A Year with the Lumix S9: My Honest Take on Using It for Video
I've been in the photography world since 2019, which is when I first picked up a camera and started taking it seriously as a hobby. Up until about a year ago, I had not done anything video related, and Video was a completely different story. When I decided to start a YouTube channel, I had zero experience talking to a camera, let alone filming myself, and I didn't want to sink a ton of money into gear while I was still figuring out the basics. That's how I landed on the Panasonic Lumix S9, and after a full year of using it specifically for video, I wanted to write up my honest thoughts on it.
Quick note before I get into it: this isn't a full spec-by-spec technical review. You can find every number on this camera on Panasonic's site or on any number of in-depth camera review sites. What I want to give you instead is the lived experience of actually shooting with it for a year. That said, a few high-level specs are genuinely useful context, so here's a quick table before I get into how it's actually performed for me.
Panasonic Lumix S9 — Key Specs
| Sensor | 24.2MP full-frame CMOS |
| Max video resolution | 6K open gate at 30fps |
| Other video modes | 4K up to 60fps (10-bit 4:2:2), FHD up to 120fps |
| Stabilization | 5-axis sensor-shift IBIS |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulated touchscreen |
| Viewfinder | None |
| Hot shoe | None (cold shoe only) |
| Color profiles | Real Time LUT, applied in-camera |
| Weight | Approx. 486g (body, battery, SD card) |
| Dimensions | 126 x 74 x 47mm |
| Charging | USB-C |
US Launch Pricing
As of original release.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Lumix S9, Body Only | $1,499.99 |
| Lumix S9 + 18-40mm Kit Lens | $1,799.99 |
How I Actually Ended Up With It
I hadn't dabbled in videography at all before this camera. My whole background was photography, so learning video was genuinely a new world for me. Given that I was just starting a YouTube channel and still learning the basics, I really didn't want a big, intimidating setup. I wanted something convenient, small, and non intrusive. I had zero experience talking in front of a camera, and the last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to myself in public by pulling out something that looked like I was about to run a professional shoot.
As most of us probably do, I went down a massive black hole on Youtube and the internet. I watched hours after hours of videos on different cameras and read through as many possible blogs I could find. Ultimately, we live in a world, where most newer cameras are more than enough when it comes to specs, and I just needed to a find a camera that worked for me. I ended up picking the Lumix S9 after all of that research because I felt like the camera hit in most parts of the “buying equation” that I made up in my head comparing price, specs, and ease of use.
As far as learning the actual settings and how to shoot video, it was about as straightforward as it gets. There was basically zero friction for me picking it up. I've now been using it specifically for video for a full year, and considering the price point and what I actually use it for, I would recommend this camera day in and day out.
What Almost Talked Me Out of It
When I was first researching cameras, I was leaning toward the Sony a7C series. It's compact too, and there was a ton of hype at the time around how good it was for video. But the Sony ecosystem gets expensive fast, especially once you factor in a lens, and I didn't want to overinvest in a video setup while I was still experimenting and figuring out what I even needed. I used to shoot with a Sony for photo years ago, and as silly as this may sound, I don’t really connect to the camera brand itself, so I decided to look elsewhere.
There were two things about the Lumix S9 that almost talked me out of it though: no hot shoe, and no viewfinder. At the time, those felt like real dealbreakers. Not entirely sure why the “no hot shoe” thing was even a big deal, but I think I kept reading and hearing about it from others that I thought it would be an issue for me as well. A year later, I can say honestly that neither one has caused me any friction at all. The lack of a hot shoe has genuinely never been an issue for me. As for the viewfinder, there are moments shooting in bright daylight where I wish I had one, but since I typically shoot at waist level or below eye level anyway, I'm not sure it would've actually changed much even if it were there.
I do wonder sometimes if that opinion comes from not knowing what else is out there. My only real point of comparison is my Leica SL2-S, which I also tried using for video. As silly as it sounds, it just didn't feel right. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it for photography, but we all know that Leica isn't exactly known for snappy autofocus, so there was friction there when it came to video. Beyond that, it just didn't come naturally to me the way the Lumix S9 did. It's like I picked up the S9 and already knew how to use it. I've noticed the same thing happens with cameras for photography too. A camera that clicks for one person might not click for someone else at all, and that's really the spirit of this whole review. This is just my personal experience, and I'm sharing it in case it helps someone else who's out there researching video cameras right now.
