"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

[woof woof]

Good old M43

I've got no plans to get anything bigger, but the big sensor fixed lens compacts do appeal.

I have a bit of a phobia about them because I keep thinking that if you get something on the sensor it means the camera going in to be dismantled and cleaned but with a changeable lens camera I can DIY. I know this is probably silly and I know you're probably much less likely to get sensor contamination but it could happen and there are reports of this with some fixed lens cameras. I do have a 1" sensor Panasonic TZ100 and that's ok so far.

 

[d00d]

I have a bit of a phobia about them because I keep thinking that if you get something on the sensor it means the camera going in to be dismantled and cleaned but with a changeable lens camera I can DIY. I know this is probably silly and I know you're probably much less likely to get sensor contamination but it could happen and there are reports of this with some fixed lens cameras. I do have a 1" sensor Panasonic TZ100 and that's ok so far.

Hmmm

Now you mention it Alan .... what cleaning/dusting do you do on your M43 gear, a casual puff from the blower on the sensor? front & rear lens glass elements?

 

[woof woof]

It's very rare that my cameras need a wet clean, it's mostly just a puff every now and again but even that is rare, and yes, I normally give lenses a puff too.

I have read of contamination issues with the Panasonic LX100 and on another serious note I recently bought a used Panasonic GM5 and when I tested it the sensor looked like a blizzard. Some of it cleaned off but I couldn't shift some and thought that it was under the glass so I sent it off for repair. The repair guy said that back then Panasonics sensor production wasn't so great and contamination under the sensor glass was a common issue. They did a good job of cleaning it though but couldn't improve on the sensor glass seal as they said room is tight. At the time another forum member here looked at buying another used GM5 and that had the same issue so he backed out. So, I suppose it's not just external contamination that could be a problem and sensor manufacture and / or sealing could be a problem too.

Anyway. Don't let me put you off as fixed lens cameras are almost certainly less prone to contamination, it's just the fear of it happening that bothers me

 

[Stephen L]

No problems with my LX100 Mark 1, nor with any of my Fuji X100s. Indeed, the only camera I have had serious dust problems with was the original Canon 5D - I suspect I’m not alone with that - but it’s put me off Canon.

 

[woof woof]

I had a 5D and it was just horrible for contamination. I used to check it all the time and clean it if needed and sometimes it was dirty before going out after being cleaned the day before. But back then sensor coating weren't as contamination resistant as they are now and of course cameras had flappy mirror mechanisms that sprayed oil and sometimes plastic debris inside the camera.

 

[Stephen L]

I had a 5D and it was just horrible for contamination. I used to check it all the time and clean it if needed and sometimes it was dirty before going out after being cleaned the day before. But back then sensor coating weren't as contamination resistant as they are now and of course cameras had flappy mirror mechanisms that sprayed oil and sometimes plastic debris inside the camera.

I had no trouble with its predecessor, the Canon 10D.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I had no trouble with its predecessor, the Canon 10D.

Agreed. The 10D was a jolly good piece of kit and gave me several pleasing pictures...

 

[woof woof]

I had no trouble with its predecessor, the Canon 10D.

I had one of those plus a 300D and a 20D and all suffered the odd dust bunny but nowhere near the level of the 5D. I think I read that the EF-S compatible APS-C cameras were worse than their predecessors as the mirror movement was more complex. At the time of the 5D I thought I'd never want a better camera but the Panasonic G1 set me on course to go mirrorless and these days I think the MFT cameras I have now easily surpass the 5D.

 

[stickytape]

When I look at the results I get with my G9 and some of the lenses.. it just makes me think why on earth do I have the R5? I've got to say, I really think the Panasonic ergonomics are second to none - and so many features that really are better than in the Canon. I like the in camera RAW processing for example and the overall handling of the G9 with the 100-400 is just perfect.. better than the R5 and 600 I'd say by far.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

the overall handling of the G9 with the 100-400 is just perfect.. better than the R5 and 600 I'd say by far.

