Comparing the Panasonic Lumix G9 Mk2 against the OM1 for wildlife photography. Which is best? 

It's so refreshing to see wildlife-oriented photo gear being evaluated by an actual wildlife photographer. As a happy OM1 / 150-400 owner I am pleased to see that Lumix finally has a bird-worthy camera and that it will work with my lens. Thank you.

Since your review was published, Panasonic released the Version 2.1 firmware for G9M2 on 30 Jan 24. On my camera running this version the unit no longer "locks up" while a buffer full of images is being emptied - all of the user interface is functional, modes can be switched, etc. As the buffer begins to empty, it is possible to continue shooting JPG or RAW stills; half-pressing the shutter will show how many images can be shot (in the form of "rNN" shown on the screen in place of card capacity) before the camera must pause again to clear additional buffer space. In fact, once the buffer is half-emptied it is even possible to record video from 1080 all the way up to 5.7K while the still images in the buffer are still being written to the card.

I really like this kind of review/comparison. Very use case. Thanks

Great comparison, thanks for making it.

Great review Mike, thanks for sharing.

Thank you for making this video Mike, a very useful comparison. Look forward to seeing more examples of G9m2 video. Really appreciate the work and knowledge that you share on this channel, top work 👍

All your work really shows, great job.

Thank you for the review! Great to see it being based on your own experience.

Well done. Clear, concise, and on point.

great video mike; keep them coming

I love it when you do your own unique tests, it often gives such an interesting different view!

Excellent video Mike. Its certainly given me a lot to think about

I think it's worth trying the new Lumix 100-400 as well. Remember the 150-400 is off-brand and that's likely to affect some features.

Great video comparison Mike. ❤️👌 Thanks a lot.

Fantastic and very helpful video Mike. Besides the terrific analysis, I just wanted to say your video and photography skills are splendid - even if it was just a test!

Very nice video to see the differences between the cameras. Well done

Interesting comparison video of two great cameras, Mike - thanks.

It it is so refreshing to see an unbiased and highly informative review like this one.

Thank you for doing this comparison. Your video comparisons are way better than other RU-vidrs.

Thank you for making this video. The amount of work you put into it is reflected in the clarity of both the video and your thoughts. I don't own either an OM-1 or G9ii, and this has certainly given me food for thought on my eventual upgrade path. Thank you again.

You were a big help with my g9ii purchase. Thank you. Mine arrives tomorrow. I'm excited. I hope you're still enjoying it.

Good real world review Mike

A huge thank you for this! The focus in video mode seems incredible

The same sensation here as with your first video I watched! So relaxed yet authoritative. There is no one in the youngster's videography club that can equal you. I am not seriously into bird photography but your findings are so relevant anyway. Keep doing your great job, Mike!

Great review!

Amazing video. For MFT bird photography content, you are the best !

Great work mate, thank you!

Thanks Mike, I have been thinking about getting a G9 MK2 I will have to save up now. Thanks for sharing.

Great comparison video Mike exactly what we need to know maybe some of these other content creators should take note 👍😄

Mike, good to see you like the camera and thanks for the review. One of the few micro 4/3 wildlife guys out there. If I was panasonic I would of called you and at least lent you a copy version since you do actual wildlife photography with MFT gear. You put out videos week after week with their gear..... Thanks again.

Nice comparison. Mike is a treasure in the photography world.

Super review Mike as always. I am super impress with G9II video AF performances you have demonstrated. If I am into video, i would for sure get G9II to go along with OM-1. Cheers.

Thank you so much for comparing these two cameras from a bird-photographers perspective. Glad you found a new and better video camera!

Thanks Mile for this comparison, I have an OM-1 and Pana Leica glass, (200 f2.8 & 100-400) and I have been really frustrated that OM systems don't allow them to operate at 50FPS or in regular ProCapture mode. This is clearly their decision to prevent them from functioning in these modes, as the G9ii will operate at 60FPS with any lens. Based on your results for AF on the G9i, I think it will be a better option for myself.

Thanks for another great video. I bought the G9ii and am very happy with it. But I also keep the OM-1 for now. I will make my final choice depending on what either do with FW updates this year.

