Introduction

Ease of Use

The Lumix G9 II is the first ever Panasonic G-series camera to support Phase Detection Auto-Focus, following on from the S5 II full-frame model released earlier this year which was the first ever Panasonic camera, full-stop, to support PDAF.

For many Panasonic fans, this will be both an enormous relief and reason enough to buy the G9 over, say, the GH6 or previous G9 models.

Simply put, phase detection is a very big deal for the G9 II and more generally Panasonic cameras, which will presumably all support this feature in future releases.

Offering fast and dependable 779-area metering, the new AF system is able to detect target subjects in difficult conditions such as low light and backlighting and, once locked on, will remain tracking them even with other moving objects in the frame.

There's no sign of the G9's characteristic "pulsing" effect in the continuous AF-C mode as that camera's DFD system scans back and forth, so if effective continuous auto-focusing is top of your requirements list, then it's definitely worth choosing the newer G9 II model with its superior AF system.

The brand new PDAF autofocus system is not the only thing that the new G9 II shares with its larger-sensor cousin. Somewhat controversially and despite having a much smaller sensor inside it, the G9II almost exactly mimics the size, weight and control layout of the S5 II.

Indeed, apart from the difference in sensor size that becomes apparent when you remove the lens, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the G9 II and S5 II apart. Current G9 owners will face a learning curve when they upgrade to the G9 II, whilst S5 owners will feel instantly at home, such is the similarity between them and the G9 II.

If you've bought in to the Micro Four Thirds system because it usually offers the advantage of smaller camera bodies (and in turn lenses), then you'll probably be disappointed at just how large the Lumix G9 II is.

Measuring 134.3 x 102.3 x 90.1 mm / 5.29 x 4.03 x 3.55 inch, the G9II is actually exactly the same size as the S5II, which may disappoint those who value the compactness of most Micro Four Thirds cameras.

It is quite a bit lighter though, weighing in at 658g / 1.45 lb with a battery and memory card fitted versus the 740g S5II. The original G9 measured 136.9 x 97.3 x 91.6 mm and weighed 579g body only, so it was a little more compact and 79g lighter than the new Mark II version.

On the other hand, the S5 II is a remarkably small and compact full-frame camera that's actually smaller than the popular Lumix GH6, so the fact that the G9 II is virtually identical to the S5 II shouldn't necessarily be a show-stopper.

The status LCD on the top-panel of the original G9 has been removed on the 2023 version to make way for the new separate drive and shooting mode dials that are positioned on either side of the viewfinder, and the G9's slanted top-panel has made way for the much squarer design of the G9 II.

The G9 II also now benefits from inheriting the same 8-way joystick, expanded drive dial, 3.0-inch free-angle touch-control monitor and large, 3,680K-dot OLED Live View Finder as the S5 II.

The G9 II has a familiar DSLR style with the viewfinder in the centre, a large tactile hand grip, and a healthy array of logically placed controls.

It also shares the same tank-like build quality and weather-proof exterior shared by all of the other Lumix S-series cameras, with a magnesium alloy full die-cast dust and splash-proof body that has all of its main seams tightly sealed against moisture ingress.

The Lumix G9 II has an OLED electronic viewfinder that offers 100% field of view, 10000:1 contrast ratio, 21mm eye-point and 3,680K-dot resolution, and operates at a native rate of 120fps with a minimum lag of less than 0.005 sec, which helps make it completely flicker-free., exactly the same as its predecessor, although strangely the magnification is ever so slightly lower at 0.80x versus 0.83x on the G9.

Both old and new G9 variants have a fully articulating 3-inch, 3:2 ratio, free-angle design LCD touch-screen which means that you can flip it out to the side, rotate it forwards for easier operation when pointing the camera at yourself, and fold it flat against the back of the camera to stop it from getting scratched.

The Lumix G9 II has a much higher-resolution LCD screen than the Lumix G9 though, with 1.84 million dots versus 1.04 million dots on the original model.

This new camera continues to offer the same dual image stabilisation system (in-body IS and lens IS) that's employed by the G-series series for more effective, shake-free shooting when handled in lower lighting conditions.

