Panasonic Lumix G9
IT’S ALL ABOUT STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY.
WHERE THE PANASONIC Lumix GH5 catered to the videographer, the latest Lumix G series flagship brings the stills photographer into focus. Inheriting the same 20.3MP micro four-thirds Live MOS sensor from the GH5 — without a low-pass filter to maximise on resolution — the Lumix G9 has improved tech which gives the new camera better dynamic range. And if 20.3MP wasn’t a high enough resolution for you, there’s now a dedicated High Resolution Mode which delivers 80MP files, in case you wanted to print something to fill the side of an office block.
Panasonic has made the G9’s design as utilitarian as the company possibly could: there’s a top LCD information display found on most high-end DSLRs but not very common on mirrorless shooters. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is also one of the largest to be found on a mirrorless camera, with 1.66x (or 0.83x full-frame equivalent) magnification and a refresh rate of up to 120fps. The rear button layout is similar to the GH5, but the addition of a joystick for autofocus (AF) selection increases the camera’s efficiency. The grip is comfortable — the largest of any micro four-third camera yet — and the magnesium alloy body gives the G9 a solid feel. The shutter button, however, is a touch too sensitive in our opinion, where even a half-press resulted in shots being taken. You’ll likely find yourself taking accidental images of the ground or your feet before you get used to it.
The five-axis in-body image stabilisation system has been tweaked for better performance. When using a Panasonic lens with inbuilt stabilisation, the new camera offers a 6.5-stop system. We put it to the test with a shutter speed of one second and were able to get a crisp shot without resorting to a tripod. The ISO range of 100 to 25,600 has seen no improvement over the GH5, however.
The G9 doesn’t quite have spectacular video credentials, but it can still shoot 4K video at up to 60fps while extracting 4K and 6K stills. It also boasts a staggering 20fps burst speed, which can be bumped up 60fps if you don’t need to track a subject. Panasonic has also added a High Resolution mode to the camera which takes eight exposures and combines them to produce a single 80MP RAW or JPEG file. The results are rich and full of details, but you will need a tripod to use this mode.
Panasonic hasn’t employed a hybrid AF system in the G9, opting to stick to only contrast-detect autofocus, with the same 225-point Depth from Defocus AF system that was seen in the GH5 and focus sensitivity down to -4EV. There are plenty of AF modes to choose from, with the inclusion of a Face/ Eye Detection mode for portraits, along with Pinpoint (single AF) and Tracking modes, each one allowing for excellent precision.
Needless to say, the image quality from the G9 is excellent, with brilliant details in low light as well, and colour renditions appearing very natural in JPEGs. There is a slight hint of grain in mid-range sensitivities, but you’ll need to look hard. Dynamic range performance is also pleasing, with both highlights and shadows recoverable even in JPEG files.
All in all, the Lumix G9 is a fantastic camera; it’s certainly Panasonic’s most capable stills shooter yet. It might seem large for an MFT system, but it’s still compact and well balanced, not to mention chock full of features.
THE IMAGE QUALITY FROM THE G9 IS EXCELLENT, WITH BRILLIANT DETAILS IN LOW LIGHT AS WELL, AND COLOUR RENDITIONS APPEARING VERY NATURAL IN JPEGS