Introduction

Ease of Use

Measuring 136.9 x 97.3 x 91.6 mm and weighing 579g body only, the Panasonic G9 is slightly smaller and lighter than its sister GH5 model. At first glance it the two cameras look very similar, with the G9 clearly following the design lead of the GH5. The Lumix G9 is also similarly made out of a magnesium alloy, full die-cast front and rear frame and is also splash/dust-proof and also freeze-proof down to -10 degrees Celsius. The tripod socket is in-line with the centre of the metal lens mount and the camera has a shutter release life of 200,000 shots, again exactly the same as the GH5. Where the two cameras differ is the top of the body, with the G9 gaining a status LCD that has required the controls in that part of the camera to be repositioned.

The Panasonic G9 ships either body only, with the Panasonic 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 lens, or with the excellent Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 lens that we predominantly reviewed it with. There's an optional new DMW-BGG9 battery grip, which houses an extra battery to extend the overall battery life and replicates all of the principal controls, sharing the same splash / dustproof design as the G9 body. If you're going top use the G9 with a telephoto zoom or fast prime lens, we'd definitely recommend adding the DMW-BGG9 grip.

Panasonic have significantly upgraded the dual image stabilisation system on the G9, even in comparison with the GH5. It works in the same way as the GH5, combining 2-axis stabilisation from the lens (if available) with 5-axis stabilisation from the camera body, but the body I.S. system in the G9 has been dramatically improved, now making it possible to use 6.5 stops slower shutter speed than with it turned off, compared to the GH5's 5-stops of compensation. The dual image stabilisation system works for both stills and video recording.

Front of the Panasonic G9

The Panasonic G9 continues to use a 225-point Contrast AF system, just like the GH5, but it now has a claimed speed of just 0.04 seconds, compared to the GH5's 0.05 seconds. We very much doubt if you're going to notice any difference between the two, but it does mean that Panasonic can claim that the G9 has the world’s fastest auto-focusing speed. It is again dependant on which lens is used, though, with only certain lenses supporting the clever DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology. Despite not being a phase-detection system, the G9 focuses incredibly quickly, accurately and quietly on both still and moving subjects. Once again, there are a wide range of AF modes - multiple-area AF with up to 225 focus areas, 1-area AF with a selectable focus area, Face/Eye Detection, AF Tracking, Custom Multi and Pinpoint AF. As it's name suggests, the Custom Multi AF mode allows you to configure the AF points from a wide range of options and patterns, and you can save up to four customised choices when the AFF mode is selected.

The G9 offers an improved Wi-Fi function that can now take advantage of the 5GHz IEEE 802.11a/n/ac standard in addition to the in addition to the conventional 2.4GHz (IEEE 802.11b/g/n). Establishing a wi-fi connection lets you use your smartphone to change the key camera settings and even fire the shutter button remotely, while the auto transfer function automatically backs up your photos onto a tablet. You can also use GPS data from your smartphone to record the shooting location onto your images. The Bluetooth option inherited from the GH5 establishes a low-energy, permanent connection between the camera and a smart device for easier transfer of images.

The Panasonic G9's new High Resolution Mode combines 8 shots that are shifted by one pixel every time and then merged together into one super-resolution image, either 40 or 80 megapixels, with the resulting Raw files being a whopping 125Mb in size. The camera ideally needs to be mounted on a tripod or other stable surface and it doesn't work very well if there's a moving subject in the frame, but otherwise it's a great feature that will particularly please landscape photographers looking for the highest possible resolution.

On the video side, the G9 can record 4K movies at 60fps, and there's also a 180fps full HD slow-motion mode. The main difference between the G9 and the GH5 in terms of video is that the former can only record in 4:2:0 8-bit, whereas the latter can record in 4:2:2 10-bit, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for the dedicated videographers out there.

Rear of the Panasonic G9

Located on the front of the Panasonic G9 is a tiny focus-assist and self-timer indicator lamp, lens release button, two customisable Function buttons (one more than the GH5), metal lens mount, flash sync socket and a very deep, rubberised hand-grip that's even nicer to use than the one of the GH5. There's also a brand new Function switch in the bottom-right corner that by default toggles the camera to silent mode/electronic shutter, but as with most buttons that Panasonic add, it can be customised to one of a multitude of different options. The majority of the G9's exterior is a textured black plastic, with the handgrip, right-hand and left-hand corners finished in a tactile rubberised coating.