A vast improvement on a 1Ds II with an 80~200 f2.8, certainly!

At least, having taken out the G9 and the 100~400, I come back with some pictures I like and without the back pain...

 

[Stephen L]

A vast improvement on a 1Ds II with an 80~200 f2.8, certainly!

At least, having taken out the G9 and the 100~400, I come back with some pictures I like and without the back pain...

View attachment 340286

Well captured, and the prop speed is just right.

 

[woof woof]

A couple of Panasonic GM5 and 20mm f1.7 pictures.

 

[stickytape]

A vast improvement on a 1Ds II with an 80~200 f2.8, certainly!

At least, having taken out the G9 and the 100~400, I come back with some pictures I like and without the back pain...

View attachment 340286

Agreed. The G9 and 100-400 is so “light” in comparison to anything from Canon.. I really have bonded with Panasonic much more than Canon!

 

[Stephen L]

Shameless plug. I have a grip and a large eyecup for the GX9 listed in Classifieds.

 

[stickytape]

Minus the G9, a few taken today using my Kodak S1 and Lumix 35-100 2.8 (technically Panasonic glass, so good for this thread!)

I like the difference between out-of-the-camera JPEG versus processed RAW... these old sensors are pretty good, for a nearly decade old device

 

[stickytape]

They're very sharp on my mac.. think it's the usual forum compression!

 

[Adamcski]

Hi folks,

I am considering a G9 with the leica kit lens as a second body, primarily to take away with me and save some space. My other camera is the S5 (love it) and I have the 20-60mm kit lens and the 50 & 85mm lumix s 1.8 lenses.

What has attracted me to the system is the 2x crop, so when I go away with family I could perhaps just take the G9 kit lens and one more (open to suggestions) and cover a massive range of focal lengths, it may even be better than the S5 for things like wild life and fast moving subjects with its higher burst mode (correct me if I am wrong here) so that could even open up a whole new world for me photography wise.

Is this G9 still worth it given it was released a fair few years ago, or is there a G10 or whatever around the corner that may be worth waiting for?

What do you think?

 

[Malfis]

Hi folks,

I am considering a G9 with the leica kit lens as a second body, primarily to take away with me and save some space. My other camera is the S5 (love it) and I have the 20-60mm kit lens and the 50 & 85mm lumix s 1.8 lenses.

What has attracted me to the system is the 2x crop, so when I go away with family I could perhaps just take the G9 kit lens and one more (open to suggestions) and cover a massive range of focal lengths, it may even be better than the S5 for things like wild life and fast moving subjects with its higher burst mode (correct me if I am wrong here) so that could even open up a whole new world for me photography wise.

Is this G9 still worth it given it was released a fair few years ago, or is there a G10 or whatever around the corner that may be worth waiting for?

What do you think?

The G9 is a terrific camera - I have not heard about any replacements. The Leica kit lens is terrific.

It's spooky, but I'm just going to put mine up for sale in a couple of minutes - I'm narrowing down to using one system, Sony full frame.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Hi folks,

I am considering a G9 with the leica kit lens as a second body, primarily to take away with me and save some space. My other camera is the S5 (love it) and I have the 20-60mm kit lens and the 50 & 85mm lumix s 1.8 lenses.

What has attracted me to the system is the 2x crop, so when I go away with family I could perhaps just take the G9 kit lens and one more (open to suggestions) and cover a massive range of focal lengths, it may even be better than the S5 for things like wild life and fast moving subjects with its higher burst mode (correct me if I am wrong here) so that could even open up a whole new world for me photography wise.

Is this G9 still worth it given it was released a fair few years ago, or is there a G10 or whatever around the corner that may be worth waiting for?

What do you think?

Don't think there will be a G10, if there is it won't be for a long while.
They still haven't released the long awaited GH6 and think there might even be a GX10 before another G camera.