This provides a whopping 8-stops of in-body image compensation (IBIS) and 7.5 stops of 5-axis dual image stabilisation when used with compatible lenses, instantly putting the G9 II right at the top of its particular class.

The G9 II additionally has an Active I.S. mode which provides highly stable video recording by optimising horizontal, vertical and rotational correction. This is especially effective in traditionally challenging conditions for handheld shooting, such as using telephoto lenses or filming while walking.

Turning to the front of the Lumix G9 II, the lens mount dominates proceedings, along with a deep hand grip that feels just right in the hand, enabling the camera to be operated with just one hand.

With the lower three fingers of your right hand curled around the G9 II’s grip, your forefinger is free to alternate between rotating the front control dial that sits slightly proud of the grip at its topper-most edge, and the slightly raised and angled shutter release button just atop it, which is responsively springy.

Sitting just behind these controls are three small raised buttons, just like on the S5 II. From left to right, these are for manually adjusting white balance, light sensitivity and exposure settings.

There's no top-plate LCD screen on the new Lumix G9 II. Instead there's a large shooting mode dial on the top-right and a Burst/Bracketing Shooting dial on the top-left.

This smaller but still chunky, roughly ridged and raised dial over at the left hand edge of the camera has 6 different settings, which variously provide quick access to the self-timer, time-lapse, high resolution, burst shooting (2 modes) and normal single shooting modes.

Underneath the dial is a shiny red ring, just like on the S1-series cameras, which has perhaps been deployed to lend the cameras a more professional air.

Stereo microphones and a vacant hotshoe for an accessory flash are slotted directly on top of the EVF. Interestingly there’s no built-in pop up flash on the Panasonic G9 II, which is maybe a slightly surprising omission for a mid-range camera.

The chunky, roughly ridged and raised shooting mode dial over on the top-right makes it easy to adjust settings ranging from Intelligent Auto focus to program, shutter priority, aperture priority or manual pretty quickly.

On the same dial we also get a manual video mode setting, an S&Q setting, and no fewer than three custom modes. In the S(low)&Q(quick) shooting mode, the G9 II can capture Full HD video at up to 180fps and then play back the videos at 24p, 30p, or 60p.

The On/Off switch is more of an actual lever which sits adjacent to the shooting mode dial. This is quite stiff in operation – you almost have to force it – which, to give it a positive spin, means this is a camera that is almost impossible to accidentally activate or deactivate.

The control dial at the front of the handgrip is, incidentally, mirrored by one the size of a five pence piece that sits recessed into the top plate at the back. Here it readily (and again, ergonomically) falls under the thumb of the right hand.

Completing the G9 II's top-plate is a one-touch movie record button, finished in the same metallic dark red as the ring which sits underneath the drive mode dial. Just like the shutter release button, again this has a nice springy feel to it that makes it easier to locate and activate.

The new G9II completely out-performs the 6-year-old G9 in terms of video, as you'd perhaps expect, and is definitely the camera to go for if you're a hybrid photo/video shooter.

It supports up to 5.7K 60p and 4K/C4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 recording, depending on the specific mode - 5.7K (17:9) 30p/25p and C4K/4K 120p/100p are 4:2:0 10-bit.

ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422 can be recorded to an external SSD recorder with one caveat - if you're recording more than 60fps to the SSD it requires an additional external power source.

5.8K 30p/25p/24p 4:2:0 10-bit anamorphic 4:3 modes are recorded utilising the full area of the sensor and there are also 4.4K 60p/50p/48p modes.

The Lumix G9 II has V-Log/V-Gamut built-in which provides 13+ stops of wide dynamic range, and the Dynamic Range Boost mode expands it to 14+ stops.

The G9II uses the full area of the sensor to record then downsamples it in-camera, which means that your framing won't be cropped when composing.

With lugs for attaching the shoulder strap provided out of the box to be found left and right of the camera, the right-hand flank provides a port protected by a sliding switch that allows for the insertion of two SD UHS-II cards, both of which support the faster SD UHS-II memory card standard.

