Lumix G9ll brings huge range of new features to Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds flagship model

The new Lumix G9ll comes with improvements to almost every performance aspect of the original model, driving up resolution, speed, low- and high-ISO capabilities, as well as its video features

It’s no exaggeration to say Panasonic has really gone to town with its new Lumix G9ll flagship Micro Four Thirds camera, creating a camera that not only leads the way with outstanding specification and features for stills photographers, but which also encompasses astonishing video capabilities to make an extraordinary all-in-one imaging machine. Combining a new 25-million-pixel sensor with a super-fast image engine, the Lumix G9ll can pump out high resolution stills and detailed video footage at unbelievable rates. The camera improves on the original, and still very capable, Lumix G9 in almost every way to offer a completely new focusing system, extreme high-speed shooting, a completely new body for the G series, improved image stabilisation as well as the chance to record 5.7K Cinema 4K video in Apple’s ProRes format.
In this article we’ll take an overview of what’s new in the camera and how it compares to the model it replaces.

This is a completely new Micro Four Thirds sensor that matches the resolution of the Lumix GH6 but which is of a different design. It comes with 25% more pixels than the sensor used in the original G9, as well as phase detection auto-focusing points and a faster read-out speed

The 21.77MP sensor of the G9 is replaced in this new model with a 25.2MP unit that will give us a 25% uplift in resolution. The largest 5184x3888-pixel image from the G9 will now measure 5776x4336 pixels, while the High Resolution mode produces 11552x8672-pixel 100MP images in place of the 80MP High Resolution mode pictures from the G9. High Resolution mode images can be shot handheld with the Lumix G9ll too, so no tripod required.

The new AF system can recognise cars, motorbikes and the eyes of animals, so it will be a great help to sport and wildlife photographers. The camera is completely compatible with existing lenses. Its ability to maintain focus in video mode while zooming will be added to some older lenses via firmware

The focusing system of the G9 has been completely updated in the G9ll, bringing it into line – and in some ways beyond – the system used in the Lumix S5ll. Panasonic has introduced 779 phase detection AF (the same number the S5ll has) points to the sensor, which combine with the Lumix DFD contrast detection system to bring users both speed and accuracy. The camera will be quicker to find the subject than the G9 is, and will be able to track subjects in motion with more accuracy. The company has also introduced new AI features that allow the G9ll to recognise not only people, birds and animals, but it can now also detect cars, motorbikes and find eyes on animals - so we can make sure even shallow depth-of-field images will be focused in exactly the right spot.

The body of the Lumix G9ll (centre) compared to the original G9 (right) and the Lumix S5ll full frame camera

Users also get a new AF-point Scope feature to check focus accuracy from any AF area, and we get the same Near/Far shift option as the G9 with a new focus limiter to give the camera a set range within which to operate. Users can also customise the focus ring of compatible lenses, changing direction and the degree of rotation required to take us from close-up to infinity.

A new more powerful processing engine combines with a sensor with faster read-out to offer a big step up in frame rates for the Lumix G9ll. It can achieve a maximum of 75 RAW+JPEG images per second

A new Venus Engine had been brought in to power the Lumix G9ll. This engine is twice as fast as that used in the original G9, and as such offers some very impressive features. The most obvious benefit of the new engine is a top burst rate of 75 full-resolution frames per second – a rate that the camera can maintain for up to 200 RAW+JPEG frames. Even with continuous AF in operation the G9ll can manage 60fps, and for situations that need slower bursts the camera also offer a 20 fps option in the SH20 drive mode. The top frame rates are obviously accessed in electronic shutter mode, but those preferring a mechanical shutter will also enjoy uplifted frame rates with a maximum 14fps in AF-S and 9fps in AF-C – with continuous live view.

From the side the camera is almost exactly like the Lumix S5, but it has the new strap lugs that were introduced with the Lumix S5ll and the redesigned dioptre adjustment control

The camera’s pre-burst feature is also extended, so users can ask the camera to record more images before the shutter was depressed. Now in Pre-Burst mode up to 113 images can be saved from the 1.5sec period before the shutter was pressed – perfect for when we can’t anticipate when the decisive moment will occur.

