4444 NOVEMBER 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 381
PANASONIC
LumixG90
★★★★★
£899•From http://www.wexphotographic.com
SITTINGINTHEmiddle of Panasonic’s Lumix
Gseries lineup,the G90 has some great
features that will appeal to photographers and
videographers alike.With its lightweight
construction and wide range of compatible
lenses and accessories, it’s acamera that
should make sense to snappers across the
spectrum. However,inacamera world
seemingly obsessed with full-frame models,
has the Micro Four Thirds format lost its way?
GOING PLACES
You’d be forgiven forthinking that Panasonic
was thinking of abandoning its MFT lineup,
what with all the fanfare given to the S1 and
S1R cameras introduced at the end of 2018.
However,Panasonic is keen to show it’s
still thinking about the format –and that’s
good news forkeen amateurs looking fora
small, flexible camera at areasonable price.
Inheriting alot of specifications from the
flagship G9,this is amid-range model that
aims to appeal to those looking forsomething
dependable,small and light that doesn’t cost
the earth. Thanks to Panasonic’s trademark
panache when it comes to video,it’s also likely
to appeal to vloggers and budding filmmakers.
The G90 retails for£899 body-only.There
are afew options forphotographers who want
akit: buying the G90 with the 12-60mm
f3.5-5.6 lens will set you back £1,079,while the
14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II lens is arguably the more
practical option fortravellers, but costs £1,259
forthe lens and the G90 body.
Image quality isn’t the only factor,
particularly forthose willing to work around
the limitations of asmall sensor.There’s
plenty that puts the G90 ahead of the other
models in its price bracket. It’s physically
VERDICT
Despitebeingpitchedasamid-rangetravel
camera,theLumixG90isagreatall-rounder
MICRO FOUR THIRDSCAMERA
smaller,and that small sensor brings with it a
focal length multiplier of two,allowing
photographers to magnify far-off subjects
without back-breaking lenses. There are also
advantages such as afully articulating
touchscreen, plus the very useful 4K Photo
mode.We’ll go intothese in more detail later.
The G90 has achunkygrip and acentrally
placed viewfinder,making it immediately
familiar to those coming from traditional
DSLRs. Although the G90 is smaller and
lighter than the pricier G9,itstill feels serious
in the hand and is comfortable to use over
long periods. Its smaller size makes it ideal
as atravel camera, while the larger G9 is
arguably alittle more obtrusive.
RAIN SAILING
Onewelcomecarry-overfromtheG9isweather
sealing, which should see the G90 carry on
when the weather lets you down. It also feels
as if it can withstand the odd knock, with its
magnesium alloybody giving it satisfying heft.
Although suitable forbeginners thanks to
its well-performing automatic mode,there are
lots of direct access dials and buttons across
the G90, which will please more experienced
photographers. On the topisalarge mode
dial forquickly moving between various
exposure options, plus asecondary dial for
choosing adrive mode or selecting the 4K
Photomode.Two control dials at the front
and rear can be used to adjust settings
depending on the shooting mode you’re using.
Many of the buttons and dials are
customisable,while abutton on the back
directs you to a‘quick’ menu where you can
adjust the parameters of commonly used
settings without delving intothe main menu.
STILL IN IT
The G90 inherits the G9’s 20.3-megapixel Four
Thirds Live CMOS sensor,and just like the G9,
there’s no anti-aliasing (AA) filter,which
theoretically means more detailed images. It
also shares the ISO range of 100 to 25,600.
To compose your images, there’s a3in,
1.04-million-dot articulating touchscreen,
which again is recognisable from the G9.Itis
joined by a2.36-million-dot electronic
viewfinder with 0.74x magnification –a
sacrifice compared to the G9,which offers a
higher-resolution, 3.68-million-pixel viewfinder.
Afinal killer feature is Panasonic’s 4K
Photomode,asseen on other Lumix cameras
but welcome nonetheless. Essentially,itallows
you to record short video clips and extract a
still in camera. This means that you can shoot
at 30fps and freeze the action at the perfect
moment, the drawback being that final images
are restricted to 8-megapixel JPEGs. If you’d
preferfull-resolution images or Raw files, the
There’s alot to likeabout the G90. It’s atightly packaged,
appealing pieceofkit with awide image qualitysweetspot
