Do I buy a used Lumix G9 or an Olympus EM1 in 2023? 

I've bought an almost unused G9 and falling in love with it (after years in affair with Canon:) Selling my Canon's lenses and cameras now :)

Literally took delivery of my lumix g9 yesterday from MPB. Excellent condition, fully boxed with only 1674 shutter count for £589. What a bit of kit! Ive upgraded from an em1 mark 1 and its blown me away. The only thing I find strange is how sensitive the shutter button is.

Love both my used GX-9 and G81...both had under 400 shutter count and were mint when purchased...and both were each under $340 (incl kit lenses, battery, and, in the case of the G81, the vertical- hold battery extension/base). No regrets buying this well-kept/used gear.

This is a fantastic review of both cameras.

Having just (this week in fact $700 new on clearance) purchased the E-M1 Mark II your video is very timely. Please keep up the good work!!!

Great advice! Both are nice cameras…hard to go wrong. I noted on Panasonics compatibility page that most lenses work with OM (Olympus) cameras; the exception often being that they won’t guarantee the waterproofing and on some of the older cameras whether the OIS will work, newer ones looked fine.

Thank you so much. It is helpful to know that the two are roughly the same. After watching you and Robin Wong, I was able to make a decision between the Olympus OM-D m-1 mark iI and the Panasonic G9. Both are the exact same price right now. I decided on the G9 because of its viewfinder and the smaller 35-100 f2.8 lens. Hopefully I made the right choice!

Brain, you are great advice!! it will be a g9 i and i look forward to moving to the next level of photography. Thanks my friend.

Another informative video, Brian. Decided to stick with my 3 x Olympus, incl the OM 1 mk iii, and with Amazon lowering the price of the OM System 20mm f1.4 prime lens, went with that instead, to add to my arsenal! Now waiting for it to arrive.

I come from the g80 as well and got the G9 in 2019. Later I also got the gh5 and gh6, even the S5 and S1. It is still the G9 (and gx9) I love the most. It is fantastic for stills and video. It has nice frame Guides that the gh5 has not!

I bought a used G9 from MPB Europe recently (I live in Ireland) and haven't left it down since It's almost new and since I already have the lenses with my GX9, it's a no brainer for the general photography that I do. I've shot birds with my GX9 in the past with no problems, despite its contrast focus detection As an ameteur I cannot justify the price of the latest and greatest!

I have had almost all camera brands, such as Minolta, Sony, Canon, Nikon and the Olympus E3 and I still have it, so I will never change from the Olympus brand because it is and will be the best for everything for my use, such as a Swiss army knife. I now have 2 Olumpus which are the OM-D E-M1 MarkIII and the OM-D E-M5 MarkII, both are amazing each in their own way for the OMD-E5 is my street camera (because it doesn't look expensive) and the OMD-E1 is my main camera. I do have taken pictures with my Olympus camera which I know even the most expensive camera cannot do, such as take 2000 pictures in the camera while drinking a cup of tea and then let the camera glue everything together into one picture.

One thing that is hardly ever mentioned with the G9 is all the 4K photo modes. In some situations I have found them to be very useful.

Brian I throughly enjoy your ramblings particularly on the G9 can you do a video dedicated to them 4K in relation to stills. Where do I buy you a coffee regards Jack

Hi Brian & hello from Oz, your insight into these cameras plus lenses is very helpful & makes good sense, I think I've made my decision on a new camera but would be interested in your choice for someone changing from a canon system to the micro 4/3. What camera would you then choose ? The reason I'm changing seems to be a common one, to have have a lighter & smaller system to carry around. Your opinion would be appreciated. Cheers mate.

