Which one G9 or G90/95 looking for weather sealed body

Hello All,

I live in a country where it rains a lot. I have been caught in the rain a couple of times(luckily nothing happened). But, it got me thinking that I might invest in something that I wouldn't have to worry so much.

I don't shoot video. I shoot mostly outside activities and just for me. I don't shoot professional, for fun and me. For travel, I'm covered with smaller bodies.

The G9(original) has come down in price, so that's an option. However, it is larger/heavier.

The G90/95 is only 100€ cheaper where I live, so am thinking about just paying the extra and getting the G9.

If anyone has experience with either or both, I'd be interested in your advice

Thanks

I have and regularly use both for work (events) and for fun (nature/landscape/tourism). The G9 is a better camera overall. For me this mainly means it has:

• Better AF, including better subject detection
• Slightly better IBIS
• Dual SD
• Stated freeze resistance
• High res shot

Plus much better video specs, joystick and more buttons overall. The top LCD is helpful at times as well. There really is a tonne of small features that give the G9 an edge.

The G90, however, has a few small advantages/aspects compared to the G9 that make it my favourite Lumix camera:

• Classic Lumix controls (on-off switch, front dial around the shutter button)
• Pressing the shutter button is a lot more tactile
• Its size and shape feel almost perfect for my hands
• Quiet mechanical shutter
• On-board fill flash
• EVF sensor on top, not bottom
• "Fun" filters, plus Live View Composite

It also has unlimited video recording (a necessity for some of my work) and it's noticeably lighter.

In general though given the small price difference I would suggest going to for the G90 only if you really like some of those few things it does better/different than the G9.

Edit: I notice you have a G100, right? The G90 is basically a full fat G100 - with a different body, IBIS, weather sealing, and a proper mechanical shutter whereas the G9 is a different camera.

--
Confrontation beats confirmation.

Yes, the only issue I have with the G100, which I really like and use a lot, is weather sealing. We get a lot of rain where I live.

Good news then - weather sealing on both cameras never let me down. Even in North Wales!

Aoyagi said:

I have and regularly use both for work (events) and for fun (nature/landscape/tourism). The G9 is a better camera overall. For me this mainly means it has:

• Better AF, including better subject detection
• Slightly better IBIS
• Dual SD
• Stated freeze resistance
• High res shot

Plus much better video specs, joystick and more buttons overall. The top LCD is helpful at times as well. There really is a tonne of small features that give the G9 an edge.

The G90, however, has a few small advantages/aspects compared to the G9 that make it my favourite Lumix camera:

• Classic Lumix controls (on-off switch, front dial around the shutter button)
• Pressing the shutter button is a lot more tactile
• Its size and shape feel almost perfect for my hands
• Quiet mechanical shutter
• On-board fill flash
• EVF sensor on top, not bottom
• "Fun" filters, plus Live View Composite

It also has unlimited video recording (a necessity for some of my work) and it's noticeably lighter.

In general though given the small price difference I would suggest going to for the G90 only if you really like some of those few things it does better/different than the G9.

Edit: I notice you have a G100, right? The G90 is basically a full fat G100 - with a different body, IBIS, weather sealing, and a proper mechanical shutter whereas the G9 is a different camera.

Click to expand...

I think there is no better way to explain the difference than this.

In my particular case, I also own both, and have used extensively and loved my G9. Is by far the best camera I have ever owned. But earlier this year I bought a G95 to use it while the G9 was going to be under maintenance, it developed a loose strap lug issue, so I put it aside and used the G95 non stop for 4 months. It turned out that I really didn't missed the G9 too much.

I have not shot any event yet this year, and I'm pretty sure that the G9 will be the main gear for that, but for casual and daily use, even travel, the G95 ticks all the boxes.

One of the features I really missed from my former Olympus bodies was the Live Composite, and I was so happy to find out that the G95 has it.

My G9 is my most capable and least loved m43 camera -- and I have owned about a dozen starting with the G1 in 2009.

I have not owned a G95, but did have a G85 up until a few months ago when I replaced it with a G100. Almost inevitably I find myself reaching for the smaller, more agile camera.

This is just my personal feeling, many will differ, but I consider the G9 heavier and more bulky than it needs to be. The shutter button and joy stick seem overly touchy, and, for me, the control layout doesn't work that well.

On the plus side for the G9, I like the dual card slots and the face/eye detect is excellent. The eye detect is the one area where I found it clearly superior to the other cameras. That said, I have used the G85 and G100 on plenty of portrait sessions. They almost never miss focus, but they do sometimes take a bit longer to find the face and latch on.

All three cameras are capable of excellent image quality, but the G100 seems to be tuned for a little more "punch" in the JPEG images while the G9 may be a bit more subtle. But all the cameras have plenty of control to tune the images to taste.

All this is just me. At one time I owned a pickup and a sports car. I never drove the pickup when the smaller car would do the job, but I know plenty of people who drive a pickup or a big SUV every day. So it's your choice.

Gato

For the moment, I'm leaning toward the G90/95. Smaller, and I don't need a double card slot.

Lepewhi said:

For the moment, I'm leaning toward the G90/95. Smaller, and I don't need a double card slot.

Click to expand...

I have the G95 and I enjoy using it. It's a better size (for me) than the G9; I found the G9 grip to be too deep (but I do have small hands), and the EVF ginormous.

It was kind of like a Goldilocks and the Three Bears experience; Papa bear (the G9) was too big, Baby bear (the G100), is great, but missing some necessary things for what I shoot (I do have a G100, and like it a lot, by the way), but Mama bear (the G95) is juuust right!

So, for me, anyway, the G95 was a better choice than the G9. And the G100 goes with me when I want a second body or just a portable quick kit. (I had both the G95 and G100 with me the other day; G95 with the PL 100-400 and G100 with the Oly 9-18mm, when I was out shooting at my favorite marsh. It made it really easy, no lens switching just pop the second camera out for some wide views, and then back to the long lens for some bird action )

-J

Gato Amarillo said:

All three cameras are capable of excellent image quality, but the G100 seems to be tuned for a little more "punch" in the JPEG images while the G9 may be a bit more subtle. But all the cameras have plenty of control to tune the images to taste.

Click to expand...

That's been my observation also. The G100 (and the GX9) have a bit more punchy JPGs. while the G95's are a little less "goosed".

With a little post processing (of just the JPGs, not even the RAWs), the differences can be evened out, so it's not a sensor thing, just some decisions Panasonic made with the default JPG output between the bodies.

-J

Thanks, I'm leaning towards g90/95.

I own the G90 for several years now and weatherproofness was one of the essential features. I carry the camera mostly on the Peak design belt clip and had it soaked on numerous occasions without any consequences. About a year ago I accidentally spilled half a liter beer glass on myself (and the camera which was connected to the belt). Several months after this some buttons became a bit sticky beside this everything functions flawlessly.

Lepewhi said:

... If anyone has experience with either or both, I'd be interested in your advice

Thanks

Click to expand...

The Panasonic Lumix G9 as for the newest G9 II are really designed for a more intense use of professional level as for the Olympus/OM System OM-1 and previous OM-D E-M1 series. And they can withstand very adverse conditions.

The Lumix G95 is also weather resistant (WR) but need to be protected probably a little more although I had used it in rainy and snowy conditions without any concerns in the past and present time.

The Lumix G9 is a magnificent camera and an outstanding performer but it is a bulky one especially when it is combined with the accessory vertical grip. It is also heavier compare to the diminutive G95. Jpegs image outputs of both are excellent provided you stay within the 200-1600 ISO sensitivity range.

If you intend to use the camera on a professional level then the Lumix G9 appears to be the thoughtful choice but as an enthusiasm user the Lumix G95 correspond better to the MFT spirit in terms of compactness and friendly operation.

Good luck with you new camera!

Thanks, I'm not a professional. I'm just looking for a body that I can use in most conditions without worries. I must say that I am leaning towards the G90/95 for its size/weight. But, the price difference between the two has become so closer.

Aoyagi said:

I have and regularly use both for work (events) and for fun (nature/landscape/tourism). The G9 is a better camera overall. For me this mainly means it has:

• Better AF, including better subject detection
• Slightly better IBIS
• Dual SD
• Stated freeze resistance
• High res shot

Plus much better video specs, joystick and more buttons overall. The top LCD is helpful at times as well. There really is a tonne of small features that give the G9 an edge.

The G90, however, has a few small advantages/aspects compared to the G9 that make it my favourite Lumix camera:

• Classic Lumix controls (on-off switch, front dial around the shutter button)
• Pressing the shutter button is a lot more tactile
• Its size and shape feel almost perfect for my hands
• Quiet mechanical shutter
• On-board fill flash
• EVF sensor on top, not bottom
• "Fun" filters, plus Live View Composite

It also has unlimited video recording (a necessity for some of my work) and it's noticeably lighter.

In general though given the small price difference I would suggest going to for the G90 only if you really like some of those few things it does better/different than the G9.

Edit: I notice you have a G100, right? The G90 is basically a full fat G100 - with a different body, IBIS, weather sealing, and a proper mechanical shutter whereas the G9 is a different camera.

Click to expand...

This is a superb description and covers a ton of the highlights.

As a fairly long-time G95 owner, I want to add a couple more things:

- In-camera sweep panorama mode (G95 has, G9 does not)

- 6k vs. 4k photo features (G9 has 18mp stills, G95 has only 8mp stills)

- Full-size RAW/JPEG/RAW+JPEG pre-burst/pro-capture burst capability: G9 has, G95 does not

- Battery life rating about 20% better with G9 vs. G95

- Larger EVF on G9 vs G95 (but G95 is still pretty decent)

- G95 will make "fake 12 bit" RAWs in certain high speed operating modes without telling you (e.g., if you do bracketing or in certain high speed burst modes at high shutter speeds). This is incredibly annoying because the camera doesn't signal/indicate when this is happening and when it isn't so you can decide whether you want to exit bracking, reduce your burst rate, slow down your shutter speed, etc.

What I mean is you'll get ordinary looking RAW files but they're actually 10-bit RAWs - only every fourth luminance value is used within the 12 bit container, so 3 out of every 4 luminance values is completely empty.

This lower bit depth translates into more posterization and much clumpier and uglier noise patterns in the shadows if you need to push and/or do noise reduction. This may not matter in a lot of cases (e.g, uncropped full sized JPEGs). But if you need to crop or pixel peep or push the RAWs, you'll definitely notice the difference. This hasn't been a huge issue for me, but on a couple of very rare occasions, it's been rather annoying. Not enough for me to get rid of the camera because high speed operations (bursts/bracketing) is such a tiny part of my overall shooting, but if I did, I would 100% choose the G9. (BTW: Even the lowly G100 was improved upon the G95 and doesn't exhibit this same behavior).

- Faster flash sync with G9 (1/250 vs 1/200)

- G95 has unlimited video recording but G9 has way more video recording options, including no crop 4k options (G95 has a 1.2 crop in its only 4k mode with which is 4k30 4:2:0 8-bit) and has true 10-bit Vlog and higher frame rate options such as 4k60 and 1080p180 with autofocus (G95's slow-mo 1080p60 is manual focus only, with an enormous 2.7x crop). The G95 1080p 8-bit video quality IMO is really excellent but you get more with the G9 by a wide margin. If you don't need unlimited video recording and want a more fully spec'd video shooter, I think you should opt for the G9.

OK, all of this is making me now giving me major G9 GAS! Why did you do this to me?

(PS: I like the G95 just fine. Very solid camera overall, especially if you just shoot stills. But I really hate that I can't have everything the G95 can do in the G9 as well... Super annoying to have the "consumer convenience/novelty features" only in the G95 [sweep panorama, live composite, onboard flash] while the "pro level" G9 doesn't have them because "it's a serious camera." :-x).

I prefer the size of the g90/95. Plus the on-board flash. But, the difference in price today between it and the g9 is so small.

Lepewhi said:

I prefer the size of the g90/95. Plus the on-board flash. But, the difference in price today between it and the g9 is so small.

Click to expand...

Get the one you will be more comfortable using, whichever one it is....

-J

Lepewhi said:

I prefer the size of the g90/95. Plus the on-board flash. But, the difference in price today between it and the g9 is so small.

Click to expand...

for me, there are few critical things in G9 to make it a better option
- usable ISO100 in RAW, in photo mode with a bit higher DR, with no matter what shutter type is used
- better IBIS for photo and video
- 4k 60
- full sensor 10 bit 5.2K/30 fps video, for later cropping vertical/horizontal video

and the most critical - faster readout in silent mode, so electronic shutter could be used in most situations (where are no flickering lights, speedy objects or doesn't require speedlight)

things like: 1/32000, 60 fps, hi-res etc are used by me few times only, I would be happy to trade all of them for Live Composite feature

--

Alex

I don't know about live composite. I’ll look into it. It's on the g90/95?

Lepewhi said:

I don't know about live composite. I’ll look into it. It's on the g90/95?

Click to expand...

Thanks, looks cool