Panasonic G9 II Review: Panasonic’s Flagship Video Camera

I know what we’re all thinking… Does this new Panasonic LUMIX G9 II have a Phase Detection Autofocus system?… Yes!  It does, and it works a treat!  The Panasonic LUMIX G9 II is the best hybrid Micro Four Thirds camera.  As a GH5 II and GH6 owner, the G9 II took things to the next level.

Main & About

The LUMX G9 II is not just an incremental upgrade over the original G9; it’s a total reworking and powerhouse of a hybrid camera combining the video features of the GH6, S5IIX, and then some!  The video and photo quality from this true hybrid camera is something else.  I’ll share what I’ve learned, how it performs, and plenty of test samples.

Welcome back, folks, my name is Shane.  Welcome to the new studio!  In today’s article, we check out the long-awaited Panasonic Lumix G9 II.  That’s Right!  We have a brand new Micro Four Thirds camera, the most powerful Micro Four Thirds Hybrid Camera on the market.  No joke!  This is the first of a series of videos you’ll see on the channel.

New Features, New Power

The Lumix G9 was traditionally known as a photo-centric camera with great but limited video features.  The G9 II is not only a great photography camera but has all the power of the GH6, with the form factor and body of the LUMIX S5II (see my review).  At the time of filming, the G9 II is priced at $1899, which puts it 300 dollars lower than the Olympus OM-1 and Panasonic GH6.

The new Phase Detection Autofocus in the G9 II works beautifully and is more advanced than the S5IIX.  In many ways, the LUMIX G9 II is the GH6 we were all waiting for!

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IBIS Performance is Insanely Good!

Furthermore, the LUMIX G9 II has the best body image stabilization I have ever tested on any interchangeable lens camera system.  It’s Crazy!  It’s almost approaching GoPro Levels of stabilization, which is very impressive.

Disclaimer

Before we get started, a huge thanks to Panasonic for the loan of the LUMIX G9 II.  I don’t get to keep it, no money changed hands, and all thoughts about it are my own.   The video review above is long, so check the YouTube timestamps in the description box to skip ahead.

Sensor, Processor, and Quick Specs

Let’s cover everything you need to know about the Panasonic LUMIX G9 II.  We get an all-new 25.2 Mega Pixel Sensor and a brand-new image processor.  Pair that with the full version of VLOG, and we get up to 13+ stops of dynamic range.  Like other new cameras from Lumix, the G9 II supports the Real-Time LUT loader option, allowing you to burn a LUT during filming.  This is a great way to speed up your workflow using the same LUT in editing.

Dynamic Range Boost

The Panasonic G9 II has done away with the Dynamic Range Boost Feature in the GH6.  This is where you’d get an extra stop of dynamic range in the highlights by turning DR Boost on.  DR Boost worked in some modes and not others, and having it greyed out wasn’t always ideal if the shooting mode didn’t support it.

The LUMIX G9 II gives you a seamless DR Boost experience, essentially having it on the entire time unless you’re shooting above 60.  This means your ISO won’t ramp up to 2000, making shooting without an ND filter much easier.  This automatic mode is less confusing while giving you the full benefit of the full dynamic range without finding it in the menu or mapping it to a button.

When you switch to 4K120, you’ll get the standard 12 stops of the sensor, and anything 60p and under will offer the full 13+ stops.  This is a much better integration of DR Boost.

Video Modes

You can shoot video up to 5.8k open gate with a 4:3 aspect ratio in 4:2:0 10-bit!  The 5.7k 30 and 60p options offer a 17×9 aspect ratio in the MOV menu.  The standard DCI-4K and 4KUHD modes all support 30, 60, and 120p, all full sensor readouts unless you’re using some of the advanced IBIS features, which we’ll cover in a moment.

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Anamorphic

The Panasonic LUMIX G9 II supports anamorphic filmmaking and has the tools you’d find in the GH6.  This includes waveform, Vectorscope, and Anamorphic De-Squeeze.  Tools like the framing markers and linear focusing mode for manual focus are all included.  The menu is dense; after looking at it, it feels the same as the GH6, which is great.

10-Bit Greatness

The Panasonic G9 II is essentially a 10-bit camera only.  There are a few 8-bit codecs in the MP4 menu, but the MOV file format contains just about every resolution and aspect ratio under the sun.