Excellent advice, Brian! However, it so much depends on the factors involved, that the right answer is impossible to give without knowing more about the person asking for advice. A relevant question would be, if the person is satisfied with the G85 in the first place, why would he/she want something else? What is it that makes your subscriber want a better camera? I've used and owned G5, G85, G90, GX9, G9 and the two smaller Olympus cameras. I haven't kept up with the Olympus since the E-M1 ii but I held it once and made a few snapshots, also with the E-M5 and the E-M5 ii. I'll never be at peace until I lay my hands on a used E-M1 iii. First of all, I would not opt for the E-M5 any model because the handling is so much less than the G85. For some casual fun and hobby shooting, the E-M5 ii and onwards would of course be just fine. Even the E-M10. Whatever the camera you recommend she/he will be choosing, will be heavier than the G85. The G85 is actually quite ideal, but not so for somebody with larger hands. Those people do appreciate the bulky G9. The E-M1 ii sits in-between, don't you think? My main gripe with the G85 was (1) the color science (jpeg algorithm), and (2) unreliable autofocus, especially in video. Both the G90 and the G9 were a significant step up in that respect. But even those two are not on par with the Olympus: an old E-M10 Mark 1 (same sensor as the E-M1 Mark 1) produces not exactly natural colors, but somehow more pleasing and acceptable without edits than any Panasonic. Especially the skin tone. For people who don't edit or develop their photo's but use sooc jpegs I would always recommend the Olympus. However, for the landscape and nature photography the priority could differ: according to the famed dpreview, the image resolution itself is noticeable better on the G9 than the E-M1 ii. The E-M1 iii should be a game changer in that respect, contrary to what you say. The later Pana body's autofocus is more reliable and snappier than of the G85, but still not reliable. It will betray you on a most crucial moment, and that's terribly irritating if you're doing events. I support your findings about the lenses interchangeability. I've never bought a Olympus lens that put me down, even the cheapest ones, which you can't say about some cheaper Pana lenses. I've tried both swaps too, many times. Oly lenses seem to work just fine on Pana bodies. The other way around and there's something missing, something to be desired, although it is difficult to define exactly what it is. Keep up your fine work, Brian!

Both the G9 and EM1.2 are great cameras. I own both and feel they are good bang for the buck. The lack of PDAF isn’t too big of a deal on the G9, especially if you adjust the size of the focal point as needed.

I bought a GX8 in 2023 to use it with a Pana 100-300 II for birds (in parks).And it gives me great results!

I use the G9 for people and places, and E-M1 Mk3 for birds and starts. I love the feel of the G9. If the AF joystick was a few millimeters closer and supported diagonal operation it would be absolute perfection. I love the viewfinder and video capabilities on G9. I am much faster with the Olympus and I might be the only person on the planet that prefers their menu layout.

The G9 certainly does have face and eye priority autofocus as well as priority for previously registered faces, which is useful for weddings and so on. What you probably meant was that it doesn’t have phase detection autofocus for continuous autofocus tracking with class leading precision. I love my E-M1 MkII but wouldn’t mind updating my G7 to a G9 some day. The G7 has the old shutter-shock prone sensor and no in-body stabilisation, and any newer Lumix and all Olympus E-MI models are superior to G7 in this regard. Having sad that I still regularly use the G7 with no problem. The compact GX80 though, has the new shutter and in-body stabilisation and if it were not for the limited number of buttons on the small body, I think that would be my favourite.

I went with an em1 mkii just fantastic. tried it with 300mm f4 even with birds in flight.

Agree fully with G9 Mk1 especially since the person has Panasonic lenses. Otherwise there is not much between the two cameras (i.e. minor pros and cons for each).

I have recently bought an EM 5 mk3. Beautiful little camera. Shot to shot, it is faster than my A7 iii. However, the AFC on the Sony is noticeably better. The EM5 mk3 recognises faces better than the Sony A7 iii.

Thank you for your thoughts Brian! I am very interested in an original G9 and I think you may have just sold me on one! Only issue is I have the Olympus 12-40 already and a Leica 15mm 1.7 so I'm split down the middle regarding lenses 😅 I'm looking for a true hybrid camera and considering that the G9 is half the price of the OM-1 maybe I'll need go in that direction. I appreciate your insight.

I have an E-M1 ii which is my main M43 camera. I have seriously considered a G9, mostly for the high eyepoint finder but it is larger & heavier than the E-M1 ii so I continue to dither. What I really want is better subject recognition/tracking, specifically birds but that puts me in OM1 and G9ii territory. By the way, I have similar experiences using Lumix lenses on Olympus bodies & vice versa, some are fine, others, not so much, the worst being the Lumix 25mm on Olympus bodies.

