"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

chrism_scotland said:
The Silver GF1 can also be had at Warehouse Express with the 14-45 for £400 is it worth an extra £50 over the 14-42 lens though?
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Hard to say really - the 14-45 certainly feels better built but I can't see alot of difference optically but I'm no pixel peeper!

Ffordes sell the 14-45 2nd hand for £150-180 but there was a 14-42 on there today (gone now) for only £60. I'm not sure there's that much difference.

GF1 is a great camera, I'm sure you won't disappointed if you go for one.
 
Hello,

I was browsing Ebay and see the the Panasonic GF1 body is going for around £230, I've been considering buying a Fuji x100 but I am struggling to gather the money. Basically what I'm looking for is a camera I can bring everywhere with me any time, for the use of street photography or just general moments I would otherwise miss when not lugging around my DSLR.

Another thing is would you advice me to consider a different micro 4/3rds camera such as the Sony NEX or an Olympus PEN?

Thanks.
 
desf said:
Hard to say really - the 14-45 certainly feels better built but I can't see alot of difference optically but I'm no pixel peeper!

Ffordes sell the 14-45 2nd hand for £150-180 but there was a 14-42 on there today (gone now) for only £60. I'm not sure there's that much difference.

GF1 is a great camera, I'm sure you won't disappointed if you go for one.
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Cheers mate, I'll need to have a think about it it seems a good deal even at £400 as the body only prices are really quite expensive, I guess as the new ones are running out.

I'd have preferred Black I think but the Silver one looks nice too!
 
Bail said:
Hello,

I was browsing Ebay and see the the Panasonic GF1 body is going for around £230, I've been considering buying a Fuji x100 but I am struggling to gather the money. Basically what I'm looking for is a camera I can bring everywhere with me any time, for the use of street photography or just general moments I would otherwise miss when not lugging around my DSLR.

Another thing is would you advice me to consider a different micro 4/3rds camera such as the Sony NEX or an Olympus PEN?

Thanks.
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The Sony NEX is not a m4/3 system, it uses the exact same size of sensors as your run of the mill DX DSLRs. That gives it an edge on the high ISO / DR side of things but also means their lenses have to be much bigger than the m4/3 ones.

If you are looking into something like the GF1 do check the EPL-2 as well. It is said to have better sensor and it has built in stabilisation. So you can use the brilliant 20mm Panasonic lens on the EPL-2 and have it stabilised!

The G3 actually looks like a very good choice, about as small as the GF1 but with a much better sensor and a great EVF built in amont all sorts of other improvements.
 
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I managed to get out with my G1 for an hour or so today for the first time. It was raining and the sky was pretty much non existent at times and blew out but my DSLR couldn't have captured the foreground and sky in these conditions either.

Victorian garden.
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Footbridge.
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It's a great camera but there are a few annoyances that I wish / hope they fix in newer ones...

Firstly why oh why can't we have distance and DoF markings on the lens/es? All of them? This would cost next to nothing and would make life so much easier. Long exposure shots at night are difficult to say the least without lens markings.

Secondly, in aperture priority with auto ISO selected it sets the shutter to 1/30 sec which is too low.

Thirdly, you can't have auto ISO in manual mode.

Fourthly, it's a while since I've used such a ho-hum lens as the 14-42mm. The IS and full time manual focus are great but other than that it's a case of could do better. I'd like a really good constant f2.8 with IS+full time manual focus, and a 40mm f1.4 prime with IS+Full time manual focus and a macro at something like 100-150mm with IS+manual full time manual focus. There's already a wide and a few longer zooms so if I could have my additional little wish list I just might not pick my DSLR up again.

Sign.
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Iron stained rocks.
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Pier.
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Unable to afford the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 at the moment, has anybody tried the Canon FD 50mm f1.8 on the GF1? It's extremely cheap and I was wondering whether it would do the trick whilst saving up for the 20mm.
 
It may be cheaper but you'll have to buy an adapter and it'll have the FOV of a 100mm.
 
Bail said:
Hello,

Another thing is would you advice me to consider a different micro 4/3rds camera such as the Sony NEX or an Olympus PEN?