Most of the differences between the GH5 and the new G9 in terms of control layout are found on top of the camera body. On the left is a newly relocated lockable shooting mode dial, now sitting on top of the burst mode/6K photo/bracketing/self-timer/time-lapse dial. In the middle is an external flash hotshoe, and to the right of that when viewed from the rear is a large status LCD screen, much like you'd find on any prosumer DSLR camera, but new to the Lumix range of mirrorless cameras. It's a useful addition that shows all of the key camera settings in a clear way, and is a feature that we'd expect to see retained on all future high-end Lumix models.

Alongside the status LCD screen is a large one-touch movie record button and a rear control dial that is now more intuitively set into the top-edge of the camera. Also more logical than the GH5 is the row of three buttons - white balance, ISO and exposure compensation, which make it easy to access the camera's key exposure controls- with the front control dial and shutter release button in front, the latter now encircled by the on/off switch. All in all, the inclusion of the status LCD has improved the layout of the top of the camera, instead of making it more cluttered as you might perhaps have expected, so kudos to Panasonic's engineering team here.

The Panasonic G9 employs both a traditional mechanical shutter and a completely silent electronic shutter, which as well as not spooking your subject ensures that it's completely sharp by avoiding any unwanted pixel shifting. The Delay Shutter option helps to remove the effect of hand-shake by releasing the shutter after a specified time (8, 4, 2 or 1 seconds), a feature that's also used for the new High Resolution shooting mode.

Top of the Panasonic G9

The Panasonic G9 starts-up and is ready to take a photo in less than a second, and it takes about 1/2 second to store a JPEG and Raw image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card, with no perceptible LCD blackout between each image. The Panasonic G9 has an amazing Burst mode which enables you to take 60 frames per second with the focus and exposure locked at the first frame, or even more impressively 20 frames per second with full-time AF tracking, both for up to 600 JPEG images or 60 RAW files at the highest image quality. No blackouts occur in the LCD screen even during high-speed burst shooting, which means that you can continue to track your subject whilst shooting at 20fps - impressive stuff.

There are also three 6K Photo functions - 6K Burst Shooting, 6K Burst (Start/Stop) and 6K Pre-burst - which all record continuous 18 megapixel stills at a 30fps shooting rate. 6K Burst allows you to continuously record 18 megapixel images at 30fps, 6K Pre-Burst does the same but for one second prior to and one second after pressing the shutter button in order, giving you 60 frames to choose from, and 6K Burst (S/S) allows you to playback your video, pause at the chosen moment, and use the shutter button to mark a chosen frame from the video and save it as a single 18 megapixel frame. The G9 also offers the same option for 4K Photo, which doubles the capture speed to 60fps but lowers the effective resolution to 8 megapixels.

The traditional shooting mode dial on the left-top of the camera is identical to the GH5, letting you choose from the different exposure modes. The usual selection of Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual are available for the more experienced photographers. Additionally there are 3 custom modes, marked C1, C2 and C3, which allow you to configure your favourite settings and quickly access them, Intelligent Auto for less experienced users, and the Creative Movie mode which provides access to all of the camera's extensive range of video options. The Panasonic G9's Creative Controls, denoted by an artist's palette on the shooting mode dial, offers 22 different options. There are also 8 different customisable Photo Styles in the Main Menu which still allow full control of the camera's settings.

Turning to the rear of the Lumix G9, we find a large 3 inch OLED touchscreen with 100% scene coverage that is almost as good as the GH5, but not quite. This rotating, free-angle monitor is hinged on the left side of the camera and can be flipped out and twisted through 270 degrees. You can use the screen as a waist-level viewfinder, holding the camera overhead, and even for turning the G9 on yourself for the inevitable selfie. There's also the added benefit of being able to fold the screen away against the camera body to protect it, preventing it from becoming unduly marked or scratched. The main difference between the GH5 and G9's screen is that the latter only has 1,040K dot resolution, slightly down on the GH5's 1,620k dots.

