Went from the GH5 to the G9.

Well I finally did it.

I was holding off to see what the GH6 would deliver first before deciding which camera to buy. However, after hearing the GH6 going to be more expensive and it leaves the door open for a possible G9 successor, I decided to buy the current G9 especially with the new firmware coming out.

I been shooting with the GH series for a while because it offers still features often superior to that of the standard G series. For example weather sealing, big buffer, first camera to come with DFD, Af joystick. Usually I use an excuse of an African safari to buy the latest camera or wildlife lens.

Despite Panasonic offering GH users new still features, I felt the GH series strength of late rely more  the video side rather than being 50/50. It became more obvious when I finally pulled the plug and bought the GH5. Straightaway I'd noticed the camera is thicker and heavier than the GH4.  Which made it harder to handhold while using big lenses like the the 100-400. However, the dual stabilisation allowed me to get better shots which previously I wouldn't be able to get with the GH4 without bumping up the iso.

When Panasonic announced the G9, I was kicking myself but I knew next time to bypass the GH6 and wait for the G9 successor. However, since that camera been delayed by the Pandemic I felt it's a good time to bite the bullet and get the current G9 now.

What I like about the G9 is the camera designed especially for me. The ergonomics are practically perfect and the layout of the various dials are well thought out. This is a great improvement over the GH5 when it comes to photographing wildlife or action/sport.

There is a switch at the front originally designed for silent mode but can swapped for another function. I find it very useful having the option to go into silent mode with single a press of a button. Yes I know it's a switch and you have to toggle it go into or out of the mode. Another great feature, there's a dial allow to go from rapid fire to super rapid fire. So if you're waiting for an eagle to take off, switch to super rapid fire mode with a single switch of a dial rather than going through all the menu. It just saves so much time and make shooting so much easier.

The only downside is the GH5 has a bigger screen at the back. So for tripod work or shooting low on the ground, the GH5 is easier to use.

My thoughts are the G9 make still shooting so much easier it when compared to the GH5 and the chances of getting the more difficult shots easier to take. I will still use the GH5 as my B cam but I probably trade it in when the true successor of the G9 comes out.

Yes, the G9 has a full complement of controls and, at recent offer prices, now represents fantastic value.

A superb camera: best value on the market along with fuji's X-T3 and X-s10

Congrats on going the GH5 -> G9 route. I did too.

Initially I thought I'd hit on the video-centric functions of the GH5. I didn't, so I got a used G9. Since the FW release 2.0, which added a WHOLE LOT of valuable video functions to the G9, I haven't touched the GH5 anymore (other than a couple of stereo images with both cams, which was fun also but hardly justifies keeping them both ^^).

Thanks for the long, thoughtful post. I've been looking at the G9, especially since it's been around $1000. And I've been trying to figure out the tradeoffs vs the GH4 and GH5.

jonno35 wrote:

Yes, new firmware to be released Monday. Includes AF upgrades.

"There is a switch at the front originally designed for silent mode but can swapped for another function."

I sometimes find it useful to turn off all touch functions of the monitor screen.  I have assigned that option to the Function Lever.

Anime Gee wrote:

jonno35 wrote:

https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/firmware_update.html#GH5S-G9-and-G100

^ Comes out June 9.

G9 Firmware Version 2.4

1. Improved AF performance
- It can detect the eyes / face at a 2x faster recognition cycle speed and human / animal at a 5x faster recognition cycle speed. These subjects can be detected even they appear in approximately half the size. *Comparison between before and after updating the firmware.
- Tracking and recognition performance of AF have been improved with an addition of head recognition.
- Human/Animal recognition can be set ON or OFF when the AF mode is set to [1-Area].

2. Added video functions
- [Red REC Frame Indicator] function has been added.
- It is possible to play back vertical videos vertically.
- Users can choose to add or not to add camera orientation information in [Vertical Position Info (Video)] menu to prevent unintended image rotation in playback.

3. Other added functions
- [Frame Maker] function has been added.
- [Power Save Mode] can be selectable while the camera is powered with an AC adaptor(DMW-AC10, sold separately).
- The camera can be recognized when it is connected to the PC via the USB power supply port.

Great makes the G9 even better, glad I went for it now, just imagine if it already had all these upgrades  in the original release , the reviews would have been stonking, they were good anyway.Surely no one now can be debating whether or not to get the G9. Certainly anyone can critisize anything but in my years of Slrs Dlsrs Full frame etc the G9 is the most accomplished camera I have ever owned and I think it will see me to the end of my involvement in cameras as I'm now in my 80s.

If you are photo centric user the G9 makes more sense I have both however I do a lot of video and I use the GH5 underwater where there are very few housing options for the G9

The G9 also does not take a miniflash

With the GH5M2 in essence it will have everything the G9 has plus live composite but still miss the high speed burst. This is probably the single feature that puts the G9 apart but with the current price point you can't go wrong

Also looking forward to the 9th June firmware update

For video though the G9 does not come close even with the VLOG update

nurseMarty wrote:

Much has been written about the GH5 goodness. The jury is out on the GH6. The G9 is a super camera and hope you love it. As you know, the 9 is a hybrid camera.

The jury hasn't even convened for the GH6 yet