ToxicTabasco
Senior Member
The Panasonic Lumix G9 was a game changer for me. It has tons of features that you can find in the stats and specs. In this review, I would like to go over the main features that made it a game changing camera for me. IBIS, AF, Low light.
IBIS or DUAL IS: One of the most important factors for me is shooting photo and 4k video hand held. And the G9's Dual IS2 (IBIS) was the best on the market with 6.5 stops (until the EM1X came out). This feature is not like FF IBIS or APSC IBIS. This IBIS or DUAL IS can hand hold 4K video with extreme stabilization for a variety of lenses. In a variety of conditions. It also assists in tracking Birds in Flight with super telephoto ranges for photo, and for video. For video there is a Video Lock feature that locks down the video for a rock solid shot. Below are some examples of hand held video with the Lumix G9 and 100-300 for the wildlife. All hand held using the high speed 4K (slow mo), and some with video lock. The sunset clips shot on tripod.
Auto Foucs with Lumix G9: You've all heard it, "It's a Contrast AF and not that good with tracking. OR it's not as good as the Phase Detect AF cameras". But what they fail to mention is AF Tracing is only one of several types of AF modes in your camera. And the Lumix G9 is one of the fastest and most accurate AF in camera land. They also fail to state that G9 can AF in low light faster and more accurate than most mirrlorless and those with Phase Detect AF. And it does this with single point AF using manual focus and back button AF/AE. And, the tracking is not all that bad. G9 also has custom AF features for more customization for specific conditions. When you add in focus peaking, focus assist, and the plethora of other features for AF, it's easy to get any shot you want. But, the down side is, it takes time to use these in various combinations to find the ideal settings that works best. Once you learn and know how the system works, it will perform great. I've never had a problem with nailing the focus using AF with the Lumix G9. If I missed a shot it was always my own fault, for not keeping the subject in the focus area, or a unexpected jerk on my part. And the low light AF ability allows me to shoot in conditions, I can't with my DSLRs. And I do a lot of low light photo/video.
Below is the first test video I did after a few weeks with the G9. I tested various AF modes, and low light ability, and dynamic range for photo and video, in a variety of conditions. And the G9 all exceeded all my expectations. Some of these locations were very dark using ISO 4000 and 6400 for the video.
The G9 is not a small m43 camera. But it does feel good in the hands. Below are some pics with the telephotos. Another benefit of the m43 system is the plethora of high end lenses that can be used from Olympus and Panasonic, as well as adapted lenses from just about any camera. I had the opportunity to use the Oly Pro lens below for a week, and It was a enlightening experience. The AF was fast and accurate, though the shallow depth at 300mm equivalent was just a tiny bit slower at f/2.8 vs the Panasonic 100-300 at f/5.6. But at f/5.6 the Oly was about the same. And the IBIS was very stable hand held at a 300mm equivalent for video. You can check out my channel for the BIF video of pelecans diving for food. The stabilization was amazing. Again, the G9 allowed me to shoot in conditions I would not be able to with other cameras. And that's because of the IBIS.
Lumix G9 and Olympus 50-150 f/2.8 Pro. More weight and size than I prefer.
Another huge factor for me was the size cost ratio. With Lumix G9 and the Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 Power OIS II and it's companion the 35-100 f/2.8 II, this makes for a very reasonably priced kit for the hybird shooter who seeks high quality video with their high quality photos. And the corp factor is 2x thus the equivalent of 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8. Below is the G9 with the Panasonic 35-100.
Lumix G9 with Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 Power OIS II. Internal zoom lens
As for low light. It will do what most people need for low light. The only limitation is shooting at ISO above 6400. If your low light needs use ISO 6400 or higher this is not going to give you the best results. For all my low light (and I do a lot of low light), the G9 works great. Rarely do I need to go 6400 ISO. 4000 ISO works for the 4K video, and 3200 gets me good clean results. I've shot the Milky Way at ISO 6400 and 3200, and it performs like my crop Nikon DSLRs. With F/1.7 lenses, It will shoot in the city at night at ISO 800 to 1600 for video with great results. If you see my night videos, you'll see the GX85 and G9 shooting low light video at ISO 800 to 4000. They are great up to 1600 ISO from there its usable to 4000 for video.
Thus, I'm very happy with what the Lumix G9 can do. I like to push cameras to the limits, and get the most out of them. The G9's stabilization, Speedy AF, massive amounts of customization, high quality 4K video ability, and low light performance allows me to shoot in any condition, at any time anywhere, with speed and precision for photo and video. It's a camera that doesn't have many down sides. It takes a long time to understand all of the features, and apply them correctly for optimal results. It's not a beginner camera by any stretch. And seasoned photographers will need to spend time learning what this camera can do. For me, it's one of those cameras that makes me want to go out and shoot. It's also a camera that challenges me, to see how much more I can push it to do things in photo and video, that I never could do before.
