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Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

Panasonic G9
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Olympus E-M1 II

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-M1 II
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Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing G9 and E-M1 II, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. Both Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II cameras have 20.0MP Four Thirds sensors. Panasonic G9 was introduced to market in November 2017 and Olympus E-M1 II was launched in September 2016. There is 14 months difference between G9 and E-M1 II so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger G9, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II 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
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Fully Articulated Screen
  • 3680k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-M1 II Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-09-19
  • 20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 64)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 60.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (DCI) - 4096 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 574g. 134 x 91 x 67 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M1 Compare

Olympus E-M1 II was replaced by Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III vs Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III vs Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Viewfinder Magnification
0.83x vs 0.74x Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 121 104 more focus points
Battery Life
400 shots vs 350 shots 50 more frames with a single charge
Viewfinder Resolution
3680k dot vs 2360k dot 55% higher resolution
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
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
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot


Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 20.0fps 40 fps faster
Weight
574 g vs 658 g 84 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
4096 x 2160 vs 3840 x 2160 Higher Resolution Video
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Adjustable LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fully Articulated Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 20 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 1.037k dots High resolution screens
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
Selfie/Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs Yes Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High Resolution Mode
Yes (80.0MP) vs Yes (80 MP) Increased resolution with Pixel Shifting
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking
Yes vs Yes Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Storage Slot
2 vs 2 Extra Storage Slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs UHS-II Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Webcam Function
Yes vs Yes Use your camera as a Webcam
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II 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). Olympus E-M1 II has external dimensions of 134 x 91 x 67 mm (5.28 x 3.58 x 2.64″) and weighs 574 g (1.27 lb / 20.25 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II. Olympus E-M1 II is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 3mm narrower, 6mm shorter and 25mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II.
Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M1 II is 84g lighter than the Panasonic G9 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II have the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount and Four Thirds sized sensors, lenses will not be a differentiator on total size of the system.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
E-M1 II
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

G9
E-M1 II
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both G9 and E-M1 II have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Both cameras feature Fully Articulating screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. Fully articulating screens are also useful for taking Selfie shots and video.
Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II have Four Thirds sized 20.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic G9 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and E-M1 II sensor size comparison.

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II Cameras


Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II have the same Micro Four Thirds and have total of 107 lenses to choose from.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards whereas E-M1 II's IS system is rated upto 6.5-stops.

Lens Type # of Panasonic G9 Lenses # of Olympus E-M1 II Lenses
Standard Zoom 15 15
Standard Prime 13 13
Wideangle Zoom 5 5
Wideangle Prime 29 29
Telephoto Zoom 18 18
Telephoto Prime 9 9
SuperZoom 8 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 5
Macro Prime 4 4
Perspective Control Prime n/a n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 107 107

Here are some of the most popular Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for G9 and E-M1 II
Model Coverage Weight Focusing Street Price
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS Lens Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS
FourThirds 210gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH.  Power O.I.S Lens Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH. Power O.I.S
FourThirds 265gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
FourThirds 382gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 ASPH Lens Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 ASPH
FourThirds 125gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus 9mm F8 Fish-Eye Body Cap Lens Lens Olympus 9mm F8 Fish-Eye Body Cap Lens
FourThirds 30gr MF Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8
FourThirds 136gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power OIS Lens Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Power OIS
FourThirds 305gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 OIS Lens Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 OIS
FourThirds 360gr AF Amazon B&H Photo

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS Lens Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS
24 - 70mm 305gr 963gr 74mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
24 - 80mm 382gr 956gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS Lens Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS
70 - 200mm 357gr 1015gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 2224gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH Lens Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH
50mm 205gr 863gr 55mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 710gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Lens Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH
16 - 36mm 315gr 973gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 1108gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS Lens Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
24 - 120mm 320gr 978gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 1149gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 Lens Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3
200 - 800mm 985gr 1643gr 172mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300mm 1850gr 2424gr mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Olympus E-M1 II 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

Olympus E-M1 II for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-M1 II for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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
Large Four Thirds (17.4 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

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 II for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
121 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 II for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Medium size Body
574g
Body Thickness 67mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-M1 II 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
Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Olympus E-M1 II: 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 Olympus E-M1 II, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Olympus E-M1 II scores compare:

Panasonic G9
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #63 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Olympus E-M1 II
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #45 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-M1 II has a higher Overall Score than the Panasonic G9 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic G9
Panasonic G9
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Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Brand Panasonic Olympus
Announced 2017-11-08 2016-09-19
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 17.4 x 13 mm
Area 224.90mm2 226.20mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 20 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 5184 x 3888
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 100 ISO 64 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 225 121
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 107 107
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,040k dots 1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 3,680k dots 2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.83x 0.74x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/32000s 1/32000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 20.0 fps 60.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 4096 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MOV, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 658g 574g
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm 134 x 91 x 67mm
Battery Life 400 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 80
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.8
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1312
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