I like the G9 for stills, but I am also aware I am not fully in control of it yet. Here is what I can share now about the cameras positives and negatives.
Positives
(compared mostly to the work horse EM1 Mk2’s for context).
Physical controls.
The G9 has a wheel and “nubbin” control, which are both a bonus over the EM1 Mk2.
The wheel takes me back to Canon and with ISO or exposure comp assigned to it. I love this dynamic.
The nubbin is right in line with the later Canons and the EM1x (and EM1 Mk3 if I had one). For video it controls White Balance, in stills it is assigned to the AF area control.
The extra real estate of the G9 allows for specific controls for most functions (somewhere between Nikon on the left side and Canon on the right side), but these are also very different to the Olympus style (like the Canon/Nikon tension). I need to invest some serious time into this camera and assign it to specific tasks to get my head right with it. With the new and old Leicas’s it will be my main camera for the paper, Olympus saved for sports and action.
Touch functions.
I do not tend to use touch controls for anything other than AF/shoot on the Oly’s, but that is something I find indispensable. On the G9, almost every function can and often should (occassionally can only be), controlled by touch. Ironically, the camera often duplicates the physical controls with touch options, which can be too much.
Custom functions.
This is a game changer, especially for video. The customisation of the G9 surpasses the EM1 series for stills, but crucially, all video functions are available as well and the camera allows you to differentiate. Olympus has a hole in their game here, something the OM-1 seems to have addressed partly, but there is so much more available to the Pana user. This is like the difference between brush tool in Lightroom and C1. In C1 you can use basically any processing option, with any processing option. In Lightroom you are limited to a select few.
I can assign a set of video only, very specific settings to any function button, save it (up to 5 of them), then set the camera up for stills very differently. My 2 G9’s settled in very quickly to their video role and it was handy to duplicte these settings (by simply down loading them onto a card and transferring them!), then concentrate on a very different setup for stills. The video-centric one has been left at defaults for stills, the dual role one is an on-going journey.
Handling.
The camera feels more complete without a grip. I could add one, but do not feel the need. To be honest, I fell in love with this camera first time I held it a few years ago, but had mixed feelings about the view finder and full compatibility with Olympus lenses.
Video.
Stands to reason a camera bought for video would be good at it, but I am impressed by just how good it is. I also like the EM1’s 4k in FLAT profile, but the 1080p from the Pana, and the options this opens up (time lapse, slo-mo, dynamic cropping, 180 fps etc), are more than enough for my needs.
Image Quality.
The combination of the G9 and 75mm f1.8 has a nice image balance and extreme quality.
I will rate the IQ as closer to the EM1x/Pen F than the EM1 Mk2’s. The colour is neutral and mixes well with the slightly warmer Oly lenses. It seems to have the same super clear sharpness the Pen F displays, crisper than the EM1 Mk2, and with better noise control than either, possibly because, like the Pen F, it does not share the sensor with phase detection pixels.
I have had good luck with the electronic shutter at high ISO settings and the skin tones are stunning. White Balance can seem off in some RAW files (very yellow under indoor lights), but cleans up very well. Unlike the EM1 Mk2’s I find White Balance fixes are clean and logical.
Information.
The eye detect is clear, the AF point indicators also. The camera has a mountain of display options and is customisable.
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Things I am not sure about yet.
Controls, touch screen, customisaton, information etc.
Just so much to learn, understand and set correctly. Sometimes this camera does my head in and I have needed to Google several functions. I cannot remember ever having to do that with Olympus.
I feel less “connected” to the G9 (at the moment). It is very capable, but I do not (yet) feel the immediacy I feel with the Oly cameras. It seem to me the EM’s are more workman like, the Panas are more amateur “tech over simplicity” oriented and much busier, almost like over grown compact cameras. I have on occassion just trusted the camera and generally that has been ok, but more than a bit unsettling none the less.
I changed it for stills shooting after one night of familiarity for the big portrait job and that was in hindsight both a great and equally, perilous move.
Power.
Battery life is a hair less than the EM1 Mk2, but batteries are cheap enough. The only two times this is really an issue are video and sporting events. It does not do the latter.
AF and stabilisation.
I do not trust the stabiliser or touch AF for video as much as I do the EM!x, or even the EM1 Mk2’s really, but with the Leica 12-60 coming, I hope this will get sorted. The 12-40 Pro Oly has performed very well on the G9, but not completely faultlessly, like with the EM1x. With later firmware and the Leica lens, most of the bugs seem to be ironed out.
The view finder.
Nothing really to complain about and it is better than the EM1 Mk2 on paper, but still adjusting.
To nutshell it;
The G9 is in many ways the superior camera both on paper and in use. It’s potential is greater with a feature range for a hybrid shooter that is unmatched by the equivalent Olympus or indeed many other cameras (and certainly nothing for the price).
The EM1’s generally (the “X” is special), are the better choice for “rubber meets the road” sports and action AF and are generally less complicated, so they are more intuitive than the Panas, although I am comparing years of Oly use to short months of Pana use. Shortfalls in video, a tiny lag in high ISO performance and a muddier/greener look from the Mk2 sensor are balanced with small size, familiar menues and their raw AF performance.
Somehow, I have muddled my way through to a decent split kit using two, mosty compatible brands, sharing one format, but handing it very differently.
The G9 (8-18, 12-60, 45, 75) will handle all close and indoor work with video and I will get on top of flash.
The EM1 (40-150) will be the sport and action/long lens camera.
These can work exclusively or be combined.