Why do I need a G9

Did I NEED a G9?  This was something I wondered, too; and I wouldn't have done it but with the $300 rebate on any trade it, plus the trade in value of my G7 and two old lenses, it brought the price of the G9 down to about $1000.  I went for it.

What was I looking for?  Better JPEG colors.  And I definitely am happy with what I got.  Just a couple of weeks ago we were in Montreal and Quebec City on vacation.  I shot over 300 pictures.  I posted over 200 to my SmugMug account.  If I had to adjust each one of over 200 pictures to make a JPEG, even if I could average 1 picture per minute, that's clearly over 3 hours sitting and developing JPEGs from Raw.  With my G7 I shot raw; with the G9 I shot raw + jpeg and a am pleased to report that in many cases (not all) I just went with the camera's JPEG.  Colors are magnificent, in stills and in video.

What else did I get?  I really like the top lcd.  I never had one before, and I find it useful.

Excellent control layout.  Not that the G7 was a slouch there, but every control on the G9 is redefine-able.  I haven't done any of that, I like the defaults.  I especially like and have used the front I / II lever that by default switches between normal and silent mode.

4K and 6K video modes.  Focus bracketing and in camera focus stacking.  Also, in camera HD from exposure bracketing. I wish I could say I've used these capabilities already, but I haven't.

Yes, the viewfinder is very pleasant.

In the G9, there are adjustments you can make to the in camera JPEG production.  I haven't touched them, but it's interesting to know that if I wanted to adjust what the camera produces for JPEGs, I could.

The G9 is somewhat (not much) larger and heavier than the G7. The G85 is probably in between the G7 and G9 in size and weight.  What you get for the extra size and weight is 1) best grip I've seen on a Panasonic camera, with room for your fingers to wrap around.

2) two SD card slots.  Can duplicated (for those who cannot tolerate the risk of SD card failure), fill 1 then 2, or do stills to 1 and video to 2.

3) In camera charger - over USB-C.  Also comes with a plug in brick, and USB-A to USB-C cable, and battery charger.  Connected them together to charge battery outside of the camera.

Compared to G7, the G9 does not suffer from shutter shock. Your G85 already has the improved shutter mechanism.

Your G85 is weather sealed, so is the G9.  My G7 was not.  Another reason for me to upgrade.

And finally, even with some justification, did I NEED a G9?  No I did not.  I decided to spend $1000 to get it because I felt I could afford that without doing damage to my marriage, and having this new camera was likely to make me happy.  And it did.