily be used wirelessly through smartphones. You are able to copy pictures and at times adjust settings without connecting straight with the camera.

Several apps also give a Liveview and click the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI out, it could be connected to an external display. Many cameras enable you to recharge the battery through the USB socket.

The maximum video resolution in the Panasonic S1 is 1280 x 720 and it can record in Motion JPEG format. 720p is awful by today's requirements. You should really try to get a minimum 1080p resolution for video recording. The body doesn't feature a mic and / or headphone jack so you get absolutely no control over your audio. It is perhaps a better idea to take a look at another model if you need better audio in your video clips.

Panasonic S1 doesn't have weather sealing so wet conditions could damage the camera.

The Panasonic S1 comes with a 2.7 inch fixed display having a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Sadly the display is not a touch screen.

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The View Finder details regarding Panasonic S1 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

In those sunny outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and difficult to view, viewfinders are pretty valuable.

The maximum shutter speed is 1/1600 seconds.

Panasonic S1 boasts just in-built flash with no external flash ability.

Panasonic S1 boasts only Contrast Detect Autofocus and is missing Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more quicker & accurate as compared with Contrast Detect focusing.

The Sensor comes with 11 focus points to pick from. Panasonic S1 doesn't have manual focus. Manual focus ability is good for low light situations or you need more accurate depth of field control.

The battery for the Panasonic S1 is built to last for 240 photos based on the CIPA requirements making it similar to its competition. The general Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has got the highest possible (470) battery life for this type of cameras.

Listed below is a list of Small Sensor Compact cameras which have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
S1 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
S1 vs EX-10455 yesnono

Photography Glossary

Ricoh GR Digital IV
S1 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
S1 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
S1 vs G16360 yesnono

The following diagram gives a analysis of the Panasonic S1 for various kinds of photography. To view more, go to the specific paragraph underneath.

The Panasonic S1 receives a points total of 21 which is lousy, meaning that it is not really acceptable to use for portrait photography. Photographing portraits leans heavily to sensor dimension, support for RAW photos plus the potential to utilize external lighting.

Getting a very good rating of 63, the Panasonic S1 is a good option to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera provides a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.

A lousy sports photography points tally of 27 suggests the Panasonic S1 is not really acceptable for photographing sports. A camera needs to have great tracking plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

Weight is super crucial in picking a travel camera. In general, the Panasonic S1 gets a above average 62 for a travelling camera which makes it a fine fit to take on your holidays.

In case you're planning to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the biggest factor will be image quality. The Panasonic S1 at it's lousy grade of 32 as a landscape camera is not really acceptable among its competition.

A vlogging camera should have a articulating display screen, mic port and ideally image stabilization. Taking all things into account, the Panasonic S1 is not really acceptable as a vlog camera as it receives a lousy score of 31.

If you are in the market for replacements to the S1, here is a list of the highest ranked cameras that fall into the class of Small Sensor Compact.

The chart here gives you an overview of the S1 vs it's highest ranked rivals mentioned previously.

There are a bunch of cameras you may see as alternate options. To browse through a full comparison, click the "compare" link.