The sample photos can be faked, but can the performance?

A while ago, Panasonic Imaging released the LUMIX S9, a new full-frame camera from the LUMIX S series. As the first compact camera in the series to feature a retro design, its arrival attracted the attention of countless camera enthusiasts. However, according to photorumors, many netizens have discovered that Panasonic falsified promotional images of this camera, causing controversy.

Most of the official promotional sample photos of the LUMIX S9 came from other well-known photo-sharing communities. For example, the sample photo showing its dynamic shooting effect of a puppy can be found on the image storage website Shutterstock. Netizens also discovered that some of the sample photos of the LUMIX S9 were even taken from Nikon, a competitor of Panasonic. Due to the falsification of sample photos, Panasonic's new camera immediately attracted countless criticisms from netizens upon its release, and after the incident escalated, Panasonic also stated that it would immediately investigate the official promotional images and issued an apology statement regarding this incident.

(Image source: NikonRumors)

On June 27, Panasonic officially issued a notice stating that after investigation, a total of 77 products under Panasonic's cameras and lenses were suspected of falsifying sample photos, including 8 S-series cameras, 17 S-series lenses, and 6 G-series cameras. It must be said that as an established camera manufacturer, Panasonic Imaging, although no longer in the first tier, has also created many popular cameras and lenses and has a large number of loyal fans. Now that it has been revealed that 77 products' sample photos are suspected of falsification, it has indeed disappointed consumers.

More importantly, Panasonic Imaging was struggling to make a comeback with the LUMIX S9, but under such public opinion, it is likely to be quite difficult.

The falsification of LUMIX S9 sample photos is a big deal

The falsification of sample photos of imaging products has always existed in the industry, such as the Nokia 808 Prueview and Yi camera, which have both caused controversy due to discrepancies between the sample photos and performance descriptions. However, such incidents occur relatively more frequently in the mobile phone industry.

Of course, the large-scale falsification of sample photos like Panasonic Imaging is extremely rare in the industry. Among the list of products suspected of falsifying sample photos disclosed by Panasonic, the number of lens sample photos is much higher than that of cameras, which is actually the problem. After all, it is difficult for lenses to judge the authenticity of sample photos based on hardware parameters like cameras, and the imaging effects presented by sample photos are often more likely to mislead consumers.

(Image source: Panasonic)

The biggest impact is still on the newly released LUMIX S9. On the one hand, as a new product launched by Panasonic Imaging, it is still in a hot-selling period, and the occurrence of such a large public opinion event inevitably raises concerns about sales. On the other hand, considering the positioning of the LUMIX S9, it is clearly a product prepared for entry-level full-frame enthusiasts. These users already lack higher judgment capabilities for such cameras, which may deal a significant blow to Panasonic's brand image.

The falsification of sample photos also raises doubts about the performance of the LUMIX S9. For example, when introducing the autofocus/tracking focus performance, the LUMIX S9 chose past photos from the image library as sample photos. Now that it has been revealed that some of these sample photos were falsified, it is inevitable that people will suspect that its autofocus ability is lacking. There is also the animal recognition section, where Panasonic used Nikon's bird photos as LUMIX S9 sample photos, which ironically gave its competitor more popularity.

(Image source: Panasonic Japan / Apology letter regarding the falsification of LUMIX S9 sample photos)

It is not difficult to see that Panasonic Imaging's brand communications department bears the primary responsibility for this incident. Regardless of the reason, such a promotional method should not be chosen. Now that the truth has come to light, it has not only made the LUMIX S9 the most controversial camera product of the year but has also affected Panasonic's brand image. However, Lei Tech believes that there are indeed some controversies regarding the performance of the LUMIX S9 itself, which is the part that consumers are most concerned about.

Forced to falsify, Panasonic wants to overtake Fujifilm

After Panasonic Imaging was exposed for falsifying sample photos, many netizens believe that Panasonic was too eager and wanted to quickly establish its position in the compact full-frame camera market through the LUMIX S9, which is why it used fake sample photos to demonstrate the camera's strength.

In 2018, Panasonic teamed up with Leica and Sigma to form the L-Mount Alliance and began launching full-frame cameras in 2019, with the first being the LUMIX S1 and LUMIX S1R. Compared to Sony, Nikon, and Canon at the same time, Panasonic did not have a significant advantage, whether in terms of brand recognition, product professionalism, or product accessories (lenses), and was excluded by the "Big Three."