Anyway, I hope you found this review helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read through this long review.
IBIS or DUAL IS: One of the most important factors for me is shooting photo and 4k video hand held. And the G9's Dual IS2 (IBIS) was the best on the market with 6.5 stops (until the EM1X came out). This feature is not like FF IBIS or APSC IBIS. This IBIS or DUAL IS can hand hold 4K video with extreme stabilization for a variety of lenses. In a variety of conditions. It also assists in tracking Birds in Flight with super telephoto ranges for photo, and for video. For video there is a Video Lock feature that locks down the video for a rock solid shot. Below are some examples of hand held video with the Lumix G9 and 100-300 for the wildlife. All hand held using the high speed 4K (slow mo), and some with video lock. The sunset clips shot on tripod.
Auto Foucs with Lumix G9: You've all heard it, "It's a Contrast AF and not that good with tracking. OR it's not as good as the Phase Detect AF cameras". But what they fail to mention is AF Tracing is only one of several types of AF modes in your camera. And the Lumix G9 is one of the fastest and most accurate AF in camera land. They also fail to state that G9 can AF in low light faster and more accurate than most mirrlorless and those with Phase Detect AF. And it does this with single point AF using manual focus and back button AF/AE. And, the tracking is not all that bad. G9 also has custom AF features for more customization for specific conditions. When you add in focus peaking, focus assist, and the plethora of other features for AF, it's easy to get any shot you want. But, the down side is, it takes time to use these in various combinations to find the ideal settings that works best. Once you learn and know how the system works, it will perform great. I've never had a problem with nailing the focus using AF with the Lumix G9. If I missed a shot it was always my own fault, for not keeping the subject in the focus area, or a unexpected jerk on my part. And the low light AF ability allows me to shoot in conditions, I can't with my DSLRs. And I do a lot of low light photo/video.
Below is the first test video I did after a few weeks with the G9. I tested various AF modes, and low light ability, and dynamic range for photo and video, in a variety of conditions. And the G9 all exceeded all my expectations. Some of these locations were very dark using ISO 4000 and 6400 for the video.
The G9 is not a small m43 camera. But it does feel good in the hands. Below are some pics with the telephotos. Another benefit of the m43 system is the plethora of high end lenses that can be used from Olympus and Panasonic, as well as adapted lenses from just about any camera. I had the opportunity to use the Oly Pro lens below for a week, and It was a enlightening experience. The AF was fast and accurate, though the shallow depth at 300mm equivalent was just a tiny bit slower at f/2.8 vs the Panasonic 100-300 at f/5.6. But at f/5.6 the Oly was about the same. And the IBIS was very stable hand held at a 300mm equivalent for video. You can check out my channel for the BIF video of pelecans diving for food. The stabilization was amazing. Again, the G9 allowed me to shoot in conditions I would not be able to with other cameras. And that's because of the IBIS.
Lumix G9 and Olympus 50-150 f/2.8 Pro. More weight and size than I prefer.
Another huge factor for me was the size cost ratio. With Lumix G9 and the Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 Power OIS II and it's companion the 35-100 f/2.8 II, this makes for a very reasonably priced kit for the hybird shooter who seeks high quality video with their high quality photos. And the corp factor is 2x thus the equivalent of 24-70 and 70-200 f/2.8. Below is the G9 with the Panasonic 35-100.
Lumix G9 with Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8 Power OIS II. Internal zoom lens
As for low light. It will do what most people need for low light. The only limitation is shooting at ISO above 6400. If your low light needs use ISO 6400 or higher this is not going to give you the best results. For all my low light (and I do a lot of low light), the G9 works great. Rarely do I need to go 6400 ISO. 4000 ISO works for the 4K video, and 3200 gets me good clean results. I've shot the Milky Way at ISO 6400 and 3200, and it performs like my crop Nikon DSLRs. With F/1.7 lenses, It will shoot in the city at night at ISO 800 to 1600 for video with great results. If you see my night videos, you'll see the GX85 and G9 shooting low light video at ISO 800 to 4000. They are great up to 1600 ISO from there its usable to 4000 for video.
Thus, I'm very happy with what the Lumix G9 can do. I like to push cameras to the limits, and get the most out of them. The G9's stabilization, Speedy AF, massive amounts of customization, high quality 4K video ability, and low light performance allows me to shoot in any condition, at any time anywhere, with speed and precision for photo and video. It's a camera that doesn't have many down sides. It takes a long time to understand all of the features, and apply them correctly for optimal results. It's not a beginner camera by any stretch. And seasoned photographers will need to spend time learning what this camera can do. For me, it's one of those cameras that makes me want to go out and shoot. It's also a camera that challenges me, to see how much more I can push it to do things in photo and video, that I never could do before.
Anyway, I hope you found this review helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read through this long review.
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