Which would you choose? 🎥

The G9ii open gate is the 5.8k in 4:3 similar to the GH6 while the S5iiX is 3:2 in 6K. But great video Sam!

I wouldn't switch now simply because I don't follow industry trends when I'm choosing a camera. If a job requires a specific full-frame look then sure I'd rent or buy an S5, or a better camera. But as for the average video content creator/videographer, Micro Four Thirds honestly gives you much more flexibility when it comes to things like framerates with no crop, stabilisation, lenses, portability with super zooms, and overall affordability when scaling up. Full Frame is popular because it "looks cinematic" Micro Four Thirds is popular because it's an underdog. Whatever the job requires is what determines my camera choice. I own 3 GH6s for Videography and a Nikon D7500 for Photography. If I was shooting a low budget short film i would probably rent a Blackmagic 6K Cinema Camera. It all depends on the project, the sensor wars are honestly overrated. The G9II is a great, much needed injection of life into M43 and that camera will serve people for years to come in the used market just like all of Lumix's other prior cameras.

The size and weight of the smaller MFT lenses allow me to pack everything that I need, even zooms. I can keep them in my pocket as I walk around. For those who talk about the "Cinematic Look" - most movies use (Approx) an APS-C sized sensor, at f2.8: which is equivalent to a f2.0 MFT (Approx). The 60 fps and 120 fps no crop is the biggest factor for me - in choosing the G9ii. With an f1.4 sigma lens, I never worry about low ight/high ISO's...

I will stick with m43, because I'm retired, already have lenses that do most of what I want, and I don't want to pay two or three times more for the same field of view when I do buy a new lens. Micro 4/3 systems are inherently lighter. When I travel with four or five lenses, there is simply less metal and glass to carry! Body weights are similar, especially between the S5 II and G9 II, but SYSTEM size and weight do come down A LOT with Micro 4/3. Sam, you're young. Lugging gear is a lot easier for most of us until we hit 60. Almost everything I do these days is done with lots of light, so the low light capability isn't a huge factor. In the 1970s, we were all pushing 35mm Tri-X to 1280 or 1600 in special developers. Those speeds are easily doubled with Micro 4/3, with both color and much higher quality. If I need more than ISO 6400, I simply need to add more light! But with 8-stops of shake reduction, for still life work, I don't need more light. Depth of field is another consideration. I LIKE deeper depth of field for much of what I photograph. If I were a working pro in 2023, I'd probably have both systems for their combined strengths. But in my circumstances, I'm far better off sticking with m43.

The feature that does it for me is the 4k 120 fps 10 bit on the G9 Mii. Which , you curiously left out of your test. Also the lenses are more than a "little smaller". Nice job, you do great reviews, but your inherent bias is revealed here.

Thanks for the video Sam.The convenience to change frame rates without crop is very important for me as a GH5 user and I think G9II is a great upgrade, if S5II had the 4K50 without a crop I would consider for sure but as all shown I'll stick with my micro four looser system 😁

Got my S5IIx on Saturday, it was a self-birthday present after eyeing it up for months. Love it so far! 👌

I don't care if full frame is better. The benefit of M43 is smaller lens. Just buy what you like.

I really appreciate that you had an opinion at the end of the video ... and didn't just leave it as "it depends"!