The Lumix G9ll adopts the same style and layout as the Lumix S5 on the right side of the top plate. The WB, ISO and +/- buttons remain in the same order but we also get the main mode dial on this side where the original G9 had its top plate LCD. The division of the single dial of the G9 into a mode dial and a drive dial is designed to make the drive functions easier to access

It’s quite extraordinary the level of video specification that Panasonic has included in this camera. It really does come close to some of the company’s top video models, and as such will both appeal to videographers as much as stills photographers and allow stills photographers to make the jump to high-quality video without the need for a new camera. There are so many outstanding features it’s hard to know where to start.
Probably the most eye-catching video feature of the Lumix G9ll, though still not the most surprising, is the inclusion of ProRes codecs. Users can record in ProRes in resolutions up to 5.7K at 30p and in C4K at 60p – so full-sensor ProRes slow motion is more than possible in C4K, not just in FHD.

From the front the Lumix S5ll and the Lumix G9ll look almost the same, but for the obvious size difference in their lens mounts. You will note too though that the lens release buttons remain on different sides of the mount, and that the Lumix G9ll has an additional function button on the front panel

In other codecs users can expect up to 5x slow motion in both C4K and 4K resolutions, as well as 12.5x slow motion in FHD – which is pretty amazing. Equally amazing is that the Lumix G9ll offers Timecode for linking footage and audio from external devices, a Vectorscope display for monitoring colour accuracy and the same Dynamic Range Boost that we saw in the Lumix S5ll and S5llX.
The camera has a total of 10 slots in its library for users to upload their own LUTs for the Real Time LUT feature, we get 4-channel audio when we use the DMW-XLR1 XLR adapter, we can record in the ‘cinematic’ 24Hz system frequency – and (most surprisingly) the camera offers a desqueezed display for use with 2x, 1.8x, 1.5x, 1.33x, 1.3x anamorphic lenses. V-Log comes as standard too, so there’s no need for paid-firmware updates to get it.
We also get a completely new perspective correction feature in video mode, that uses information from the IS system to automatically correct converging verticals while the footage is being recorded. I know I’ve already said the video specification is incredible for a ‘stills’ camera, but it really is. It would be more than first-rate even for a video-centric camera.

You get up to 8 stops of image stabilisation when you mount the Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens on the new Lumix G9ll. That’s pretty amazing

The faster processor in this new model, and the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor, allows the Lumix G9ll the chance to offer up to 8 stops of image stabilisation when used with the Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 lens. That means we can get away with shutter speeds as long as an incredible two seconds handheld with the lens at its longest focal length setting. With other longer lenses, and when combining the camera’s in-body stabilisation with Dual IS ll, users can expect a very impressive 7.5 stops of camera-shake compensation.

Longer lenses, like this Leica 200mm f/2.8 and manual focus lenses, will get a still very respectable 7.5-stops of shake compensation

Videographers will also benefit from the Lumix Active IS system that was introduced with the Lumix S5ll and S5llX, which provides exceptionally smooth footage when the operator is walking with the camera.

The rear of the camera is just the same as that of the Lumix S5ll, with the Lumix G9ll adopting the new 8-way joystick controller and an eye-sensor position at the top of the EVF housing to keep it out of the way of hands working on the rear screen

With the Lumix G9ll Panasonic gives us an enormous range of built-in picture profiles, as well as the chance for users to create and load their own. The camera introduces a completely new Photo Style called Leica Monochrome, which brings the total number of Photo Styles to 19 – including five black and white profiles.

The main grip profile of the Lumix G9ll isn’t too different to that of the grip on the original G9. At the top its lip is slightly less pronounced, and lower down it’s undulating curves accommodate the fingers of the right hand a little better than the continuous bulbous curve of the G9’s grip

While many with consider the Real Time LUT feature most relevant to videographers that over-looks its usefulness to stills photographers as well. Users can create their own looks based on adjustments to any of the camera’s built-in Photo Styles and then load the stored adjustments as a LUT to the camera. These LUTs are simple to create in image applications such as Lightroom and Photoshop, and can be copied to a memory card for transfer to the camera’s LUT library – where they stay until you delete them. The Real Time LUT can be applied to JPEG images to create a finished look directly in the camera, or applied to RAW file previews to give users an idea of how images will look once processed with the same LUT applied in their image manipulation program.

