S9 accessories and add-ons

[CharlesH]

This is a thread to discuss accessories and add-ons for the Lumix S9.

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SmallRig announced a series of three accessories for the S9.

The L-Shape Handle. Panasonic included these handles for the cameras at the Osaka S9 introduction event.


A Cage for die-hard videographers.


And a stylish Leather Half Case


Als0 SmallRig has a Sunhood for the S9. It is currently specified for the Lumix GH6, the G9II, the S5II and the S5IIx, but the S9 has the same screen.


Expert Shield makes Anti-Glare shields for cameras. They don't specify one for the S9 at this time, but the one for Sony a6700 and A7C II is the same size.

 

[CharlesH]

I've looked some at using a sunhood with my S5II, in anticipation of getting the S9. I had previous experience with my drone where I really needed a sunhood to operate on bright days. I don't actually have a sunhood for the S5II, so I made a crude one out of construction paper. I made it so I could mount it either with the display flush in the camera, or with the display swung out.

It works well, and in bright sunshine makes the difference between being able to see and frame a shot, or just having glare. I wear glasses (trifocals) and am not very viewfinder friendly, so in some ways using the screen display is better for me. BUT the S5II screen is very shiny and reflective, and in some cases the reflections can still block the view of the screen. I have the Anti-Glare Expert Shield on order, to hopefully fix that. About sunhoods for the S9, I'll try the one from SmallRig. And I may try my own design with more durable material than construction paper.

This photo is outside in very bright sunlight.

• Panasonic - DC-S5M2X
• LUMIX S 100/F2.8 MACRO
• 100.0 mm
• ƒ/3.5
• 1/2000 sec
• Pattern
• Manual exposure
• ISO 100

 

[Nevyn72]

I wear glasses (trifocals) and am not very viewfinder friendly

I also had this problem until I bought this:

Kiwi Soft Eyecup Okular Sucher Augen schale für Panasonic Lumix S5/S5 II / S5 Iix Eyecup Kamera Extended Eye shade Protector - AliExpress 44

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Very good quality and made it a lot easier to use the EVF. After buying I found out also Amazon sells it but than I already bought it here.

But I still use the screen a lot more.. I'm quite tall and often my video's are from a too High viewpoint when filmed standing with the EVF.

I shoot often from te hip (when doing vacation style video's, I use a tripod for more serious shoots)

For the 'selfmade' sunhood, looks cool

 

[CharlesH]

The S9 has a microphone socket. But it does NOT have a headphone socket. In my case I mostly use the excellent DJI MIC, a two channel remote mic, and it has a headphone socket. It goes well with the S9, and the receiver mounts on the cold shoe. It does not solve everything about not having a headphone socket on the camera, but it solves the critical things. With remote mics the main thing is that the sound is coming in okay from the mics and you can monitor that with headphones on the DJI MIC receiver, and you can check the level with the camera sound level monitor. So you know you are recording good sound. What it can't do is play back the sound from videos recorded on the camera; so I call it a 3/4 solution. But it insures you are recording good sound.

(I have the older DJI MIC, and there is a newer DJI MIC II. Either of these will work well with the S9.)

 

[CharlesH]

I also had this problem until I bought this:

Thanks, I just ordered three (from Amazon). For the S5IIx, S5II and G9II.

 

[Nevyn72]

I have the older DJI MIC

I also have these and love them. I might buy the DJI Mic 2 in the future because of the 32bit float, and also for interviews with 3 people I need at least 3... Now I do it with 2 but does not give perfect sound quality and a lot of extra work in changing the levels of the sound, even when using rools like compressors and such

 

[CharlesH]

The L-Shape Handle. Panasonic included these handles for the cameras at the Osaka S9 introduction event.

This is indicated above in the list of SmallRig accessories for the S9. However I think the handgrip issued by Panasonic at the Osaka event may have been from Sirui. This is now on Amazon. So there is a choice of two handgrips, Sirui and SmallRig.

 

[Mister Sloane]

The Hybrid Shooter and Petepixel mentioned that they were given a SmallRig one and showed it off in their videos. I’m pretty sure that one or two others also mention this as well, which led me looking online for it - I hadn’t spotted the sunhood before, so great to see that there’s such a thing!

