Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9MEF-S Panasonic - Review 🏆

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 is a mid-range mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was released in 2018. It features a 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine image processor which enables fast shooting speeds and 4K video recording.

The GX9 has a sleek and compact design with an integrated EVF and tilting touchscreen LCD. It uses the Micro Four Thirds lens mount and is compatible with a wide range of high-quality compact lenses. The camera is aimed at enthusiasts and those looking for a capable and portable everyday camera for travel and general photography needs.

Some of the key features and specs of the GX9 include:

• 20.3MP Four Thirds sensor with no optical low-pass filter
• Dual I.S. 2 image stabilization
• 4K 30p video and 4K photo modes
• Depth-from-defocus autofocus
• 2.76M-dot EVF and 1.04M-dot tilting touchscreen
• Built-in pop-up flash
• 8 fps burst shooting with AF-C
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity
• Compact, lightweight body with extensive direct controls

In this review, we'll take a more detailed look at the Panasonic GX9's design, features, image quality, performance, and pros and cons to see how it stacks up for enthusiast photographers.

Body and Design

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 has a sleek and compact body design that makes it very portable. It weighs only 407g with battery and SD card, and its dimensions are 124 x 72 x 47 mm. The body is made of a combination of metal and plastic, giving it a premium feel while keeping the weight down.

Despite its small size, the GX9 packs in a good amount of physical controls. It has a manual focus ring around the lens mount, a front control dial, rear control dial, and a thumb joystick for selecting AF points. There are also plenty of customizable function buttons. The buttons and dials provide quick access to shooting parameters.

The GX9 features a 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with 1.24 million dots of resolution. The screen tilts up by 80 degrees and down by 45 degrees for flexibility when composing shots from high or low angles. It also flips 180 degrees for selfie-shooting. The screen is bright, sharp, and very responsive to touch.

In terms of viewfinder, the GX9 has a 0.39-inch OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.76 million dots of resolution. The EVF features nearly 100% field of view coverage so you can accurately preview your shots. It also has a fast refresh rate and high magnification for a clear, smooth viewing experience.

For ports, the GX9 has both microphone and headphone jacks for audio monitoring and recording. It has micro HDMI for video output and USB-C for charging, data transfer and tethered shooting. There is no built-in flash, but it has a hot shoe to mount an external flash.

Image Sensor

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 features a Four Thirds sized 20.3MP Live MOS sensor. This provides a good balance between image quality and camera/lens size, making the GX9 a highly portable interchangeable lens camera.

With a resolution of 5184 x 3888 pixels, the sensor can capture sharp, detailed images with plenty of resolution for printing large prints or cropping in post-production. Its base ISO range is 200 - 25600, allowing for good low light performance.

Panasonic's Venus Engine image processor helps enable fast continuous shooting speeds, 4K video recording, and improved noise reduction. Overall, the sensor and processor combination in the GX9 provides excellent image quality in a wide range of conditions for a camera of its size.

Autofocus System

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 features a contrast detection autofocus system with up to 49 focus points that cover a wide area of the frame. It includes several autofocus modes such as Face/Eye Detection AF, Tracking AF, 49-Area AF, Custom Multi AF, 1-Area AF and Pinpoint AF.

Face/Eye Detection AF mode can accurately detect and focus on human faces and eyes. It's useful when photographing people. Tracking AF will keep a moving subject in focus once it's locked on.

The 49-Area AF mode utilizes multiple focus points to determine the point of focus across a broad area of the frame. This makes it easy to quickly focus on off-center subjects without having to manually move the focus point.

Custom Multi AF allows you to group specific focus points together into a cluster for flexible positioning of the focus area. 1-Area AF uses a single focus point that can be moved around for precise focusing control.

Pinpoint AF further magnifies the focus area for ultra-precise focus on tiny regions of the frame. Overall, the autofocus system is fast and accurate in most lighting conditions. It provides versatile focusing control suitable for still photos and video recording.

Image Stabilization

The Lumix DC-GX9 uses a sensor-shift type of image stabilization to reduce blur caused by camera shake. This works by having gyro sensors detect and measure camera movement, and then shifting the image sensor in the opposite direction to counteract the motion.

In practice, the image stabilization in the GX9 performs very well and delivers sharp images when handholding the camera at slower shutter speeds. Panasonic claims the system provides up to 4 stops of compensation, meaning you can use shutter speeds 4 stops slower than the reciprocal of the lens focal length and still get sharp results.

When shooting with a non-stabilized lens, the in-body stabilization worked great and allowed me to take sharp photos at 1/15s and 1/8s with the 20mm f/1.7 lens. With the stabilized 12-60mm kit lens, I was able to reliably get sharp images at 1/4s. Overall the stabilization helps a lot when shooting in low light conditions where you need to keep the ISO down by using slower shutter speeds.

