What to choose for photography? G95 (90) or G9

Panasonic Lumix G95 vs G9 (G90 vs G9). There are many reviews and discussions on the Internet, mainly from theorists. I would like to hear reviews about the quality of the photo G95 (90) including JPEG Sooc from real users. I like the size and presence of a flash in the G95, but the G9 is praised more. It seems that they have the same matrix, but the processor at G9 is more powerful. I plan to use for travel and auto-moto sports in smooth dynamics. Are there those who were able to compare both?

I too have looked into these two, my conclusion is that as much as I'd like it the weight of the g9  makes it not very suitable for travel as it weighs as much as my old Nikon dslr, plus no flash means carrying a flash which I might not want to depending how mobile I want to be.

I had previously had the G9 and not-so-wisely sold it to go to FF, which I soon learned wasn't right for me. I now have some Fuji gear which I really like, but wanted a MFT camera and the  Pan-Leica 100-400 which is much lighter and with more reach than its Fuji counterpart. Since the G95 had just come out and seemed promising, I got it and the 100-400. The G95 was a disappointment both in build and image quality. The photos even at moderate ISOs didn't look as good as I remembered the G9 to be and I didn't think it was the lens. I returned the G95 and got the G9 again and am very happy with it and the 100-400. Yes, it's a little heavier but is nice to handle especially with a large lens. Its build quality is much better than the G95 and the images are definitely better. Not sure why, but I read somewhere that it's not the same sensor and I can believe it. I can't help with the SOOC jpgs because I only shoot raw. No contest here, go with the G9.

st-yorgen wrote:

It seems that they have the same matrix

No, G9 has a better sensor with higher dynamic range. And the difference is significant: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr144_0=olympus_em1x&attr144_1=olympus_em1ii&attr144_2=panasonic_dcg95&attr144_3=panasonic_dcg9&attr146_0=200_5&attr146_1=200_5&attr146_2=200_5&attr146_3=200_5&attr404_0=1&attr404_1=1&attr404_2=1&attr404_3=1&normalization=full&widget=675&x=-0.21490072043577582&y=-0.6281680259580813

Haven't used G90/G95, but considering that it currently retails for almost the same price as G9... Can't see how buying it can be justified (and it's not only sensor that is different: also burst shooting speed, autofocus, etc).

Go for the g9, no question. At first, I thought the camera might be too big, but after a week of use, I think size is perfect for optimal ergonomics. I also own the G85 which is a great camera, but the g9 is on another level for several key reasons.

And for a very similar price (g95 vs g9), the g9 is a much better deal.

If you really want the g95 size and weight, I'd go with the G85 which is a much better deal.

G95 or g90 is my dilemma too....

As I already use the hefty 915g FZ2500, the weight of the G9 is not an issue. Also, it's only 122g more than the g95.

However if you would need to start carrying a flash around (as I would) due the absence of a pop-up on the g9 , this means an extra few hundred grams, plus be bulk of the flash and it's batteries, plus maybe a bigger bag to put it all in.

So overall system weight and bulk could be an issue for you, and would be for me.

As for mage quality, there seems little question (as pointed out above) that the g9 has a newer and better sensor, and this shows in the images that I have looked it. That said, after admittedly no hands-on experience, but only extensive pixel peeping, includiing using DPR's comparison tool, my conclusion is that the image quality gap between the g9 vs g95 is quite small.  It also appears to me to be definitely less than that between the G95 and the G85 ( which I also considered), and indeed of that between the G85 and my current FZ2500.

So personally I am inclined toward the G95 at present. Plus I think I might prefer its ergonomics (two separate dials vs the G9 top plate LCD). The G95 also has the new Light Composition feature and can do panoramas, unlike the G9. No doubt the G9 is more rugged, but what I've outlined make it a second choice for me at least.

Good luck with your choice - it is a difficult one for sure.

They had bracketing on by mistake and that reduces the bit depth to only 10 bits. They promised to re shoot these raws.

I still think the G95 sensor is worse though.

I want to upgrade from G80 and it's not an easy decision. After carefully assessing high iso raws from Imaging Resource I concluded G9 has better sensor than G95.

Great story! Thanks for sharing as I likely would have done the exact same thing given time.

The G9 is one line higher than the G5/6/7/8/85/90/95 cameras, so it should be expected to do more / do it better

it’s very responsive. I’ve become accustomed to that - I notice when I bring along my G85 (which is no slouch) or my G7(converted to IR) and they seem sluggish. To be fair they also seem light

I’ve gone from G5 to G7 to G85 to G9 each one was a tangible jump from the previous

so it’s more can you live with the price and the size of the G9, because the performance is there

the G95 should beat the G85 but the G85 might be the best value

jonno35 wrote:

I too have looked into these two, my conclusion is that as much as I'd like it the weight of the g9 makes it not very suitable for travel as it weighs as much as my old Nikon dslr, plus no flash means carrying a flash which I might not want to depending how mobile I want to be.

The lack of a flash wouldn't be so annoying if Panasonic had included the hotshoe contact to power a little flash like the one that came with the GM5 or the ones that come with the Pen F and EM1ii.  My GX8 has that contact, even my GX85 has that contact and both can use the little (and easily pocketable) flash from the GM5 as well as the slightly larger but more capable Oly flash.  I foolishly assumed that since the GX8 and GX85 both had that contact, the G9 would as well.

I like the G9, but for travel, I often just take the GX8 and the little flash and leave the G9 home.

BGood11 wrote:

I would point out however that the G85 and G95 are very different cameras as the G95 is significantly upgraded. If you are deciding between those two, just look at the comparison specs. For instance the G95 has 20 Megapixels as compared with 16 in the G85 and there are other very important differences as well

I'm sure the OP has already made up his mind and been merrily shooting with it since this was posted 10months ago