Panasonic Lumix GX9 Street Photography Review - Tokyo 

Switched to the GX9 from D5300 and D5500 8 months ago. After 18400+ images I find this camera awesome. 17mm f1.8 Olympus and a super stealth street cam. Thanks..

Can we get more GX9 videos? There is hardly any GX9 videos on youtube, especially how to use it or tutorials.

I've found that my go to lens is the Olympus 17mm F1.8. While it doesn't have a clicky aperture ring (or any aperture ring for that matter) it has a very clever manual focus ring which really works for me.

"It's a lot cheaper than my leicas..." so are most motor vehicles.

Hi Darryl, I have the GX9 and use it with the 15mm Leica lens. (most of the time) I appreciate your review and all your information. You do not add a lot of extra information and you get right to the point, bravo!. I do not own any Leica cameras, so I appreciate that you did not waste any time comparing the GX9 to any Leica cameras. I am sure the Leica cameras are very special, maqybe one day I will own one. I shoot the GX9 mostly as my back up and for street photography. I have the G9 and the GH5. I use them mostly for wildlife annd other photography. I added the GX9 for my desire to be a better street photographer. I live near New York City and I visit "the city" often, with the GX9. There was a lot of good information in you tutorial, that helped me a great deal. I have had issues with the lens shade on the lens falling off to easily. I use gaffer tape to stop it from falling off. Where do you set the F stop on the lens when you shoot? You did not mention that in your review, if you can, please let me know. Which way to you shoot, program, aperture, or shutter priority? I love the B&W photos in Tokyo. I wish I had a GX9 in February of '14 when I visited Tokyo. I had my big Nikon FF camera in that visit. Great images though. I use back buttom focus on all my cameras, but not n the GX9. I let the camera's auto focus do the work for me. I get the limitations. I use auto ISO and set a minimum shutter speed. Thank you! All my best, and please keep the reviews coming. Healthy & Happy New Year 2020. :)

I have a GX85 with the 15mm lens combo and I am very pleased with this setup for street photos. Smaller then my M8 and easier to shoot. How ever some times I prefer the Leica manual focus over AF but some times the GX85 over the Leica. I would say they are both very pleasant in the result. The GX85 is sneaky a good value for the money combo. Nice review by the way !

You dont’t need to keep pressing the focus button .There is a setting to lock the focus with one single pressure on this button.

Hey Darryl, Awesome video. We are headding off to Tokyo & Japan, from Auckland, in a couple of months also. Agree Tokyo & Japan has to be the best place in the world for some street photos ( lived there for a while too). I really like the look of the 15mm leica lens. I was planning to use my 8-18mm Pana lens a lot, on my G95 or G100, but that 15mm looks sooo good as a super small, light weight & great for low light lens.

What’s wrong with you Darryl? “Where’s the best place in the world to shoot street photography?” HONG KONG!

Really enjoyed this review. Have just taken delivery of my GX9 and my Pan/Leica 15mm 1.7 lens is on it's way, it looks like I've made a great choice of lens! Thanks

Thanks for the video. I've just bought a GX9 and have the Leica 15mm so looking forward to getting out

Thank you very much for your great review. I appreciate your information very much. Please keep them coming. Safe Traveling.

Thanks for the video. I really love my GX9 and am fortunate to have on more or less permanent loan from my sons several lenses including the 15 mm. I have an Olympus OMD EM1 Mk 11. It’s a great camera but I find it too cumbersome after the GX9. Your images were great. It would have been good to see your settings on the images. Thanks again.

If your lens hood becomes loose and starts falling off unexpectedly I think know I why. 😁✌️

I took my GX9 to New York, where I got some street photography images I'm really happy with. Like you, I found the AF recessed button very annoying, but it was compensated for by the really wonderful touch screen - so quick to focus accurately. I also found the rotating viewfinder very helpful when looking upward to take skycraper shots; much more comfortable than bending my neck back. I used my Olympus 12-40 2.8 lens, which worked well, but after seeing your slide show, I've ordered the Panasonic 15 mm 1.7. Thanks so much for your review, it has been very helpful

Can you send me the picture at 5:11? The guy in the hat is me!

I have the lens with my G80. Just about to hop up to the G9. Loving the look of that new B&W profile.

Very good photos!

Light is metered for m4/3 exactly as it is for any other camera. There is some chitter-chatter about doubling the depth of field, but that doesn't matter much.

