Panasonic G9

Archiver said:
Yeah, they are probably trying to protect the GH5. Even lower price cameras like the G85 have unlimited video, and the LX10 and GX85 do unlimited video in AVCHD. The G9 does everything I would want from the GH5 except for unlimited video recording, so having record limits makes sense. Panasonic even removed the ability to perform an unlimited video hack when they updated the firmware late 2019.

The choice is clear, though. If you want unlimited high quality 4K 60p video from Panasonic, the GH5 and GH5S are the way to go.
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I don’t think the reason is so dramatic as an implied conspiracy to protect GH sales. It has to do with import fees into the EU based on equipment category, cameras with >30 minute record time are taxed at a different rate, as they’re assumed to be professional video gear versus <30 minutes is assumed to be consumer grade.
 
I would also double check that the 30 min limit stated in the G9 is actually accurate..
As in..my lowly G7..says in the specs that it has a 29.9 min limit..
But..it's not..I can run that thing to the limit of the memory card...over an hour..
 
I almost never need to record beyond 30 minutes. But if I did, I have a GH5.
Most clips are short but I shoot stills almost exclusively.
 
I just got a Metabones Speedbooster XL II, and it has given new life to my Canon lenses. The 24-105L is like a 30-135mm, giving a very flexible range. It transforms from f4 to f2.5, helping with lower light situations. Autofocus is a tiny bit slower than native lenses, but it's fine for me.

I also picked up a Sigma 18-35, and it is soooo good. On the Speedbooster XL it becomes 25-45mm f1.1, and with the Ex-Tele function on the G9, I get a bit more range and the same low light performance. This setup is heavy, but the combination effectively replaces the need to switch between the Olympus 12/2, 17/1.8 and 50/1.8.

As an aside, the Sigma works beautifully on my 13 year old Canon 30D, giving a 27.5-52mm equivalent. Man, I wish I had this lens back in 2007--2010. I feel like taking the 30D out again.

With a Canon to Pentax K adapter, I'll be able to put my Pentax lenses on the G9, with boosted aperture. It will be so cool.
 
With regards to the hair-trigger shutter release, I added a Lolumina stick-on soft release to mine - makes it much easier to press the button gently and get a predictable rather than premature release.
 
After some experimentation with the 12-35mm f2.8 and 35-100mm f2.8 on the G9, along with the Olympus 17mm f1.8, I can say that I'm pretty satisfied with using face and body autofocus for daylight action photography. Autofocus on faces and bodies is fast and accurate, and paired with high speed burst, will give you a lot of choice for images.

I have yet to use this in lower contrast / lower light situations, but this will come. When amateur sports events start up in Australia again, I'll be very keen to try the G9 there.

Image quality itself is interesting. It's obviously not as good as a full frame camera, not even as good as the 11 year old Canon 5D Mark II, with a seemingly 'thinner' image. I can only imagine what a modern full frame mirrorless like the Nikon Z6 or Sony A7 III would be like. But the G9's autofocus far surpasses the Canon's, so I end up with more keepers for action.
 
I’ve been working on two G9’s for at least 6 months now. I have one set up for video, with a Tascam field recorder for shotgun and lav duty. I have also set-up a custom cine-d profile and I have the battery grip on it for extra juice. The second G9 is rigged for stills with a CU profile for quick switch to video.

I have found the face tracking to perform superbly. Specifically when you register the faces with the camera. I also find the AF tracking a little unnerving as I am used to seeing the camera working to maintain focus. The G9 stays locked on and is so fast I often think nothing is happening. I used to shoot almost everything in manual focus with peaking. This is the first camera I have had the confidence in to use af tracking.

The unlimited record times have never been an issue for me as I can’t remember ever shooting 15min plus clips. I have an FZ2500 with the wall power adapter for that sort of thing but never have had the need to use it.

Image quality wise I am fairly easy to please. I’ve worked on point and shoots for a very long time so this is a huge step up. I also come from the film days where get it right in camera was an mantra so manipulating the files is at a minimum for me. I spent 2 years covering a civil war with 2 Fuji x100 originals and a Sony a77 for video. Neither of those cameras were particularly well regarded for the purpose but it worked. Now, when using the G9’s I feel like I’m on vacation ;)

Archiver said:
I can see why.

Yesterday, I was out for a work shoot (first time in ages since this pandemic hit, followed all social distancing mandates) and was amazed by how well this camera performed compared with the GH4. The GH4 has been my work camera for over five years, and the G9 stunned me.

