The Lumix G9ll Finally Announced
Finally! Panasonic is getting serious about a quality autofocus camera in the world of Micro Four Thirds cameras. They’re proving it by announcing the Lumix G9ll with much-improved autofocus. Or at least that’s what the initial hype suggests. I’ll reserve judgment for three significant reasons.
Reasons to be skeptical
The first is my five years of experience as a Lumix Ambassador and being disappointed every time a new camera was announced. The GH5 was the first to disappoint, and the G9 was the second. Add to that firmware updates that promised drastically improved AF that never came to fruition. Combine these issues and you can understand my lack of trust. I did a video comparing Lumix, Sony, and Olympus, and it ended up being the last straw for me. After that, I decided to move on from the Lumix brand and sever my Ambassador relationship.
My second concern stems from what I’ve read about the Lumix S5ll. This camera was the first Lumix to adopt Phase detection autofocus, the type of AF virtually all other manufacturers use some form of. The Lumix S5ll autofocus is better than the Lumix G9 and GH5 but far behind Sony and Canon’s autofocus capabilities. For years, Lumix tried desperately to stick with its Depth From Defocus (DFD) system and could never make it work effectively. They have now changed their mind with the release of the S5ll and the G9ll.
Finally, I wonder if the new G9ll will be any better at autofocusing than the last Lumix camera I tested and reviewed, the Lumix GH6. Lumix sent me the GH6 back in February 2022. I shared my thoughts on this camera in the blog post – Lumix GH6 Has Much Improved Autofocus. The GH6 was better than the G9 but still substantially behind what I’ve experienced with my Sony A9. For details on the AF capabilities of the Lumix GH6, look for The Speeding Pooch Test results in the blog post I’ve linked to above.
Sorry No New Camera to Test
Unfortunately, I’m unable to give my two cents on how the new G9ll camera’s autofocus stacks up to other brands since I no longer have any connections to Lumix. But I’m hoping it’s as good and even better than all the hype suggests since it helps prove Micro Four Thirds is still alive and well. Although I gave up on Lumix, I’m still a huge fan of Micro Four Thirds cameras and have been shooting the Olympus system, now known as OM Solutions, for over three years.
Mixing and Matching between two systems
One of the many benefits of the MFT category of cameras is the ability to mix and match cameras and lenses between Olympus and Lumix. This key feature was always one of the reasons I was so positive about the Micro Four Thirds category of cameras. Being able to jump from one brand to another without giving up all your lenses has always been one of the significant benefits. Can you imagine having this same option between Canon, Nikon, and Sony? Imagine one company leapfrogging all others with a new camera and you being able to buy that camera to use with all your current lenses. Without having to buy into a new and different brand. What a novel concept.
My Move To Olympus
Since Lumix and Olympus are both part of the Micro Four Thirds consortium, I could use all my Lumix/Leica lenses on the new Olympus bodies I was moving to. I first bought the Olympus EM-1X and eventually the OM-1. Both cameras accepted the Lumix lenses with a few minor hitches. I won’t get into all the details on those issues, but I started with all Lumix lenses on two Olympus bodies. I’ve since migrated to all Olympus lenses since most are more in line with what I need, like the 150-400mm. And all are better weather-sealed and equal to or sharper than the Lumix equivalent.
Final Thoughts
It’s been six years since the release of the Lumix G9. To say that is light years in the world of digital photography would be an understatement. But thankfully, the new G9ll suggests that Lumix is still in the game of Micro Four Thirds. That’s good news for all of us who have found these smaller cameras to be more than sufficient to produce truly professional results. I’m thrilled the G9ll is on its way.