However, Panasonic Imaging's advantage lies in its deep research into compact cameras. Those familiar with Panasonic know that before entering the full-frame camp, Panasonic was one of the core members of the M43 camera alliance. Panasonic's subsequent LUMIX S5 series models have also gained many fans due to their compact body design.

(Image source: Panasonic / LUMIX S5M2)

Obviously, the camera market today is completely different from a decade ago. Fujifilm, which relies on retro design and film filters, has occupied the high ground of public opinion. Even the non-replaceable lens compact camera X100VI, priced at 10,000 yuan, has sold out globally, envying many camera manufacturers. Following Fujifilm is Nikon, which has launched the APS-C format retro mirrorless camera Zfc and the full-frame retro mirrorless camera ZF, both of which have achieved quite good results.

The LUMIX S9 has the same retro design and, to cater to entry-level consumers, it eliminates the shutter curtain, hot shoe, and built-in flash. Even 4K video recording can experience significant overheating issues. Of course, the LUMIX S9's overall weight is compressed to 403g. Moreover, the LUMIX S9 is a video camera, and the lack of peripheral configurations makes it less appealing to video creators.

(Image source: Panasonic)

To compete with Fujifilm, Panasonic also released the Lumix Lab APP along with the LUMIX S9. In this community, users can share their color grading schemes, i.e., luts files, and S9 users can download and use them for one-click output. According to Lei Tech's observation, the Lumix Lab APP first launched imitating Fujifilm's Classic Chrome and Negative Color film filter luts, and Panasonic's goal is quite clear.

Although the LUMIX S9 aims to utilize the advantages of full-frame to capture Fujifilm's retro camera market, due to significant hardware cuts compared to the LUMIX S5 Mark II, it lacks the professionalism of a full-frame camera. And if we don't consider the advantages brought by full-frame, the S9 priced at 9599 yuan is slightly expensive. It's neither here nor there, which makes it difficult for Panasonic Imaging to completely separate this camera from the image of high performance, leading to the use of a large number of fake sample photos as official promotional images to confuse the public.

Of course, for now, Panasonic cameras, including the LUMIX S9, confirmed to have falsified sample photos, have not seen a significant return wave or decline in orders. This may be why Panasonic is even unwilling to hold a press conference to apologize officially.

Panasonic Imaging needs to embrace a larger market

2023 was a year of recovery for the camera market, and thanks to the return of tourism to a high growth period, camera manufacturers represented by Fujifilm, Sony, and Canon have achieved their best sales results in recent years. Taking Sony's portable Vlog camera ZVE10 released in 2021 as an example, it became the best-selling Vlog camera on the Japanese BCN camera retail ranking in 2023, and Sony has also rapidly released the second and third generations, proving the popularity of the series.

On the BNC camera ranking, Sony, Canon, and Nikon have achieved remarkable results in their respective familiar fields, while Panasonic has not made any gains on the main list, and even Olympus, which only has M43 cameras, has taken three best-selling positions.

However, Mr. Xin Feng, the head of Panasonic Imaging, believes that the LUMIX S5M2 launched by Panasonic in 2023, as an all-around full-frame camera, has achieved many achievements, and the entire imaging department's performance far exceeded expectations. Panasonic's goal for 2024 is to focus on a more diverse camera market.

It is not difficult to see that Panasonic's first product to embrace the diversified camera market is the LUMIX S9, but it has caused controversy due to the falsification of sample photos. Of course, relying on its excellent appearance, the LUMIX S9 is currently performing well in global sales, especially in the Chinese market, where the first round of pre-sales on JD.com was instantly sold out.

(Image source: Panasonic)

And this year is another wave of new camera products. In addition to Sony's ZEV 10 III mentioned earlier, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Canon will update their respective product lines this year, such as Nikon's recently released Z6 III, which has excellent performance and has put significant pressure on Panasonic.

If we can put aside the falsification of LUMIX S9 sample photos, this compact full-frame camera has many advantages that competitors cannot match, such as its 403g body, independent Luts button, retro body design, and 5-axis image stabilization. It also simplifies the difficulty of using the camera for entry-level consumers, allowing them to enjoy the comfort of carrying a full-frame camera for travel photography and scenery recording. But the same problem is that entry-level consumers often pay more attention to the performance shown in official promotional images. If the reference value of sample photos is no longer significant, consumers may not firmly choose the LUMIX S9 in such a situation.

It can only be said that Panasonic timely discovered this problem and responded to the incident, but consumers' stereotyped impression of this camera already exists. How to save Panasonic Imaging's reputation while rescuing the sales of the LUMIX S9 is perhaps a problem that Panasonic needs to consider next.