Happy to see you bought yourself the G9M2. Now I have an extra source to learn more about the G9M2. In stills mode I experience that the AF is slower in the beginning too. But when in focus it seems far more sticky than my OM-1. With the 150-400mm I had some problems with finding the bird through the camera. I think this is because of the difference in height of the viewfinder.

Panasonic's video AF is impressive. Thanks for video.

Thanks! As another commenter said: the relative slowness of finding focus could be cause of the Olympus lens. Will be interesting to see if Panasonic release a whachamacallit .. an update at some stage

Thank you for this video I did notice straight away on my G9II the focus on video was so much quicker than the OM1. I still wouldn't sell my OM1 as it is such a great peace of kit. I look forward to more video's on the G9II.

Very interesting video Mike. I only do stills , so I will stick with the OM1 I think. Looks a great option for you though.

This is one of the videos that attracted me to your channel first, namesake. Excellent! Because of this excellency, please correct the misspelling in the title.

Glad to hear you found the video AF to be better. Shame it doesn’t have bird detection AF above 4K 60p but your 120p samples looked great. Now we need OM Systems to improve video AF so we can stick to one body.

Great vlog Mike. I hope the G9 ii meets your expectations. This is the camera body I plan to purchase to replace my old and faithful Nikon D7100. Hopefully the auto-focus sluggishness can be improved with a firmware update. All the best from Newfoundland, Canada.

Nice video, The Snappy Autofocus of the OM1 is good for stills, but the gradually focus of the G9 MK2 look so much better for video (I have not seen how the OM1 handles video when it loses focus and regains, if it snaps back and forward it is unattractive)

really good, gona update my em5 m3 to g9 m2 someday...

Thanks for this video. Very much appreciated. I'm not a birder, but I was a photographer for many years. Thanks also for the info about the OM-1, as I inherited one from my late father and have never used it. The 'Pro' setting sound like a very useful facility. Loved the pictures of the Lynx, the Hobby and the Tawny Owl. I'm a fan of Birds of Prey and where I live near Portsmouth, we have all four Falcons present. I live on the East Hants/Sussex border, close to the sea. We have breeding Peregrines at Chichester; Merlins on Hayling Island; Kestrels on Portsdown Hill and visiting Hobby's during the summer. Also Tawny Owls in the local woods. Must buy some film and see what the OM-1 can do, although I only have the standard lens. Shame my Russian Zenit lenses won't fit, as I have a collection of them, plus a pair of Zenit B cameras I bought in 1970. They still worked the last time I used them... about 25 years ago.

With not having moved forward enough to shoot video, you have indeed answered a few questions I may have had on this new camera, but will endeavour to stay with the a OM-1 for the foreseeable future, for stills, it's the bee's knee's for me and my BiF shooting on the 150-400, thanks for the testing and your findings.....

As a stills photographer shooting wildlife using an OM-1, your video helps me answer the question whether I should consider the G9-ii as a new backup camera. Based on your careful review, I don't think I would gain much, so I'll stick with the EM-1 Mark ii as backup. Thanks for contributing to this decision.

I also got the same change of photography; more away from pictures, got more into filming animals; I love coots and I got the G9 II before watching this video. I just feel RIGHT with this camera, and I really love you are showing a coot

Last week I bought the G9 II online, haven't received it yet but can't wait to get to know the camera and work with it...I'll still use my old fantastic canon 90D side by side the G9II. Thank you for grate review.

hi mike thank you for comparing and sharing both of these cameras. I think that if you want to get the best out of both cameras, you should put your own brand lenses on both cameras for the best results.

Nice unbiased review. I've heard mixed reports about the G9 Mk2. some say the photo side isn't as good as the OM-1 but nearly all say the video is far better. Saying that video is what Panasonic are good at.

Can’t wait for you to get your hands on the 150-600 f5-6.3 and the OM-1 mark ii

Excellent test/review. thank you. I wonder if the speed of focus acquisition might be improved by software updates.

Thank you for this great video comparison! It's always refreshing to watch your realistic and down to earth videos. So, in a nutshell, the "old rule of thump" is still valid: Oly for photography, Pana for video. Good to see though that Panasonic finally kept up with the AF in stills photography. Hopefully OM System will bring their long awaited (and kind of announced) major firmware update - maybe this will solve some of their video AF issues (and bring some other necessary improvements too!) Personally, I will stay with Olympus/OM System just b/c they are much much more beautiful, with their look and feel just great. Not exactly an objective criterium, but photography should also be fun ;) Plus, I'm a photographer (no video), and I'm not sure Pana could give me all these great computational modes (like e.g. live ND which is extremely useful for landscapes).

