At the beginning of 2017, Panasonic announced the GH5 and it took the video world by storm. The video powerhouse offered a new 20.3-megapixel 4/3 type sensor, 5-Axis Dual I.S. with up to 5 stops of compensation, and internal 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 recording. Over the course of the year, the camera only became better via firmware updates from Panasonic.

While the Lumix GH5 did excel in video-centric tasks, many users found that the sills functions lagged behind the competition, namely, the cameras offered by Sony amongst others.  In what can be described as a beautiful companion to the GH5, Panasonic has recently announced the G9, a micro 4/3 powerhouse geared more toward the professional stills market.

Specs:

  • 20.3 Megapixel sensor
  • 5-axis in-body image stabilization system with DUAL IS image stabilization
  • 4K UHD video at up to 60p
  • 60 FPS shooting fixed focus, 20 fps shooting with continuous autofocus
  • Advanced DFD autofocus
  • Dual UHS-II SD card slots
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

The Venus 10 image processor is also borrowed from the GH5, but reaches a new level with the G9. Panasonic boasts the G9 can achieve autofocus in just 0.04 seconds, thanks to its refined Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology. The maximum shutter speed of the mechanical shutter is 1/8000 second, with the electronic shutter capable of achieving a fully silent 1/32,000 second. The 5-axis in-body stabilization has been improved to up to 1.5 extra stops, totaling 6.5 of compensation.


Taking inspiration from the Sony A9, the G9 can shoot full resolution 20.3-megapixel burst up to 20 fps using the electronic shutter with no blackout in continuous AF mode. A blazing 60 fps can be achieved in the fixed focus AF-S mode. Although the spec sheets may seem similar, the Panasonic G9 buffer is limited up to 50 RAW or JPEG images vs the A9‘s over 200 images and the A7R III’s 76 images.

The Lumix G9 offers a new 80-megapixel high-resolution mode, which shifts the sensor between a series of eight shots to create a single ultra-detailed image in a similar way the  Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Pentax K-1 does.

The Lumix G9 is rounded out with a 3-inch fully articulating touchscreen, two UHS-II SD memory card slots, 802.11ac WIFI, Bluetooth 4.2 LE and ports for HDMI, microphone, headphone, flash sync, USB 3.0 (Micro B) and a wired remote. Panasonic’s Lumix G9 will be available in January 2018 from B&H starting at $1,699 for the body-only. Pre-orders can be made here.