It certainly is a good camera, the last big firmware update improved the AF a fair bit.
Not really any big faults, maybe the joystick could be a bit more handily placed.
Some find the shutter overly sensitive, it is quite light, but soon get used to it.

If Malcolm does sell it will be worth looking at, I have bought from him before and he certainly looks after his kit well

 

[CSB]

GH6 is being announced on the 22nd of this month. There is a countdown on the Panasonic website.

Edit: corrected the web link

 

[woof woof]

I posted this in another thread but I thought I'd post it here too.

GX80 and 45-150mm, dawn over the hill.

And just out of interest. This was at ISO200 but the shadows were just about black so I painted on four stops of exposure boost and as that's all my software allows I had to go back in and paint on another couple of stops. I forget how much boost I applied but it must have been in the region of 6 stops and possibly a touch more. There's grain there but it is IMO ok as a whole picture. When I get the time and energy I'll redo it and possibly make a better job of it, but boosting a shot 6 stops + and still getting a usable picture is I think pretty good going

 

[Adamcski]

Might pop to wex for a nose around tomorrow

 

[d00d]

I posted this in another thread but I thought I'd post it here too.

GX80 and 45-150mm, dawn over the hill.

And just out of interest. This was at ISO200 but the shadows were just about black so I painted on four stops of exposure boost and as that's all my software allows I had to go back in and paint on another couple of stops. I forget how much boost I applied but it must have been in the region of 6 stops and possibly a touch more. There's grain there but it is IMO ok as a whole picture. When I get the time and energy I'll redo it and possibly make a better job of it, but boosting a shot 6 stops + and still getting a usable picture is I think pretty good going

You should have used Exposure Brackets @woof woof

I love the way (on GX80) you push the rear wheel for Expos. Comp. and top right of screen you see a symbol + "off", touch for Brackets.

Here's an example of two brackets merged -2 sky and 0 the rest of it.

 

[woof woof]

Very nice. But. Naaaa. I don't really do new fangled stuff. Good luck to those who do

PS.
Can it do in the region of +6 stops?

 

[Cockney]

Might pop to wex for a nose around tomorrow

There's nothing like a good nose around.

 

[CSB]

Very nice. But. Naaaa. I don't really do new fangled stuff. Good luck to those who do

PS.
Can it do in the region of +6 stops?

Upto 7 stops!

 

[woof woof]

I might give it a go but if it involves touching the back screen I won't be bothering as I very rarely use it, have the touch screen disabled and for that picture above I was holding the camera way above my head so fiddling with the screen might have been a bit too much of a juggle.

Anyway, the point of the picture was really to say that I was impressed how much the exposure could be pushed without it disintegrating. It wont win any prizes and I'm sure I can do better with the processing but at least it's be usable. For some reason I always think back to my Canon DSLR days when I had 300D, 10D, 20D and 5D. I had the 20D the longest at about 7 years but I couldn't push the exposure with any of them including the 5D without noise creeping in PDQ yet with these more recent MFT cameras I can push the exposure much more. I don't know why I always think about those Canon's as I used film cameras for a lot longer, maybe because MFT was the thing that convinced me mirrorless was the future.

 

[Adamcski]

Well went to WEX they were very helpful and let me have a look at the options (they weren't keen on the Olympus M4/3 something to do with company being taken over or something, but hey that is just an opinion). G9 felt very similar to the S5 size wise, grip I actually thought felt better to me (had them both out). Lenses are TINY aren't they. Looks well built, good selection of lenses (and you can use other M4/3 makes also I understand) so now I just need to decide if I actually NEED it, or is it something I don't NEED but WANT. They showed me the differences between some of the zoom lenses compared to the FF zooms and a 100-400m was smaller than a 70-200 FF lens. It could help me when travelling as I would just taken the kit Leica lens and perhaps one more with a longer reach........but do I NEED it......