Dear Brother.... Thank you....! 8 May 2018 bought GX9 with lens 12 - 32. Hope it's change my visions...!

Nice photos Darryl!! Looks like you had a lot of fun in Japan!

The "touch to shoot" function works really well and negates the need for back button AF. The shutter fires as soon as focus is obtained.

Awesome video ! Thanks for posting :-) Cheers mate, have a great time.

Great review Darryl!

Best place in the world to shoot street photography. Hong Kong, Bali , and Singapore.

10 cents of Sugru will fix the tactile problem with your back button. I used it so I could find the front button on my GX8. $10/3 pack on their website or you can get it on eBay. Real simple to form and it looks like factory (without lettering). My button fix has lasted no problem for about 2 years now. If it falls off, I'll get some more and do it again.

I love the 42.5mm Noctricon for street photography - you don’t have to get up close - the 15mm is great for video with IBIS in with cropping it’s equivalent to 35mm hence that’s why I think they created the 15mm (30mm)

I used a GX8 those last 6 months, 95% with a 25 F/1.4. I really enjoyed it and it made me want not the GX9, witch is not an upgrade to me, but the G9. I sold my to-often-out-of-order A7RIII for it because of it's wonderful ergonomics, handling, EVF and AF. And also because my lenses are much better than people think without having testing them : this 25 Panasonic + 75 F/1.8 and 12-40 Olympus.

As a GX7 owner this model is very tempting. The GX9 offers a real upgrade to the GX7 and new tech does improve it as far as I can tell. To go over old ground the GX9 is an upgrade to the GX7 not the GX8 which to me is a different offering. Thank you for you video but the burning question to me was how does it stack up to the much more expensive Leica offering?

SUBS! Love all your photos!

Excellent low light. The panasonic gh5s is very good.

I have the same issue with the af-on button on the gx85. It is too recessed to find by feel. I was thinking about getting a small glue on rubber dot like those used as rubber feet on small electronics to make it more tactile and easier to find by feel.

Do you have any experience with Olympus Pen F? I am considering the Olympus or the GX9 for street photography and wondering if which one is better.

In 2024, is this camera still worth buying? (Used in everyday life in street photography) and please recommend street style lenses.

To quote John Lennon “Would the people in the cheaper seats rattle your Panasonic IBIS sensors ? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle Your Leicas.”

I find it an interesting and nice little camera. Been thinking this or a xt3 as a 2nd body next to fullframe. But undecided.

now that is truly some beautiful street photography panasonic really build some amazing camera! thanks for sharing this with us really enjoyed watching this. P.s. i have just been to japan, if ever you are interested in watching my videos :)

Excellent video Darryl.. I am seriously considering purchasing this camera for street and travel photography.. (currently on sale here in Canada) Wondering about the startup time from "sleep". I did have a sony a6500 but was always missing photos because the startup time for the camera after going into sleep mode was to long.. Camera would not respond quickly enough... How did you find the startup time with the GX9??

Nice video and beautiful photos! Yes, you got it right with the Iso. But keep in mind that although you have 2 stops lower Iso on MFT, the Iso value will have 2x more noise than FF. So bottomline: FF is 2 stops better IQ (but MFT often is good enough.)

nice camera and video

Nice shots! The man checking his watch mid stride and the young herbivore man on the escalator or standouts.

Maybe it's me, but if you use leica's ( as your intro suggests for street) what's your deal with back button focus?("that I do on most of my cameras") also shooting street using back button focus? Really? Great shots and video otherwise Darryl

2:02 I've had that meal!

An older video but a newer question: you prefer the 15mm. Why not the 12mm? 1.4 instead of 1.7 (not that big deal) but maybe the 3mm wider angle against the little crop in videos. Not necessary while taking photos I'll guess. And...very tasteful reviews about the GX9! A lot of humor and facts. I got mine yesterday...

how did you enjoy the camera! the results look amazing. thanks for sharing this with us

What if you do review on those two cameras you aside of your table sir? That will be great.

Nice photographs :)

It's a 30mm equivalent and I don't like it, too much distortion for 15mm and I personally find the field of view slightly awkward, I prefer 17mm or 12mm.

thanks you got some great shots and interesting.

Do you still use this camera? I'm considering buying one.

