Panasonic has announced its latest mirrorless camera, the Panasonic G9. Designed for the serious still-photographer, it packs plenty of professional level features in a body about the same size of a mid-range DSLR.
At the heart of the camera is a 20-megapixel Micro FourThirds sensor; the same sensor as the one in the Panasonic GH5 in fact. What Panasonic has done instead was to tweak the sensor for better photography performance in JPEG and RAW. When 20-megapixels are not enough, the G9 can pixel-shift the sensor to create 80-megapixel images as well.
Other standout features of the G9 includes a refined ‘Depth from Defocus’ AF system with 225 selectable points for better autofocus performance. Plus, the camera can shoot 20fps with Continous Autofocus on, something that not many cameras in the market right now can do.
With a weather-sealed body, the Panasonic G9 can go just about anywhere, and it is also freeze-proof up to -10 degrees Celsius. The screen can be used in frigid weather conditions, and the fully-articulating 3-inch LCD display is also touch-sensitive. The crowning glory however is the 3.68 million dot OLED viewfinder, with a wide 0.83x magnification. In a nutshell, you will see everything in sharp contrast and true-to-life colour.
Video with the Panasonic G9 is similar with the GH5, with support for 4K60p out of the box. It can also record slow-motion video; 60fps in 4K or 180fps in 1080p.
Once done, photographers can transfer their content out in several ways. The dual SD card slots can support up to UHS-II memory card. Panasonic bucked the trend by using the latest 802.11ac WiFi standard, paired with Bluetooth LE. Finally, the camera uses a USB 3.0 connection, that can double as a charging port.
Panasonic is expected to ship the camera in January worldwide, with a body-only retail price of US$ 1,699 (approx. RM 7,184).
(Source: DPreview )
