The Lumix G9 is the newest and most advanced mirrorless camera from Panasonic. It joins the Lumix GH5 as the company’s flagship model in this category. Even though the Panasonic GH5 is the company’s most stills-oriented flagship camera to date, many people still consider it to be primarily a tool for videographers, even though it offers a lot of photographic functions as well.
The launch of the Lumix G9, on the other hand, is intended to put an end to this predicament. Although it shares many of the same specifications as the GH5, it provides a more significant number of features that are tailored to the needs of still photographers. However, it does so at the expense of some of the more advanced video features that most intended users are not likely to require.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Build Quality
The design of the Panasonic Lumix G9 takes a somewhat different path than that of the GH5, which succeeds. It has a slightly hunched-over appearance in proportions, probably caused by the higher shutter button and grip, while the sharp-edged pentaprism is situated somewhat below.
The addition of a top-plate status LCD is the most noticeable alteration to the design, though. This feature is prevalent in high-end DSLRs, but the expensive Leica SL is the only other mirrorless camera with one.
Even though mirrorless designs have generally rejected the top-plate LCD, it is lovely to see one on the G9 since it makes it simple to take a fast peek at all the basic shooting settings.
Because of the introduction of this display, the mode dial has been relocated to the left-hand side of the viewfinder. The drive modes may now be changed using a switch that is located at the base of the mode dial.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Performance
The Lumix G9 can shoot at a lightning-fast 20 frames per second with full continuous autofocus; however, this number may be increased to an astounding 60 frames per second if the subject does not need to be tracked. That is a significant improvement from the GH5’s 12fps (9fps with AF-C), and it is also feasible to pull still shots out of 4K and 6K video using the Photo mode in any of those resolutions.
However, it is possible to extract single 8MP and 18MP photos from 4K 60fps and 6K 30fps film correspondingly. This may make these modes less appealing now that the G9 can record at such rapid speeds.
A 1,728-zone metering system is used to assess exposure in the Panasonic Lumix G9, just as in the Panasonic GH5 and several other mirrorless cameras produced by Panasonic. It is a pretty trustworthy system, as we have seen in the past, and there were very few instances in which we needed to intervene and dial in exposure compensation. This was because there were very few situations.
Additionally, we discovered that the auto white balance function of the Lumix G9 operated exceptionally well, with the camera producing images that were natural in a variety of lighting settings and from a variety of light sources.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Autofocus
Both the GH5 and the Lumix G9 have an autofocus coverage of 225 areas, which covers the bulk of the frame but does not extend to the frame’s corners. The sensitivity of the focusing may be adjusted down to light levels as low as -4EV, and the G9 utilizes the Depth from Defocus (DFD) autofocus technology developed by Panasonic.
While other manufacturers of mirrorless cameras have moved toward adopting hybrid autofocus systems that make use of both phase-detection and contrast-detection AF technologies, Panasonic has decided to stick with using contrast-detection autofocus exclusively.
Although it is reasonable to assume that this method will result in a slower autofocus acquisition in comparison to that of competing cameras, it does not appear to be affected in practice. In our tests, it achieved an acquisition speed of 0.04 seconds, which is a very modest gain over the 0.05 seconds achieved by the GH5. It didn’t leave us lacking for anything, and even in low light, it could lock on without any problems.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Image Quality
The image quality produced by the Panasonic Lumix G9 is outstanding, and it is, without a doubt, the most impressive performance that we have witnessed from a camera that is based on the Micro Four Thirds standard.
The absence of an optical low pass filter enables the 20.3-megapixel chip to give excellent detail even when working at lower sensitivities. It is quite challenging to differentiate between the results produced by the G9 and those made by a similar APS-C competitor.
In addition, Panasonic has put a lot of effort into improving the way colors are rendered. As a result, the JPEG files produced by the G9 have colors that are considerably more true to life and seem more natural than those produced by previous Lumix cameras.
When looking at raw files, there is just a very little suggestion of luminance (grain-like) noise in the middle-range sensitivities, but you have to be looking pretty closely to see it. The results are excellent over the whole ISO range.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Specs
| Body type | SLR-style mirrorless |
|---|---|
| Body material | Magnesium alloy |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 5184 x 3888 |
| Image ratio w:h | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 20 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors | 22 megapixels |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Color filter array | Primary color filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 200-25600 (expands to 100-25600) |
| Boosted ISO (minimum) | 100 |
| White balance presets | 5 |
| Custom white balance | Yes (4 slots) |
| Image stabilization | Sensor-shift |
| CIPA image stabilization rating | 6.5 stop(s) |
| Uncompressed format | RAW |
| JPEG quality levels | Fine, standard |
| File format | JPEG (Exif v2.31)Raw (Panasonic 12-bit RW2) |
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus | Contrast Detect (sensor)Multi-areaCenterSelective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousTouchFace DetectionLive View |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Digital zoom | Yes (2x-4x) |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 225 |
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Focal length multiplier | 2× |
| Screen / viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Fully articulated |
| Screen size | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 1,040,000 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Screen type | TFT LCD |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 1.66× (0.83× 35mm equiv.) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 3,680,000 |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed (electronic) | 1/32000 sec |
| Exposure modes | iAutoProgramAperture priorityShutter priorityManual |
| Built-in flash | No |
| External flash | Yes (via hot shoe or flash sync port) |
| Flash modes | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/250 sec |
| Drive modes | SingleContinuous I/II6K PhotoPost FocusSelf-timerTIme-lapse |
| Continuous drive | 20.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes |
| Metering modes | MultiCenter-weightedSpot |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±3 (3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes |
| Videography features | |
| Format | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Modes | 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 20 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported) |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
| USB charging | Yes |
| HDMI | Yes |
| Microphone port | Yes |
| Headphone port | Yes |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | 802.11ac + Bluetooth |
| Remote control | Yes (wired or via smartphone) |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | Yes |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | DMW-BTC13 lithium-ion battery & USB charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 400 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) |
| Dimensions | 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes |
| GPS | None |
Panasonic Lumix G9 Verdict
At a body-only price of £1,499, $1,699, or AU$2,499, the Panasonic Lumix G9 is priced highly competitively and is designed to appeal to amateur and semi-professional photographers. For this price, you get a lot of cameras for your money.
With the introduction of the Lumix G9, Panasonic has demonstrated excellent judgment. Existing users of the Lumix system (and Olympus users, for that matter) now have the option of purchasing a feature-packed high-end model without necessarily feeling that they are paying for a load of advanced video technology they may not need. This is in contrast to the GH5, which is still perceived, rightly or wrongly, as very much a videographer’s camera. The GH5 has many positive qualities, but it is still perceived, rightly or wrongly, as very much a
Panasonic Lumix G9 Pros & Cons
- +6.5-stop picture stabilisation
- +Dual UHS-II card slots
- +Large viewfinder +Great grip and handling
- +Burst shooting at up to 60 frames per second
- -Screen size is smaller in comparison to the GH5
- The ISO range could be expanded.
- There is no percentage representation of the battery level.