Swivelling LCD Screen

The Panasonic G9 inherits the GH5's intuitive touchscreen interface. The most immediately noticeable function is the ability to use the 1-area AF mode to focus on your main subject simply by touching it on the LCD. If the subject then moves, the Panasonic G9 cleverly follows it around the screen using the the AF tracking function. If the subject exits the frame entirely, simply recompose and tap it again to start focusing. Impressive stuff that makes focusing on off-center subjects fast and intuitive. There's also a clever feature called Touchpad AF allows you to move the focus point area with your finger on the LCD while you're looking through the EVF, something that's been "adopted" by other manufacturers. It is a little too easy to accidentally press the screen and set the focus point to the wrong area for the current subject, but a simple tap in the middle of the LCD will center the AF point (or you can turn this feature off altogether). The size of the AF point itself can also be changed via an interactive onscreen slider.

If you prefer to manually focus rather than use the lightning fast AF system, you can magnify any part of the subject by 1x, 5x or 10x by simply dragging the yellow box around the screen. The final touchscreen ability from an image composition point of view is the ability to release the shutter, with a small icon on the right hand screen enabling this functionality, and then a single on-screen tap all that's required to take the picture. All of the menu options can be changed via the touchscreen interface, including the Main menu system. You can also control image playback by touching the screen, with the ability to tap a thumbnail to see the full-size version, scroll through your images by dragging them from side to side, and magnifying them up to 16x.

The clever Post Focus mode allows you to take a series of photos all with a different focus point, and then choose your preferred one after you've captured the shot. This can be more useful for some subjects than others, for example macro shots. Focus Stacking uses the same technology to take multiple shots with different aperture values, then combine them into a single image and choose how much of the subject is in focus, again good news for macro photographers. The Panasonic G9 also has a time lapse function in which you can set the time interval and the number of images to take, plus a multi-exposure option that lets you combine up to four exposures in a single frame, while the Stop Motion Animation mode allows you to create unique stop motion videos.

Compared to the GH5, the Panasonic G9 has a much improved electronic viewfinder. It shares the same 100% field of view, 10000:1 contrast ratio and 3,680K-dot resolution, but now has an even higher magnification ratio of approx.1.66x / 0.83x (up from 1.52x / 0.76x on the GH5), making it a veritable pleasure to look through. The EVF now operates at a native rate of 120fps, twice the speed of the GH5, with a minimum lag of less than 0.005 sec, which helps make it completely flicker-free.

The Panasonic G9 In-hand

Also located on the rear of the Panasonic G9, from left to right, is a Playback button, an LVF button for manually switching between the two viewing methods (useful if you turn the eye sensor off) which can also be configured as the Fn3 button, conveniently located AF/AE Lock button which is surrounded by the AF Type switch, and a thumb-controlled joystick that is more refined and nicer to use than the one on the GH5. It allows you to quickly and easily select the AF point without taking your eyes off the subject and is a very useful inclusion on a camera that is designed to shoot fast moving subjects.

Underneath are the shared Fn1/AF mode button and then an unmarked 4-way navigation pad system with circular scroll wheel and Menu/Set button in the centre. Unlike other G-series cameras, the four directions on the d-pad don't have a specific function, other than to move through and select options, playback images etc. The circular scroll wheel can also accomplish many of the same things. The main menu system on the G9 is the same as on the GH5, namely very clear and straight-forward to use. There are up to 7 main menus represented by a column of icons on the left of the screen, depending on which shooting mode you're currently using, which then show 8 options onscreen at once.

Completing the rear of the Lumix G9 are two more buttons, Quick Menu/Fn2 and Display/Delete. The Q.Menu button provides quick access to most of the principal controls, including ISO speed, image size, image quality and white balance (there are 16 settings in total, depending upon the shooting mode selected). You can still access all of these options from the main menu system too. In the shooting mode, the Display button alternates between turning the display off, the main camera settings as icons, no settings at all, and an Info Display which shows the current key settings in a clear graphical format.