Thanks.
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Pen E-PL1 is a good alternative, the E-PL2 isnt really that much different considering its much higher price. Like you, I looked for a GF1 but ended up with an Oly E-PL1. I am very impressed with the camera and find it every bit as good as the GF1 I had a while ago.
GF1 or E-PL1 with a 17 or 20mm lens would be perfect for candid street shots.
A compact with a large sensor ( APS size) and wide aperture lens would give you better dof and make individual subjects stand out more. There a few of those about but prices are a bit higher.
Allan
 
Slightly off topic but it is Micro 4/3 related! I've noticed that the Olympus EP1 is very cheap brand new now, aside from not being able to use the EVF (which I'm not too bothered about) it looks a cracking deal at £300 with the Olympus 17mm, as a first step into m4/3 with the intention of upgrading later this year / early next year to EP3 / GF3 would this be a good deal?
 
allanm said:
I assume you mean the G3? If you want a viewfinder, get a G1 or G2 or else the GF1 with just the rear LCD. You could add a viewfinder later but the electronic one (EVF) is expensive.
Any one of those cameras will get you downsized ( and you will notice they all work a lot faster than your S3 Pro) but the G1 does not do video.
The Lumix 14-45 is a superb lens to get you going ( and to keep) then decide what you want out of the rest of the range. A lot of people just go for the 20mm ƒ1.7 and GF1 to get a small package.

Allan
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thanks for the info. After a little more research I think it is a toss up between the Gf1 & 2 and Pen EPL1 or 2!! I doubt i will be able to afford brand new, i have about £550 to spend and would like to get a few lenses or a view finder to attempt some close up studio work.

Is there anywhere to compare the four cameras and what do people recommended?
 
Bail said:
Unable to afford the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 at the moment, has anybody tried the Canon FD 50mm f1.8 on the GF1?
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Keep your eyes peeled, spend another twenty or thirty quid and the FDn 50mm f/1.4 is stellar on my G2, which has the same sensor.
 
I was watching a GF1 + lenses on ebay that went for £650 today!! It was a GF1, 20mm f1.7, 14-15 lens and LVF. Has the winner got a steal there or paid over the odds?
 
I was watching that myself, I thought it was a bit pricey but now I think about it probably not bad.
Usual price
GF1 £200
14-45 £150
20mm £200
LVF: £100?

So probably not too bad.

I'm going to plump for a brand new EP1 with the 17mm lens I think and add a 20mm, although I've been offered a GF1 on here which I'm quite tempted by!
 
chrism_scotland said:
I was watching that myself, I thought it was a bit pricey but now I think about it probably not bad.
Usual price
GF1 £200
14-45 £150
20mm £200
LVF: £100?

So probably not too bad.

I'm going to plump for a brand new EP1 with the 17mm lens I think and add a 20mm, although I've been offered a GF1 on here which I'm quite tempted by!
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I have seen a factory refurbished GF1, 14 - 45, 20mm Buy It Now for £480, then thought about getting the LVF on ebay but there are not too many going!!

I am just undecided on whether to get a GF1 or EP1, i need to read more reviews on the two but i like the looks of the GF1 better, but it is a very poor reason to buy a camera.
 
If you looking to fit an Evf on whatever body you buy, I'm pretty sure the EP1 doesnt have the correct accessory port to fit one. You would need the E-PL1 EP2 or Gf1 for that
Allan
 
I have the EVF for my GF1 and to be honest, it's not much cop. Not a patch on the one built into the G1.

If you are serious about buying one for a GF1, I'd try to get a test first.
 
chrism_scotland said:
I was watching that myself, I thought it was a bit pricey but now I think about it probably not bad.
Usual price
GF1 £200
14-45 £150
20mm £200
LVF: £100?

So probably not too bad.

I'm going to plump for a brand new EP1 with the 17mm lens I think and add a 20mm, although I've been offered a GF1 on here which I'm quite tempted by!
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Are you sure about those prices? I failed spectacularly to flog my 14-45 kit lens for 130 and have just had to reduce the price a huge amount more and see what I get.

I'm not sure that micro 4/3 stuff is selling that well at the moment - which is a shame as I've personally found it's nicer than entry level DSLR territory, but a real sod to sell on.

I'm kind of planning on getting some new 4/3 gear when I next fly out of the EU, but I know the airport duty free shop will have a decent DSLR selection, coupled with a couple of unwanted 4/3 bits.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Well thats just based on the few sales I've seen, I agree though prices seem to be falling a little, I reckon a lot of people are holding on right now to buy anything waiting to see the new m4/3 bodes revealed in the next month or so.
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I have to admit i am kind of hoping a new body gets released soon so that they drop in price a little and can pick up a bargain but will have to wait and see. The prices seem to be about right for ebay....
 
allanm said:
If you looking to fit an Evf on whatever body you buy, I'm pretty sure the EP1 doesnt have the correct accessory port to fit one. You would need the E-PL1 EP2 or Gf1 for that
Allan
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Thanks for the advice, if im honest i did not realize there was an ep1 and a epl1
 
It does seem to be a dilemma, general consensus is that the GF1 is better than the EP1 but the EP1 is cheaper and I quite like the idea of in-body IS for those pancakes with no lens IS (14,17,20) so I'm not really sure what to do.