Video Capabilities

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 offers strong video capabilities for a mid-range mirrorless camera. It can shoot 4K video up to 30fps, providing high-resolution video that's suitable for both professional and home use. The 4K videos are recorded using the MP4 codec for easy playback and sharing.

In addition to 4K, the GX9 can record full HD 1080p video up to 60fps. This allows you to create smooth, detailed videos. The built-in microphone records stereo audio, though you can use an external microphone for higher-quality sound recording.

For creative video effects, the GX9 has both 4K Live Cropping and Post Focus modes. With 4K Live Cropping, you can pan and zoom within the 4K frame during recording to simulate camera movements digitally. Post Focus lets you change the focus point after shooting by using the camera's 4K burst mode to capture a quick video clip.

Overall, the GX9 provides a versatile set of video capabilities in a compact mirrorless camera. The combination of high-quality 4K recording, full HD options, and creative modes make it a great choice for hybrid photo/video shooters.

Connectivity and Storage

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 offers robust connectivity options and storage capabilities.

For ports, it has a Micro HDMI port to output video and photos to an external monitor or TV. There is also a combined USB 2.0 port and 2.5mm remote input. The USB port allows you to transfer photos and videos to a computer or charge the battery.

For wireless connectivity, the GX9 has built-in Bluetooth and WiFi. The Bluetooth allows for easy pairing with smartphones and tablets. It enables remote control of the camera and automatic image transfer. The WiFi gives you the ability to remotely control the camera and transfer photos wirelessly. You can also use the WiFi for tethered shooting.

In terms of storage, the GX9 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot that supports the UHS-I standard. This allows you to use fast SD cards to take advantage of the camera's burst shooting capabilities. The slot is compatible with SD cards up to 512GB in capacity.

Overall, the connectivity and storage options on the Panasonic GX9 allow you to efficiently transfer, share, and backup your photos and videos. The ports, wireless capabilities, and SD card slot give you flexibility in how you work with the camera.

Battery Life

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 uses a DMW-BLG10 lithium-ion battery that provides approximately 260 shots per charge according to CIPA standards. This is lower than some comparable mirrorless cameras, but should still be sufficient for a day of casual shooting.

The GX9 has some battery-saving features like Eco mode which can extend the battery life by suppressing the rear LCD screen when shooting. The camera also has USB charging capability, allowing you to charge the battery in-camera via a power bank or USB adapter.

Overall, the GX9's battery life is decent but not outstanding. Carrying a spare battery is recommended for photographers who plan to shoot all day or take hundreds of photos in a session. The relatively compact DMW-BLG10 battery packs easily in a pocket or bag.

Pros and Cons

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 offers a lot of great features and performance for an enthusiast-level mirrorless camera. Here's a quick rundown of the main pros and cons:

Pros

• Compact, stylish rangefinder design that's easy to carry around
• 20MP Live MOS sensor provides good resolution and excellent image quality
• Fast autofocus with Depth from Defocus technology
• In-body 5-axis image stabilization provides up to 4 stops of shake reduction
• Tilting touchscreen LCD for easier shooting at odd angles
• Good 4K video capabilities with mic input and headphone jack
• Bluetooth and WiFi allow easy transfer of images and remote control
• Decent battery life can capture around 260-270 shots per charge

Cons

• No weather sealing so not very rugged or dust/splash resistant
• Viewfinder is electronic only, no optical viewfinder option
• Single SD card slot, some may prefer dual slots
• No in-camera RAW processing
• Maximum burst shooting rate a bit slow at 6fps with C-AF
• Menu system can be a bit complex and unintuitive

Overall, the GX9 provides really good image quality and performance in a compact and stylish body. The lack of weather sealing and average burst rate may be drawbacks for some. But it's a great choice for travel and everyday shooting if you don't need the highest end specs.

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 is an excellent mid-range mirrorless camera that offers a lot of value for the price. It has a sleek, retro-inspired design with good handling and controls. The 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor delivers sharp, detailed images even in low light. Autofocus is fast and accurate with good subject tracking.

For video, 4K recording is smooth and stabilized but limited to 30fps. The flip-up touchscreen is useful for framing shots at creative angles. Connectivity options are up-to-date with Bluetooth and WiFi for easy photo transfer and remote control.

Battery life is a bit disappointing at just 250-260 shots per charge. The lack of a mic input could be limiting for serious video use. Low light and dynamic range performance is not quite as good as some APS-C rivals.

Overall though, the GX9 hits a sweet spot between price, performance and portability. It's a great choice for travel, street, and everyday shooting. Image quality belies its compact size. Easy-to-use controls and features make it accessible for beginners yet satisfying for enthusiasts. For anyone looking to step up from a smartphone or basic camera to an interchangeable lens model, the GX9 is easy to recommend.