Olympus TG-320 vs Panasonic Lumix GX9: A Hands-on, In-Depth Camera Shootout for Every Photographer

When eyeing your next camera, you probably juggle many options between rugged compacts and capable mirrorless models, wondering what fits your photographic style and budget best. Over my 15+ years of testing everything from cheapskate compacts to pro-grade mirrorless and DSLRs, I’ve learned that understanding the practical real-world tradeoffs beats specs alone every time.

Today, I’m pitting two very different cameras head-to-head: the Olympus TG-320 - a tough little waterproof compact from 2012, perfect for splashy adventures - against the Panasonic Lumix GX9, a 2018 mirrorless powerhouse brimming with modern features and versatility.

Let’s unpack their strengths, weaknesses, and real shooting performance across the board and figure out who serves which user best. Buckle up - this one’s a detailed, 2500-word ride through tech specs, handling, image quality, and practical shooting experience.

First Things First: Size, Handling, and Build Quality

Before poking at pixels, the feel of a camera in your hands often makes or breaks your experience. I grabbed both cameras for a “bring-to-shoot” test - one in my hiking pack, the other in my everyday bag.

The Olympus TG-320 is the compact champion here - delightfully pocketable at just 96x63x23 mm and light as a feather (~155 grams). It fits perfectly in one hand or a jacket pocket. Its compactness comes with a robust waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, and even freezeproof body, which still impresses a decade later. This is a camera you toss straight into your kayak or bucket list mountaineering trip without fretting.

Contrast that with the Panasonic GX9’s heftier presence at 124x72x47 mm, weighing in at 407 grams. It’s still relatively small compared to DSLRs, but this rangefinder-style mirrorless demands two hands and clubs for thumbs - er, comfortable grips - especially during longer shoots. The GX9’s magnesium alloy body lacks weather sealing, so it’s better suited indoors or in controlled outdoor conditions.

Controls on the TG-320 are necessarily minimalist and straightforward, befitting its wearing-the-ruggedness-badge approach: a rear fixed 2.7-inch screen with 230k pixels, no viewfinder, and just basic flash and zoom buttons. It has no touchscreen and zero manual dials, reflecting its entry-level positioning.

The GX9, however, sports a more sophisticated top plate and control layout, including customizable dials, a hot shoe for off-camera flashes, and an eye-level electronic viewfinder with a 2.76-million-dot resolution - ideal for composing in bright escapades where LCDs falter. The GX9’s tilting 3-inch touchscreen (1240k pixels) adds modern operational flair, letting you tap to focus, scroll menus, and even shoot with some selfie-friendly angles.

Sensor and Image Quality: Who Packs More Punch?

Under the hood, the cameras couldn’t be more different.

Olympus TG-320 Sensor Highlights:

• 1/2.3" CCD sensor (6.17 x 4.55 mm)
• 14 megapixels (4288 x 3216 max resolution)
• Native ISO 80-1600 max
• Anti-aliasing filter present
• Sensor-shift image stabilization onboard

Panasonic GX9 Sensor Highlights:

• Four Thirds CMOS sensor (17.3 x 13 mm)
• 20.3 megapixels (5184 x 3888 max resolution)
• Native ISO 200-25600 max
• No anti-aliasing filter (sharper images)
• 5-axis sensor-based image stabilization

What does this mean in real-world terms?

The TG-320’s tiny CMOS competitor is common for compact point-and-shoots of its time. Its 14-megapixel resolution is decent but, more importantly, its sensor size limits dynamic range and low-light capacity. Colors tend to look a little flatter and prone to noise past ISO 400, plus the anti-aliasing filter softens fine detail. This camera produces acceptable prints for social sharing or travel snapshots but won't satisfy large format printing or heavy cropping.

Conversely, the GX9’s Four Thirds sensor is significantly larger with much higher resolution. Coupled with modern sensor technology, this yields better detail retention, superior dynamic range (think deeper shadows, well-preserved highlights), and cleaner images at ISO ranges up to 3200 or beyond. The removal of the low-pass filter boosts sharpness, especially noticeable with prime lenses.

