Panasonic has added a new interchangeable lens camera to its high-end Micro Four Thirds lineup. The new Panasonic Lumix G9 is aimed at still photographers (unlike the video-centric GH5). The Japanese company claims that the new camera is designed for speed, durability, and versatility. It comes with an ultra-fast, 60fps burst shot speed and an improved five-axis in-body image stabilization. Read more to find about Panasonic Lumix G9 Price in India, Specifications, and Features
Price and Availability
| Price | $1,699 (approx Rs 1,10,300) |
The Panasonic Lumix G9 is priced at $1,699 (approx Rs 1,10,300) for body-only. The new flagship camera will be available starting January 2018. As of now, there is no information about an Indian price or launch date.
Also read: Fujifilm X-E3 Mirrorless Camera Launched in India With 24.3MP Sensor, 4K Video Support
Specifications and Features
- 20.3MP CMOS sensor
- Micro Four Thirds image sensor
- Venus engine
- 5-axis in-body image stabilization
- 80MP High-Res Mode
- 60fps burst speed in AF-S mode
- 20fps in continuous AF-C
- 9fps continuous AF
- Anti-shake system
- Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer)
- ISO range of 200-25600 (expandable to 100-25600)
- 0.83x magnification electronics viewfinder
- 3-inch LCD touchscreen
- 4K videos recording (at up to 60 fps)
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.2
- USB charging
- Dual SD card slots
The new Lumix G9 features the same 20.3MP CMOS sensor as the GH5. It is capable of a producing a maximum output of 5184 x 3888 pixels. An 80MP High-Res Mode allows you allows you to have 80 megapixels (equivalent) images in both JPEG and RAW formats. Basically, the camera captures eight images while shifting the sensor and combines them for better results. The sensor has an ISO range of 200-25600, expandable to 100-25600.
80MP High-Res Mode
The 20.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds image sensor is accompanied by a Venus engine. The new camera offers 60fps burst speed in AF-S mode (fixed focus) and 20fps in continuous AF-C. It uses the built-in electronic shutter to lock objects. Both the modes allow you to capture up to 50 RAW or JPEG images. Additionally, you can use the mechanical shutter to captures 600 JPEG or 60 RAW files at up to 9fps continuous AF.
The Lumix G9 is being touted to have ‘the world’s fastest’ speed in its class (0.04 seconds using 225 AF points). The AF system uses a technology known as DFD (Depth From Defocus) which ‘calculates the distance to the subject by evaluating two images with different sharpness levels while instantly consulting the optical characteristics data of the current lens.‘ AF modes include Face/Eye Recognition, Tracking AF, 1-area AF, and Pinpoint AF.
Panasonic has also upgraded image stabilization system. The Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) system provides 6.5 stops of stabilization. The new camera is also compatible with optical image stabilization (OIS) lenses. Also, the anti-shake system is designed for both still images as well as video files.
The 0.83x (35mm equivalent) magnification electronics viewfinder comes with 100% field of view, 3.68-million-dot electronic viewfinder, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, a minimum time lag of less than 0.005, and three modes of magnification. The 3-inch LCD touchscreen comes with 1.04-million-dots and a 3:2 aspect ratio.
Additional features include 4K videos recording (at up to 60 fps), dust/splash-resistant build, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB charging and dual SD card slots (compatibility for UHS-II/V90).
Also read: Sony A7R III Mirrorless Camera Comes With 42.4MP Full-frame Sensor
Conclusion
The new Panasonic Lumix G9 offers high-end features to still photographers. Panasonic claims that the ‘LUMIX G9 achieves the highest-ever image quality in photo shooting by elevating resolution, gradation and color reproduction.‘ The new camera is essentially a GH5 for still photography. Are you impressed with the new Panasonic Lumix G9? Let us know in the comments section below.