 

[CharlesH]

REPORT - Expert Shield Anti-Glare Shield

I got the Expert Shield Anti-Glare shield, and tried it out in bright sunlight with the S5II. This is the shield intended for the Sony a6700/A7C II, and I got it from Amazon. It does a good job eliminating reflections off the screen. It is good enough to make operating the camera in bright sunlight possible. I recommend this for the S9. It is even better when used with a sunhood (a separate report on that follows).

The shield does slightly darken the screen, and is adds some grain to the image, kind of like a ground glass screen. You get used to this pretty quickly, and it did not affect my use of the camera. Also, the touch screen works okay and isn't affected by the shield. I always run the screen at max brightness and with the backlight all the way up, batteries be dammed, and this is how I tested the anti-glare shield. I expect to put this shield on the S9, and it will be good for most bright light situations.

You install the screen carefully. I followed the instructions and got it on without much hassle, but it is not just a slap it on thing. The purchase comes with two shields in case you mess one up. And there are YouTube videos about the installation. A side benefit, the shield is actually a shield and gives long term protection for the screen.

The bottom line, this is a winner for the S9.

 

[CharlesH]

REPORT - SmallRig SUNHOOD for Lumix GH6.

I got the SmallRig sunhood for the Lumix GH6 (and S5II, S5IIx, G9II) screen. The S9 has the same screen size. I ordered this from SmallRig in China and it took just a few days to the USA. It is well made and you can carry it in your bag or pocket if you aren't using it. I tested this in bright sunlight with the S5II, and it performed about the same, maybe better than my hand-made construction paper sunhood. It attaches easily when the screen is swung out, like in the picture a few posts back. When you attach it so the screen is flush to the camera it does not quite close all the way. I used it both ways and it did its job, even when it wasn't quite flush to the camera.

There is a big improvement in operating the camera when shooting in bright sunlight. It's almost like shooting indoors. It is a little wider than my hand-made sunhood, so a little easier to look into. But there is a problem when you are facing into the sun and bright reflections come off the shiny glass screen, you really can't see the screen. This is the same issue I had with my hand-made sunhood.

The anti-glare shield fixes that problem. The combination of the sunhood and the anti-glare shield looks like the best solution for the S9 when outdoors in bright sunlight. That said, either of these alone makes things a lot better. The benefit of the anit-glare shield, it is permanently attached and takes no space. The sunhood is something you need to put on, and it is a little inconvenient. I expect to have both for the S9, and in tough light situations I'll put on the sunhood.

 

[Mister Sloane]

The other day, saw this post by LUMIX on Facebook about the SmallRig grip(s):

Introducing the upgrade for your LUMIX S9!

A new handgrip, designed in collaboration between LUMIX and SmallRig, ensures a seamless look and feel while enhancing your shooting experience.

Here's why you need this in your gear bag:

• Enhanced Grip: The silicone texture perfectly matches the camera body, offering a secure and comfortable hold.
• Convenient Arca-Swiss Plate: Built-in for quick and easy tripod mounting.
• Magnetic Wrench: Simplifies setup with easy assembly and disassembly on the base plate.
• Vertical Shooting Made Easy: The integrated lower left strap hole allows for effortless attachment of a shoulder strap, making vertical shots a breeze.

Elevate your creation game with this accessory!

The images in the post were of the L-shaped grip.

 

[Mister Sloane]

REPORT - SmallRig SUNHOOD for Lumix GH6.

Thanks for both of those reports - great reads!

I have the a Ricoh GR 3 and a 3X, and have an anti-glare protector on one and my experience is essentially the same as yours. As you say, it does darken the screen a little but not something that’s ever caused me an issue.

I got to play a little with the S9 the other day and did try it outside and deliberately the screen towards the sun. Like other cameras I have with an angled screen, slightly adjusting the screen, gets rid of the sun glare but I basically always use some kind of screen protector and where a camera doesn’t have a viewfinder, think anti-glare would normally be my first choice.