1. Usable one touch autofocus. The GH4 was pretty patchy for autofocus, particularly in 4K mode. The G9 snaps on so fast that I thought the camera was messing up the AF. No, it was accurate 95% of the time, and when it was inaccurate, there was the same issue of subject contrast that you get with any contrast based AF system. Aim focus at a place with some contrast and AF is dead accurate.

2. Face detection. Shot a couple of interviews and the G9's AF locked on the faces like a dog on a chew toy. All you need to do is set face/animal AF at it works. It even recognizes human body shapes, not just faces.

3. Colour and exposure. The auto white balance and auto exposure of the GH4 were quirky. The GH4 consistently exposed a third to a full stop lower than what the exposure meter read for video, so I had to train myself to overexpose and compensate for this. Not so on the G9, which has dead on exposure.

I have a custom Cinelike-D profile which I use for video, and the colours were excellent, better than the GH4. I always turn in-camera sharpening down all the way, and the G9 seems to apply even less sharpening than the GH4. Great for my purposes as I grade my footage.

4. Handling. One issue that many talk about with the G9 is the very sensitive shutter button. If you're not careful, a half press becomes a full press, so you can accidentally start or stop shooting if you're not careful. You can assign AF to the back button, and start recording with the red Record button instead, and this worked perfectly. Again, one touch AF was so fast I thought it wasn't working properly. No, this is how AF is supposed to work now.

The grip is thick and supportive, and gives a real sense of security. All the buttons are where you want them to be, easily accessible with minimal hand adjustment. Depending on how you hold the camera, buttons become accessible without having to move your hand at all. The front function buttons are a godsend, why has this not been in mirrorless cameras for so long?

I've assigned shooting profiles to the three main Custom modes on the mode dial, and have a general shooting profile on the M(video) mode, so I get four shooting profiles in an instant.

Auto ISO is easily controlled, and you can set the upper limit to Auto ISO with the click of the front wheel when you enter that setting. It's amazing. And because ISO 3200 is relatively clean for video, I can set this as the upper limit and let the camera handle exposure for me. If I want more control, I just switch to manual ISO setting, which is only a button press and wheel click away.

IBIS is so good, especially when paired with Panasonic lenses with IS. Newer IS lenses even allow 'Dual IS II' which means the lens and camera talk to each other to create the most stable footage it can manage.

The only downsides I've seen is that battery life is a fair bit less than on the GH4, which is understandable given the drain that IBIS and constant AF calculation puts on the system. I also shoot in 4K 50p most of the time, which might add to the power usage.

The Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8 v1 has micro jitters, which are especially noticeable at the long end, and this has not improved with the G9's IBIS. So I just leave that off for most situations, and I primarily shoot with a monopod anyway.

Record time is limited to 10 minutes in 4K 60/50p, and 30 minutes in 4K 24/25p. Unlike some less expensive Panasonics, there is no unlimited recording in AVCHD. This is okay for my purposes as I mostly shoot 50p for less than 10 minutes and 25p for less than 30 minutes anyway. If there's a long form recording like a long interview or concert/event, I'll use the GH4 or GH3 like I normally do.

I'm so pleased. I bought the G9 thinking that it would be a fun camera for stills and travel video, now I find out it can be a completely solid work camera that replaces the GH4. I can't wait to test out the rapid burst mode for action photography. I'm even contemplating picking up another G9 when prices and finances allow.
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A few G9 images, nothing too special, but having this solid, beautifully performing camera glue itself into your hand is amazing.

G9 - The Last Days of Autumn by Archiver, on Flickr

This was taken with the Olympus 25mm f1.8. With this lens, the G9 is light and agile, and shallow depth of field is easily created. The lens itself has great quality, although I'm keen to try the f1.2 version, as I am told that it has a lower T-stop at f1.8 than the f1.8 version, meaning you can use lower exposure settings.


G9 - The Second Wave by Archiver, on Flickr

I took this while the surfer was standing in front of me on a descending beach staircase. The wind whipped through us as we both enjoyed the freedom of the first week after lockdown was relaxed.


G9 - Pier in Blue by Archiver, on Flickr

This image shows how detailed higher ISO images can be with the G9. This was at f2.8 and ISO 1600.

Again, the image quality isn't as good as the 12 year old 5D Mark II, but it's definitely serviceable, and so good to shoot.
 
I've finally got the Olympus 17mm f1.2 and 45mm f1.2, and it was with a bit of caution. There's reports online that the 17/1.2 might have a backfocus issue with the G9, but not on other m43 cameras. The good news is that the 17/1.2 doesn't seem to have any backfocus issue with the G9. The bad news is that the 45/1.2 does. It seems to focus fine on my E-M5 original, and does okay with my GX85, but it doesn't quite focus right with the G9, especially at shorter distances. This is not cool.