Hey Sam, I shoot Photography and Film for the Tourist Industry throughout the Gulf Island in Canada. Over the past 10 years, called for a Hybrid camera that could do BOTH WELL! Also, my job takes me on adventures in the wild, shooting great images and filming cool stuff in 4K 10bit for clients. 6 years ago, when the Panasonic GH5 was released I bought 2 and been very happy with the quality and performance up until today. I did moved up to FF when Panasonic released the S5, and been using it as well for 3 years mostly for lowlight or night work. However my GH5's are still solid camera's for photography. Image quality is good for what I do, and in photo mode, the AF is excellent. Saying that, as you know, with video, I shoot manual focus most of the time as AF sucks. As a hybrid shooter my life consists of skiing down a slope today, hiking up a mountain tomorrow, trekking across vast forest for a 3 day shoot, to chasing waterfalls, or others down a mountain on my eBike... GEAR is THE NAME OF MY GAME! This is where SIZE & WEIGHT matters MOST!! Cameras need to be tough and light as they are clipped to a shoulder strap or belt, and in my backpack, for quick access when wildlife appears. A great example is a GH5 with the Olympus 40-150mm f2.8 (internal focus), with a x2 converter, that gives me an equivalent of a FF - 160 to 600 mm telephoto lens with a constant aperture of F5. Even though FF lenses keep shrinking, the size and weight of this SETUP, compare to a full frame cameras and lens is UNHEARD OF today. And, at a fraction of the cost. NEVER would I try this on my eBike on a Panasonic S5 with my S - 70-200 f2.8 with a x2 converter! That size and weight would be an expensive accident waiting to happen and yet still limited to only 400mm.That's one of the most important reasons WHY the MFT System is still alive and relevant. Thanks to your review, my next purchase will be a Panasonic G9ll. Thx for your review comparison Sam, it will help many who are just starting out on their adventures.

Unpopular opinion, but I’d love for Panasonic to keep sharing camera bodies across the FF and MFT lines for their flagship MFT cameras, but release a street photography x vlogging focused GX8ii compact MFT. Fingers crossed they’ll do that, and also fuse the gh6 with the s1h for the gh6ii and s1hii.

M43. Weight savings is significant

If I were starting out in cameras with interchangeable lenses, of course I'd go for the S5ii. But I've invested heavily in M43 to the tune of thousands of pounds, so I'm reluctant to start a lens collection from scratch. So I'll be going for the G9ii. Although, from what I've seen, heard and read, the firmware in the cameras when they are finally released will have been updated already, so it will be interesting to see what those firmware updates will bring and see if they change some of the less favourable comments of the latest camera

The Panny Leica’s 10-25 and 25-50 are absolutely gorgeous lenses and something you can’t find on FF. That’s the reason I shoot primarily on the GH6!

"real" cinema cameras are also crop sensor ones, unless you are in 6 digit territory. 10 months ago I needed to decide weather I go FF or GH6. And I really wanted to go FF! BUT: the S5 felt plasticky for me. And as I shoot private I want to enjoy. The GH6 body and all its buttons, tally light, screen mechanism feel soo much better. + I assumed the PDAF will come FIRST in FF Line-up = S Series and I was correct. Benefit on M4/3 is also: The best lens is the one you OWN. So I got an 12-60leica and 100-300 each for 300€ used. A 50F1.8 for 180, 45F1.8 for 150 and 12-32 (tiny one for jacket use!) for 100€ Benefit on M4/3 GH6/G9II also: All modes no crop! So I have C1-4 on: 6k, 4k50, 4k120, FHD300 (slight crop). So I can switch shooting something immediatly from 3:2 down to 300p with no change in fov.

I have to say the G9ii looks incredible for what it is. I'm on the S5ii now but used the GH5 for years before. Honestly I do miss the uncropped 50p. Yes, lowlight is much better and lots of improvement in AF and so on but I would say the main benefit of the S series is actually more on the photography side. Video was always top notch on MFT.

The full frame S5ii just looks better on so many shots, especially the outside walking shots. The way it handle light affects the colors in a great way.

In 2006 when I got my first DSLR I used it a lot. When I got tho cheap zooms and two entry level primes was the peak. But I had to continue. Going die 2.8 pro zooms and better primes. Clearly better quality stuff. Which I brought along less and less. Too bulky... so I learned the hard way what "the best camera is the one you have with you" means. Take some psychological strength to stop GAS at the right point. Btw I am mostly talking about private photo and video for fun. Paid jobs were less of an issue.