Color Science

The G9 II is packed full of all the usual Panasonic profiles with some additions.  When comparing the G9 II with the GH6 and S5 II, it leans more towards the S5II and is less saturated than the GH6.  Either way, the Natural profile is close enough that matching them in a post is not a problem.  Vlog leans a little more towards magenta, like the S5II, and it’s quite easy to work with in post-production.

The picture profiles that caught my eye on this camera are Natural, Vivid (which I would normally avoid), Standard, Portrait, Cine-V2, and Cine-D 2.  If you like to shoot in black and white, we have a new profile called Leica Mono, which looks fantastic.  It’s a higher contrast look that pops.

Handling

The handling of the Lumix G9 II is excellent, and it has the same dust and splash-proof design as the S5II.  We get the same great grip on the S5II, custom function buttons, dials, EVF, and Flippy Screen.

Thanks to the camera’s robust heat sink, Panasonic has done away with the Active Cooling, allowing this to be lighter and smaller than the GH6.  Feel-wise, the GH6 has the advantage over the G9 II regarding the flip-out and up screen and the red-record button on the front of the camera.  A new Gyroscopic sensor is in place of active cooling, which helps improve the IBIS system.

Another reason the G9 II is smaller than the GH6 is we finally get Matching UHS-1 matching card slots – again, this is the same as the S5II.  I much prefer matching card slots, and while CFExpress Type B is faster for burst photography, my V90 cards have performed great in this.

If you plan on shooting ProRes in 4K or up to 5.7k, an external SSD is required, as only the HD modes record internally.  You can back up to both SD cards on the fly in modes supported by the internal SD cards.

We get an eight-way joystick on the back, a 3.5mm audio jack input on the side, and a full-sized HDMI port.  A full-sized HDMI port is appreciated, as you don’t need dongles or specialized cables.  Plug in your HDMI cable, and you’re good to go.

Like the S5II, the G9 II also has the same weird info display issue when going out to an external monitor.  Older Lumix cameras allowed you to mirror the info display on both screens – this only allows you to see the info on one or the other.  Clean HDMI is also available for streaming purposes.

Like most Lumix cameras, the 1080p footage is excellent.  The only time the 1080 footage falls apart is in the highest S&Q frame rates.  Unless you need a shot in HD300p, please stick to the 4K120; it’s much nicer.

Check out my deep-dive G9 II tutorial for more information on the menu system.

No Live Streaming on the LUMIX G9 II

Speaking of streaming, the G9 II doesn’t have the live streaming function finding the GH5II – so you’ll be hooking this up via a capture card.  I’ll leave my capture card recommendations in the description below.

Like the S5II, an S&Q dial option is on the top so you can pre-program your favorite slow-motion setting.  S&Q removes the audio, but there are also many higher frame rate options, including 4k100/120p and HD200p, from the main menu – all in 10-bit.

Battery & Runtime

The battery is the same DMW-BLK22 found in the S5, S5II, and GH6.  If you have older GH5 or G9 batteries, note that they won’t fit this camera, but the BLK22 will work in older Panasonic bodies for extended runtimes.

Panasonic G9II Battery Runtime and Life

The battery runtime of the G9II camera is solid.  I was able to achieve the following results below:

• 4K25 – 2:27 mins (battery went flat, no overheating)
• 4K50 –  1:54 mins (battery went flat, no overheating)
• 4K100p – 28:32 mins with overheating (see below)
• These results also align with the 4K 24/30/60/120p NTSC format

The battery life is solid and outperforms my tests on the GH6.  2.5 hours on 4k 25p aligns it with modes like the original GH5 or Sony FX30, a welcomed improvement over Panasonic’s other recent releases.

You can charge the battery internally or run the camera indefinitely via USB-C PD.  Those are also compatible if you have a dummy battery for the S5 or S5II.

Overheating

I could only get the Panasonic G9 II to overheat when shooting in 4K120p or 4K100p.  The camera overheated only in this mode after 23-30 minutes of footage.  4K 24, 25, 30, or 60p did not overheat in my tests.  The battery went flat, and shut the camera off without incident.

