Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 II initial review: The G9 series matures

Product photos by Brendan Nystedt

Almost six years after the announcement of the Lumix DC-G9, Panasonic has announced its successor, the Lumix DC-G9 II. This is the company’s high-end model aimed at stills shooters, and it is the first-ever Lumix Micro Four Thirds camera to include phase detection autofocus. Despite its target demographic, the G9 II comes with a surprisingly long list of video features as well. A thorough redesign, the G9 II is based off the chassis of the full frame Lumix S5 II and S5IIX, giving it room for plentiful controls and ports.

Key specifications

• 25MP CMOS sensor with dual output gain
• 5-axis in-body image stabilization (CIPA-rated to 8 stops)
• On-sensor phase detection (779 points)
• 3″, 1.84M-dot fully articulating touchscreen
• 3.86M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.8x magnification
• 60 fps burst shooting with AF-C and electronic shutter (10 fps mechanical)
• 100MP handheld high-res mode
• Up to 5.8K Open Gate 4:2:0, C4K 4:2:2 10-bit, with V-Log
• ProRes 422 and 422 HQ recording to SSD
• Full-size HDMI
• 390 shots per charge battery life, using LCD
• USB-C power delivery, external SSD support
• Dual UHS-II card slot
• Wi-Fi + Bluetooth

The Panasonic will be available from early November with a recommended price of $1899 body-only. This is a $200 price increase from the launch price of its predecessor, the G9.

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Index:

• What’s new
• How it compares
• Body & handling
• Initial impressions
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

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What’s new

The Lumix G9 II is a departure from the original G9 design in a few key ways.

Rather than a refresh of the original DSLR-like Lumix G9 concept, the G9 II goes in a more modern direction. Not only does it take technological advancements from the full-frame Lumix S lineup, it has the same external design as the S5 II announced earlier in the year. It’s taller, more squared off, and has more controls than its predecessor. It isn’t just a similar design – it’s literally the same outer shell, but without fan vents and with a different lens mount and sensor inside.

Hybrid autofocus and DR Boost improvements

The G9 II is based around a sensor related to the one in the GH6, but that Panasonic says has been revised at both the hardware and software levels. The most obvious difference is that the version in the G9 II has phase-detection elements that make it the first Micro Four Thirds Lumix model to offer inherently depth-aware autofocus.

The other change that will make a big difference is the way the dual output gain system works. Panasonic describes it as having two readout paths that are subjected to differing levels of gain, which are then combined. This way, you get the highlight capture benefits of low gain and the cleaner shadow performance of high gain paths, combined as a 16-bit Raw file to ensure room to encode this widened dynamic range.

The sensor in the G9 II is derived from the one in the GH6 but with some key improvements, both in hardware and software.

For the G9 II, Panasonic appears to have reduced the lowest step offered by the high-gain path. Whereas on the GH6, the high gain (shadow) path was only used at ISO settings three stops above base (ie, ISO 800 in standard color modes, ISO 2000 in V-Log mode), on the G9 II, Panasonic says it’s available from base ISO upwards, suggesting the high gain step can be dropped further, to make it available at these lower ISOs.

However, it’s worth noting that the GH6’s base ISOs were 100 for standard color modes and 250 for V-Log, but for the G9 II, they’re 100 and 500, respectively. The one-stop jump in base ISO in V-Log mode seems to suggest a high-gain path applying one stop more gain than the low path in its base state (rather than the 3-stop difference required for DR Boost on the GH6). But this doesn’t explain how Panasonic can offer a mode that includes a high-gain component while maintaining the same ISO 100 rating for standard gamma. We’ve asked for clarification from Panasonic but have not yet received a response, though it’s worth noting that when you exceed 60fps (where the Dual Output mode can’t operate), the minimum available ISO in Log drops to 250, suggesting this is the true ‘base’ state.

We’ll do what we can to tease out what’s going on when we get a chance to fully test the G9 II; our main hope is that it helps the camera outperform the GH6, which failed to impress at low ISOs.

More video than you’d expect

Unlike the G9, which launched missing a lot of video features, the G9 II throws in everything but the kitchen sink right from Day 1. Panasonic swears this is a camera for still shooters, but the number of video resolutions and features accounted for – including V-Log and open gate 5.8K – sure make it feel almost as hybrid as the GH6 or S5 IIX. It retains the full-size HDMI port of the S5 II series and can even record directly to a USB-C SSD.

Although not marketed as a hybrid model, the G9 II has a ton of features that make it interesting for hybrid shooters and those curious about video.