Concluding our tour of the Panasonic G9, on the bottom is a metal tripod socket that's positioned in-line with the middle of the lens barrel, the battery compartment offering up to 380-shot battery life when using the Live Viewfinder, and on the right side are the Remote port and the dual SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slots, which both utilise the fastest UHS-II standard. On the left is the Remote/Mic socket for use with the optional remote shutter release or 3.5mm external microphone, and three connection ports, including a port for external headphones (again 3.5mm in size), latest USB 3.0 port, and a very welcome full-sized HDMI port.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 8Mb.

The Panasonic G9 captured images of excellent quality. It produces noise-free images at ISO 100 to 3200, with limited noise starting to appear at ISO 6400. ISO 12800 exhibits quite visible noise and loss of fine detail, and the fastest setting of ISO 25600 is even noisier but still usable for small prints and web use. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 minutes allowing you to capture plenty of light.

Post Focus and Focus Stacking is a great feature inherited from the Lumix GH5. The Intelligent Resolution, Intelligent D-range and HDR modes are all effective features for capturing more detail in both the shadows and highlights, while the new High Resolution Mode is capable of creating 40 megapixel and 80 megapixel images. The plethora of Creative Controls and Photo Styles allow you to quickly and easily customise the look of the camera's JPEG and Raw images respectively.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Panasonic G9. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPG and Raw files.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
ISO 25600 (100% Crop)	ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Panasonic G9 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 (7.56Mb) (100% Crop)	Standard (3.63Mb) (100% Crop)
RAW (23Mb) (100% Crop)

Night

The Panasonic G9'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 200. The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 30 second setting the actual exposure takes 60 seconds.

Night

Image Stabilisation

The Panasonic G9 has an antishake mechanism which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, we took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with the stabilizer turned off, the second with it turned on.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop)	Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop)
1/6th / 24mm
1/6th / 120mm

Post Focus and Focus Stacking

Post Focus is a function that enables users to select the in-focus area after shooting simply by touching it on the LCD screen. The first three images show the effects of switching between the three memory cards.

The Post Focus Stacking function enables users to take multiple images of the same frame with different areas in focus, then combine all or selected focus areas into one image. The fourth image below shows the effect of merging the first three images into one stacked image.

Right

Middle

Left

Focus Stacking

High Resolution Mode

The Panasonic Lumix GH5's new High Resolution Mode combines 8 shots into either a 40 megapixel or 80 megapixel image to create a super high resolution photo. The resulting Raw files are 125Mb in size.

Off (100% Crop)	LL 40 Megapixel - 7296x5472 pixels (100% Crop)
XL 80.5 Megapixel - 10368x7776 pixels (100% Crop
Off (100% Crop)	LL 40 Megapixel - 7296x5472 pixels (100% Crop)
XL 80.5 Megapixel - 10368x7776 pixels (100% Crop

Intelligent Resolution

The Panasonic Lumix GH5's Intelligent Resolution feature identifies outlines, texture areas and soft gradation areas of the image and then automatically optimizes the edges and detailed texture areas while using noise reduction to make the soft gradation areas smoother. There are three available strengths - low, standard and high.

Off (100% Crop)	Low (100% Crop)
Standard (100% Crop)	High (100% Crop)

Intelligent Dynamic Range

The Panasonic G9's Intelligent D-range setting adjusts the exposure setting to record more detail in the highlights and shadows, with three strengths available - low, standard and high.

Off	Low
Standard	High

HDR

The Panasonic G9's HDR mode combines three pictures taken at different exposures to create one image with greater dynamic range than a single shot.

Off	+1EV
+2EV	+3EV

Multiple Exposure

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G9's Multiple Exposure mode combines two or three different pictures to create one composite image.

Multiple Exposure

Photo Styles

Panasonic's Photo Styles are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and noise reduction settings. The 9 available Photo Styles are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There are also some Custom options so that you can create your own looks.

Standard	Vivid
Natural	Monochrome
L.Monochrome	Scenery
Portrait	Cinelike V
Cinelike D

Filters

The Panasonic G9 has an extensive range of creative Filters with 22 different options on offer.

