The Lumix GX9 is the successor to one of the oldest mirrorless cameras in Panasonic's current range, the Lumix GX8. Aimed at the enthusiast photographer who wants a compact but high-performance camera, the GX9 is Panasonic's latest premium rangefinder-style mirrorless camera, and sits above the cheaper but very similar-looking Lumix GX85 (GX80 outside the US) in the Lumix range.
The difference between the GX9 and Panasonic’s new Lumix G9 is that the GX9 is a smaller, more compact camera designed for portability – hence the ‘street’ camera label. The G9 is a bigger camera, styled like a DSLR and better suited to sports, action, bigger lenses and more ambitious styles of photography.
Features
- Low-pass filter removed from sensor
- 4-stop built-in image stabilization
- EVF and screen downgraded from GX8
The Lumix GX9 uses the same 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds sensor that was in the GX8, but Panasonic has removed the low-pass filter from the sensor in the newer camera. This is intended to improve fine detail rendition, with the trade-off that it also increases the risk of moiré effects (interference patterns) in fine textures and details.
In another effort to improve the ultimate detail recorded by the GX9, Panasonic has redesigned the sensor mechanism to achieve a claimed 90% reduction in shutter shock (vibration caused by the shutter that can cause blurring of fine detail).
Inside the GX9, the in-body image stabilization system has been enhanced with 5-axis compensation, which works alongside Panasonic’s in-lens optical stabilizers to enable you to use shutter speeds four stops slower than would otherwise be possible and still achieve sharp shots.
The Lumix GX9 comes with 4K video, as we’d expect from Panasonic, and enhanced 4K Photo modes. Here, the camera uses its 4K video processing power to capture images designed to be exported as 8MP stills. The 4K burst mode captures frames at an impressive 30fps, and the GX9’s new auto-marking feature puts markers in the sequence where there’s a significant change in the frame content, to help you find key moments later.
The 4K Post Focus mode is even more impressive. In this mode the camera captures a short burst using every focus point, and in playback mode you can simply tap on the picture to choose the focus point you want. This enables you to do something which feels like it ought to be impossible: adjust the focus after you’ve taken the shot. And new in the Lumix GX9 is in-camera focus stacking, so you no longer need a computer to merge a series of images with different focus points into a single photo that’s sharp from front to back – something that's impossible to achieve in macro photography with a single exposure.
The viewfinder also has a 16:9 aspect ratio – great if you’re planning to shoot a lot of video, but for stills with a 4:3 aspect ratio, quite a lot of real estate is lost either side of the frame
Like both the GX7 and GX8, the Lumix GX9 features a tilting electronic viewfinder, but there are some differences compared to its predecessor. While resolution remains the same at 2.7 million dots, the technology has changed, from OLED to a not so nice field-sequential design, with the magnification decreasing from 0.77x to 0.7x.
The viewfinder also has a 16:9 aspect ratio – great if you're planning to shoot a lot of video, but for stills with a 4:3 aspect ratio, quite a lot of real estate is lost either side of the frame (which obviously means a lower magnification).
There have been a number of changes to the rear display as well. The screen size stays the same at three inches (with touchscreen control), but again OLED technology makes way for a TFT display, although here there's been a slight boost in resolution, to 1,240,000 dots.
The way the screen can be pulled away from the body has also been revised from the GX8, with that camera's vari-angle mechanism that's hinged on the side of the camera replaced by a tilt-angle design, which doesn't offer quite the same range of movement.
The Lumix GX9 gets Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi connectivity, with the former enabling a constant connection to your smartphone with minimum power consumption.
Build and handling
- Rangefinder body with tilting EVF and LCD
- External EV compensation dial and focus lever
- Not weather-sealed
While the Lumix GX9 is a replacement for the GX8, the design follows the more compact Lumix GX80/GX85.
It's a touch smaller than its predecessor, with the chunky handgrip replaced by a much more streamlined affair. Despite the reduction in size the grip is still pretty comfortable, but there's an optional attachable grip if you want something a bit more substantial.
The reduction in grip size makes the GX9 a neat little camera with a quality feel, although Panasonic has opted to drop the weather-sealing featured on the GX8.
There's a mode dial on the top plate and, stacked below it, an exposure compensation dial, while there are twin command dials to control key settings. The front dial is easy to spin with your forefinger, while the rear dial is squeezed in above the thumb-rest on the back of the camera, and isn’t quite so easy to use.
Also on the rear of the camera is a focus lever that can be used to switch between AF-S (single shot), AF-C (continuous AF) and Manual focus modes, but there's no dedicated joystick to select your desired focus area – that's done via the touchscreen or the four-way control pad, and the latter option is quite a clunky affair, requiring a couple of button presses before you're in a position to move the focusing area.
There are also dedicated controls for the drive mode, 4K Photo modes, focus point selection, ISO and white balance. In an effort to keep the Lumix GX9 as trim as possible the buttons sit fairly flush with the body; however they're a bit too flush for our liking – we'd rather they were raised a bit more to make them easier to press.
The reliance on menus and icons for some routine adjustments might prove a little irksome for some, but the touchscreen is very responsive and effective, and you can use the twin control dials for menu and feature navigation rather than tapping on the screen.
