Panasonic Unveils the Most Beautiful Lumix S9 Color Yet
Panasonic’s most exciting news this week was definitely the new Lumix S 40mm f/2 lens, but there’s also some news surrounding arguably the perfect camera to use with the new Lumix S 40mm f/2 prime, the Lumix S9. There’s yet another new color for the Lumix S9, and slightly to my chagrin, it’s the best one yet, at least in my view.
The new Lumix S9 Black Titanium Edition is luxurious and beautiful. It looks so good with its warm-toned metallic finish, contrasting black grip, and bright red record button on top.
I think you could make a strong case that, generally speaking, Panasonic makes somewhat boring-looking cameras. Great, performant cameras, yes, but utilitarian ones. That’s not a bad thing. For most people, cameras are tools, and tools don’t need to look especially pretty; they need to work. However, the Panasonic Lumix S9 is a bit of an outlier in the full-frame Lumix S lineup, and it puts a lot of stock in style and looks.
The S9 launched to mixed reviews in spring 2024, but its style proved undeniable. It is small, lightweight, and colorful. It debuted in various colorways in different markets, including, alongside the expected black and silver, blue, green, red, pink, mint green, and white. Other markets got even more colors. Since its launch, not only has the S9 become a much more compelling camera thanks to new lenses like the Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens and the brand-new Lumix S 40mm f/2, but it has also gotten even more colors, like Titanium Gold last year.
The new Black Titanium Lumix S9 looks a lot like that Titanium Gold camera, but it has traded the brown leatherette covering for a black version, and I think it makes a huge difference. As Panasonic describes it, the new colorway “brings a more understated edge.” Agreed.
It also offers Panasonic another opportunity to take advantage of the extensive work it did to make the titanium finish. It was actually fairly complex and required the Lumix team to develop a new three-layer coating process, the result of months of experimentation and refinement. The camera first receives a piano black base layer, which is then polished to a mirror finish. Then there’s clear coating and finally, the Titanium Gold metallic paint.
“This process gives the S9 a subtle metallic glow that shifts with the light, reflecting both precision and luxury,” Panasonic says. “With its rich metallic finish and creative versatility, it reflects the core of Lumix: innovation, elegance, and self-expression.”
Most importantly, it just looks good.
Panasonic also seems to have confidence in the Black Titanium Edition’s broad appeal, since it has opted to make it a standard part of the Lumix S9 lineup moving forward. It’s not a special or limited edition colorway, but part of the permanent crew. In some markets, like Europe, it will be available through authorized retailers. In the U.S., it’s a Panasonic Shop exclusive and only ships in a kit with a color-matched titanium Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens. It is currently available to preorder now for $1,497.99, $401 off its typical retail price. Panasonic says it will begin shipping in May.
Image credits: Panasonic
