Best Buy has
Panasonic LUMIX G9II Mirrorless Camera with LUMIX ASPH 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 Lens (Black, DC-G9M2MK) on sale for
$1299.99.
Shipping is free.
Thanks Community Member
pmperry for sharing this deal
Features:
- Includes a Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 POWER O.I.S. lens (24-120mm equivalent zoom range).
- 25.2MP Live MOS sensor with over 13 stops of dynamic range using V-Log/V-Gamut and Dynamic Range Boost.
- Excellent low-light performance with ISO up to 25,600 and reduced image noise.
- Extremely fast shooting speeds: 75 fps (AFS) or 60 fps (AFC) burst shooting with a large buffer.
- Advanced 779-point phase-detection autofocus that can recognize people, animals, cars, and motorcycles.
- Records high-quality video up to 5.8K Open Gate and 4K/C4K 10-bit at 120 fps for slow-motion footage.
- Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB-SSD recording support.
- Features a 3-inch fully articulating touchscreen LCD and a 3.68-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder.
- Powerful stabilization system with up to 8 stops of in-body image stabilization and 7.5-stop Dual I.S. 2.
- Supports Real Time LUTs for custom color grading directly in-camera.
- Includes LEICA Monochrome mode for high-contrast black-and-white photography.
- Connectivity includes full-size HDMI Type-A and USB-C 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2).
- Dual UHS-II SD card slots for backup recording and extended storage.
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Back in 2015 we were in the middle of a revolution after the 5D Mark II showed what a prosumer camera could do. Then the Sony Alpha series and Panasonic GH4 dropped bombs of clarity and low light performance.
Now here we are in 2026 and it seems like we've only made minor tweaks.
Back in 2015 we were in the middle of a revolution after the 5D Mark II showed what a prosumer camera could do. Then the Sony Alpha series and Panasonic GH4 dropped bombs of clarity and low light performance.
Now here we are in 2026 and it seems like we've only made minor tweaks.
Back in 2015 we were in the middle of a revolution after the 5D Mark II showed what a prosumer camera could do. Then the Sony Alpha series and Panasonic GH4 dropped bombs of clarity and low light performance.
Now here we are in 2026 and it seems like we've only made minor tweaks.
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However, I'm here to tell you that iPhones are crazy, but so are our current mirrorless. I got a Panasonic g95 a few years ago and it rekindled my love of photography. It also got me into bird watching… (the second one sounds lame, but no regrets!)
$200 more for the kit lens is good unless you already have lenses that you'll need to unload it.
4k videos are great. 5.7k you have to watch out for overheat problems when the video is over 25 minutes long (look it up if you're interested) - I learned it the hard way when recording my kid's performance. Record them on an external SSD to get the high res videos and not having to pay for expensive V90 SD cards that cost an arm and a leg these days. Go with GH7 or others with a fan if you do video often though.
It's one of the few Panasonic cameras that has PDAF so you can pair it with older four thirds (not micro four thirds) lenses that you can find for cheap if focus speed is not the top concern. Or those f/2 lens that are not produced for micro four thirds. Caveat though they are old lenses and if they break there's no parts that can bring them back to life - I had one with a stuck aperture at wide open, with no parts to fix.
Back in 2015 we were in the middle of a revolution after the 5D Mark II showed what a prosumer camera could do. Then the Sony Alpha series and Panasonic GH4 dropped bombs of clarity and low light performance.
Now here we are in 2026 and it seems like we've only made minor tweaks.
Because the real advances these days are on the software side, and these camera makers are run by hardware guys who really don't 'get' software.
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This camera has a M43, Micro Four Thirds, sensor. Some professional photographers use this size sensor, but more hobbyists would choose it. The smaller the sensor, the smaller the lens needed for the same amount of "zoom" factor.
* ¹/₂.₃in = 6.17 x 4.55mm {Area: 28.07mm²} [Most Compact Cameras] 700SX sensor size
* ¹/₁.₇in = 7.6 x 5.7mm {Area: 43.32mm²} [Enthusiast Compacts]
* ¹/₁.₃in = Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
* 1 inch = 12.8 x 9.6mm {Area: 122.88mm²} [Canon G, Sony R10/R100]
* Micro Four Thirds = 17.3 x 13.mm {Area: 224.9mm²} [Olympus OM, Panasonic G/GH/GX]]
* 1.5 inch = 18.4 x 12.3mm {Area: 226.32mm²} [Canon V1]
* APS-C (Canon) = 22.3mm x 14.9mm {Area: 332.27mm²} Canon R50/M/xxxD/xxD] "RF-s"
* APS-C = 23.6 x 15.6mm {Area: 368mm²} [Sony E-series, Fuji X, Nikon Dxxx/Z50,
* FullFrame (35mm) = 36 x 24mm {Area: 1452mm²} [Sony A7/A9, Nikon Dxxx/Zx, Canon R, Canon xD/xxD]
Most point-n-shoot cameras, even some costing $650, use ¹/₂.₃in sensors. All popular "Travel Zoom" cameras use this size sensor. At 10x zoom levels the sharpness of the photos just isn't there. They have poor low-light performance too.
1 inch sensors are a huge jump for image quality, but usually only provide 3x optical zoom. For the same price, we can often find a larger sensor camera, with more capabilities. Some 1inch sensor cameras will fit in your pocket, but many will not.
For about double the sensor area, we come to the M43 cameras. Much to love about this group. Nearly all of these share the same type of lens mount, so lenses from many different vendors are in competition, keeping costs down. Some professional photographers who don't need huge prints use M43 cameras and their clients are very happy. This really is a "sweet spot" for full capable cameras, not huge lenses, and image quality. The downside is that in the last 5 yrs, the prices for M43 cameras has more than tripled. Often, you can find cheaper APS-C and fullframe cameras for the same or less cost which should have better low-light capabilities. If you have a casual interest in astrophotography, there's simply no substitute for larger sensors to capture deep sky objects. For the Moon, it doesn't really matter. The Moon is crazy bright.
Next up is the APS-C cameras. These have larger lenses and force carrying more "kit" than you'd probably prefer if you ever have to be more than 10m from a vehicle. The sharpness of the photos is quite excellent and most are absolutely fine for everyone except professionals expecting wall-sized prints. For 20x13 inch prints, an APS-C with 24mpix is more than up to the task. If the image will be viewed from farther away than a magazine page, you can push that print size to 25x16 inches.
If you are only making 4K web images, then a 16mpix /₂.₃in should be fine, until someone starts zooming in and seeing fuzzy pixels.
If I didn't already have a manual camera that shoots raw, no way would I be spending $1600 on this. Find a used M43 camera for $500 or less, perhaps with a few lenses, and see if you even want the hassles that learning how to use a camera like this requires. If learning to use a camera isn't something you are willing to spend 20-500+ hours doing, maybe find a 1 inch sensor with a 3x zoom and be happy you didn't blow so much money, like you may have done with a $300+ telescope a few years ago that you never really learned to use and enjoy. Photography isn't for everyone. Nothing wrong with that. I hate seeing people blowing money on things they will never really use.
A few years ago, I was looking for a M43 camera and wanted to keep it under $500 total. At the time, my short list was this:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 (2016) - sold today for $900 by Panasonic, $550 (amz),
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Olympus OM-D E-M10
Olympus OM-D E-M1 II (2016)
If you are willing to buy used from Japan, the prices are significantly lower than in the US. Not worth a special flight, but if you will already be there or your country doesn't add tariffs for imports, you can save about 30%. Even with the current 10% tariffs for people in the USA, this is a good option if you can find a camera model you want for the price you need.
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