So, in terms of image quality, the GX9 is leaps and bounds ahead, especially in critical disciplines like portraits, landscapes, and low-light photography.

Autofocus and Shooting Performance: Speed, Accuracy, and User Control

The autofocus (AF) system and burst shooting capabilities often make or break action photography, wildlife chasing, and street snap decisions.

The Olympus TG-320 incorporates a basic contrast-detection AF system with face detection and an unspecified number of focus points. It doesn’t have manual focus, focus tracking, or continuous AF, so while it can lock on faces reasonably well in good light, it struggles with moving subjects or low contrast scenes.

By contrast, the Panasonic GX9 offers a hybrid AF system, combining phase-detection and contrast detection with 49 focus points (plus selectable AF areas), including eye detection for people. It supports continuous AF, tracking, and live view AF with touch focus - features that help significantly in fast-paced shooting scenarios.

Regarding continuous shooting, the TG-320 chugs along at a snail’s pace of 1 frame per second, suitable for static subjects only.

The GX9 ramps up to a respectable 9 fps, a boon when capturing fast-moving wildlife or sports.

Real-Life Photography Use Cases: Discipline by Discipline

Let’s dive into how each camera fares across photography genres and situations - after all, specs only tell part of the story.

Portrait Photography: Rendering Skin and Eyes Naturally

The TG-320 is limited. With its small sensor, lower resolution, and fixed lens (28-102 mm equivalent zoom), you get average image quality and minimal bokeh control, especially at the slower apertures around f/3.5-5.1. Its face detection AF is a plus but no eye autofocus is present.

The GX9, teamed with Micro Four Thirds lenses with wider apertures (e.g., the 45mm f/1.8), enables beautiful separation between subject and background, creamy bokeh, and crisp focus on the eyes. Advanced eye-detection AF ensures sharp portraits with minimal missed shots.

Landscape Photography: Resolution and Dynamic Range Matter

For landscapes, the TG-320’s sensor and modest 14 MP resolution limit fine detail capture and enlargements. Its shortcomings in dynamic range means blowing highlights or blocking shadows can be common under tricky lighting. On the flip side, its ruggedness lets you shoot confidently near water or dusty terrain.

The GX9 excels with more megapixels and superior image quality processing. The lack of weather sealing is a mild concern, but many landscape shooters protect their gear anyway. Plus, the GX9 supports RAW shooting for maximum editing flexibility - absent on the TG-320.

Wildlife and Sports Photography: Speed and AF Accuracy

For fast action, the TG-320 is outmatched. Slow AF, one frame per second shooting, and no continuous tracking make wildlife or sports captures a struggle.

The GX9’s high-speed 9 fps shooting and advanced AF tracking allow you to freeze motion and keep subjects in focus better - key for birding, sports, or kids’ soccer games.

Street and Travel Photography: Discretion vs Versatility

The compact TG-320 shines for casual street photography and travel owing to:

• Rugged waterproof body - worry-free in rain or crowds
• Lightweight pocketability
• Simplicity in operation

Its slow AF and limited zoom range may frustrate some, but for snapshot-style travel documentation, it’s fun and easy.

Meanwhile, the GX9, a bit larger and with more controls, is less discreet but more powerful, offering:

• Interchangeable lenses (wide-angle primes, telephotos)
• Articulating touchscreen LCD
• Electronic viewfinder for bright daylight composition
• Modern wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi + Bluetooth)

Battery life also favors the GX9 (260 shots vs 150 for TG-320), important for long excursions.

Macro and Close-up Photography

The TG-320’s macro mode focuses as close as 3 cm, which is good for casual flower and bug close-ups. Its sensor-shift stabilization helps handheld shots.

The GX9 supports more precise focusing with focus bracketing and focus stacking features that Olympus lacks, enabling higher detail macro composites. Combined with suitable Micro Four Thirds macro lenses, it’s the better tool for serious close-up work.