I will update the firmware on the lenses and camera just in case. And it's kicked off another bit of GAS for a secondhand E-M1 Mark II, because chances are it will focus fine on that camera!
 
Further G9 updates:

The Olympus 17mm and 45mm f1.2 Pro lenses work perfectly on the G9. There were some reports of backfocusing, but this has not been a problem at all.

The IBIS in the G9 works wonderfully, and I no longer need a monopod for most jobs. It enables me to sling the G9 over one shoulder for video, and another camera over the other shoulder for stills.

Face detection for interviews works really well, although I don't use tracking, just one-touch AF.

I've shot promo images of athletes for a big sportswear brand and a few smaller sports brands, and no one has complained in the slightest about image quality. It's not full frame Sony/Nikon levels of dynamic range, but it works. The Olympus Pro lenses are great in this regard.

Autofocus for fast action is still kind of patchy, not what I understand Sony A9 autofocus to be. But for general shooting it's perfectly serviceable.

I did a work trip with the G9 and Metabones Speedbooster XL II, Canon 24-105 and Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2, and did not need another lens. It was superb. Although I have since found that the Sigma 18-35 pairs well for more flexible low light shooting.

I shot a wedding in December with the G9 + Olympus 45mm f1.2, Canon 5D Mark II + 35L and Leica M9 + Summicron 50 and Voigtlander 35/1.4. Did not need another lens or camera and the clients were thrilled with the results. There were definitely times when I felt that the 5D Mark II + 35L could have been replaced with another G9 and Olympus 17mm f1.2. The G9 with the 45mm Pro was a perfect portrait combination, locking on to faces and eyes and providing a soft, creamy background.

Shot video for an event on the weekend with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8, Oly 45mm Pro, Sigma 18-35 on Speedbooster XL. The combination of G9 and 12-35 was so light, I could hold it with one hand and yet get very stable footage.

I'm getting a Sigma 24-105 to replace my aging and fault Canon 24-105 v1. Am also thinking of getting the Panasonic 10-25mm f1.7 for low light ultra wide angle shooting, but that's a fair chunk of cash. We shall see.
 
kshapero said:
Really how is the EVF on the G9? In sunny Florida EVF's have a tendency to go "blind" from so much light. Any improvement in that regard?
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Akiva,
I have been impressed with the EVF on the G9. The rubber surround seems to work really well at keeping Light from creeping in. I added the accessory eye cup which works even better.
 
Archiver said:
....This image shows how detailed higher ISO images can be with the G9. This was at f2.8 and ISO 1600.

Again, the image quality isn't as good as the 12 year old 5D Mark II, but it's definitely serviceable, and so good to shoot.
.....
Further G9 updates:

...There were definitely times when I felt that the 5D Mark II + 35L could have been replaced with another G9 and Olympus 17mm f1.2....
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So, could be 5D MK II with 24-105 F4 L v1 been replaced with G9 and pLeica 12-60 ? Shouldn't be an issue for outdoors, I guess, but indoors, people are moving, not static ? Flash?
I'm split between Nikon Z6 (for high ISO, but not my style of colors, overpriced memory cards) and G9 with pLeica zoom, because it has one of the best colors (without film emulation :) ).
 
Ko.Fe. said:
So, could be 5D MK II with 24-105 F4 L v1 been replaced with G9 and pLeica 12-60 ? Shouldn't be an issue for outdoors, I guess, but indoors, people are moving, not static ? Flash?
I'm split between Nikon Z6 (for high ISO, but not my style of colors, overpriced memory cards) and G9 with pLeica zoom, because it has one of the best colors (without film emulation :) ).
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the PanaLeica 12-60 yet, but note that it has a variable aperture of f2.8 to f4, which gives f5.6 to f8 in full frame depth of field. This may or may not matter to you. To get the equivalent depth of field of full frame f4, you need a f2 lens in m43, which means the Olympus 12/2, or any of the lower aperture lenses like the Olympus 16, 25 and 45 f1.8. The Pana Leica 10-25 f1.7 is playing in the same ballpark, and I could happily replace the 5D Mark II with that combination.

I have to say that the G9's files still don't quite have the same depth or richness of colour of the 5D Mark II, which was a real workhorse and set the benchmark for full frame cameras at the time. Canon touted it as having the highest image quality of any of their DSLR's, including the pro level 1D models.

For indoors and people moving, fast lenses are recommended for the G9. I like the Olympus f1.2 Pro primes, but this raises price yet again. I'm looking forward to doing some more shooting with the G9 later this week, now that lockdown has been lifted in Melbourne. If it's any indication, I hardly even shoot with the 5D Mark II for work these days, and prefer the G9 with Olympus f1.2 primes, or my recent Panasonic S5 with 50mm f1.8. When budget allows, I'll get more of the f1.8 primes because I really like the way the 50mm handles and renders.
 
