PANASONIC LUMIX G9
A small-sensor camera that goes extra-large in terms of speed and all-round performance
The physically small format of Four Thirds sensors can seem off-putting when there’s so much hype around full-frame cameras nowadays. However, a key advantage is that the 2x crop factor of Micro Four Thirds bodies has the potential to give you whopping telephoto reach when using relatively small, lightweight lenses. The net result is that, for action sports and wildlife photography, MFT has a lot going for it.
A photographer’s camera through and through, the G9 is designed with more of an emphasis on stills capture than most Panasonic bodies. Even so, it’s perfectly adept at shooting video, at up to 6K resolution, no less. Better still, when shooting video you can effectively capture 6K stills at a rate of 30fps or 4K stills at up to 60fps. Even in regular stills modes that utilise the whole 20.3MP resolution of the image sensor, you can shoot at 20fps, rising to 60fps if you freeze the focus setting before the first shot in a sequence. And speaking of autofocus, the speed and accuracy of the autofocus system for tracking moving targets is astonishing. The top-quality OLED viewfinder with its minimal lag also helps for tracking action.
while the autofocus system is remarkably accurate, image sharpness also benefits from five-axis IBIS which can combine with optically stabilised lenses to deliver up to 6.5-stop performance. Again, it’s a key advantage when shooting with long ‘effective’ focal lengths. For static subjects, a trick mode delivers ultra-high-res 80MP composite images, based on subtle movements of the sensor-shift stabiliser through a sequence of shots.