Night and Astro Photography Challenges

TG-320’s limited ISO range (max 1600) and older CCD sensor struggle with noise and dynamic range in astrophotography or ultra-low-light conditions.

The GX9’s much-extended ISO (up to 25600), sensor architecture, and stabilization improve handheld long exposures and star shooting. Its tilting LCD eases composing at awkward angles for nightscape shots.

Video Capabilities: From Vacation Clips to Serious Content

Both cameras offer HD video, but the TG-320 maxes out at 720p/30fps in simplified MPEG-4 with no external mic input. The result is competent but basic, good for quick holiday clips.

The GX9 steps up with 4K (UHD) recording at 30fps, full HD with multiple codecs (MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264), plus 4K photo grab functionality (rapid frame capture from 4K footage). Unfortunately, no microphone jack limits audio quality options.

If video content creation is a priority beyond casual clips, the GX9 is the wiser choice.

Workflow Integration and Storage

Both cameras use SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, but the GX9 supports faster UHS-I cards, enabling quicker write speeds - appreciated for burst shooting and video.

TG-320 connects via USB 2.0 and HDMI, but lacks modern wireless transfer options. The GX9 includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for quick image sharing and remote control via smartphone apps.

The Price Equation: Value and Who Should Buy Which?

Coming in at a street price of approximately $1000 (body only), the GX9 is a mid-tier mirrorless offering loaded with features aimed at enthusiasts and semi-pros.

The TG-320, discontinued and budget-friendly (often found used or clearance under $100), markets to casual shooters needing a rugged, waterproof shooter without lofty photographic ambitions.

Olympus TG 320 front Olympus TG 320 screen back Panasonic GX9 front Panasonic GX9 screen back

Let me balance it out in a quick pros/cons list.

Olympus TG-320 Pros

• Compact, lightweight, waterproof & rugged build
• Sensor-shift image stabilization aids steady handheld shots
• Simple, easy-to-use interface for casual users
• Affordable price (especially second-hand)
• Decent zoom range for a compact

Olympus TG-320 Cons

• Tiny sensor with limited image quality, poor low-light performance
• Slow autofocus and shooting speed
• No RAW support or extensive manual controls
• Basic video specs and no mic input
• No wireless connectivity

Panasonic Lumix GX9 Pros

• Larger Four Thirds sensor with 20 MP, excellent image quality
• Fast hybrid AF with face and eye detection, 9 fps burst shooting
• Built-in 5-axis stabilization and articulating touchscreen
• 4K video recording and 4K photo mode
• Excellent manual controls and lens ecosystem (Micro Four Thirds)
• Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for easy sharing

Panasonic Lumix GX9 Cons

• Heavier and less rugged, no weather sealing
• No microphone/headphone ports for video professionals
• Pricier than compact cameras
• Battery life modest, especially with EVF use

Final Thoughts: Which Camera Should Find Space in YOUR Bag?

If you’re a weekend warrior, adventurer, boater, hiker, or cheapskate wanting a “set it and forget it” waterproof camera, the Olympus TG-320 remains an honest little companion. Its durability and ease trump image-quality concerns. Think family beach days, climbing trips, or dusty festivals.

If you’re an enthusiast, budding content creator, or professional looking for high-quality images, manual control, fast autofocus, and a wide lens selection to experiment across portrait, landscape, wildlife, and video, the Panasonic GX9 is the far more capable companion - albeit at a higher price and less carefree weight.

In my testing, there’s simply no contest when it comes to pure image quality, autofocus performance, and versatility - the GX9 steals the show, hands down. But Olympus made a fine rugged point-and-shoot camera for its era, and it still serves a niche some can’t replicate with mirrorless.

Feel free to reach out if you want my lens recommendations or shooting tips tailored to either camera. No matter what you pick, capturing moments well beats gear envy every day - but knowing your tools inside out makes all the difference.

Happy shooting!