 

[Stephen L]

Well went to WEX they were very helpful and let me have a look at the options (they weren't keen on the Olympus M4/3 something to do with company being taken over or something, but hey that is just an opinion). G9 felt very similar to the S5 size wise, grip I actually thought felt better to me (had them both out). Lenses are TINY aren't they. Looks well built, good selection of lenses (and you can use other M4/3 makes also I understand) so now I just need to decide if I actually NEED it, or is it something I don't NEED but WANT. They showed me the differences between some of the zoom lenses compared to the FF zooms and a 100-400m was smaller than a 70-200 FF lens. It could help me when travelling as I would just taken the kit Leica lens and perhaps one more with a longer reach........but do I NEED it......

Yes. Though my opinion is that OM Systems as a company is sound.

 

[woof woof]

Well went to WEX they were very helpful and let me have a look at the options (they weren't keen on the Olympus M4/3 something to do with company being taken over or something, but hey that is just an opinion). G9 felt very similar to the S5 size wise, grip I actually thought felt better to me (had them both out). Lenses are TINY aren't they. Looks well built, good selection of lenses (and you can use other M4/3 makes also I understand) so now I just need to decide if I actually NEED it, or is it something I don't NEED but WANT. They showed me the differences between some of the zoom lenses compared to the FF zooms and a 100-400m was smaller than a 70-200 FF lens. It could help me when travelling as I would just taken the kit Leica lens and perhaps one more with a longer reach........but do I NEED it......

When I had DSLR's I wasn't happy with the bulk and weight over film SLR's and the attention you sometimes get when using big and obvious kit so MFT was interesting as it's smaller, lighter and less intrusive and obvious and attention grabbing to others when you're out and about. Even with a 50mm mounted my DSLR's were still bricks. So, for me it was want and need as I wasn't really happy taking the big honking DSLR kit out. You'll have to make your own mind up if this is a want or a need

These days I don't use MFT much, mainly the GX80 and 45-150mm, these days I prefer my FF Sony A7 and a compact prime and the GX80+45-150mm or A7 and Panasonic TZ100.

If you go MFT I wouldn't worry too much about the Olympus take over as the relationships between the companies are complex and just about unfathomable as they often are with Japanese companies and Olympus is still in the mix there somewhere. Having said that I always preferred Panasonic because of the more anonymous styling rather than the more obvious and retro styled Olympus cameras.

One thing I would recommend is thinking about looking at used lenses as there seems to be a healthy trade in them and some can be found at reasonable prices. Most of my lenses were bought used and I've been happy with them all.

 

[Adamcski]

When I had DSLR's I wasn't happy with the bulk and weight over film SLR's and the attention you sometimes get when using big and obvious kit so MFT was interesting as it's smaller, lighter and less intrusive and obvious and attention grabbing to others when you're out and about. Even with a 50mm mounted my DSLR's were still bricks. So, for me it was want and need as I wasn't really happy taking the big honking DSLR kit out. You'll have to make your own mind up if this is a want or a need

These days I don't use MFT much, mainly the GX80 and 45-150mm, these days I prefer my FF Sony A7 and a compact prime and the GX80+45-150mm or A7 and Panasonic TZ100.

If you go MFT I wouldn't worry too much about the Olympus take over as the relationships between the companies are complex and just about unfathomable as they often are with Japanese companies and Olympus is still in the mix there somewhere. Having said that I always preferred Panasonic because of the more anonymous styling rather than the more obvious and retro styled Olympus cameras.

One thing I would recommend is thinking about looking at used lenses as there seems to be a healthy trade in them and some can be found at reasonable prices. Most of my lenses were bought used and I've been happy with them all.

I appreciate that. When I go for a wonder around here, or a national trust place I have no issues taking my S5 (I usually take the 20-60 and 50mm). When I walk around locally it stands out a bit, but I'm also 6 foot 4, so I stand out a little too LOL.

We went to a remembrance parade a while ago and everyone was taking videos and photos, but there were only around 10 people I could see using a similar type of camera (not a phone).

