Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

The Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a mirrorless camera released in 2017, built around a 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor. Burst shooting at up to 20 fps, in-body stabilisation and a weather-sealed body point it at action and outdoor photography.

The body measures 137 x 97 x 92 mm and weighs 658 g. That size and weight suit a camera bag or strap rather than a pocket.

The Micro 4/3 mount accepts any lens made for the Micro Four Thirds system, which keeps lens selection straightforward.

Shooting starts with a 20-megapixel CMOS sensor in the Micro Four Thirds format, with the Venus Engine handling processing. Twenty megapixels leaves scope for prints and moderate crops. Sensitivity spans ISO 200 to 25600.

For action, bursts run at up to 20 fps and the shutter reaches 1/8000 s, which together help freeze fast movement. Autofocus offers 225 selectable points, giving plenty of choice over where focus lands.

Composition happens through an electronic viewfinder with 3.68 million dots. That high resolution helps when checking focus and framing before you commit to the shot.

In-body stabilisation counters camera shake, which makes handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds more practical and helps in low light when a tripod is not an option. It steadies your hands rather than the subject, so motion in the frame still needs the fast shutter speeds above.

On the video side, the camera records up to 4K resolution, and its fastest frame rate is 60 fps. These are listed as separate maximums, so check which combinations the recording menu offers for your project.

A built-in timelapse function covers the shooting end of time-lapse projects, triggering frames automatically so you do not have to stand over the camera.

Footage can be recorded as MPEG-4, AVCHD or MOV files. Three formats give you flexibility at import: pick the container that suits your editing software or your archive.

The in-body stabilisation also helps during filming, smoothing out handheld camera movement, and the flipping rear screen makes it easier to hold the camera high or low while recording.

At the back is a 3-inch TFT LCD with just over a million dots, and it responds to touch. Touch input makes it quick to place the focus point or swipe through photos, and the screen flips away from the body for waist-level and overhead angles.

The body is weather sealed, which helps in dust and damp conditions. Sealing resists the elements rather than blocking them entirely, so it is not a substitute for care in heavy rain. There is also no built-in flash; the camera instead supports an external flash unit for when you need extra light.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth provide wireless connectivity for linking the camera to other devices. GPS is absent, so in-camera location tagging is unavailable; images can still be tagged by other means, such as a phone.

Two memory card slots accept SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, and the camera supports UHS-II, so a fast card can write at its full speed. A second slot also means fewer card swaps partway through a long shoot.

The DMW-BTC13 battery has a listed life of 400 shots per charge. Treat that figure as a guide rather than a promise, since actual endurance varies with how you shoot, so a spare is worth packing for long days out.

Charging works over USB, so you can top the battery up from a computer or USB charger between shoots, though you still need to plan charging time around a shooting day.