Lumix G9 after one year of practice

Relatively exactly one year ago, I took advantage of a cash back promotion and replaced the Lumix G81 I had been using until then with the Lumix G9. Here are my long-term experiences.

Introduction

The Lumix G9 was available at an unbeatable price and I couldn’t resist. It replaced the Lumix G81 in the photo sector, but I still like to use it as a second camera or for my YouTube videos.

The Lumix G9 leaves hardly anything to be desired in terms of features, and the firmware update has also done a lot for the video area.

For me, the Lumix G9 was and is an optimal hybrid camera that covers both the photo and video areas very well.

Good bye full frame

I’ve had a Lumix camera with the mFT sensor for quite some time. It started with the Lumix G6 and then came the Lumix G81 And for the first time I wrote in September 2018 about whether an mFT camera is not sufficient.

I have partly taken both equipment on tours or on vacation and also in landscape photography more and more noticed that the difference between a Canon 6D MK II and a Lumix G81 is not so terribly big.

Of course, this is also due to the fact that I already started to expand the lens park with the Lumix G6. But the Lumix G9 then initiated the changeover.

The results

Since I mainly do landscape, architecture and also macro photography, the results of the Lumix G9 have always convinced me. Even though the Lumix G9 is not one of the small mFT cameras, the weight savings for a complete kit compared to full frame is still enormous.

And even comparison shots with full-frame could not shake that. The richness of detail of the images is convincing and in the meantime there are also first exposures on 50x70cm and that is also no problem.

So I don’t regret the switch away from full-frame at all. And even the few cases where I have to use high ISO settings, for example, Denoise AI helps further or DxO Photolab.

Are there any negative experiences?

The camera can be customized to a large extent to one’s own needs, either through a dedicated menu or that, for example, certain settings are saved to the function keys C1-C3.

Also the equipment with functions itself, like interval timer, focus bracketing, high continuous shooting speed, 2 card slots and even more leave hardly any wishes unfulfilled.

But there are also a few suggestions/criticisms:

• The shutter button is actually way too sensitive and here the point where the shutter button half pressed should only focus is hard to find.
• Geotagging of photos only works directly with a smartphone on the Lumix G9, batch processing like on the Lumix G81 would make more sense here.
• The image style for JPEG recordings cannot be separated for JPEG and video recordings
• The Panasonic Image app doesn’t display the audio level, let alone allow you to adjust it.

Conclusion

After a year, I don’t regret switching to the Lumix G9. I also don’t regret giving up full frame. I am now very completely equipped with the Lumix or the mFT system and can use it to meet my needs for both video and photo. Sure, the Lumix G9 isn’t the smallest camera, but it feels good in the hand and offers numerous useful features that I wouldn’t want to miss.

And even though the Lumix G9 isn’t exactly small, it’s the weight savings of a full kit with multiple lenses that counts. And for my photo subjects, mFT is perfectly adequate.

What do you think about it? Write it in the comments.

ciao tuxoche