I tend to stick with new where possible, as I have limited technical knowledge with cameras so would be worried about buying a lemon lol

 

[Malfis]

Having owned and used the G9 and several EM1 bodies, imo the G9 is much superior in terms of handling (and menu system!).

 

[woof woof]

I appreciate that. When I go for a wonder around here, or a national trust place I have no issues taking my S5 (I usually take the 20-60 and 50mm). When I walk around locally it stands out a bit, but I also 6 foot 4, so I stand out a little too LOL.

We went to a remembrance parade a while ago and everyone was taking videos and photos, but there were only around 10 people I could using a similar type of camera (not a phone).

I tend to stick with new where possible, as I have limited technical knowledge with cameras so would be worried about buying a lemon lol

I live in a northern very working class area so someone wandering about with a camera can be very obvious.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the newer MFT cameras have quiet shutters and the option of using an electronic shutter which can be silent or you can select a sound and set the volume. I use mine on silent.

The electronic shutter does have issues. You can get banding under flickering artificial lighting and you can get a rolling shutter effect with fast moving subjects. My MFT cameras have a limit of 1/4,000 for the mechanical shutter and you can hit that max when using wide aperture primes in good light so the camera switches to the electronic shutter for faster speeds. I have my shutter set to auto in the menu and I let the camera switch between mechanical and electronic shutters as it sees fit but if I want to shoot silently it's easy enough to select the electronic shutter.

 

[Adamcski]

I would also need to consider what additional lens I would need to add - perhaps to extend the range further than the 60mm (120 mm) the kit will provide. I don't need any 50 / 85 mm type lenses as I have those on the S5.

 

[Stephen L]

I would also need to consider what additional lens I would need to add - perhaps to extend the range further than the 60mm (120 mm) the kit will provide. I don't need any 50 / 85 mm type lenses as I have those on the S5.

The 24-100 Olympus is a superb bit of glass.

 

[Stephen L]

Having owned and used the G9 and several EM1 bodies, imo the G9 is much superior in terms of handling (and menu system!).

I had difficulty in choosing between the E-M1ii and the G9. In the end I went for the Oly for bulk reasons. Though the G9 has many tempting features and I would have been happy either way.

 

[Adamcski]

You folks are not helping me overcome the NEED / WANT arguements I'm having in my head lol

 

[CSB]

You folks are not helping me overcome the NEED / WANT arguements I'm having in my head lol

I had the GH5 with lenses before I bought the S5, which I wanted more for photography, as I use the GH5 mainly for video. There is real merit in having both systems IMO, and the fact that colour profiles match so well is a bonus. My other half shot some interviews using the S5 and GH5, the footage intercuts seemlessly and it's not obvious which is which from looking at the shots.

For a walk around/holiday camera, if you're happy with the lenses you have, then the S5 is quite portable, but you can't beat M43 for size and weight as your lenses get longer. My 45-150 is the focal length equivalent of 90-300 on full frame, but smaller and lighter than the 20-60 kit lens. A similar full frame equivalent, the Panasonic 70-300, will cost 10 times as much and be much bigger and heavier.

I guess it depends if you need two cameras, as it would probably be lighter overall to have one full frame body with a longer lens than to have an extra body like the G9 with a longer lens. Unless you go for something like the Panasonic 100-400, in which case I'd definitely say go for the G9!

 

[Adamcski]

I would leave my S5 kit at home when I go away and just take the G9 and possible additional lens.

I was looking at this as a potential second lens The Panasonic Lumix G VARIO 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6

Kit lens would cover me 24-120 and this covers a massive 90-350mm. And it's not extortionately priced.

 

[CSB]

My usual holiday kit is the GH5 with Leica 12-60, Oly 9-18 and Panasonic 25mm f1. 7. Very easy to pack into a casual rucksack without anyone knowing you're carrying any camera kit.