Panasonic GX9 & TZ200 Review

New from Panasonic, the GX9 and TZ200

Panasonic, hot on the tail of the launch of the G9 and the GH5S have just announced two new cameras, the GX9 and the TZ200.

Both aimed at the advanced user, these two cameras both deliver very impressive performance at a reasonable price point.

Panasonic GX9

Designed with a definite slant towards street photography, the GX9 is a very sleek rangefinder style successor to the very much ahead of its time, GX8. Sporting a 20.3MP micro four thirds sensor, 3 inch vari-angle touchscreen LCD and 4 stop in-built image stabilisation the GX9 is a very well equipped machine. As one would expect from a Panasonic camera, the GX9 has 4K video as well as the impressive suite of 4K stills shooting controls.

Here, the camera uses its 4K video processing power to capture images designed to be exported as 8MP stills. The 4K burst mode captures frames at an impressive 30fps, and the GX9’s new auto marking feature puts markers in the burst where there’s a significant change in the frame contents to help you find key moments later.

The 4K Post Focus mode is even more impressive. The camera captures a short burst using every focus point, and in playback mode you can simply tap on the picture to choose the focus point you want. This enables you to do something which feels like it ought to be impossible: focus after you’ve taken the shot. And new in the Lumix GX9 is in-camera focus stacking, so you no longer need a computer to merge a series of images with different focus points into a single photo that’s sharp from front to back – something that’s impossible to achieve in macro photography with a single exposure.

There is an increase in burst rate over the GX8 at 9FPS, with 6FPS with auto focus. As you would expect there is WiFi along with the increasingly used Bluetooth.

The body feels very premium and in terms of physical size, it matches a Sony A6500. The dials are very well placed and easy to use, with a relatively decluttered interface and most controls being managed by selecting items on the touch screen. The electronic viewfinder is very good, and even offers a 90-degree tilt for viewfinder fans who find themselves working at awkward angles. The rear screen also tilts, but stops short of a fully-articulating pivot, so it doesn’t work as well when the camera is held vertically.

ISO range now runs all the way up to 25,600 so increased low light ability is apparent.

Available from mid march, at £699 body only, the GX9 is set to be a strong street photographers camera. Pre-order and buy before 3rd April and receive a FREE 25mm f/1.7 Panasonic lens from Panasonic UK.

Panasonic TZ200

Along with the GX9, Panasonic announced what could be the ultimate travel compact camera. The Panasonic TZ200 is a pocket-sized travel zoom camera, with a 15x zoom and a 1-inch, 20MP sensor for what promises to be class-leading image quality.

The TZ200’s headline update is a new lens, which is now a 15x zoom with a 24-360mm equivalent range, in place of the TZ100’s 10x/25-250mm. This is unheard of in a camera body that you can easily slip into your pocket, with a sensor of this size. The 1″ sensor will deliver fantastic image quality in any situation you can throw at it. Of course, with a focal range like this, the camera has in-built image stabilisation to ensure shake free shots.

The other big upgrade over the TZ100 is the viewfinder. This has been boosted up to a higher-resolution 2.33m-dot electronic viewfinder, with 0.53x equivalent magnification.

Other features include WiFi and the recently adopted Bluetooth for easy photo sharing making getting those travel snaps onto Instagram a breeze. The battery is decidedly beefy, providing enough charge for around 370 shots which should be enough for most people’s shooting needs.

Like other Panasonic models the TZ200 can record 4K video (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 30p, but it now adds 120fps slow-motion Full HD recording into the mix. Creative movie-makers will also find time-lapse and stop-motion animation modes on board.

Panasonic’s handy 4K Photo mode uses video technology to record 8MP images at 30fps without instantly filling up your memory card. The >TZ200 can even suggest the best images in a burst, and generate composites in-camera from several selected frames.