With this new generation G9 comes the new generation Lumix menu system. This is the same design as that used in the Lumix S cameras, and also in the Lumix GH6 and Lumix GH5ll. It is a system that is capable of holding a wider range of features while keeping them neatly organised and in the places you’d expect to find them

We get the same reliable exposure metering system in the G9ll that we enjoyed in the original model, with a 1728-zone matrix delivering readings from the whole area, with weighting to the centre of the frame and from a spot area either linked or not to the AF area. The new camera though brings High-Light weighting options that allow users to direct the camera to the brightest area of the scene to preserve details and really make the most of the 13 stops of video dynamic range.
The new sensor and processor combination also makes a wider range of ISO settings possible. Now the G9ll offers an ISO 100 setting, as well as ISO 50 in the ‘extended’ range. At the top end the maximum ISO 12,800 now goes to 25,600 – so the camera is more capable in both low-light and bright-light conditions.

The right hand control dial of the G9’s top plate transforms into a neat dial wrapped around the shutter release in the Lumix G9ll. It is easier to find and requires no repositioning of your hand to reach it with your finger, as your finger will already be there

The shutter speed range remains the same in mechanical and electronic first curtain modes, but in electronic shutter mode the one-second maximum of the G9 is extended in dramatic style to 60 seconds. That will make a big difference to those using the newly included Live View Composite mode.

Here are the Lumix G9ll and the original Lumix G9, for comparison. The new body is quite different to the original and brings with it all the modernisation and refinement of design that Lumix engineers have developed in recent years. Its use of an existing body will have also helped to keep costs down for the new model

The most immediately obvious difference between the original Lumix G9 and the Lumix G9ll is the body the camera uses. The new model adopts tried and tested S5-styling, and uses the exact same body as the Lumix S5ll and S5llX, along with the same advanced and more powerful SMW-BLK22 2200mAh battery. The new body comes with the same 8-joystick controller on the rear that the S5ll/X uses, and the same 3.68-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and 1.84-million-dot rear screen. But it weighs less than the S5ll/X, and exactly the same as the original G9.

We now have just two flap covers on the side of the camera, as the microphone port is configured right next to the headphones port. We also get a much more readily-available USB format instead of the still-unusual Micro B Super Speed format of the G9. The original USB port was fast, even for now, but the new USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port offers twice the data rate

A significant upgrade in connectivity sees the old 5Gbps Micro B Super Speed USB port replaced with a modern USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps version to allow double the data-rate for copying off the camera and for streaming high resolution stills and high-data-rate video to an external SSD.

From this side view it’s very hard to tell the Lumix G9ll from the Lumix S5ll – until you notice the fan vents on the EVF housing of the Lumix S5ll

Panasonic has introduced a new battery grip for this camera, that offers the same eight-way joystick control and which replicates the main control dial, AF-On button and shutter release of the camera body. It also features a Fn button that can be customised to suit the needs of the job or the preferences of the user. As the base of the Lumix G9ll is the same as the base of the Lumix S5ll and the Lumix S5llX this new DMW-BG1 battery grip can be used across all three bodies with an extra battery inside.

Both card slots in the Lumix G9ll are compatible with high speed V90-style SD cards so all stills can go to either card, no matter the drive rates. Video codecs with data rates below 800Mbps can also go to the cards, so in general terms all C4K and 4K ProRes and most MOV codecs in 4:2:2 ALL-Intra above 50p will need to go directly to an SSD

Like the original Lumix G9, the Lumix G9ll offers users two SD card slots, but in this model both are compatible with UHS-I/UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 standard SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards and UHS-II Video Speed Class 90 standard SDXC Memory Cards. So, both are high-speed slots. Video codecs that record at below 800Mbps can be directed to either of the card slots, while video that uses data-rates beyond this will need to go straight to an external SSD.

There is no doubt that the Lumix G9 is still an outstanding camera, but the changes and updates brought to the Lumix G system in the Lumix G9ll represent a huge leap in functionality and capability, and open the door for Micro Four Thirds users to achieve and explore more

The Lumix G9ll comes with SSD recording straight out of the box, and is compatible with devices of 2TB and less that can keep up with the data-rate of the recording codec. Stills shooters can also take advantage of SSD recording to open up a gigantic capacity for images without fear of running out of space.