I just sold my GH6 and I got the G9II to replace it. You had so right about the difference in colors, the GH6 colors are nicer in my opinion, the colors of the G9II are sometimes weird with very flashy greens, skin tones are reddish, the colors teint is more pleasant on the GH6. Next time I will try the camera before selling another one. For photos, I also prefer the Gh6, but the sensor is more or less the same, so the G9II still has a bit of the the magic of the GH6. However, the AF is so much better that maybe I can live with these colors, I will need to edit my videos more than I did when I had the GH6 though.

People usually compare size/weight/lens, but I found that m43 noise performance in video is not quite comparable with full frame, especially the G series. When I shot HLG with ISO 800 using G9ii, noise is already apparent whereas full frame is still very clean and usable.

I have G9 and S5. I trek a lot on mountains so i carry G9 with me and have never complained of any quality degradation over my S5. I shoot open gate in both cameras. Just that my G9 with 14 to 140 lens serves my need very well and is very light weight compared to my S5 with either 20 to 60 or 24 to 105. So i would rather upgrade to G9 M2 as auto focus is not reliable in eithsr of them. I also feel that out of camera, natural profile appears more filmic on my G9 vs my S5 at 30P.

In a perfect world, I would have one of each. I have a whole array of Micro Four Thirds lenses and two pretty good cameras (G85 and OM-D E-M1 Mark II), so the G9 II would be the easiest transition for me. But there is an argument to be made for keeping my E-M1 Mark II as a B cam and getting the S5 II (or S5 IIX) as an A camera.

G9 ii all the way

that g9 looks good.. the g9 is a special camera I got some great images out of that thing

It's kind of strange to hear you say "there's not much in it" with regards to the rolling shutter performance between the G9ii and the S5iix. The G9ii seems to have the same RS as the GH6, which is 12.5ms whereas the s5iix has approximately 22ms in 6k and 4k. Almost twice as slow.

I knew you were the one person that would do this camera comparison and you didnt disappoint lol

Of course the G9 II has Open Gate, it is 5,8K mode, the same mode as on my GH6. And I prefer the colors from the G9 II, the GH6 has great colors but I think it has too much yellow/red tint, like the S5II. Nevetheless thank you for this comparison but I would like to see a 1:1 comparison between these cameras and especially with the G9. Almost nobody speak about the fine details rendering, for people who like to crop or to have the best image quality, it's very important. I think more and more cameras uses tricks like temporal noise reduction or details filtering to get smoother image, but fine details are simply not as good as before, especially in low light.

I'm using the GH6 since it came out and I think it's a great camera. But for my use cases, the G9-II can do the same or more and it's better in 4 very important areas: 1. AF 2. Stabilization (at least a lot of the tests-videos show that e-stabilization takes out the wobble with wide lenses and is much better when walking) 3. Image quality is better below ISO800 and you don't have to switch DR-Boost on and off. It's always on up to 60fps. Since I like to use natural profile and ISO down to 100, this is much better for me. 4. It's lighter and I'm using the camera a lot on bicycle trips or carry it around for hours when walking thru towns. As soon as you want to use the 800mbit/s or higher codecs internal, or you do a lot of long recordings like events, interviews and such, you don't want to risk overheating and prefer a camera that can run reliable for a much longer time under more or less all conditions.

Wait till you get a bit older, then those lighter MFT lenses, especially in the 300 to 1200 range, or even the fast wide angle models will start looking more attractive. Your back will thank you. Thanks for the comparison.

My S5 and G9 are feeling nervous 😅

I would always choose FF. The benefits of the large sensor are too much to ignore

I travel for work, use long lenses and zoom lenses. Plus for fun I shoot action/kids and wildlife where good, crop-less slow motion comes in handy. Definitely the G9ii for me!

I really love the idea of two bodies. One s5ii and one g9ii. Best of both worlds I think and the fact that they are the same bodies so your muscle memory doesn't get in your way. I feel like it's the ultimate set up. There is so much I love about MFT, it's my preference when I'm on the go. But there are times when I do just want the full frame look and low light abilities. I have so many mft lenses and I feel like for those of us who have collected mft glass this gives us a great way to integrate those assets into an efficient two camera workflow. I think a g9ii with my current lenses and a s5ii with two primes and I could officially stop lusting after camera gear. (lol maybe not quite.) Another great video Sam, thanks for you work.

