The autofocus system is a contrast- and not phase-detect system, unfortunately. Panasonic said it will use "depth from defocus," which sounds similar to what Leica offers on its SL and TL mirrorless cameras. Panasonic supports both XQD and SDXC, but each card has a dedicated slot, so if you want to have a backup during shooting, you'll need both types of cards.

Though the S1R feels smaller than Panasonic's GH5, it's actually a touch bigger, and the control layout is slightly shifted. The joystick and dial controls for shutter and aperture are in roughly the same spots. However, mode dial and AF lock control are shifted to the left and there are fewer function buttons. The record button is now on the back, rather than the top. Finally, there's a top LCD that displays useful information, much like on Canon and Nikon's new models. These changes aren't too crazy, but will take a little getting used to.

Panasonic hasn't finalized the specs, so there are a few key things we don't know yet. For instance, it hasn't yet said whether video can be recorded externally or internally at 10-bit 4:2:2, like the GH5 and GH5s. Given Panasonic's history, I'd bet on that, however.

We also don't know, of course, the image and video quality, nor the autofocus performance and other key specs. As for the price, that's still up in the air, but the S1 and S1R strongly resemble the Sony A7 III and A7R III, which cost $2,000 and $3,200, respectively. Nikon's Z6 and Z7 cost $2,000 and $3,400, while the 30.1-megapixel Canon EOS R is $2,299. All those factors, obviously, are crucial to how the camera will be accepted by the market, so we'll reserve final judgement until we learn more and get a hold of the final product for a full review.

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Camera: Steve Dent

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