In-Camera Memory Card Comparison | Panasonic GX9

In-Camera speed comparison between all the best UHS-I and UHS-II cards in the Panasonic GX9. 

Use this guide to find the best memory cards for your Panasonic GX9

Camera Stats

Sensor: 20.3MP Digital Live MOS Sensor Micro Four Thirds
Processor: Venus Engine Image Processor
Continuous Shoot: 9fps RAW (up to 33 shots in my tests)
Est. Buffer Size: 800MB
Time To Clear Buffer: 17.5 sec (Sandisk Extreme Pro)

Panasonic Lumix GX9 – Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

Best Memory Cards Panasonic GX9

We’re seeing a pretty significant bottleneck on the Lumix GX9 which is slowing down the cameras ability to write quickly to memory cards. It’s performing more like UDMA 4 or 5 or ATA-3 or 4 which limits out speeds to around 40-45MB/s with even the best memory cards.

Because of the bottleneck, you’ll be able to save yourself a lot of money since you’ll only need to buy mid-tier cards like the Sandisk Extreme or Extreme Pro instead of the more expensive UHS-II memory cards.

While the fastest performing memory cards for the Panasonic GX9 are actually UHS-II cards, the camera cannot fully utilize UHS-II tech, so these cards end up being a very bad value and you’ll be much better off buying UHS-I cards since the difference in speed of a few MB/s is negligible.

Here is how each memory card performs in the Panasonic GX9.

Panasonic GX9 Memory Card Speed Test

These test results are acquired by testing each memory card in the GX9 using continuous high burst speeds. The USB 3.0 test results are taken using Windows 10 with Crystal Disk.

Top 5 Recommended Memory Cards Panasonic GX9

Since so many of the cards have similar results, buying memory cards a little easier since your selection won’t have a huge impact on performance. You should take into consideration Panasonic’s history of memory card compatibility to avoid any issues down the road.

I have been testing Panasonic cameras for a while and have put together this list of cards that should work well in any Panasonic camera in case you ever decide you want to upgrade bodies or buy a different body in the Panasonic lineup. 

Since the Panasonic GX9 does not use UHS-II technology, I only recommend buying UHS-I cards.

Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s

Available At: Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

The Sandisk Extreme Pro is one of the best memory cards you can buy. Sandisk recently updated it to the latest tech with the new 170MB/s spec. Although it doesn’t run at that speed in the GX9, it’s still always the best UHS-I card and should last you for years. If you plan on owning a card that you can keep for several years or if you want the best card you know will perform great in any future camera you might buy, this is it.

Sandisk Extreme Plus

Available At: Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

The Sandisk Extreme Plus was the fastest performing UHS-I card. It’s a very popular card and easy to find at most stores. It can also often be found at a very good price. However, in terms of price it can often be listed at a similar price to the Sandisk Extreme Pro, so be sure to do a little shopping because it might be worth going the Pro if the price is similar.

Sandisk Extreme

Available At: Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

The Sandisk Extreme is your best bang for the buck if you can find it cheaper than the Sandisk Extreme Plus. Sometimes the Plus is less expensive for some reason. In higher-end cameras, this is just a decent card since it’s not very fast. But since the GX9 has a limited buffer speed, the Extreme is a great choice.

Sony Professional U3

Available At: Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

The Sony Professional UHS-I card is a new card from Sony. It’s similar to their UHS-II Tough card in that it has a more robust build to it. It doesn’t feel as tough as the UHS-II Tough cards, but it does have an improved build. In terms of performance, it’s right up there with the Sandisk cards. 

Delkin Advantage

Available At: Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

Delkin is a brand that always makes my list. They just make good, reliable cards with great performance. The Delkin Advantage is their U3 UHS-I card and Delkin is always a good option. They also make a less expensive Delkin Select but it is only U1 so it was not tested.

Best Memory Cards For Video | Panasonic GX9

While the Panasonic GX9 is capable of shooting 4k, it’s not a video focused camera and has limited video specs. Because of the 4k recording capabilities, you will want to make sure you buy a memory card that is at least  U3, or v30 so that you can be guaranteed a fast enough data stream to maintain the recording.

You may also want to buy a memory card that is SDXC rated which are cards that are 64GB or larger so that you can get the exFat file system. This will allow you to have clips larger than 4GB.

Best Memory Card Panasonic GX9 | Conclusions

Buying memory cards for the Panasonic GX9 is pretty straight forward, you don’t need UHS-II, you don’t even need the fastest UHS-I memory cards, just a good UHS-I card with reliable performance and good brand reputation. Brands like Sony, Delkin, and Sandisk deliver this with their range of cards listed in the memory card speed test above.

You can stick to the top 5 recommended cards or choose any card in the list. There were no issues with any card memory cards tested in the Panasonic GX9.