Great stuff. I'm a GH6 with Panasonic 100 - 400mm user, shooting mostly wildlife video at 120FPS manual focus. You video has convinced me the G9II is a worthy upgrade for me. I was going to hold out for the GH7 (maybe subject based auto focus will also work at 120FPS) but the G9II seems to do well at 120FPS without the subject based element.

Great review and comparison Mike. Seems like they're very competitive, atleast in photography. The G9ii seems to be head and shoulders a better video camera. About the slowish AF, it is a setting for the live view (doesn't affect image focus) that you can change in the camera. Wrench icon> Monitor/Display 1> AFC Live view> Speed priority

Awesome & Thanks Sir :)

And now we have the OM-1 mark ii with a 150-600mm F/5-6.3.

A very good review, Im impressed by the AF in video, as Ive not seen it properly tested on wildlife. I cant see any 'pulsing' either, which is very impressive. The Af on GH6 is pretty naff and useless in anything but good light, and I resorted to buying a follow focus wheel which really helps with manual focusing. Would be interesting to test the Af of the G9 mkii with the f11 aperture of the 150-400 with internal tele and the MC-20 2x tele - which is great for video on my GH6 (AF aside!), as with pixel to pixel mode Ive got an effective 4K 120fps 3000mm set up!

Hi Mike. Useful video clip. I now use my old G9 primarily for street photography with some excellent Panasonic / Lumix lenses and will not be buying the mark 2. For me there is nothing better than the OM-1 for easy of use and transportability for wildlife photography which is why I now have two!! However, for video I find my Sony a1 to be superb with 200-600mm lens. Just to let you know, OM Systems have now replaced my continually fault 150- 400mm x1.25TC with a new one 😊. This good customer care.

Excellent overview Mike… I was about to order a second OM1 body for my macro set up but this has really got me thinking. I am certain that the OM1 could get a software update pretty soon though to counter the G9 ii… let’s hope so 🤞

Hi Mike. Firstly, thanks for all your interesting and instructional videos. I have the OM1 and the G9(2). Regarding the slow AF you mentioned when using the G9. I guess you were usiing the OM 150-400 at the time. I have found that when using the G9 on OM lenses such as the 40-150 ( 2.8) and the 300 (f4) it is slower to AF. When I use the G9 on the Panasonic Leica 100-400 it is rapid and I have no problems with it. So it may be just the fact that using G9 on OM lens is the problem.

Great comparison video Mike. Just wondering if the difference in stills focusing is more to do with the lens being an Olympus lens and thus optimised for the om1. A better comparison would be if you used the new Panasonic 100-400mm lens on the g9ii and the Olympus 100-400mm on the om1. I'm sure that I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that there are some other very slight issues when using the Olympus 150-400on the g9ii.

I am glad Panasonic has a great camera as good for the system. For me the real test of auto focus aquistion is in deep jungle in poor light where the bird gives you only a breif moment to lockon. I am very happy with the OM1 in such conditions. I do wonder how the G9mk2 does.

Good review as usual. Did you use the same lens when comparing focus speed?

Thanks for that!! Are you going to go through setting for bif and video on the G9ii? I got the OM-1 and the 150-400mm. I also just got the G9ii and haven't set it up. btw you are the best!!

Thanks... 👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻 Very interesting Happy New Year Will you do an analysis of the new OM SYSTEM TG-7 ?? Best regards from Spain

Good Stuff Mike. Thanks for sharing the info. Love my OM-1. Maybe OM Systems will up their video game to try to match the G9II. If not.... the video on the G9II looks fantastic.

As the owner of the original Lumix G9 I appreciate you giving the Mark 2 version a chance. The nice thing about the MFT Lumix/OM system is the general interchangeability of the lenses. By buying the G9 Mark2 you not only get better video but you have a back up stills camera to your OM-1. I really like the feel of the original G9 in the hand. What were your impressions of holding the Mark 2 after a session with the camera in the field?