Expressive	Retro
Old Days	High Key
Low Key	Sepia
Monochrome	Dynamic Monochrome
Rough Monochrome	Silky Monochrome
Impressive Art	High Dynamic
Cross Process	Toy Effect
Toy Pop	Bleach Bypass
Miniature Effect	Soft Focus
Fantasy	Star Filter
One Point Color	Sunshine

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic G9 camera, which were all taken using the 20 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 G9 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

The Lumix G9 is the most well-specified, well-built and well-rounded Panasonic mirrorless camera to date, offering a long list of mouth-watering features with performance and image quality to back them up. This is one camera that can handle almost everything that you'd care to throw at it, from high resolution landscapes to wildlife and sports, from great stills to quality 4K video. While the GH5 still has the edge for serious videographers, as an all-rounder the new G9 is very hard to beat.

It might employ the same 20 megapixel sensor and Venus engine as the GH5, but that hasn't stopped Panasonic from making the G9 even better in terms of still image quality, with better performance in the mid-high ISO range. The new High Resolution mode increases the usability of the camera for landscape and macro photographers, whilst the blistering 20fps burst shooting with full-time AF does the same for sports and action shooters. Where high-end cameras used to specialize in one area - resolution or speed, photo or video - the latest generation are proving equally adept in all areas, and the Panasonic G9 is no exception.

Backing that up is a raft of improvements to the user interface, with the new EVF, status LCD screen, deeper handgrip, and less cluttered control layout all adding up to make this the most pleasurable to use DSLR-like Lumix camera. The rear LCD screen is somewhat incongruously less well specified than on the GH5, but otherwise Panasonic have seen fit to equal or improve almost every area of the G9's operation.

Panasonic are targeting the Fujifilm X-T2 and the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II as the main mirrorless competitors for the new G9, and they've certainly given their rivals, and potential buyers, some serious food for thought...

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

Main Rivals

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

Specifications

News

The Panasonic LUMIX G9 is a new flagship compact system camera that offers the highest picture quality in the history of Panasonic cameras. Featuring a 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor without a low-pass filter, the Panasonic G9 can capture 80-megapixel equivalent images using the new High Resolution mode. Other key features include a 6.5-stop Dual Image Stabilizer, the world’s fastest AF speed of 0.04 sec, 20 fps (AFC) / 60 fps (AFS) burst shooting, a 3680k pixel OLED Live View Finder with a magnification ratio of 1.66x / 0.83x, a 3.0-inch free-angle LCD screen, a status LCD on top of the camera and AF joystick on the rear, dual UHS-II SD Memory Card slots, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and 4K 60p video recording.

The Panasonic LUMIX G9 will be available from January 2018 in three kit options:

• Body Only (RRP: £1,499 / €1,729)
• M Kit – Panasonic G9 & Panasonic 12-60mm Lens (RRP: £1,699/€1,929)
• L Kit – Panasonic G9 & LEICA 12-60mm Lens (RRP: £2,019 / €2,329)

Panasonic UK Press Release

The Ultimate Outdoor & Wildlife Camera LUMIX G9 – featuring Amazing Picture Quality and an 80-megapixel High Resolution Mode

• Highest picture quality in the history of LUMIX cameras
• Advanced Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) and Dual I.S.
• Outstanding tracking performance and high-speed, high-precision AF

Panasonic is proud to introduce a new flagship Compact System Camera, the LUMIX G9 boasts outstanding mobility with ultra-high-speed response. Evolving from the GH5’s high performance, the LUMIX G9 achieves the highest-ever image quality in photo shooting by elevating resolution, gradation and colour reproduction with its 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor without low-pass filter. A High Resolution mode is also added that provides stunning 80-megapixel equivalent images in JPEG /RAW formats in the camera. The Venus Engine renders high-precision yet natural images with its Multipixel Luminance Generation and Intelligent Detail Processing.

The Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) in the LUMIX G9 is dramatically improved, making it possible to use 6.5-stop slower shutter speed. This is achieved by a more accurate calculation of shake in various shooting conditions, utilizing information of angular velocity and motion vector acquired not only from the gyro-sensor but also from the image sensor and accelerometer sensor.

Combining B.I.S. (Body Image Stabilizer, 5-axis) and O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer, 2-axis), the 5-axis Dual I.S. (Image Stabilizer) 2[1] in the LUMIX G9 compensates for larger movements that were conventionally uncontrollable. Maximizing both O.I.S and B.I.S. is highly beneficial in telephoto shots and in adverse situations, such as at night or with one-handed shooting.

