This is the long awaited follow up to the much loved Lumix G9. The new G9 Mark II!
Now for the usual disclaimer. Thanks to Panasonic Australia I have been able to try out this camera for several months for one of my long term reviews but no money was exchanged nor do they get to review this video before it goes up. Thus my opinions are solely my own and by no means is this a technical review. Just my experience with it using it both in my professional and personal work.
The OG G9 signified a coming of age for the line up. It showed that Lumix was committed to bringing a true competitor to the venerable Olympus OM-D E-M1 series which was onto the Mark II by that point. It’s predecessors the G85 and G7 before it were ok cameras, but far from what anyone would describe as exciting. The G9 was a true flag ship for the line. A showcase of the best of what Lumix had to offer at the time in a rugged attractive body and for their efforts it garnered a cult following.
Original Panasonic Lumix G9
So understandably the G9 II arrived with both fan fair and controversy amongst the user base. It’s like a musician with a stellar first album. How do you follow that up? Lumix decided to give it a whole new body borrowing the DNA from the S5 line up, a new 25mp sensor and arguably the real show stopper a brand new phase detect auto focus system also brought over from the S5 line up.
Obviously it comes with all the things you come to expect from Lumix line up like the class leading image stabilization, exceptional colour science and brilliant ergonomics.
The auto focus system definitely makes it far more reliable in situations where AF is crucial both in stills and video, rivalling that of what other brands offer unless you are the most fussy of shooters. Be it small birds or surfers catching some waves. Getting the shot has become a whole lot easier.
The new 25mp sensor and accompanying processor delivers wonderful images, in the right hands obviously. What really surprised me was when I was out shooting it at night in the Melbourne CBD on a work trip and how well it actually performed in low light. I think it has definitely decreased the gap between M43 and much larger sensor cameras in terms of low light performance, traditionally one of the weak points of the m43 system.
This camera is no slouch when it comes to videos either giving the GH6 at the time of release a run for its money with all the bells and whistles you’d want as a content creator or someone who wants to dabble a bit further than what your phone can offer in terms of editing head room.
We can’t overlook the introduction of the Real Time LUT feature that allows you to deliver images in a ready to share images with your own flare. Obviously this works with video too but I think with stills is where it will appeal to a lot of people.
So having used it both for professional and personal work, what do I think? The camera is one of the best cameras you can get in the M43 ecosystem if you want access to the plethora of lenses and other advantages the system offers. Beyond that it is a solid contender if you are looking for a great rugged travel camera but want to keep your kit small without sacrificing image quality in both stills and video. As with most modern flagships it is definitely up to the task in a professional environment.
So if you are looking to upgrade or wanting a small system that is versatile for your creative requirements the Panasonic Lumix G9 Mark II is definitely worth the consideration.