Autofocus
- Focusing speeds are fast
- Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology works well
- Focus tracking suited to more predictable subjects
Unlike the Lumix G9 and GH5, which both feature Panasonic's 225-area AF system, the Lumix GX9 features a more conservative 49-area arrangement similar to that used by the Lumix G80/G85.
While it's not quite as suited to action photography as the G9 and GH5, focusing speeds are very quick indeed. Panasonic quotes 0.07 sec, and it's hard to dispute that, with the AF system using Panasonic's Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology to assess two images with different sharpness levels to determine correct subject distance.
The Lumix GX9’s 49-area focusing mode worked well here to capture this scene from an awkward angle. Panasonic Lumix GX9 with 8-18mm f/2.8-4 lens, 1/40 sec at f/6.3, ISO200
If you want to keep things simple the camera can be set to a 49-area focusing option, with the camera selecting the key element to focus on, while 1-Area, Custom Multi, Pinpoint and Face- and Eye-detection options are also available.
In addition to these modes there's a dedicated Tracking mode, and while this will struggle with fast-moving subjects, for more pedestrian or predictable subjects it's a good option.
Performance
- Capable of shooting at up to 9fps
- Solid multi-zone metering system
- Power Save mode extends battery life to 900 shots
While it's not designed to be an action camera, the Lumix GX9 can shoot at up to 9fps, but this drops to 6fps if you want continuous focusing as you shoot – and of course you've got the option to use the GX9's 4K Photo mode, which can shoot a sequence of images at 30fps, allowing you to then extract a single 8MP frame from the footage.
The Lumix GX9 uses the 1,728-zone metering system that's in Panasonic's other current mirrorless cameras. As we've found in the past it's a very solid system, which can be safely left to its own devices in most situations. Like other systems it does tend to underexpose high-contrast scenes, but this can be easily corrected if desired using the dedicated exposure compensation dial.
While the GX9's built-in image stabilization system might not offer quite the impressive 6.5-stop compensation of the system in the G9, the 4-stop, 5-axis system works very well – we found that we could happily shoot at 1/8 sec (and in some instances even slower) and still achieve pleasingly sharp shots with either the 12-32mm or 8-18mm lenses we were using.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is good, but not great. As we've touched upon, the aspect ratio is a little at odds with the sensor format, so it's a bit more cramped than it needs to be for stills shooting. And while some will love the 90-degree tilt facility of the viewfinder, it's something we can't get too excited about – if you're going to be shooting at waist level, the tilting rear screen is a much better option.
A problem not unique to the Lumix GX9 is the relatively modest battery life of 260 shots (250 shots using the EVF). A trade-off for having a compact body is the limited size of battery you can squeeze in, although that number is 90 shots less than Fujifilm's equally compact X-E3. Panasonic is obviously aware that this is an issue, as the GX9 features a power-saving mode that can eke out 900 shots from the battery. It does this by putting the camera into sleep mode after it's been inactive for one second, with a half-press of the shutter release required to wake the camera.
Image quality
- ISO200-25,600 (expandable to ISO100-25,600)
- No optical low-pass filter
- Pleasing color reproduction
The absence of an optical low-pass filter means the Lumix GX9's 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds sensor is capable of capturing very fine detail. While the smaller sensor could be seen to be a disadvantage compared to the larger ones in rival APS-C cameras, at lower sensitivities you'll be hard pushed to spot the difference in images.
As we saw with the G9, Panasonic has made good strides in the area of color rendition, and the Lumix GX9 produces natural-looking JPEG files with faithful colors. If you want to shoot mono images without having to spend too much time on editing, the new L.Monochrome photo style is a welcome addition.
The Lumix GX9 delivers a very solid performance when it comes to image noise. At low sensitivity settings images are nice and clean, with only a hint of luminance (grain-like) noise visible at mid-range sensitivities if you inspect files closely.
At ISO1600/ISO3200 luminance noise becomes a bit more of an issue, while chroma (color) noise also starts to creep into shots. At ISO6400 noise is noticeable, but detail still holds up well in raw files; we'd avoid shooting at ISOs above this.
If you're shooting JPEGs, the noise-reduction algorithm is a little too zealous for our tastes; noise is certainly reduced, but detail is sacrificed a bit too much, with high-sensitivity images looking 'waxy' in places.
As for dynamic range, there's plenty of flexibility at low sensitivities, allowing you to recover a decent amount of shadow and highlight detail from raw files. That flexibility is diminished though as you increase the ISO, with more noise encroaching in shadow areas.
Verdict
In many ways, the Lumix GX9 takes two steps forward over the GX8, but one step (maybe half a step) back.
The removal of the optical low-pass filter means Lumix GX9 delivers excellent detail, with images looking that bit sharper than those from the GX8, while the smaller form factor compared to its predecessor hasn't seen the quality feel of the camera sacrificed.
That said, it's disappointing to find that the GX9's viewfinder and screen aren't quite a match for the older model, while it's also a shame that the weather sealing has been dropped.
Comparisons with the GX8 aside, the Lumix GX9 slots in nicely above the GX80/GX85 in the Lumix mirrorless range. It's similar in size, but offers a few more features and improved handling, thanks in part to the dedicated exposure compensation dial. While there's perhaps a little too much reliance on the touchscreen interface for some tastes (especially when selecting your desired AF area), the Lumix GX9 is a nice camera and a very solid performer – it just doesn't do quite enough to stand out from the crowd.