Editing the Footage
Editing has genuinely not been an issue for me. I've shot with enough cameras across different brands, mostly for photography, to know that working with the files in post can be a completely different experience depending on what you're given. The files coming out of the S9 have been great to work with. There's a solid amount of wiggle room in the dynamic range. Obviously it's always better to nail the lighting up front, but there have been plenty of times I'm just running around getting footage on the fly, and even when I mess up the lighting a bit, I've been able to bring it back in post without much trouble. Again, the footage is being used for Youtube, so I don’t think it’s that serious anyway.
Battery Life
Battery life has genuinely surprised me. I can easily go two full days, maybe even three, of shooting without even thinking about charging it. I'll usually top it off after a day just to be safe, but realistically I could probably stretch a full weekend on a single charge. To be clear, I'm not filming constantly. It's very intermittent, depending on whatever scene we come across while walking around, or something we want to capture in a restaurant or coffee shop, or the occasional talking head clip while we're out and about. I've never actually run a battery all the way down from a full day of shooting. Haven't even come close.
It charges straight from the camera with a USB-C cable, which is genuinely one of my favorite things about it. It's the same cable that charges my iPhone and most of my other devices, so I'm not carrying around a separate charging brick or cable just for the camera. I really don't like carrying extra stuff, so one less cable is a real win in my eyes.
Pricing: What I Actually Paid, and How It Stacks Up
I bought my Lumix S9 while I was in England, on sale at the time, and I ordered it in black. They accidentally shipped me the green one instead. At the time, I really wanted the black one, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of shipping it back and waiting on a replacement, so I worked out a deal with the seller and landed on £900 GBP, which came out to roughly $1,200 USD. The green has grown on me, and I'm actually glad now that I ended up with it instead of the black.
Even setting my personal deal aside, the S9 is a genuinely great value compared to other full-frame, video-centric cameras in a similar bracket. Prices on all of these move around constantly with sales, so I pulled the current going rate for each rather than just the original launch price. Here's how the S9 stacks up against the cameras people most often cross-shop it against, the ones marketed toward compact, full-frame vlogging and content creation:
Current Price Comparison
Prices reflect recent sale pricing as of publishing and fluctuate regularly, so treat these as a snapshot rather than a fixed number.
| Camera | Body | Body + Kit Lens |
|---|---|---|
| Panasonic Lumix S9 | $1,297.99 | $1,397.99 (18-40mm) |
| Sony a7C II | $2,098.00 | $2,499.99 (28-60mm) |
| Sony ZV-E1 | $1,899.00 | $2,199.00 (28-60mm) |
| Canon PowerShot V1 | $899.00 (fixed lens, built in) | N/A |
Since price alone doesn't tell the whole story, here are a few of the specs that actually matter most when you're comparing cameras in this category:
Spec Comparison
| Camera | Sensor | Resolution | Open Gate | Lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic Lumix S9 | Full-frame | 24.2MP | Yes, 6K at 30fps | Interchangeable |
| Sony a7C II | Full-frame | 33MP | No | Interchangeable |
| Sony ZV-E1 | Full-frame | 12.1MP | No | Interchangeable |
| Canon PowerShot V1 | 1.4-type (crop) | 22.3MP | No | Fixed, built-in |
The Sony a7C II is the camera most people seem to compare the S9 to, since they're both marketed as compact full-frame options for creators, and the price gap is still significant even with both cameras on sale. You're looking at over $1,000 more for the Sony kit compared to the S9 kit, for a camera that, sure, has some real advantages like a viewfinder and a hot shoe, but for my workflow, didn't end up mattering. Worth noting too, neither the a7C II nor the ZV-E1 offer open gate recording. I know open gate is a hot topic amongst the videographers, so thought I’d highlight it. I always shoot in open gate, and it's genuinely useful if you ever want to reframe footage for different aspect ratios later without losing resolution. This is helpful in the case you want to use the same footage for vertical content as well.
