Panasonic Lumix DC-G9II

Highly Recommended - Superb handling and quality results make the G9 II a highly desirable camera.

Panasonic’s 25.2-megapixel Lumix G9 II arrived with a lot of fanfare, as it’s the company’s very first Micro Four Thirds camera with hybrid phase-detect autofocus. And from the first day of launch, Panasonic promoted it as the ultimate small-sensor wildlife and action camera, thanks to the hyper-fast 60 fps shooting speeds and relatively high resolution.

The G9 II is a worthy flagship, packing the best autofocus and subject detection from a Lumix G to date, ultra fast shooting with pre-burst options, excellent stabilisation, great image quality, and seriously good video which in some respects out-rivals the GH6. In fact there’s little to complain about other than wondering whether investing more in a stacked sensor would have made much difference to the target audience. But when you could buy a Fujifilm X-T5 or even Panasonic’s own full-frame S5 II for the same money, the G9 II really only makes sense to someone already committed to Micro Four Thirds who can exploit its benefits over other formats. Someone who’s bought into the mobility argument and looking to upgrade to a top-end body to make the most of their existing lens collection. For them, it’s really only between the G9 II, GH6 and Olympus OM1. The G9 II is not only the newest, but a little cheaper and has faster bursts, not to mention better video capabilities than the OM1, but Panasonic isn’t shouting about video on the G9 II and it’s not a huge stretch to that stacked sensor of the OM1 and a company that’s bold enough to run their bodies under a tap. I’d like to make some direct comparisons for a future article, but if you’re a brand-loyal Lumix owner who mostly shoots stills, and you’ve been waiting patiently for a G9 upgrade to make the most of your Micro Four Thirds lenses, then the G9 II is for you.

The DC-G9 II offers image quality and autofocus improvements over the GH6 yet offers much of that camera's video spec and its amazing stabilization. We were disappointed with battery life but other than that it's a worthy Micro Four Thirds stills flagship.

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