Thank you. Not disagreeing but trying to find an explanation. I noticed with the snappy focus test that the OM-1 blanks the monitor where the G9M2 keeps it running. According to the video timing, they're about the same time, you would be able to get exact timing frame to frame off your video editor. Panasonic have traditionally used a smooth focus transition for follow-focus in movie mode, less jerky. You are using a very, very good Olympus lens but it does not support DFD: DFD is practically instant focus. You are using "Set1", with my G9 the Sets do not have the same functionality. With my Olympus backs the camera does more of the focus heavy lifting, the G9 needs more user input to tell it what to do. With my G9(1) I have not found the lack of PDAF to be a problem, with a DFD lens. With an Olympus lens there is a tendency, not exactly to hunt but to breathe slightly on AFC (C-AF). Not a problem as the shutter won't trip until they are locked but can preclude use for fast action shots. PDAF probably has better detect and tracking capability. Using recognition/detect can slow the G9(1) AF speed down a trifle, as can tracking, it has to think about it before moving the lens. Horses for courses in a greek parliament.

Really interesting Mike! I was really torn between the om1 and g9ii and was wondering if I went with the wrong camera by getting the Lumix. I was coming over from flagship full frame bodies so some of the stills changes have been a little surprising. As you demonstrate, the video capabilities of this thing are wild. I was a Fuji xh2s shooter but its video autofocus was terrible and the 240fps was unusable quality wise. Here, the 300fps looks awesome and the video autofocus is so amazing, it’s really eye opening. ’m still finding it plenty competent for stills

Hi Mike great video I found you through one of the camera groups thank you - May I ask, have you done a video on setting up the G9ii camera for birding. I have just upgraded from the G9 and have had a few learning difficulties and it would be good to see just how you have set it up. Thank you again paul. I use the 100-400 lens.

Your video part of the video was exactly what I was looking for. Autofocus in slow motion with birds in flight. Great, thanks. Because of the band video to focus in the non-existing auto focus in slow, slow motion, I bought the G9II. I and will do the focus test with the Lumix 100-400 Mark I and Mark II on the G9II and the Zuiko 100-400 on the OM1. Btw, if you are in the menu of the G9II and press the display button, you get comments to the menu settings on screen. Interesting not only for the individual focus settings. And you should try the near and far focus setting, that I put on the 2 front buttons of the G9II. Then you can tell the camera very quickly to focus on the nearer or further subject of the picture. Quite a unique feature on the camera I think. But thanks for the video. Well done and a great help!

I love my G9 and have now relegated my GH6 to B Cam duties. This is for two very simple reasons,the G9 is pin-sharp and can keep focus on what ever you point it at when filming. What's even better is that my G9 competes equally with my mate's Panasonic S5m2. That is until you go into astro photography and the G9m2 doesn't stand a chance.

Thank you for your video and analysis! I recently moved up from my G9 to the G9 II and I am now going out on occasion exclusively for video. I have a couple of locations I am very excited to revisit using the G9 II PD auto focus instead. Very happy I found your channel. Subscribed and Liked! Do you recommend any video editors? I am actually very happy with my video straight out of camera and wondering if I should just be happy with that. Hey, was looking to buy a cup of coffee for you, but you don't have a link. Well, I don't mean to be bossy, but come on now, get one up there! No fair being so helpful and not allowing us to reciprocate with at least a cup of coffee or two. 🙂

Interesting and as ever well presented, thank you for sharing. One question (not being a video shooter), at around 16:40 you decided to focus on one of two Berwick Swans. Am I right in thinking that you had selected a group of focus points to achieve this rather than "ALL" as was the case earlier in the video?

Great review. Have you been able to test the G9 II in low light conditions. Especially, overcast conditions or during dawn with subjects in between bushes? It will be interesting to see how the auto focus works especially for videos with twigs and branches in the foreground.

Good luck Sir, don't leave it in the boot.

Also have both cameras using it with Pro lenses from Olympus, have the same experience, the slower AF is possibly useable sometimes for video, for stills it is annoying. 10 to 1 I take the OM1 for stills, for video I take the G9II ( if i have both cameras with me) as intended to have the OM1 free for stills. I agree with you that video AF on the OM1 could be improved.