With the sunhood, I was thinking that I would only be using it in very specific situation and what you’ve said is good to know - especially about how the sun can still hit it. Does it fold down? From the images I wasn’t sure and wondered if it folds completely flat.

 

[Richard Wong]

This is indicated above in the list of SmallRig accessories for the S9. However I think the handgrip issued by Panasonic at the Osaka event may have been from Sirui. This is now on Amazon. So there is a choice of two handgrips, Sirui and SmallRig.

It's the SmallRig one Panasonic handed out to al of us.
I like it. I complained about how slippery/unsafe the camera fell by itself. With this installed, it feels MUCH better, without increasing the size much. it also has arca swiss plate so that's good. But it only uses single mounting point, I believe Sirui uses double mounting point for anti-twist, but then it's a small camera I don't know if it really matter. I haven't found it to be a problem so far and I was using the S9 with the 28-200 most of the time during the trip in japan.
One more thing is, the Smallrig one came with a little tool for removing the cage. However a few of us found that the tool fall off quite easily. One of us already lost the key before end of the summit. I should have mentioned it in my review but completely forgot until my review was published. Still I think it's a very nice grip, I would leave it attached as otherwise the S9 is just a bit too slippery as I usually don't use any camera strap at all.

 

[Oíche]

The only accessory I bought was this for S5ii but S9 listed as compatible, it depends where the internal mics are, no it is not for the S9 I just looked at one and mics not behind the hotshoes slot.

Also bought a screen protector as always with a new camera.

 

[CharlesH]

It's the SmallRig one Panasonic handed out to al of us.
I like it. I complained about how slippery/unsafe the camera fell by itself. With this installed, it feels MUCH better, without increasing the size much. it also has arca swiss plate so that's good. But it only uses single mounting point, I believe Sirui uses double mounting point for anti-twist, but then it's a small camera I don't know if it really matter.

I got the SmallRig handgrip and it is sitting here waiting for the S9. It has a very small anti-twist post, plus it has a thin outside ledge, about 0.5 mm high, that goes around the camera when its installed. I think this will keep it stable. I also ordered the Sirui handgrip to compare it, but it is not shipping yet.

 

[Nevyn72]

The only accessory I bought was this for S5ii but S9 listed as compatible, it depends where the internal mics are, no it is not for the S9 I just looked at one and mics not behind the hotshoes slot.

Also bought a screen protector as always with a new camera.

View attachment 4630

Mine should arrive this week (for my S5iiX)

 

[CMS]

to compare

@CharlesH Would be interested to hear your opinion on both.

 

[CharlesH]

With the sunhood, I was thinking that I would only be using it in very specific situation and what you’ve said is good to know - especially about how the sun can still hit it. Does it fold down? From the images I wasn’t sure and wondered if it folds completely flat.

Yes, the SmallRig sunhood folds flat and can fit in your pocket. Here is a picture just out of the envelope it ships in.

• Panasonic - DC-S5M2
• LUMIX S 20-60/F3.5-5.6
• 50.0 mm
• ƒ/9
• 1/200 sec
• Pattern
• Manual exposure
• ISO 1000

 

[CharlesH]

I like it. I complained about how slippery/unsafe the camera fell by itself. With this installed, it feels MUCH better, without increasing the size much. it also has arca swiss plate so that's good.

I may be the last photographer in the world that doesn't use Arca Swiss plates. The reason, I do video as well as photography, and I have not been able to find a tripod with a video Arca Swiss head. (Video is pan and tilt instead of a ball head for photography). Does anyone know if there are Arca Swiss video heads?

 

[Nevyn72]

I may be the last photographer in the world that doesn't use Arca Swiss plates. The reason, I do video as well as photography, and I have not been able to find a tripod with a video Arca Swiss head. (Video is pan and tilt instead of a ball head for photography). Does anyone know if there are Arca Swiss video heads?

My Benro travel tripod:

https://www.amazon.nl/Benro-CyanBird-5-sectie-aluminium-TCBA15FS20PROC/dp/B0C6BWJ3PJ

I bought it somewhere else, but this is the one which I use when I'm traveling (and happy with it)