The two ports on the left-hand flank provide a means of connecting an accessory microphone and headphones, plus USB-C and a full-size HDMI port. The rubberized flaps protecting these feel a little flimsier than the rest of the camera, and time will tell whether these become worn and stop adhering so precisely over time.

Moving to the rear of the Panasonic G9 II, again this is button festooned without being over-bearingly so.

The camera’s 3-inch LCD screen with 1.84m-dot resolution is also a touch screen, meaning that you can drag the focus area around the screen with your finger or thumb. Alternatively, if you prefer physical controls, you can use the small thumb-operated joystick to the upper-right of the LCD to do the same.

The G9II has a conventional free-angle screen that's hinged on the left-hand side. This can be tilted all the way out to the side of the camera, turned forwards for selfies and vlogging, and turned towards the back of the camera to help protect it when the camera isn't being used. It's very useful as an aid to shooting video as well as more unusual compositions when you can't always get an eye flush to the viewfinder.

The top-left of the back of the camera is where we find the playback button for reviewing stills and video. There's also a dedicated LVF button alongside it for manually switching between the rear LCD screen and the EVF, which perhaps feels a little redundant given that the camera automatically switches to the EVF when you hold the camera up to your eye (this setting can be turned on and off as desired).

Directly to the right of the EVF is a tactile circular switch for changing the auto-focus mode from single to continuous to manual focus, into which is set the AF area button for selecting one of the seven available AF modes. You can choose from Tracking, Full Area, Zone (Horizontal/Vertical), Zone, 1-Area+, 1-Area and Pinpoint.

Along with the afore-mentioned AF joystick, the small AF On which can be used for back-focusing completes the G9 II's very handily-placed collection of focusing controls.

This being a Panasonic camera, we’re provided with the very useful Quick menu short cut button – located via the button marked with an enigmatic ‘Q’ situated to the right of the LCD - which gives completely customizable quick access to 12 of the camera's key settings.

Menu/Set, Display and a shared delete/back button are also to be found at the rear of the G9 II, along with a familiar multi-directional control pad, encircled by a scroll wheel for maximum fluidity of operation.

The menu screens are, as expected, comprehensively featured but pleasingly legible and intuitively navigated. That said it was also nice to have the Quick menu feature in order to circumnavigate them when we knew what we wanted and wanted to get to the relevant setting swiftly.

At the base of the camera we find a single screw thread, located directly in line with the central point of the lens mount, for attaching the G9 II to a tripod.

Also found here, nestled within the base of the G9 II’s handgrip is the same rechargeable 2,200mAh DMW-BLK22 lithium-ion battery that's used in the S5 II. The previous Lumix G9 uses the DMW-BLF19 battery, so you can't use G9 batteries in the G9II and vice-versa.

Battery life is actually very similar at around 380 shots on the G9 when using the Live Viewfinder and 400 using the LCD screen, and 390 shots on the G9 II using either the EVF or LCD.

Both cameras can also be powered and charged via a USB connection, which is useful if you're out and about and have a compatible powerbank to plug the camera into, but the G9 II uses the newer USB-C 3.2 variant.

A ‘proper’ charger with its own mains plug is also provided out of the box – or at least it was with our fully working review sample - and you can also charge the camera whilst you're out and about by attaching a power-bank to the USB-C port. Note that the G9 II supports the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard whereas the G9 only supported the Micro USB 3.0 spec port.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 25.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which produces an average image size of around 13Mb.

The G9 II is the latest Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera to push past the 20 megapixel barrier, utilising a brand new 25.2-megapixel Live MOS Sensor with no low-pass filter and phase-detection AF.

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II produced images of outstanding quality during the review period. It produces noise-free images at ISO 100 to 1600, with limited noise starting to appear at ISO 3200. ISO 6400 and 12800 exhibit quite visible noise and loss of fine detail, while the fastest setting of 25600 looks much better on paper than in reality.

The various Photo Styles and Filters allow you to quickly and easily customise the look of the camera's JPEG and Raw images before you take them. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds and Bulb mode of up to 30 minutes allowing you to capture plenty of light.

The High Resolution Mode successfully creates much larger 50 or 100 megapixel images and can be employed when the camera is mounted on a tripod and also hand-held. It's still best reserved for use with non-moving subjects.