Thank you for your informative video. I use both these bodies. First I would say the G9MK2 is in a different place for video, esp. with native lenses. I have an old battered PL100-400 and a better 50-200 and with either it is easy to hand hold video of birds, insects and the like. I cannot do it as well with the 300 F4 or Oly 100-400 on that body. The stability of video on the OM1 with the oly lenses used the same way is not a good as the lumix combo, its not as good as the old G9 with native lenses. This does not matter if you use a tripod, but for me it does. Focus aquisition in stills on the G9MK2 seems faster with native lenses than using the Oly ones, which you would expect, and may explain that hesitation that you found. If you need to crop the lumix gives you more MPs to play with which can help. Why do I keep the Oly, I think the native lenses I use are better than most of the lumix ones (50-200 excepted) for stills. For video its different.

lovely informative video mate. subscribed:)

Very Interesting Mike, Thank you. I have 2 OM-1 bodies which I love (one for landscape, 1 for wildlife - saves changing lenses) but I have been disappointed with the video autofocus and had wondered whether is was just my inexperience, perhaps not! Have you tried the G9II with the Olympus 100-400? I could get the body and use it with my 100-400 if the video autofocus is good with that lens.

I like the way you compare cameras and systems ever since you shot Sony. It would be great if you could compare a few other brands. Have you ever tested Fuji xh2s?

Interested in understanding the locations you referred to for Barn Owls and 'the path' which you referred to. Are you able to give us some tips? Thanks

Interesting comparison Mike. I was very disappointed by the AF on the G9 Mk1 but loved the camera - especially paired with the 200mm Leica prime. I still use my R5 with 100-500 aswell as the 300mm and 500mm primes. I struggle to work out if it's time to jump back to M 4/3. Do you have any regrets after your with from full frame?

Hi there, fantastic video, was curious what are you using to shoot the talking head portions of this video?

I purchased the G9 II when it first came out. I'm a hybrid shooter using heavy Canon gear so was looking forward to a lighter setup as I do quite a lot of travelling. Unfortunately I had big problems when quicky switching from Stills to Video and vice versa. every time i switched from one Video to photo mode there was a delay before I could start shooting, this caused me to many shots. For this reason I had to return it, I just couldn't trust that it would start taking pictures when I asked it to. A real shame.

Hello and thanks for this review. All of your tests were made with the same lens on both cameras?

I don't have either camera but I believe the G9ii has custom auto focus sets that customize how smooth or snappy the auto focus moves.

Hi. Thankyou for your video. You raised some interesting points. I was wondering if you could tell me how long the G9ii and OM1 take to power up from a cold start to taking a photo. I`'ve heard the G9ii takes longer than the competition. Thankyou

Thank you for this comparison, very interesting. Did you observe any significant difference in AF performances and image stabilization between the 2 cameras coupled with the Zuiko 150-400 mm f4.5 lens? I mean for still photography, not videos

Very interesting regarding the AF of the G9 II for video. I wonder how the GH6 functions ??

Focus acquisition speed is more than adequate for what I do, which is not sports and wildlife. I need accurate focus and all the video features I can get. G9 II gives me that in spades.

Hi Mike, thanks for that great video. As an OM1 owner, I have been eyeing the G9ii since it was announced. A couple of questions please: 1. I noticed at the start of the video (2’08”) you seemed to have had the cat’s eye AF symbol selected - not the bird symbol. Did / could this have affected the AF speed for stills pics at the start? 2. What is your feeling regarding the weather sealing on the G9ii? Does it seem any where near as robust as the OM1?

Was your G9M2 set to af-c as well in your bird eye test? Because in s-af it still uses contrast detection. Phase detection is used only in c-af.

Sorry this wasn't meant as a negative comment as I said the video is excellent, but it isn't right to test AF performance on another manufacturers lens. The 150-400 is a very complex lens which OM have carefully optimised for the OM1. so the slower AF on the g92 may be due to lens incompatibility, or maybe not! I too have an OM1 and am seriously considering the extravagance of a g92 as well.

I wonder if the AF would be faster with a Lumix native lens? Hard to say, the original G9 was perfect ergonomically, and the usability was much better than Olympus at the time, due to the old menus, but as everyone knows, their AF just never got the job done. Thanks for a really nice review!

Hi Mike, do you have plans to review the OM1 Mark 2 and the 150 600 lens?

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