Autofocus

Let’s cover the autofocus in the G9 II and what you can expect.  I tested this out with several lenses in various lighting conditions and situations, and after hours of testing, the autofocus is a notch above the S5II or X. For the best experience here, watch my video below for more information.

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Panasonic G9 II Autofocus with older Lumix Lenses

This is great news; the older lenses will now perform how we wanted them to for video.  The wobbly days of DFD are now behind us!  Well done to Panasonic for finally getting on board with a killer Autofocus System.

There’s no need to worry about the Speed and Sensitivity options unless you want to slow down focus pulls, for example.  Body tracking will track a human, animal, or car and track it throughout the frame, maintaining focus.  Even when cars or objects are far away, it will detect and track them properly.

Furthermore, the G9 II phase detection can track animals even back in the frame!  I shot this clip at 5.7k, and the swan was tracked until it went behind the reeds.  A yellow box comes up on the screen as soon as there’s an animal in the frame, and it tracks great.

Animal eye detection also worked well when the subject was closer to the camera.  Like before, a yellow box lets you know the eye is in focus.  If it can’t find an eye, it defaults to body tracking.  I found that Animal Body detection worked great for ducks, swans, and horses, no matter how far back they were in the frame.

The G9 II also supports car and motorcycle tracking!  I could not find any motorbikes, but the car tracking is excellent.  It will lock on a moving subject and, again, track perfectly with a yellow box confirming focus.  If there’s more than one car in the shot, other cars will come up with a white box.  You can switch to other cars by tapping on the screen, and the white box will switch to yellow.   This worked great both in the daytime and at night.

I recommend choosing face or eye detection for seated talking headshots.  This allows you to showcase a product by simply holding something up in front of your face, as you can see onscreen.  This mode works great, especially when seated close to the camera.  For further outdoor subject tracking, switch to body/face detection mode for best results.

I tried to trip the autofocus up by being backlit, and it worked flawlessly.  I also tried some low-light subject tracking, and it had no issues when the subject was facing the camera.  Subject tracking did lose Rhyannon a few times when she turned away, but it appeared to latch straight back on when she turned around again.  I didn’t have this issue any other times indoors, outdoors, or in normal sunlight, so perhaps it was the clothing choice?

When shooting in S&Q above 120 frames per second, the camera defaults back to Manual Focus.  While this won’t be ideal for everyone, I have no problem with this personally.  The good news is that 4K 120p will still give you reliable phase detection without subject recognition.  Set up a one-area mode, and you will be good to go.

Photography Autofocus

The new and improved autofocus also translates to photography.  Whether taking a single shot or spraying and praying in a burst rate mode, the hit rate was excellent.  I wasn’t pushing this to the limits with the photography side of the camera, but as you can see from these burst shots, the focus is spot on, even with a moving subject.

The G9 II now offers 60 frames per second when shooting in burst mode with continuous autofocus and 75fps using Manual Focus.  Unlike the previous G9, this full-resolution photograph captures a 25-megapixel image.  If you are shooting sports or wildlife, there’s also a pre-burst mode that allows either 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5-second recordings before hitting the shutter.

The G9 II now offers the same handheld high-resolution mode as the GH6.  If you’re unfamiliar with this mode, the camera takes a series of photos using pixel shift technology and combines them with a camera!  The result is a whopping 100 images!  This is all done on camera, and no external software is needed.  There are also two modes you can choose from, one for static subjects and one for when there’s motion in the frame, like water or trees.

G9II In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)

The In Body Image Stabilisation is the best I’ve seen on any interchangeable lens system, offering up to 7.5 stops of stabilization.  The G9 II moves ahead of both the S5IIX and GH6, mind-blowing.  Pairing my Lumix 12-35mm f2.8II with the G9 gave me almost GoPro-like results without turning the active modes on.

I would normally avoid E-stabilization on Lumix cameras, but on the G9 II, it works to help remove the warping you’d usually see with wide-angle lenses.  There are two modes: Standard with a slight crop and high with a further crop.  These crops work to control the corner stabilization.

Even with this 6mm f2 Meike lens, the corners are free from flapping – That is a “technical term.” Haha.  With the E-Stabilisation off, you’ll get excellent results with ten or 12-mm lenses, as seen from these examples.  Still, the e-stabilization works and makes the shot even better.