With its improved autofocus, why would anyone buy a GH6 over the G9 II? Rest assured that CFexpress card support, Raw video output modes and the built-in fan let the GH6 retain its hybrid crown for now. Panasonic says that G9 II shooters should think of this camera more as a B-cam than a primary run-and-gun setup and that the lack of a fan might become an issue when shooting high-res video in hot environments.

Improved IBIS

The diminutive Four Thirds-type sensor is cushioned from jostles by an aggressive 8-stop CIPA-rated in-body image stabilization system. Panasonic says that the SyncIS system, where the sensor and lens stabilization systems work together, is only rated for 7.5 stops and that they’re reaching the physical limits of the lens-based optical stabilization systems at this point. There is a benefit though: the synchronization between the body and lens’ IS systems allows the camera to maintain 7.5 stops of correction at longer focal lengths where the in-body system alone could not.

This system also enables the G9 II’s 100MP handheld high-res mode. Although the higher resolution of this mode means it’s a little slower to stitch its photos together, the more sophisticated algorithm Panasonic uses does a good job of reducing subject motion.

Subject detection improvements

Panasonic’s older depth-from-defocus AF system lagged behind the competition somewhat, but the G9 II looks to address that. With the hybrid AF improvements, the G9 II also brings some new subject detection and tracking algorithms. This time around, you’ll find a number of categories in the AF menu that include one for animals (mainly pets, but also can track birds), one for cars (targeting motorsports photography), and another for motorcycles (which they say may work for bicycles, depending on the angle of the subject). Like the G9 II’s improved human detection, the animal mode has eye detection as an additional option.

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How it compares

The new Panasonic Lumix G9 II comes in at a high price, befitting a flagship model (at least, as Panasonic’s G-series flagship for stills). Unfortunately, there’s a lot of competition in the ∼$2K high-performance camera category. While the newcomer obviously blows away its predecessor, its stills rival in the Micro Four Thirds world, the OM System OM-1, is lighter, has better battery life, and a far sharper EVF.

That’s not to mention the slew of fantastic APS-C cameras out there, and we’ve included the Fujifilm X-T5 and Sony a6700 as two of the best, both of which are cheaper than the Lumix.

On the whole, the G9 II is fairly competitive in the Micro Four Thirds system. But looking at the APS-C options out there (like the Sony A6700 and Fujifilm X-T5), the G9 II doesn’t bring anything spectacular to the table, even if it is a noteworthy move forward for Panasonic’s G-series.

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Body and handling

Looking at it from the back, the Lumix G9 II offers up a new 8-way joystick and an improved autofocus selector.

While the original G9 was far from compact, it certainly had a different design philosophy than its successor. Seemingly aimed at DSLR photographers, it was a wide camera with a big backlit top plate LCD. That camera also only had a single exposure mode dial (on the side opposite the grip), front and rear control dials, and a power switch that surrounded the shutter button.

The new G9 II, by comparison, feels more modern. Since it’s basically the same design as the Lumix S5 II, this camera throws a ton of controls at the user. Make no mistake: this is a clean-sheet redesign, and if you were a big fan of the original, you might be disappointed that nothing has remained the same. That said, for everything you lose (like the top LCD, front Fn lever, and flash sync port), you gain a whole lot more (more ergonomic twin dials, a more prominent AF selector, a dedicated dial for continuous shooting, and an upgraded 8-way AF joystick).

The Lumix G9 II, unlike the very similar S5 II, lacks fan vents at the bottom of the EVF hump.

And although the G9 II is taller and the grip a bit shallower, it still manages to feel plenty comfortable to hold, despite some of the rear controls being a bit clustered together. Overall, though, even though the weight is the same as the old model, this Micro Four Thirds body seems quite large for what it is.

What hasn’t improved a whole lot is the EVF, which is a 3680k dot (1280 x 960px) panel with a slight decrease in magnification at 0.8x. In use, it’s totally passable, and the magnification definitely makes up for the lack of sheer resolution. The rear articulating LCD, on the other hand, is a much higher resolution now at 1840K dots, making for a detailed, bright shooting experience even in direct sunlight.

The addition of a USB-C port and USB PD for charging is a big step up from the original G9’s microUSB 3.0 socket.

Like its cousin, the Lumix S5 II, the G9 II packs the ports we’d expect for a flagship camera in 2023. You get a full-size HDMI, fast USB-C PD charging (with 10Gbps transfer speeds and the ability to record stills and video to an external SSD), as well as mic and headphone sockets, the former of which is positioned out of the way of the screen hinge.