Noise

There are 10 different ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix G9 II which you can select at any time if the camera is in one of the creative shooting modes. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW formats.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 50	ISO 50
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 6400
ISO 12800	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 25600

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II has 2 different JPEG image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine JPEG (14Mb)	Standard JPEG (7.1Mb)
Raw (36.5Mb)

High Resolution Mode

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II's High Resolution Mode combines 8 shots in-camera into a 100 megapixel image to create a super high-resolution photo. There's also a smaller 50.5 megapixel setting available.

Off (100% Crop)	On (100% Crop)

Long Exposures

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds and there's also a Bulb option for exposures up to 30 minutes long, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography.

The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 30 seconds at ISO 100. If the Long Exposure NR main menu option is set to ON, the camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 15 second setting the actual exposure takes 30 seconds.

Photo Styles

Panasonic's Photo Styles are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and noise reduction settings. The 16 available Photo Styles are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There are also four Custom options so that you can create your own looks.

The new LEICA Monochrome mode features deep contrasts between black and white, creating brighter images on highlights and generally strong and dynamic monochrome when compared to the other B&W photo styles.

Standard

Vivid

Natural

L.ClassicNeo

Flat

Landscape

Portrait

Monochrome

L.Monochrome

L.Monochrome D

L.Monochrome S

LEICA Monochrome

Cinelike D2

Cinelike V2

Like709

V-Log

Filter Effects

The Panasonic Lumix GH6 offers a range of digital filter effects that can be applied to both JPEG and Raw files, with 8 different options available in the main menu.

Expressive

Retro

Old Days

High Key

Low Key

Sepia

Cross Process

Bleach Bypass

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix G9 II camera, which were all taken using the 25.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Panasonic RAW (RW2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

By far the biggest headline news is that the Lumix G9 II introduces phase-detection auto-focus for the first time on any Panasonic G-series Micro Four Thirds camera.

The distracting pulsing effect that plagued video recording in particular has now gone, replaced by a very competent, satisfyingly quick hybrid AF system complete with subject-detection that belies its first-generation status.

For many people, that will be the only reason that they need to now seriously consider buying into the Lumix system in preference to Olympus/OM System, whose most recent cameras have had PDAF for a while now.

Panasonic haven't just rested on their focusing laurels, though, as there are also a significant number of additional upgrades that help turn the already well-regarded original G9 model into an even better Mark II edition for 2023.

60fps burst shooting with AF/AE tracking, 8 stops of IBIS, 100 megapixel High Resolution images and a video spec that rivals the GH6 make this a real powerhouse hybrid flagship camera.

Choosing between the new Panasonic Lumix G9 II and the previous Lumix G9 (which continues in the range for the time being) is something of a no-brainer - if you can afford the newer model, then go for it, as the Mark II version out-performs its 6-year-old sibling in almost every way.

It's a much closer battle between the hybrid Panasonic Lumix G9 II and the more video-centric Lumix GH6, especially as they're currently available at roughly the same price. The G9 II offers the main benefit of PDAF auto-focusing for the first time on a Panasonic MFT camera, but the GH6 with its built-in fan supports unlimited recording times in any video mode.

The G9 II's main MFT rival is the OM System OM-1, which has a stacked 20mp sensor, is smaller and lighter and has a better EVF, but is a less capable video camera.

Alternatively, if you prefer the look of full-frame and can afford the extra few hundred £$, the recent S5 II offers almost identical handling and a similar feature-set to the G9 II in the same sized body.

You could also consider the very popular Fujifilm X-T5 if you've not yet bought into a particular camera system, which offers the principal benefits of a larger APS-C sensor and proven Fuji handling at a similar price-point to the G9 II.

Ultimately, the new G9 II is going to appeal most to current Micro Four Thirds photographers and/or videographers who want the best technologies on offer in their system, especially the auto-focusing, and don't mind investing in what is a relatively large and expensive body to get the best out of their premium MFT lenses.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Panasonic Lumix G9 II.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix G9 II from around the web.

Specifications

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