Perhaps an article dedicated to using the Lumix GX9 is not really necessary, as I’ve already written about using its predecessor, the GX85. They’re very similar cameras! But I have realized that the way I use a camera has changed since 2016, and my thoughts and feelings are a bit different now. I think that it is common to change photographically over time, and not just in the way our finished images look – perhaps an angle that is focused on a little too much in today’s progress- and results-oriented culture – but as well in the way we use cameras and interact with the world of our subject matter.
When I acquired the GX9 late in 2019, I had already had the Ricoh GR III for almost a year, and previous to that, the GR II, also for about a year. Now, let’s back up. In 2016, when I got the GX85, I began a trend of becoming less gear-focused, less tempted by new camera specifications and upgrades. A healthy trend, to be sure, and the Lumix GX-series of cameras are designed to cover a lot of bases in a small package. Sort of jacks-of-all-trades, good for stills and video, fast & slow shooting, a wide variety of lenses, etc. I only bought a Ricoh GR in order to get a truly pocketable camera, and, pulling further back, made that choice mainly because I had stopped buying expensive, high-end smartphones. Several years back, opting for an inexpensive smartphone got you a reliable but unremarkable device, generally with a bad camera. So, in the midst of a resolution to be less gear-focused, a series of related choices led me to buy a new kind of camera in a fixed-lens compact.
Here’s the thing: sometimes gear can change you. And the GR did change my way of shooting, as well as my subject matter. Certain kinds of gear can move the photographer in certain directions, when they happen to coincide with innate elements of taste and imagination that draws the user onward. But this only seems to happen with gear that is specialized, made for a very distinct kind of use. The GR is a specialized camera. The GX9 is not.
The GX9 is a camera designed to succeed at multiple usage scenarios, in a compact, rangefinder-styled format. If there is an overall design ethos, it’s that of the Swiss army knife. This isn’t a bad thing – that is, if you’re a photographer who tries a bit of everything, or one who is still finding out what really resonates with you. Or you may find specialized photography antithetical to your taste, and that’s no bad thing. I’m not advocating for specialization, in fact I think photographers should be generalists, in that they should shoot a wide variety of subject matter and develop their eye in many different areas, as the earliest practitioners of the craft did. Shooting different subject matter is time well spent, especially when it’s all the time and not just when embarking on specifically photo-oriented outings. This means a small and light camera, and it needs to have the flexibility of a wide feature-set and a readily accessible system of accessories and lenses. That’s what the Lumix GX9 has to offer. In fact, it’s what most of the Micro Four Thirds system has to offer.
Micro Four Thirds has been around a long time – it’s the oldest mirrorless format. There are all kinds of cameras and lenses available now. A few of them are specialized, mostly in video, where the smaller format offers some distinct advantages, but even these options typically have plenty of still-image oriented features. Since the sensors have developed and undergone advancements along with the rest of the technology, you could even apply the jack-of-all-trade moniker, or Swiss army knife, to the sensors nowadays. They have low noise, even up to reasonably high ISO values – but not the cleanest base-ISO compared to larger formats. They have great sensor readout speed, meaning they are extremely responsive with nothing of the lag that sometimes appears in other mirrorless formats. They don’t generate a ton of heat, meaning they are great for 4K video. But these things have, in my opinion, limited their resolution, currently capped out at 20 megapixels. Their standard Bayer sensor layout allows them to capture images faithfully, but unremarkably when compared to some of the other sensor technology out there, like Fujifilm’s X-Trans or Sigma’s Foveon. They are also still limited to 12-bit RAW files, while many cameras now offer 14-bit files with extra headroom for post processing.
All of the perceived shortcomings of the Micro Four Thirds sensors are tradeoffs offering benefits compared to other formats. Fast, quiet autofocus. Lag-free operation. Small size, with image stabilization built in. A bevy of features. And the GX9 sits in the sweet spot, a smaller body but not the smallest, a full feature-set without the added cost of flagships like the Lumix G9. In fact, the GX9 is the smallest and most affordable way into Panasonic’s most current and optimized features and hardware.
As I used the camera, I could feel its competence. As the GX85 was a major step forward in Panasonic’s cameras, the GX9 feels like an iteration on that success, polishing a few details and bringing it up to speed. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the results from the 20MP sensor, which I’ll talk about in a future article. The return of the tilting EVF was welcome. The body is even more solid feeling than the GX85.
There were just two main problems I found. The EVF, and the ergonomics. These are both somewhat subjective, so I’ll make my observations and let the reader decide how relevant they are. In a modern camera, the small size of the EVF feels like a major misstep. I was less critical back in 2016, but that was because the GX85 had fewer high-end features and was priced a little under what the GX9 was. I wear glasses, and it’s hard to see the EVF with glasses on, especially in bright sunlight. And while the ergonomics are actually a tad better than the GX85, mostly because of the more prominent thumb rest, this camera is still a little hard to hold without accidentally pressing buttons. If you look at a camera like the Fuji X100V, they have simplified the button layout on the back, without sacrificing usability. I think Panasonic should do the same. I could use a few fewer buttons right in the general area where I grip the camera.
Certain features are still missing from this camera, reserved for the highest-end. The GX9 still has the 4K Photo modes from the GX85, while the G9 and GH5 have 6K Photo modes. These electronic-shutter options include things like Post Focus and in-camera focus stacking, but the 4K mode only produces 8MP images, a little light on resolution for printing or displaying on high-res displays. There is also no sensor-shift high-res feature. But I can forgive these details given the lower cost and small size of the GX9. It is simply a very capable, small form factor camera. It doesn’t inspire in the same way that the GR III does for me. But it is also much more flexible. I think I’ll name the camera Jack.
The Sprocket Docket 