The Sony ZV-E1 is probably the more honest comparison, since it's built specifically for vlogging the same way the S9 is. It's also genuinely a strong camera, with a lower resolution sensor that's optimized more for video than stills, better autofocus tracking, and some vlogger-specific features the S9 doesn't have. But you're still paying a real premium for it, several hundred dollars more than the S9 even at current sale pricing, for advantages that matter a lot more if you're a dedicated videographer than they do for someone like me who's splitting time between photography and video.
The Canon PowerShot V1 is worth mentioning too, since it's become a genuinely popular option for creators lately and it's by far the cheapest camera on this list. It's not really an apples-to-apples comparison though, so I want to be upfront about that. The V1 has a fixed lens you can't swap out, and its sensor is a 1.4-inch type, meaningfully smaller than the full-frame sensor in the S9, the a7C II, and the ZV-E1. What you're trading for that lower price is interchangeability and that full-frame look and low-light performance. If you know you want to stick with one built-in zoom and never touch lenses, the V1 is a genuinely compelling, pocketable option. But if you want the flexibility to change lenses down the line, or you want that full-frame image quality, it's not really competing in the same category, it's more of a different tool for a different kind of creator.
One thing I’ll call out about the Sony ecosystem is that there’s loads of lenses in their line up along with third party lenses that are available. If you’re looking for a variety of lens choices, this might be something to consider because Lumix has a great set of native lenses, but nothing compared to Sony’s lineup.
Put it all together, and the S9 still lands in a really compelling spot among the full-frame options: genuinely video-first design, real interchangeable lens flexibility, and a price that doesn't require you to compromise on much to get there.
The Gear I Pair It With
Lens: The 18-40mm kit lens basically never comes off the camera body. I know kit lenses get a bad reputation, but for the price, I genuinely cannot complain. The focal range is close to perfect for vlogging and the type of content I make for YouTube. This might not fit everyone's workflow, but it works great for what I'm doing, which is mostly run and gun style vlogging. On top of the focal range and quality, it's also extremely compact, which matters a lot to me. I need my setup to be small and convenient, because if it's not, I'm the type of person who just won't film at all.
Since photography is my main focus, I need the video side of things to be as frictionless as possible. Juggling both can get overwhelming, so I need my workflow to stay simple. There's probably far more expensive glass out there that would technically produce better image quality, but I evaluate gear through a simple equation: quality, price, and convenience, all weighed together. This kit lens delivers well beyond what you'd expect at its price point, and right now, I have zero reason to upgrade it. I don't believe in fixing what isn't broken, and that same mindset applies to the camera body too. There are moments I wonder what it'd be like to use something else, but then I remind myself of that same rule.
Audio: For audio, I use the DJI Mic Mini. It pairs really well with this setup because my whole goal has been keeping my video gear as small and unobtrusive as possible, and the Mic Mini fits right into that philosophy. Again, I didn’t want anything crazy expensive or the highest grade in the tech spec world. I needed something that was easy to use and provided good quality audio. It’s also extremely affordable, so it was a no brainer for me.
ND Filter: Since I'm shooting in daylight most of the time, I also run a K&F Concept Variable ND Filter on the lens to help manage exposure without having to constantly fuss with shutter speed. Variable ND filters are great, in my opinion, because it gives you flexibility and convenience. As you may already know by now, I’m not a fan of carrying lots of things, so having to carry multiple ND filters sounds like a bit of a hassle to me.
Final Thoughts
A year in, this camera has completely earned its spot in my bag. It let me learn video without a steep learning curve, without breaking the bank, and without lugging around a setup that made me self-conscious every time I pulled it out in public. If you're in a similar spot to where I was a year ago, just starting out, not trying to overspend, and wanting something that gets out of your way so you can focus on actually making content, I'd point you toward the Lumix S9 without hesitation. I’ll drop a few YouTube videos below, so you can reference the footage that comes out of the camera and the end product. If you’d like to see more, please check out the YouTube channel here: Esther & Jordan’s channel!