Also been suggested I try picking up a G1 for the EVF, but I'm not sure what a normal used G1 goes for, also I think it might be larger than I'm really looking for, wanting something smaller than an SLR.
 
The G1 is practically no larger than an E-P1, I've owned both. Would take the G1 any day. Autofocus on the E-P1 is dreadful, no EVF, and no flash.

Looks nicer though I'll admit
 
mid_gen said:
Autofocus on the E-P1 is dreadful, no EVF, and no flash.
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Whereas the E-PL1 has flash, you can fit an EVF and focus with a Lumix 14-45 fitted is as quick as the GF1. At the moment, the E-PL1 is more readily available too.
G1 is a lot smaller and lighter than a DSLR. Used prices are very good, around £140 or less for a body but remember it has no video facility. That may be a deal breaker for some. If you can get one with a 14-45 lens, you will have a superb starter kit and you should be able to find a used one for around £250 or less. Or look in the Classified section for a G2 + lens for £300

Allan
 
grum said:
Barbara those bird pics look really nice and sharp to me - looks like you have a much better copy of the 45-200 than me :(
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Graham I was quite pleased with the lens. I was about 14 feet away and looking through double glazed windows, so I was quite surprised at how good it was. I haven't really tried it at a distance yet so don't know how it will perform (another trial today I think). It was at ISO 400 so I didn't think the noise was too bad either on my G1.

Of my two G series, the G1 and the GF1 I much prefer the G1 even though it's a little heavier. It's much easier to hand hold with the long lens, and the viewfinder on it is a big bonus. I don't miss the video as I have a good video facility on my little Panasonic TZ10 which I use for my trekking camera. That tilt swivel live view screen is a real bonus as it saves my poor old arthritic knees. Too much walking I think:thumbs:
 
I found something out today that I hadn't realised before. Just as an experiment I used the iA mode. This automatically chooses which of the scene modes it thinks you need to use. Because it is an automatic mode (I use manual mode 99% of the time) I expected the resulting shots to be jpegs.
Imagine my surprise to find they were not only pretty well exposed shots with good shallow DOF on the closeup portraits but they were RAW files as well!!
Easy to fiddle in PP and rescue any highlights.

A great idea for those family shots where you don't want to have to sit and think about settings. I will pop a few shots on soon ...... Only babies and tots I'm afraid!!
 
Hey Guy's, just a quick question. At present i have a G1 and the 14-45 and 45-200 lenses. I'm thinking of buying a GF2 but what i want to know is could anybody confirm that both of my lenses will work on the GF2 (or not)? Thanks, Andy :thinking:
 
Yes, they will. :thumbs: The 45-200 maybe a bit of a handfull at first at 200mm, but I am sure you will get used to it

Allan
 
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Heres a shot from my G2 with 45-200 lens this afternoon. This is very heavily cropped, click on the pick for full size
I was very impressed with the sharpness at 158mm


Allan
 
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^^ Thanks for the replys...so now I need to decide between a Black one on Amazon (with the 14mm pancake) for £420 or a Red one on Play for £433 :thinking: What do you all think is best? :help:
 
I'm still happy enough with my G1 but better would be nice too. Has anyone tried the GH2 and if so is it a big leap in image quality over the G1?

I'm not interested in video and my reason for thinking about a GH2 is that I'm peeved that the G3 is already being touted as being not as good as the GH2.

I don't think that Canon are going anywhere that interests me so I'm thinking of making MFT my main system, for most things at least, but I am a bit peeved at the lack of auto focus lenses. A quality 14-42mm f2.8 together with some fast primes, proper MFT ones not just full frame Siggy lenses with a MFT mount welded to them would convince me.
 
Ok, gone for the Red one...if anything just to be different (my G1 is the Blue one):lol:
It's academic really anyway as no doubt the G3 will prove impossible to resist or possibly even the new GF(3) if that's what gets announced soon :shrug:
 
woof woof said:
I'm not interested in video and my reason for thinking about a GH2 is that I'm peeved that the G3 is already being touted as being not as good as the GH2.
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The G3 isn't meant to be better than the GH2, it's a lot cheaper. Personally I'm not bothered about video, so the improved AF and noise handling on the G3 will be enough for me to upgrade.....just as soon as I've got my hands on one and made sure the handling changes haven't ruined it!
 
All I'm interested in is still image quality and it does baffle me that no manufacturer seems to be interested in moving image quality forward with each new camera.

I suppose it could be too early to tell if the G3 is better or worse than the GH2 (if no one's had a lot of time with production G3's yet) but the move away from dials and buttons to on screen stuff could irritate me regardless of image quality and then there's the lack of auto focus lenses.

I'm hard to please.
 
Just for info the video hack for the newer GH1 ( with 1.3 firmware ) is now out .

Julian
 
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