Wanna check out the Panasonic S1R?
My name is Alissa Zimmerman with Shutter Magazine and today we put the Panasonic S1R, the Lumix 24-105mm F/4 lens, and the 70-200mm F/4 lens to the test in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I created three distinctive images, everything from a stunning mid-shot, to a tight beauty portrait, to a powerful wide shot showcasing the vast landscape. Keep reading to understand why Panasonic has, yet again, knocked it out of the park!
Dramatic Fashion Portraits with the 24-105mm F/4
I started with the 24-105mm f/4 lens to showcase something more environmental. I wanted to show off the scene: The giant orange rocks framing our model and the natural leading lines with the dips in the mountains set the tone for a perfectly dramatic full-body power pose shot.
Now, granted, we can do this with any lens. I would just need to move further away or closer to my subject (depending on the lens you decide to use). But with the 24-105mm f/4, I’ve got a really nice range. This gives me the ability to move closer or get a wider shot and allow her to really pop in the frame. I photographed this at f/4.0 to get her in focus and have some of that nice fall-off in the background.
Lowering my position, I was able to strategically place her in the brightest spot of the image, between the two peaks, and create a strong stance that really showcased the whole outfit along with the beauty of the scenery. Your eye is always going to go to the brightest part of the image, so I want to put her head in that spot, vs. burying her in the similarly toned rocks surrounding her.
Final Images
Final Edit
Settings: 1/400 @ f4 ISO 100
Color Correction Edit
Settings: 1/400 @ f4 ISO 400
Settings: 1/250 @ f4 ISO 100
Fashion/Beauty Portraits with the 70-200mm f/4
For the next scene and second lens, we jumped to the 70-200mm and climbed up a little further into the rocks. I really liked the tone-on-tone look of a tighter portrait of our model in a golden dress up against the golden tones of the rocks. The sun was harsh and cloud coverage was spotty, but I wanted the same light to hit both her and the rocks I was using as a background. Instead of fighting the light, I had our model turn her face directly into the harsh sunlight and underexposed the scene by almost 2 full stops to really exaggerate the highlights and the contouring in the shadows on her face. I also had the model keep her eyes closed so there wouldn’t be any harsh and unflattering shadows under her eyes.
I found myself struggling more with the harsh sunlight in this scene and decided to have our model squat in an area a little more tucked away that was in complete shadow and had really nice complimentary-toned rocks to use as a background. In this scene, I focused more on our model’s face, the hat, and the wind catching her hair at the perfect moment. The detail in the images that came out of the Panasonic S1R were incredible with these tighter portraits—everything was crisp and I never felt like the camera slowed me down as I kept pushing for that perfectly wind-blown look.
One thing I can tell you about the Lumix 70-200mm F/4 is that it’s pretty lightweight for a 70-200mm, which is kind of shocking. It feels nice in your hand, and it has really great ergonomics. Now, this is an f/4.0 lens, so that’s probably why it’s a little bit lighter. I typically prefer shooting portraits at F/2.8 or wider for that shallow depth of field, but the F/4 of the Lumix 70-200mm still gave me nice separation from the background, even when I had her sitting right up against the rocks.
Final Images
Final Edit
Settings: 1/250 @ f4 ISO 400
Color Correction Edit
Settings: 1/80 @ f4 ISO 400
Settings: 1/320 @ f4 ISO 100
I hope you enjoyed seeing the Panasonic S1R with two of their incredible lenses in action on a fashion and beauty session, and I really hope you enjoyed the images that were created. The biggest takeaway here is understanding the right tool for the job—when to use what type of lens and how your focal length can absolutely change the way your images look. Panasonic has nailed it with the S1R. Their Lumix lens lineup is on point, and we were able to create some truly beautiful images because of this.
