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Panasonic G9 vs Fujifilm S8500 Comparison

Camera to replace

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Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Fujifilm S8500

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic G9 vs Fujifilm S8500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Fujifilm S8500, which was introduced in January 2013 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, S8500 is 4 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-08

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

3680k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

180fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Fujifilm S8500 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-01-07

16MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 64 - 12800

24-1104 mm F2.9-6.5 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3.00" Fixed Type Screen

200k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

480fps High-Speed Video

670g. 123 x 87 x 116 mm mm

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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Panasonic G9

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Fujifilm S8500

See at AMAZON

Panasonic G9

See at AMAZON

Fujifilm S8500

See at AMAZON

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Fujifilm FinePix S8500

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 16 MP	25% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 12.800	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Resolution	1.040k dots vs 460k dots	126% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/7000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 10.0fps	10 fps faster
Weight	658 g vs 670 g	12 g lighter
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution	3680k dot vs 200k dot	1739% higher resolution
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port	Yes vs No	Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (80.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in High Speeds
USB Version	USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	Faster Data transfer from the camera
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Fujifilm FinePix S8500 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light

CHECK S8500 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Fujifilm FinePix S8500

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
Max Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 10.0fps	Fast shooting speeds

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Fujifilm FinePix S8500

Panasonic G9 vs Fujifilm S8500: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Fujifilm S8500 has external dimensions of and weighs 670 g (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and the Fujifilm S8500. Fujifilm S8500 is 14mm narrower and 10mm shorter than Panasonic G9 but it is also 24mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Fujifilm S8500 has a built-in lens but Panasonic G9 doesn't. Once you put a lens on G9, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Fujifilm S8500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Fujifilm S8500 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Fujifilm S8500 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic G9 is 12g lighter than the Fujifilm S8500 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on G9, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather-sealed body, we believe that the G9 has a big advantage over the S8500 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Fujifilm S8500's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Fujifilm S8500: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Fujifilm S8500 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and S8500 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 Cameras

As seen above, Panasonic G9 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Fujifilm S8500. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm S8500 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Fujifilm S8500 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Street Photography

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm S8500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/7000s
1104 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Manual Focus Mode
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm S8500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

46.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
670g
Body Thickness 116mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Fujifilm S8500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Fujifilm S8500: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far, but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic G9 and Fujifilm S8500 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #59 out of 118 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #90 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Fujifilm S8500

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #92 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #805 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Fujifilm S8500 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Fujifilm S8500 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Fujifilm FinePix S8500
Brand	Panasonic	Fujifilm
Announced	2017-11-08	2013-01-07
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	224.90mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	64 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 ISO	-
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	225	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	24-1104 mm (46×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F2.9-6.5
Macro Focus Range	no lens	0cm
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fixed type
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,040k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	3,680k dots	200k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.83x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/7000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Optical
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	20.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	670g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	123 x 87 x 116 mmmm
Battery Life	400 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction