Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 Samples

On this review page, the Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 is compared to its predecessor, the GX8 reviewed here
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8. Although both these cameras are built around a 20 megapixels Four-Thirds CMOS sensor, three years have elapsed between the development of the first 20 MP sensor for the platform and the latest one used in the GX9. When it comes to technology, three years is significant. The most notable difference between these two sensors is that the GX9 ommits the traditional Anti-Alias Filter to allow the recording of finer detail.

All images below are 100% crops from their respective camera taken at the highest image quality JPEG setting available. ISO, aperture and white-balance were set on camera. The cameras were calibrated to maximize the quality of their output. These crops help determine which ISO settings is acceptable on these cameras. When noise increases, most cameras compensate with noise reduction which introduces softness. The point at which a print becomes too noisy is a matter of personal taste.

Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 6400
ISO 12800	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 25600

Both the GX8 and GX9 show similar noise-levels across the entire standard ISO range. At ISO 12800 and 25600, the GX9 pulls ahead with its finer noise-pattern. It is clear that the GX9 needs much less noise-reduction than its predecessor which makes its output usable for larger prints at mid-level sensitivities.