Yes, you don't always need the newest one. I am also a fan of used gear. However, I have seen the OM-1 on heavy discounts already, brandnew. And the pricing difference between the OM-1 and the E-M1 Mark III used are almost negligible. Btw., I have seen more problems with Olympus lenses on Lumix than the other way around. The Depth from Defocus Autofocus was getting soo slooowwww 😂. I have read that the reason was that the lens is newer than the body and thus it was not 100% compatible. But putting an older lens on a newer body should be less of a problem. P.S. Less coffee, more tea please ;)

I have the original EM-1. Got it for a few hundred dollars. I can't think of anything it doesn't do for me. Wonderful camera. For video I tend to use my iPhone and it's more than enough for my video needs.

For STILLS; I think of the two, it’s a great choice for either. However, if you need fast captures for birds, cars, sports, and need tracking, then more features like 4K burst, may give you might look at LUMIX. The Olympus has IBIS and phase detection, so that manual lenses are no issue. Since the reader has Panasonic lenses, a LUMIX G9 is a smart move. OR, if wanting to go another direction, let them sell the lenses thar are seldomly used and buy the camera body that seems more natural to their liking. 🎉

For Stills Photo, I'd go for the EM1 mark 2, because it's lower prize than EM-1 m3 and G9 M1. Still the G9 is top in Lumix for a month, and prizes have not fallen yet. So for now the Olympus mark 3 is big value for money, and the mark 2 is excellent value for money. But I also would consider the OM-5. It's an compact mark 3 with only one card slot and no mic connection. And it's super nice if size matters. I have that, and the mark 3 and the OM-1. Not the G9m1 or EM1m2. Now, as pro level for stills, I think the mark2 grip is superior to G9 grip. Lumix is bulky in many persons hands. That's why prize, durability and size makes me choose EM1mark2

totaly agrree i am happy with my em1 mark ii and the 12 40 2.8 pro , i get in b&h for 900 dolar really great price

I bought a second hand E-M1 mark 2 to keep money. With this money i bought (also a second hand) lense Mr Zuiko 12-40 f2.8. When i use this lense on my Lumix gx80 it seems like if i have a new camera ! At the end with recent devices to take sharp pictures the lense is more important than the camera.

I'm so with you. I don't need the newest and the greatest. Stay with the tried and true. And is the G9ll twice as good as the original? I doubt it.

Good advice Brian - thanks. I've had the G9 from new for about 5 years - a great camera, but like you say, buying new has meant that I've taken the brunt of its depreciation. Recently I wanted something smaller and lighter for street photography so purchased a used GX8 (in excellent condition) from MPB. Its performance is impressive, and in low light coupled to a used Panasonic Leica 25mm f1.4 lens, followed with a bit of denoise in post, the image quality is more than good enough for a 12 x16 print. So, I fully support your helpful advice. For an amateur like me, if I hamper after an upgrade, whether it's a camera body or lens, I need to wait for the used models to appear - the money can go a lot further.

I`ll wait and are going to buy a used Panasonic G9II -- next year... in Japan ...for probably much less than 1500.. Euro ... or 1400 Pound. Depending on the exchange rate... which will hopefully still be really good for us 😁

For photos one finds better deals on EM1 over G9. The difference in price between the two can go towards a nice prime lens or a walk around zoom. I have more Olympus than Lumix so I may be biased.

I own a G9 (bought new at a serious discount), E-M1ii, E-M1iii (both used) and a mixture of Panasonic and Olympus lenses as an amateur. The E-M1iii is better all round than E-M1ii, but particularly for video, with four choices of AF area settings and three of IBIS strength (the +1 setting is almost tripod-like if you hold it reasonably still). Video quality is the same on both - meaning that it's pretty much on a par with a Panasonic G80/G85. So although the G9 will leave them both trailing in the dust for pure video quality (which is basically GH5 level, including 4k60p), the E-M1iii has it's own strengths - the IBIS is better, as are the ergonomics and battery life, and the (PDAF) video C-AF is generally more reliable (the G9 C-AF is quite good too, just not quite as smooth and sure-footed). The G9 viewfinder is lovely, much better than the E-M1 series. I tend to use the E-M1iii for more casual, hand-held, video - it's a bit smaller and lighter (and feels less bulky in the hand) and it's just a *nice* feeling camera to use. The G9 (which I had long before the E-M1ii & iii) has now become mainly my 'high quality/serious' video tool. Honestly - if you are upgrading from a GX80/85 or G80/85 (like I did 4 years ago to a G9) either the G9 or E-M1iii are a major upgrade - not actually quite so much in picture quality, but in speed, controls, features and general 'pro grade' build quality. (As a left-field Panasonic suggestion, have a look at the GH5 mk ii - I've never used one, but that camera seems to combine the best of both the GH5 and the G9. It's currently on offer new at £999 in the UK at Wex and Castle Cameras, and is less than £800 used - that sounds like a bargain to me if any of the more advanced - than a G9 - video stuff is of interest).