Low Light Performance

While Low Light Performance is not a strength of Micro Four Thirds, you can make it work if you shoot within a reasonable ISO range.  I compared the G9 II against my Sony FX30 (an APS-C sensor camera) and was pleased with the results.

I got solid results up to ISO 3200; you can add noise reduction processing in the camera if needed.  You’re looking at all stock, and the noise is slightly less obvious on the G9 II than on the FX30.  At ISO 1600, the FX30 has a larger noise pattern, but at 4000 and above, the win goes to the Sony.

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Panasonic LUMIX G9 II Streaking Issue?

I also didn’t notice any of the streaking issues that users found in the GH6.  This is where lines would appear in the shot if you were filming in this exact situation.  This was filmed in VLOG and graded in post-production.

Panasonic G9 II Audio

Unlike the original G9, the G9 II is now compatible with the DMW-XLR adapter.  This two-channel XLR hot shoe adapter lets you record using shotgun mics directly to the camera.

Panasonic has also upgraded the G9 II to support four audio channels so you can blend the 3.5mm audio jack with the external mics or the built-in microphone.  Like the GH5II and GH6, we can now reduce the preamps to -18dB and set the threshold from Standard to Low if we need more headroom.

LUMIX G9 II Menus

The menus are essentially the same as most modern Panasonic cameras.  You’ll feel right at home if you’ve used any of them from the GH5 onwards.  We can navigate using the touchscreen, wheel, or joystick.  Tapping the display button brings up all our settings in real-time, allowing you to change whatever you like nicely and easily.

Panasonic LUMIX G9 II Pros and Cons:

Overall, the G9II is an excellent camera.  I like that Panasonic has moved Micro Four Thirds forward with a release that will no doubt evenly appeal to videographers, content creators, and photographers.  The new autofocus system is snappy and reliable and works with all the existing Lumix Lenses I’ve tested.  (More on that in a future video.)

Panasonic G9 II Launch Price

Given the G9M2 price of $1899, I see no reason to buy the GH6 or OM-1 unless you prefer some of the camera ergonomics and handling of the other two.  The G9M2 has all of what both of those cameras have, and then some at a cheaper price.

Like most Micro Four Thirds cameras, low light is where the smaller sensor struggles, and if you need the best in low light, the S5II would be the obvious choice.  The G9 II has fewer autofocus and frame rate crop limitations than the S5II in a smaller body.  With low light performance aside, the image quality stacks up against the larger sensor cameras in my collection.

I also did notice some Moire when shooting in 5.7k.  I didn’t notice it in any other mode, but you can see the strobing effect on my shirt in this shot.

What is Missing?

Sadly, Panasonic looks to have moved away from the tap to manual focus option in the older GH cameras.  This was where you’d swipe the screen to lock focus on a point when in manual focus mode.  To lock focus now, you’ll need to tap the AF button on the back.  Again, this is more in line with the S5, S5II, GH5II, and GH6 functionality.

Also missing is the built-in top display from the original G9.  While the top LCD screen was excellent, it was something I didn’t find myself using a whole lot for video.  Photographers requiring a top LCD will better suit the original LUMIX G9. 

Slow Motion in Higher Frame Rates is Rough

While having 300 frames per second slow motion is fun, the image quality is rough.  I much prefer the 4K100 or 120p option image quality-wise.  It’s night and day quality-wise, as you can see with the examples on screen.

Stunning Images

In regular shooting conditions, the performance of this new sensor is simply stunning, and I captured some beautiful and dynamic shots with native and third-party Sirui lenses, as you can see in this example.

Smaller than the GH6

The smaller form factor of the Panasonic LUMIX G9II will no doubt appeal to folks who found the Panasonic GH6 too big or do not want to go full-frame.  I could easily see this as an A or B camera for content creators, filmmakers, or photographers.  The fact it works reliably with all of the old lenses I’ve tried so far makes this a win/win for those with a solid Micro Four Thirds Lens collection.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the G9II and will undoubtedly be adding at least one to my arsenal of mirrorless cameras shortly, being the camera addict I am, haha.  I can see this being used for the travel and guitar vlog content on my other channels.

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