The 5-axis Dual I.S. 2 works for both photo and motion picture recording, including 4K video.

The high-speed, high-precision AF with Depth from Defocus  (DFD) technology achieves the world’s fastest[2] AF speed of 0.04 sec[3], which is the fastest in the industry[4]. With its high tracking performance, the LUMIX G9 never loses the target.

The LUMIX G9 also boasts the fastest-in-class[5] 20 fps (AFC) / 60 fps (AFS) in 20.3-megapixel full resolution to capture those unmissable moments. Complying with 6K/4K PHOTO, users can choose the most suitable burst shooting mode in addition to the regular consecutive shooting mode depending on the situation.

The LUMIX G9 has the largest-in-class[6] LVF (Live View Finder) with a stunningly high magnification ratio of approx.1.66x / 0.83x (35mm camera equivalent). No blackouts occur even in high-speed burst shooting[7]. Night mode and an AF Point Scope function are also integrated.

Adoption of OLED for the LVF achieves smooth display at 120 fps and high speed response with minimum lag of less than 0.005 sec as well as 10,000:1 high contrast for exceptional visibility.

To withstand heavy field use, the LUMIX G9 is constructed of a magnesium alloy full die-cast front / rear frame and is not only splash proof[8] and dustproof but also freezeproof down to -10 degrees centigrade. The largest-in-class Status LCD on the top makes shooting even easier and more  comfortable. For the rear monitor, a 3.0-inch free-angle LCD in 3:2 aspect with 1,040K-dot high resolution is equipped. The G9 has a double SD Memory Card slot, compatible with the high-speed, high-capacity UHS-II.

The LUMIX G9 includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi® connectivity to offer a more flexible shooting experience and instant image sharing with easy operation. Compatibility with Bluetooth 4.2 (called BLE: Bluetooth Low Energy) enables constant connection with a smartphone or tablet with minimum power consumption. For Wi-Fi, 5GHz (IEEE802.11ac) can be selected in addition to the conventional 2.4GHz (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) for an even more secure and stable connection.

The Panasonic LUMIX G9 will be available from January 2018 in three kit options;

• Body Only (RRP: £1,499 / €1,729)
• M Kit – Panasonic Lumix G9 & Panasonic 12-60mm Lens (RRP: £1,699/€1,929)
• L Kit – Panasonic Lumix G9 & LEICA 12-60mm Lens (RRP: £2,019 / €2,329)

For the latest news and information, follow @LumixUK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

[1] 5-Axis Dual I.S.2 can be used with the following lenses as of November 8, 2017: H-FS14140, H-RS100400, H-ES200, H-ES12060, H-HSA12035, H-HSA35100, H-FSA45200 and H-FSA100300. Firmware update is required for some lenses.

[2] With H-ES12060, as a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of November 8, 2017

[3]  In 1-Area AF, at wide-end with H-ES12060 (CIPA) in LVF120 fps setting.

[4] As a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of November 8, 2017.

[5] As a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of November 8, 2017.

[6] As a Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera, as of November 8, 2017.

[7] In AFC 20 fps/ AFS 60 fps setting.

[8] Splash Proof is a term used to describe an extra level of protection this camera offers against exposure to a minimal amount of moisture, water or dust. Splash Proof does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this camera is subjected to direct contact with water.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

First Impressions

The Panasonic G9 is a new flagship compact system camera that boasts a 20 megapixel sensor, 20fps burst shooting with full-time AF or 60fps without, 80 megapixel multi-shot high-resolution mode, 6.5-stops dual image stabilisation, a vari-angle touchscreen, an OLED electronic viewfinder and 4K video recording. We've spent a little time getting to know the Panasonic G9, so check out our first impressions of Panasonic's impressive new compact system camera...

Panasonic G9 - Ease of Use

At first glance the Panasonic G9 looks much like its predecessor, the G80, and its sister camera, the GH5, sporting a similar DSLR-like design. The new G9 manages to squeeze a thumb-operated AF joystick, status LCD screen, dual SD card slots and a 920-shot battery into a similarly-sized body, while the addition of a wealth of new features make the G9 a much more serious proposition than the mid-range G80 - this is clearly meant to be a camera for the serious enthusiast and professional user.