Brian -- rumor is that *tea* is cheaper than coffee overall.... 😂😂🏄🏄‍♂🫖📷

It would make sense for this person to stick with Panasonic if they have weather sealed Pany lenses, since the weather sealing doesn't seem to be effectively cross platform. Of course as already mentioned, the lens IS would not work in sync with the Olympus Camera. As you pointed out as well, the OS for the camera would be more familiar with an upgrade within the brand. I can't speak to the ergonomics variables between the two models, but I REALLY do like the feel of my Olympus EM1.3. I opted for the Mark III due to the additional features it provided and its smaller size. I was moving over from a Canon 5D Mk IV DLSR and size became a strong consideration. Of course I wouldn't question either camera for its image capture qualities. I'm always very happy with my print output from the Oly.

The aperture rings on the Pana/Leica lenses won't work on Olympus bodies, nor will you get Dual IS. I'll probably stick with Lumix if I upgrade my G80.

What a rather difficult decision to be made......! 😂😂

... als G9 Besitzer kommt für mich nur die G9II in Betracht. Vor allem, weil mir der Body besser gefällt und die ideale Second Hand Kamera zur Lumix S5 II sein wird oder viceversa.

We all have bad hair days. Mine is any day with a "Y" in it. Didn't the O-M1x also supersede the em1 II? That means three cameras had come after it and therefore better deal on this camera. I got the E-M1 mk ii as it was half the price of the E-M1 mark III. If you have a lot of Panasonic lenses then you might be better off with the G9 as it will be able to integrate with the lens better and give the Dual stabilisation. Olympus lenses work best with Olympus bodies especially as there's a couple of modes on the Em1 that are only available with certain Olympus lenses. (edited due to terrible typing skills)

I am still convinced my G85 takes better stills than my G9. You off to Cyrpus soon ?

No need to hand over any more money to the industrialists than you really need to, but if you are an enthusiastic wildlife photographer and your wife has a sense of humour, may as well go for it!

For godness sake, You''re British, mate. You should ONLY drink TEA. That's why i don't pay you a cup of coffe 😁. Very Nice thoughts for those like me looking to get another câmera body. Thank you Mr Brian

get a GH5 it handles better and are cheap now, love the GH series for photography!

It obviously depends on personal preference and for me, the G9 is the best camera I've ever used in terms of balance between capability and portability. That's what MFT gives you in general, and I much prefer the ergo (feel, controls, menu) of Lumix compared to Oly/OM. As you say, both cameras are fantastic and you can't go wrong with either ("old" or new). I do plan to buy the G9II but that's only going to give me a bit more ability to get usable images in challenging conditions. If I were on a budget, I'd keep/buy the G9 I, especially as I expect prices to drop with the debut of the II. You also have a point about the EM-5, which is still a nice rig (although is it weather-sealed?), and of course there's the G95 and other options as well.

G9 ii - you know you want it

Like you, Panasonic lenses on Olympus cameras have had focussing issues. Also, for a Panasonic user, the Olympus menu system may take some getting used to. So, sticking with the same brand, whether you're a Panasonic or Olympus user, makes sense. Having hankered after a range finder, I now have EM1 MK2, EM5 MK3, and a Panasonic GX8. For a GX80/85 user, a secondhand GX8 might be another professional camera upgrade path to think about. Apart from the EM5, my cameras are secondhand. That came as a bargain with a 14-150 kit lens. The money saved has enabled me to acquire some really good lenses, also mainly secondhand.

Olympus viewfinder is trash compared to G9. Tested both.