Something for the afternoon with a cup of tea and slice of cake 🍰 I guessed right but only as it was slightly cropped besides that couldn't tell !

Thank you for having an opinion! 😊

I am still waiting on the Gh5s ii. That Gh5s at 400mps Vlog is just 👌

I think G9ii should be closer to 1300/1400 as S5ii in my country is slightly cheaper than FX30.for beginners at this price range S5ii is the better option.

No dynamic range comparison! Ahhhh thats what I wanted to see! Good video mate!

@8:34 cameras with smaller sensors tend to have faster read out speed that's why MFT has very low rolling shutter

Been shooting full frame for years. I went the other way. M43 does the heavy lifting, and my FF gear steps in in extremely low light. Who isn't primarily working in good light? The mobility M43 offers is very nice on long days.

Ughhh I am so still debating lol. I am working with a gx9 and getting a g9ii would let me keep all my lenses. BUT I really want to get an S5iix Maybe I will rent the 2 of them to shoot a rodeo and see what suits me best

The main reason for many people to stay at micro 4/3 is always been and still is the price of the lenses. Yes FF is very attempting, but the pice of the lenses.

To me which camera brand or even system to buy depend more on lens. If I am starting over now with full frame cameras. I am looking at each brand cameras and lens. Ok canon r6 II might be the best value hybird camera. But then I look at Canon lens line up. I would still go with Sony. M4/3 is not ruled out completely for me. If they have lens interest me and fit my needs, I will buy it. Thier 10-25 f1.7 is one of them. This lens pretty much saved m43 in my opinion. So if they continue to make amazing fast zoom lens. I think m43 is alive.

Horses for courses. I shoot (images) with a FF Canon 1DXii, which I love and also a G9 (usually with the 200-800mm zoom). As a pair they give me everything I want, so I won't be choosing one of the other. I'll be upgrading my G9 to a G9ii, mostly for the autofocus. I'm looking forward to doing more video with the G9ii.

I can tell which one was the G9 ii and the beginning not because it was punched in, but because it just had that MFT image look.

the thing thats holding me back from full frame are the 1) massive size of zoom lenses, like the 100-400mm 2) crop factor of higher frame rates, its annoying to have to reframe when shooting in 60fps

I am done with the APSC. You have convinced me. The reason: "Low light"

You have to choose the right tool for the job. MFT is better in certain situation for example wildlife filming and photography. MFT Leica 100-400mm equivalent in FF would be too huge and heavy.

Both cameras are amazing but I personally like s5iix better but I love that g9ii micro 3/4 if s5iix was micro it would be the perfect camera for me ❤

Interesting problem that the G9II has is that it's the same size as the S5II, and honestly full-frame lenses have been getting notably more compact whilst the MFT system lens options have kinda stagnated, to the point where you can basically get an identical size setup for both these cameras but have all the extra benefits of a FF sensor. They need to be much bolder with MFT in order to play to its strengths - get some exciting lens designs only possible on that sensor size, or start making ultra-compact MFT bodies again (like a new GX).

Amazing video. I have a G7 and a couple of primes. I´m torn wether to upgrade to G9II or move to S5II. I do vlogs and photo for architecture

I still love the m43 system. especially now. Looking forward for the GH7

S5ii is on the way, can't wait :D

G9 ii with a pancake lens is perfect for going out and about for daylight photography and light video work. The S5 ii is perfect for videography/cinematography, especially in low light conditions and in a studio. Full frame just has a too big of an advantage when it comes to low light performance and giving you that "movie" look with its BDoF.

Was just thinking about this today as im debating between the two systems (currently have M43 lenses).. very timely video. Thanks!!