On the opposite side are 2 UHS-II speed SD card slots, which can be programmed to work separately or in parallel, backing up files on both for redundancy or filling the next card after the first one’s full. One benefit that’s worth mentioning is that since this is physically just about identical to the S5 II, many accessories will be compatible between the two models, including first-party accessories like the new DMW-BG1 battery grip, and third-party add-ons like cages for video rigging.

The 2200mAh battery lets the G9 II shoot around 390 shots on a single charge.

Inside the G9 II is the same DMW-BLK22, 16Wh battery as we’ve seen in other big Lumix models. Here in the G9 II, however, you’re still only getting around 390 shots on a charge according to the CIPA method with either the LCD or EVF. That’s lower than other cameras in its class and certainly in its price range, trailing the OM System OM-1 by 130 shots and the Fujifilm X-T5 by 190.

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Initial impressions

There’s no doubt about it: the Lumix G9 II is Panasonic’s most advanced Micro Four Thirds camera ever. It’s robustly built, has a ton of well-placed controls, a slew of video shooting resolutions and frame rates, the ports we’d expect to see, and few glaring omissions overall.

With the Lumix G-series at 15 years old, the maturity of the technology powering the G9 II is hardly a surprise. Yet this camera finally starts to narrow the gap between the OM System technology and Lumix – specifically, the gap opened up by the blazing fast OM-1 last year. Panasonic’s updated 25-megapixel sensor, 8-stop IBIS system, and improved hybrid autofocus (thanks to the addition of PDAF) all make it feel like a far more modern option for birding or wildlife photography than the outgoing G9. Plus, compared to past Lumix G-cameras, the 10 FPS burst rate with the mechanical shutter and AF-C is an impressive upgrade. We’ll reserve judgment on the 60 FPS electronic shutter mode and its related Pre-Burst setting since rolling shutter may impact image quality.

Panasonic’s 100MP handheld high-res mode can yield impressive results and cancels out moving objects surprisingly well, even if the time needed to crunch the data feels like it drags on. Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH | ISO 100 | 1/640 sec | F6.3 Taken using a pre-production Panasonic Lumix G9 II Photo: Brendan Nystedt

But there are a few odd things that left a funny impression. Even with the preproduction version of the camera we got to shoot with, there’s little doubt that the G9 II is as advanced as we’d expect from a stills-focused, high-performance Micro Four Thirds body. But it seems stuck in the middle to a degree – its sensor isn’t as fast as the Stacked CMOS one in the similarly-priced OM-1, and it has fewer subject detection modes and vague promises of weather sealing. Yet, the G9 II’s video functions are just a cut below the GH6 (which now seems like a prime candidate for a Mark II makeover using the G9 II’s sensor and AF system).

Panasonic’s refreshed subject detection algorithm, plus the new hybrid AF system, can help keep animals (and their eyes) in focus even at F1.2. Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 PRO | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F1.2 Taken using a pre-production Panasonic Lumix G9 II Photo: Brendan Nystedt

And then there’s the overall concept and design. We got on OM System’s case a little bit for the mild refresh of the OM-5 last year. But the G9 II doesn’t just draw heavily on the technology powering the S5 II: it is essentially a Micro Four Thirds S5 II, inside and out. For almost mid-level full-frame money, you get slightly better IBIS, faster readout speeds, and the impressive 100MP handheld high-res mode. Look outside Micro Four Thirds, and you’ll find a gaggle of options at lower prices, like the Sony A6700 and Fujifilm X-T5 – though the Sony has worse video endurance and the X-T5’s strengths are much more on the stills side of the house.

The G9 II has everything it takes to be a compelling stills camera, but the OM System OM-1 looms large.

So it’s not obvious that Panasonic has answered the prayers we’ve heard from Micro Four Thirds shooters with the otherwise solid-seeming G9 II. Even though it’s chockablock with video goodness, it’s not the ‘GH6 with better autofocus’ fans were clamoring for, and even though it has some slight stills advantages over the OM-1, it’s hard to imagine anyone passing up that more compact camera for this bigger option with worse battery life.

If anything, we’re more excited for what comes after this high-end entry – if Panasonic can help steer MFT cameras towards having hybrid autofocus as standard, that’s a great thing. But taken as it is, the G9 II is a pricey entry and one that, although plenty capable, may struggle to stand out in a highly competitive field.

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Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.

All images shot using a pre-production Panasonic Lumix G9 II

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