Great video Darryl. I'm a previous LUMIX shooter. I switched my entire kit last year and moved over to Fujifilm. Prior to that move, the GX9 was on my list of cameras to purchase and for some reason, I'm considering it again. Leica's are nice but I have no interest in purchasing one. I have the Minolta CLE and that's about as close to the M7 as I'm gonna get. LOL That said, I've watched this video before and I"m watching it again to confirm my interest in adding this camera to my street kit. I think it would work quite nicely with my Voightlander lenses. Keep the great content coming.

What is the viewfinder actually like looking through it? Im torn between the G9 and the GX9. But want to go as light and small as possible. The G9 viewfinder is great. I cant find anywhere in Auckland that has one to try out, I have to order it. So is the finder just absolutely pathetic that its a waste of time using it or is it not too bad? cheers

Enjoyed the video. Where did you purchase the lens hood for the 15mm Summilux ?

It all looks good but not being able to plug in a microphone when you want to take video and have usable sound is such a deal breaker especially since it has that wonderful tilting viewfinder.

Lovely review and beautiful location shoot, but does the gx9 take as good pics as your leica? Sorry, couldn't resist :)

Hi Darryl nice video. I have both GX9 and olympus OMD10ii. Even if the GX9 is faster and full of specs I prefer the Olympus for street photography as is smaller and Lumix for video. How is your experience after 1 years with your GX9?

Anyway to re-assign the AE-L button? I used the original button for AF-ON...

I have been looking into the GX9, but also to E-M10III for live composite,does Panasonic have similar feature?

I’m only finding a wooden base plate/body plate for the GX9 on Amazon. Do you know where I can find a good base plate (like yours) for this camera?

Got the same lens, not changed it since i got it love it! One thing that bugs me, not weather sealed... Unfortunately my gx85 died on me recently & now i am looking into purchasing a new one. It's somewhat sad that the gx9 ain't got a mic jack again, the IMHO way to small viewfinder and is not weather sealed either. So now iam torn between selling my lens switching over to Fuji or sticking with pana...which body tho...?! Any suggestions?

Hi there! do you have customized monochrome d setting? Congrats from Rome!

Whats the advantage of the Leicas?

Nice review, i've actually been looking at this camera today down at progear in NZ, Where did you get that grip from?

Thanks for nice review. Is there posssibility to check IBIS effectiveness?

beans and a hot dog?..must be a brit airliine!!

Monochrome D? Is that a in camera preset?

Hi Darryl! Do you also recommend this camera for portraits? I currently have a Nikon D3300 (Yongnuo lens 35 mm) and want to upgrade soon! Thanks! :)

Hi thanks for the video, I wonder if you have any other Panasonic models (like G9, GX85, etc)? Can you comment on the skin tone of GX9? I've been using GX series for a few years for street photography and also for family photos, and no one likes the color from Panasonic, I ended up using Fujifilm for family photos and have to maintain two systems. If GX9 has improved skintone I might consider get rid of my Fuji gears.

How’s the manual focus ring on this lens? Not same experiences as Leica lens right? Do you have to move around your eye or the camera to see the corner of the EVF? Is there some adaptor to make the EVF bigger? Do you like the real rangefinder experiences with the shutter dial and aperture ring or you like the modern camera’s dual spinning dials better? Do you think the shutter dial and aperture ring has more feeling than the spinning dial where every time you have to look at the screen to know the values? Since you have Leicas, can giveaway your GX9? Haha

Did you have any issues with the EVF?

Do you still recommend this camera in 2020? I do photography just for fun and family, but I want a camera which can deliver decent photo and video. Now I'm using xt2 and it's little too big to carry around.

hello , i just bought lumix GX9 and really no idea about lens so which lens do yo prefre to street photography?

why its not sharp at all, i thought this leica lens were great

Does the HDMI port allow for an external monitor? For live output?

How’s Tokyo the best place for street photography when it has 5 Million people in every direction you look at, on every street? London is definitely the best place with its diversity and many different types of buildings, from the ultra modern to the fantastic architecture from many centuries. P.S, do you have any work on Flickr or similar, would be nice to see some photos from those Leicas.

what camera shot for this video?

That’s a long way to go just to test a camera.

nice video Hong Kong and tokia are the nr 1 places on my bucket list. last month I buy the gx8 I think the specs of the gx9 in the weather sealed gx8 body is my dream. I love panasonic cameras #lumixwalk www.snippephotography.com