I totally get it that there’s still a TON of MFT users and lenses out there, but man I wish they would’ve used this as their first APSC. Just another solid Lumix I can use my l mount lenses on

I appreciate your comments re changing to FF. But, (I am a G9 user already), I think for most places where video/stills work is shown the quality of MFT is very usable. Although there are no longer any body size advantages to MFT, there are definitely huge lens size and cost advantages. So, if the G9ii body comes down in price by $300 I will buy it because it has so many pro features and is so well built. But, it certainly is tempting to go FF when you have such a small price difference on the bodies between S5ii (X) and G9ii. But, those lenses are big by comparison.

Hey!! Thanks so much for your job!! As you said, I am a micro 4/3 user for long so I have some lenses already. The thing is that I need a better camera for photos than what I have, I was thinking of moving to S5ii before knowing about the G9II. And now I am in between. Changing to full frame?? Keeping with micro?? It is specially for stills. Would be great a comparison between these 2 more focused in photography. Thanks mate, your videos help a lot!!

Hello, I request you to make a video on Lumix g9 ii autofocus with adapted lenses and the best adapter for them. With the introduction of PDAF I really wonder how sony, nikon, or canon ef lenses would act when adapted. I have recently purchased the camera but don't have the budget to do the comparison myself and try out a variety of adapters, It would be of great help since no one has done such a video. Thank you so much!!

If FF is going to skyrocket in price... why would I choose FF over m43?

G9ii = Amazing G9 with PDAF is a no-brainer for me. Top Notch Content Upload Sam!

4k 60p crop is a big deal for me. Thats stopping me. Had the ZVE1, didnt like it. Stick with Pansonic mFT until they offer 4k without crop.

I’ve got the original S5 and it’s still a great camera. I also have a Lumix g85 that i got a while back and liked it better than the canon m50. I prefer full frame L-mount to the m4/3 and I’ve adapted vintage lenses that work great and can be found for around $100 (depending on the lens)

Sick guitar!

Incredible, thanks for this review! I love this new camera and even thinking now to switch back from s5II to G9II when it come out. Sam, do you still have that high iso camera comparison footage left, could you please upload it somewhere for download?

informative comparison video thanks Sam.

The compelling reason for me to choose the G9II is the ability to mount the amazing Lumix f/1.7 zoom lenses. Neither have proper timecode inputs though - I wonder if there could be a firmware that would convert the audio inputs to timecode inputs. The GH6 uses the flash sync port to do this. I do record timecode from a Tentacle Sync box to an audio track and convert it with the included software. It works well for my personal use.

I use a G9 for my run and gun - your videos have convinced me to go for the S5iix - it's just a painful transition from M4/3 to FF but it's a no brainer which camera is better. Thanks for a great video as always.

Been rocking a GH5 for a while now (micro 4/3) and the S5iix is my dream camera. Just can afford it for a while due to my wedding and move across the country in a few months. One day tho!

Just wanted to say that 6K opengate 30 record limit can be unlimited when you change the fan settings to high

hmmm i like the cooler g9 colors more. i dont understand why the s5 and gh6 make everyone yellow. what i always loved about panasonic cams is the natural colors. yellow does not cut it for me

What about the dynamic range between the two cameras?

I have a ton of MFT glass and an Oly EM1 iii and GH6. I also have a Sony a7r3 and a6400. I get better video out of the GH6 than any of the others (my Sony's don't have 10 bit, nor high bit rates). It really depends on the work you do: I do a lot of photogrammetry, so I need more DoF, and better stabilization, hence, MFT is better. Also, MFT has really, really great lenses at a fraction of the cost and size of FF. FF is definitely better in low light and has more dynamic range, but in good lighting, there really is less advantage. They are both great platforms, I hope they both keep getting supported.

Would love to see the G9ii vs the FX30 just for the image quality etc

In the initial footage, npticed G9ii footage to be cleaner and with less banding 😮

Good review. But, I'm not sure what makes you think the FF cameras will start sky rocketing in price. Thanks

big difference! you can see it in the blurring of the background. funny how you aked which is which when using cameras with different sizes sensors. not even between FF and APS-C, but between FF and MFT!!!