The G9 is a very fast camera indeed, offering 20fps burst shooting with Full AF/AE tracking for up to 50 JPEG / RAW images in one high-speed burst, using the completely silent electronic shutter and a UHS-II SDXC card. It can also shoot continuously at up to 60fps with AF/AE set at the first frame. This outguns one of the G9's main rivals, the Fujifilm X-T2, which can shoot at 14fps for 42 JPEGs or 28 compressed RAW files if you similarly use a UHS-II SDXC card and the electronic shutter.

The G9 features a very impressive OLED electronic viewfinder with approximately 3,680k dots, a magnification of 0.83x and a 120fps refresh rate, ensuring that there are no blackouts even during high-speed burst shooting. It also has a vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen with 1040K dots on the rear and there's a generously sized monochrome status LCD screen on top of the camera, much like you'd find on a prosumer DSLR. So there's lot of ways to view/change the camera's settings.

The auto-focusing system in the Panasonic G9 is the same as the GH5, with 225 contrast-detection AF points and 6 different AF modes, although it's ever so slightly faster, offering the world’s fastest AF speed of 0.04 sec (the GH5's speed is 0.05 sec). There are also 4 different Custom AF pre-sets available so that you can quickly switch between different AF methods to suit different subjects.

The key differences between the new Panasonic G9 and the more video-centric GH5 camera include the 80 megapixel high-res mode, more effective dual I.S. system, slightly faster auto-focusing, faster 1/32000th shutter speed (electronic shutter), much faster burst shooting, higher magnification viewfinder, and the status LCD screen, all in favour of the G9.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Panasonic G9 camera.

Panasonic G9 - Image Quality

The Panasonic G9 has exactly the same 20 megapixel sensor and image processor as the GH5 camera, but thanks to some significant internal improvements it offers the "best stills image quality of any Panasonic camera to date", including the GH5- at least according to Panasonic. It does this by applying less aggressive noise reduction than the GH5 in the mid-high ISOs, which results in more fine detail and punchier colours. In addition, there's a special new 80 megapixel mode where the G9 takes 8 shots that are shifted by one pixel every time and then merged together into one super-resolution image. Panasonic showed us some large prints that definitely seemed to benefit greatly from using this new mode, if your subject allows it.

Take a look at some official sample images taken with the Panasonic G9 camera.

On the video side, it can record 4K movies at 60fps, and there's also a 180fps full HD slow-motion mode. The main difference between the G9 and the GH5 in terms of video is that the former can only record in 4:2:0 8-bit, whereas the latter can record in 4:2:2 10-bit, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for the dedicated videographers out there.

Panasonic G9 - Early Verdict

Building on the run-away success of the more video-centric GH5, Panasonic have focused their attentions on the stills photographer with the new G9, aiming to make the "ultimate photography camera" whilst trying to take on and beat the market leading compact system camera in this price bracket, the Fujifilm X-T2, and the likes of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. They certainly seemed to have ticked all of the boxes and more in terms of desirable features, while a body-only price of £1499 in the UK undercuts the main competition. We can't wait to test the new Panasonic G9 more fully...

So what do you think of the new Panasonic G9? Leave a comment below..

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Panasonic G9 camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our massive hands-on gallery of photos of the Panasonic Lumix G9 camera, including:

• the Panasonic G9 with the Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 lens
• the Panasonic G9 with the Leica 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 lens
• the Panasonic G9 with the new Leica 200mm f/2.8 lens
• a side-by-side comparison of the Panasonic G9 with the GH5 model
• with the new BGG9E battery grip fitted

A gallery of hands-on photos of the new Panasonic Lumix G9 camera.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images (JPEG and Raw) taken with the new Panasonic Lumix G9 compact system camera. The Panasonic G9 is a flagship compact system camera that promises the best ever still image quality from a Panasonic camera.

A gallery of sample images taken with a final production version of the Panasonic Lumix G9 compact system camera, including some photos shot using the new High resolution Mode (the last 6 images in the gallery, numbers 54-59).

Panasonic G9 Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The Panasonic G9 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 Movie & Video

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