Eight months and thousands of frames later, I still love this camera. The handling is better than anything else I've tried, including Canon DSLR's, other m43 cameras like the GH3, GH4, GX85; Fuji X whatevers, with only the Panasonic S1H coming close. I'm used to the very soft shutter release now.

The autofocus system is mostly reliable, extremely fast with Panasonic native lenses, and still super fast with Olympus f1.2 primes. In fact, the G9 with 25 Pro has faster AF than the Panasonic S5 with the native Lumix 50mm f1.8. I haven't tried the 50mm f1.4 yet.

Speaking of autofocus, the G9 with Speedbooster XL is actually quite okay with Canon and Sigma EF mount lenses, certainly better than the substandard performance of the Sigma MC21 adapter on the Panasonic S5.

In a natural light portrait shoot this year, I used the G9 with 25 Pro and 45 Pro, and the S5 with Lumix 50/1.8, and the G9's image quality was surprisingly comparable. The S5 had more dynamic range and smoother highlight rolloff, but the colours, sharpness and overall look of the G9 with Pro primes was more than acceptable, and the client was over the moon.

I've also shot numerous sporting events and been able to capture action with the G9 and f1.2 primes with ease. After some more fiddling with Lightroom and side by side comparisons with my favourite Leica M9 images, I'm more than happy with the colours and overall look that the G9 with Pro primes produce.

Caveats: the rubber on the memory card door is coming off, despite shoving it back into the recess each time I use it. The G9 cannot shoot in v-log unless you buy the firmware upgrade, annoyingly. The AF tracking is still not really usable, or maybe I haven't figured out how to use it properly.

Apart from that, this is one of the most fun and engaging cameras I've used in a long time. It's no Leica M, but it is that much more versatile due to the range of lenses, autofocus, video recording and IBIS. Would I take it on a trip in lieu of the M9? I already have, and was mostly satisfied. There were times when I missed my M9 and Distagon 35, but the flexibility of the G9 was what was needed, and the images absolutely satisfactory.
 
A few G9 images taken with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 v2. I went out on Australia Day earlier this year and spent some sweet time enjoying myself. Really ought to do this more. Still very happy with the G9, which I use for work as part of a duo with the S5, or trio with the S5 and Leica M9.

G9 - Silver Sister by Archiver, on Flickr

G9 - In My Head by Archiver, on Flickr

G9 - Hama Film by Archiver, on Flickr
 
In another few months, I will have owned the G9 for four years. I bought mine just before the awful lockdowns of 2020, and have thoroughly enjoyed using it ever since. What's surprising is that I used the GH4 for five years, and it seemed like a long time, whereas the G9's time feels much shorter. Maybe it was all that downtime during 2020 and 2021. The G9 still feels current, whereas the GH4 felt like it was getting long in the tooth by the fourth year.

About a year ago, I bought the paid firmware upgrade which enabled v-log L picture profile. This is a pro level colour profile which maximizes dynamic range in video, allowing up to 12 stops as opposed to the usual 9-10 stops in the usual Natural profile. This, along with 10bit footage, provides very robust video which can take colour grading very well. The colours are much better, dynamic range is noticeably better, and overall the image has a richness and thickness that it didn't have before. I've been using the G9 with this colour profile for a year, and it matches the v-log profile of the Panasonic S5 very well. I'm so happy with the image quality of the G9 for general shooting - it could be better for paid/higher level work, but it is adequate as a B-cam to the S5.

With the Olympus f1.2 primes, autofocus is very fast and accurate, definitely faster than the S5 with Panasonic 50mm f1.8. I haven't tried any other Panasonic L mount primes with the S5 yet, but the Olympus 1.2 lenses are amazing on the G9.

The rubber on the battery door has come off. This is a known fault, where the rubber on the door seems to expand and unpeel itself. Eventually I just pulled it off and cleaned the adhesive residue, and it feels fine. The G9 still has the most comfortable grip I've used in any camera. I'm tempted to get an aftermarket battery grip while they are still available, just for the heck of it.

Speaking of batteries, the higher capacity S5 batteries are backwards compatible with the G9, so I only have to take S5 batteries and one dual charger with me on shoots that use both cameras.

The G9 II is in my future, but not until prices come down considerably. Until then, the G9 keeps its prime position in my kit.
 
I recently got the Leica DG Summilux 15/1.7 lens for my G7 & GH3, and it focuses very fast, making my G7 into a new camera! Eventually I’ll get a G9/ii.
 
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