Interesting, you seemed to be really excited by the gh6 but not so sold on the g9ii even though they're very similar. Would you consider giving it a shot for a while to see how your feelings change? I'm particularly interested in you using some of the cool MFT lenses, the Olympus 12-100 f4 is a crazy lens that deserves more attention 24-200 FF equiv.

I would love the APSC version of this. I actually reckon they'll make it. So many super35 lenses being made these days.

Thanks nice video. About the s5ii x. I ll be interested to know if it works well for wireless live streaming. After the launch some reviewer where mentioning a few quirks. I wander if they have been fixed.

need AF test side by sidd comparison to these 2 cameras

I would love to see Panasonic bring out a L-Mount to M4/3 adapter that works. Just like Canon and Nikon bought out the F to Z mount etc etc. Now full frame glass on a M4/3 camera? I spent the day at an owl sanctuary with my S5iiX and my current longest lens 85mm 1.8. However if I could easily adapt these lenses to work with full autofocus and full functionality to a G9ii then it would be an absolutely perfect camera to pair up with the S5ii. When you want extra reach, for sports, wildlife etc etc, the G9ii and the 2x reach, autofocus modes and everything else would be a no brainer. Rather than having two completely different systems I can carry just two bodies and one set of lenses. The S 70-200mm 2.8 on the G9ii would make an absolutely cracking option, when you needed it, for wildlife on the G9ii and a superb set up for portraits on the S5ii. In my eyes anyway.

lol does panasonic have a trade in program? would love to exchange the gh6 for a g9ii

I would disagree on prices going up on FF cameras....infact, prices are going down on all FF cameras and gear due to Sony affordable FF cameras now; and also the simple fact that the pricing between FF and MFT is only a few hundred dollars apart now unlike 3 years ago when there was like massive price difference. There are no advantages to MFT now except with the exception of weight savings and portability and focal length reach.......but the majority of shooters would rather have better low-light performance and the DOF full frame look. I will be going to FF soon, but I still love that "Leica look" on MFT when using their lenses.....there's just something about it I love.

Hi Sam, Isn't the opengate the 4:3 aspact ratio that is shown in the menus? Great video as always!

great video!!! do you think they will add autofocus functions like cars, animals etc to the s5ii too?

I just bought a used g85 The only reason is because i didn't want the bulk that comes with a full frame. I wanted something light, cost effective and good at video recording without breaking the bank.

Would love more comparison of these two cameras!

I'd say these same specs in a box camera even if it's M43, at a cheaper price, would be the right market for Panasonic.Phase detect, BRAW output, maybe internal ND's and we would have the Box camera BM didn't release.

If all things are equal save for the sensor size, I know I would choose the Lumix G9II, the system will benefit over the long run in a myriad of ways… 🤔

An 800mm lens on full frame will be a monster - even a 600mm lens is a chunk. m43 has the edge in long telephoto.

This one is tough. I've been using Panasonic since 2016. I also have the original G9 which I love and use for all my B-Rolls in weddings. That being said I probably would go with the Lumix S5II for couple reason: One full frame, and two better at low light which I have to deal with a lot when filming weddings, because most receptions are very low lite

Nice comparison! Tough choice.

(4:05) Max ISO: the Lumix S5IIx has a sensors that lets in four times more light than the Lumix G9II. Hence, the maximum ISO of 51200 of a FF sensor is equivalent to 12800 on a µ4/3 sensor…. So relatively they are basically the same Max ISO… 🤔

Why would full frame cameras skyrocket in price?

I’ve pre ordered my G9II and I will be selling my GH6. The GH6 died when this camera was announced.

Hi Sam, Excellent Review. When you did your testing on the Lumix G9 II did you notice if you were able to do a crop when shooting in 4K Video mode?

Why do you say full frame is going to go up in price?

lol you say you dont want to think about the crop factor. i never do. i know what a 12 25 42 lense is. i never think about what it is in system i dont use. why should a mft or apsc user think in full frame terms?