JUST RELEASED: Panasonic LUMIX G9

With all the talk about the upcoming Panasonic GH5s, I’ve seen little attention given to the new Panasonic LUMIX G9. This camera looks to bridge the gap between the current G85 and GH5 cameras, and addresses some of the downfalls of other cameras. To begin with, the camera records 4K video at 60fps and 1080p up to 180fps – similar to the GH5. Where it lacks is in the color depth; the G9 isn’t capable of internal 4:2:2 10bit recording like the GH5, only 4:2:0 8-bit, so keep that in mind if you intend to color grade footage.

Though the camera is intended to improve Panasonic’s position in the stills photography market, there are some nice video features that are a step in the right direction. The new G9 has 6 stop image stabilization compared to 5 stop on the GH5 and G85, allowing for improved stabilization of handheld footage. Panasonic has also improved the autofocus, with 0.04 seconds for single point autofocus, faster than both the GH5 and G85, and allowing them to compete with Sony cameras. This camera also has better autofocus tracking features, as well as focus peaking for those that prefer manual focus.

Another great feature is the dual SD card slots. On many professional cameras, you’ll find dual SD card slots that can allow for in-camera backups. Even with high end SD cards, the simple truth is that they do fail, and having dual slots can prevent disaster when the footage is important.

Compared to the GH5, there are still some problems with video for this camera. The camera is limited to 10 minutes at 4k 60, or 30 minutes at lower frame rates, but it is capable of clean output to an external recorder for 8-bit 4:2:2 footage. Like other Panasonic cameras, there’s a built-in microphone jack to improve audio recording, and it also features power over USB for prolonged use.

Viltrox L116T LED Panel - Inexpensive Small Light for YouTubers

A little while back I was looking for a small light for creating product reviews on YouTube. After much research, I decided the Viltrox L116T LED panel was the right choice for my needs. This is an inexpensive LED panel that’s great for creating videos.

On the back of the panel, we have a small display, power switch and a knob/button. When the knob is turned it adjusts the brightness of the panel from 20-100%. This can be seen on the display panel. Pressing the knob causes the color temperature indicator on the display to flash, and lets us adjust the color temperature from 3300K to 5600K. This is good to match other lights in the room, that way you can accurately set your white balance.

The build quality on this light is fairly decent for the price. The panel is made of plastic, but it seems fairly sturdy, and the 1/4-20 mount in the bottom is made of metal. This is good for people who need a cheap panel that works, but I wouldn’t recommend it for much more than home use, since it can probably break easily, unless you have another backup light available.


As for the light, it’s surprisingly softer than I expected. With the panel close by, the large size of the panel doesn’t leave hard shadows on the subject. The panel isn’t the brightest one available, but it is good enough within a few feet. It does what I expected for the price and size, and I wouldn’t expect it to work well for a larger scene. Unlike some other cheap panels, I didn’t notice any color tint, since some cheaper panels can cause a green tint that makes them useless for video.

There are two ways to power the Viltrox L116T panel. Neither of the power options are included with the panel itself, but they can both be purchased along with the panel. The first way to power the panel is with a 12V DC power adapter. In this case, you don’t need to worry about having batteries charged whenever you need to shoot. In my case, the increased portability of using batteries was more of an advantage, so I instead chose to use the generic Sony-style batteries to power the panel. This kit comes with one charger and 2 batteries.

The one disadvantage of powering the LED panel with the batteries, is it does seem to dim slightly as the battery level starts to drop. This can lead to inconsistent lighting between and a fresh and nearly dead battery. If this is a concern to you, using the power adapter would be a better solution.

There are two ways to mount this panel. The LED panel has a 1/4-20 mount to attach to a light stand. In my case, I’ll be adapting this thread to a microphone boom stand that way I have good control over the position of the light while filming. The LED package also has a 1/4-20 cold shoe adapter, so that way it can be mounted on top of a camera, but this is made of cheap plastic and I generally avoid using it.

So what is this panel good for? The best use for this panel is lighting objects or people within a few feet of the light panel. With that said, I use it on my YouTube videos, but it wouldn’t be good for lighting larger scenes, or for subjects farther away. It’s a cheap panel that just does what I expected it to, making it perfect for YouTubers and small video creators that just need to add a little light so they can keep their ISO down and get cleaner video.