panasonic lumix g9

Panasonic’s new mirrorless model is built for capturing fast action at high frame rates

The ultimate mirrorless camera for action fans? Check out the review

£1,499 (body only) panasonic.co.uk

illed as the u ltimate outdoor and wildlife camera, the G9 is Panasonic’s new flagship stills-oriented camera. With a focus on fast-burst shooting and refinements to its AF system, this 20-megapixel snapper is up against the action-focused Canon EOS 7D Mark II and the Nikon D500.

The G9 is pretty big for a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera – but that’s no bad thing, because it gives it better handling with larger lenses. It’s about the same size as a mid-range enthusiast DSLR, but the smaller sensor does mean that the lenses for this camera are smaller and lighter than their DSLR counterparts.

The inclusion of a top-plate LCD means that settings info is presented clearly – perhaps not as large as on similar DSLR displays, but the range of data here is broad. Another nice feature is a lever on the front of the camera which allows you to switch from one combination of

Bcamera settings to another. It’s welcome, but for a camera of its size, it’s a bit small and fiddly.

Fast at speed

The G9 is designed as a dedicated sports/action specialist, and the primary controls you’ll need are pretty straightforward. Underneath the main mode dial is a drive mode dial with settings for single-shot mode, continuous shooting and Panasonic’s 6K Photo modes.

It might not be a video specialist like Panasonic’s GH5 or GH5S, but the G9 can still capture 4K 60fps video, and Full HD at up to 180fps up to 6x slow-motion effect on playback.

The G9 delivers the same kind of practically instant focusing we’ve become used to with Lumix cameras. Panasonic uses a contrast-based autofocus system, which some camera fans tend to skeptical of for fast-moving subjects, but it works brilliantly here.

So what about the image quality? Micro Four Thirds sensors are about half the size of ASP-C, and this has some impact on image quality at higher ISO settings, but at low-to-medium sensitivities, the G9’s images are a match for any DSLR’s with the same resolution.