October 7, 2021. Panasonic announced their new full-frame cube-style LUMIX DC-BS1H. Panasonic’s Matt Frazer said, “Picture an S1H mirrorless camera put into a box. Hence the B in BS1H.”
Matt asked why I call it a cube and not a box-style camera. The reason goes back to Fritz Gabriel Bauer’s sassy comment, “A camera is just a box onto which you put beautiful lenses.” That’s a tongue-in-cheek statement from the guy who developed the innovative Moviecam cine cameras. Surely, a good cine camera is much more than a box.
And so, the good BS1H is much more than a box. It is also more than just an S1H mirrorless hybrid still/cine camera stuffed inside.
Both share most of the same specifications: 24-megapixel full-frame (35.6 mm x 23.8mm) sensor with Dual Native ISO, 6K full-height recording, wide dynamic range, V-Log, anamorphic desqueeze, and more.
But, the BS1H is lighter, rugged, and adds SDI output, Genlock and lots of connectors.
- You can shoot up to a maximum ISO of 51200 with minimum noise.
- Top speed at 6K is 24 fps in full-frame 3:2 aspect ratio.
- Top speed at 5.4K full-frame 3:2 and 5.9K full-frame 16:9 is 30 fps .
The list of resolutions and formats is long. Scroll down to “See All Specs” online at: http://tiny.cc/BS1H-specs
The LUMIX BS1H closely matches the look of Panasonic VariCam cine cameras. Dynamic range is more than 14 stops when shooting in V-Log/V-Gamut.
There’s no EVF or built-in monitor like the S1H. Instead, you’ll use an onboard monitor or tether the BS1H to a larger monitor.
The BS1H has accurate subject detection that locks focus onto people and animals.
For external recording, the BS1H can send up to 4:2:2 10-bit 4K 60p/50p via HDMI.
You can record ProRes RAW with an Atomos Ninja V or Ninja V+ via HDMI. You can also record Blackmagic RAW on the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR via HDMI.
Variable Frame Rates in C4K/4K are possible up to 60 fps and down to 2 fps.
For Internet streaming, the LUMIX BS1H can send 4K 60p (50p) video in H.265 at half the bitrate of H.264 with the same image quality.
Almost unlimited recording is possible because of advanced heat management.
The LUMIX BS1H body is made of rugged aluminum and magnesium alloy to endure rough rides on car rigs, remote heads, stunts, gimbals, Steadicams, underwater housings and hostile environments.
BS1H has two internal SD Card slots that can be setup for simultaneous (master and backup) recording or relay (never run dry) recording.
Connections:
- USB 3.1 Type-C,
- 3G-SDI (BNC)
- HDMI Type-A
- Genlock IN (BNC)
- Timecode IN/OUT (BNC)
- Ethernet RJ45 supports Power over Ethernet+ (PoE+)
You can control up to 12 BS1H cameras with Panasonic PC software LUMIX Tether for Multicam.
Mount: L-mount. 20mm flange focal depth. Leica, SIGMA and Panasonic S lenses in the L Mount Alliance fit. Optical Image Stabilization, Auto Focus and Auto Exposure is supported.
Additionally:
- Operation Lock switch keeps over-eager fingers from changing settings.
- 5 function buttons can be programmed for helpful settings.
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 (BLE)
- Remote camera control using application software (LUMIX Tether for Multicam and LUMIX Sync)
- Tethered photo shooting with LUMIX Tether for Multicam software
- SDK (Software Development Kit) for camera control via USB/LAN will be provided for free.
The LUMIX BS1H will be available in November for $3,499.99.
