"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

woof woof said:
Actually, how does it give AF confirmation? I see that the adapters have contacts on them but my lenses don't seem to have any?
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The adapter has a chip onboard that fools the camera into thinking it's talking to a native EF lens in manual focus mode. Half-press the shutter button and it then just uses the phase-detect AF in the same way you would with an EF lens and highlights with red boxes in the viewfinder as normal.

Some of the more pricey adapters are programmable, so you can set the EXIF data with the correct information to identify the adapted lens (Make, focal length, maximum aperture, etc. but not the actual aperture used at the moment of shooting) if you keep to one adapter per lens.

fulwood said:
Any threads showing manual focus lenses on 5D would be very interesting - if infinity register possible, then very good for landscapes!
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The Oly 24mm f/2.8 made it to runner-up in the 16:9 The 24mm World Cup on a 5D.

There's a couple of long-running threads over on fredmiranda.com dedicated to OM Zuiko lenses, mostly on non-OM bodies and frequently Canon EOS digital.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/909179

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1129615
 
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Musicman said:
The adapter has a chip onboard that fools the camera into thinking it's talking to a native EF lens in manual focus mode.
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Thanks.

I guessed as much but I was confused by the lens not having any electrical contacts :D

I would buy a focus detect one but I have to be honest and say that although the Zuiko lenses are lovely things I actually like the Minolta lenses a little more as they seem smoother to operate and some have additional aperture settings between the marked ones. I may therefore offload the Oly's and adapter at some point, I haven't made my mind up yet.
 
I thought I'd post this :D

_1090898_zps3790ff2c.jpg


What is it you may ask?

Well, it's one of the reasons that I like using my G1.

It's an f16 shot of a white door and the point was to check how clean the sensor is. It's pretty clean :D despite quite a few lens changes. My 5D on the other hand... is a different beast :D
 
Llamaman said:
The film will be the same as that used for smartphones, so the seller has probably just copied the description across.

That said, that kind of sloppiness doesn't inspire consumer confidence - you could always email them to check? I saw some on amazon as well;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SWIDO-Screen-Protector-Panasonic-DMC-G3K/dp/B008HOZ614/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1350551643&sr=8-6
I think the Swido brand are supposed to be quite good.

Can't remember what I used for my GF2 - think it was a german brand but the name eludes me. I'll look through my order history for you.
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thanks...really want a recommendation from some actually using one.
Dont no one use a screen protector on G3 ?
 
woof woof said:
I thought I'd post this :D

What is it you may ask?

Well, it's one of the reasons that I like using my G1.

It's an f16 shot of a white door and the point was to check how clean the sensor is. It's pretty clean :D despite quite a few lens changes. My 5D on the other hand... is a different beast :D
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I know what you mean, not noticed any sensor dust on my m43 bodies, but when I had my 5D2, it had more dust particles than a Dyson
 
ShrubMonkey said:
I know what you mean, not noticed any sensor dust on my m43 bodies, but when I had my 5D2, it had more dust particles than a Dyson
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Really there's only two things that stop me from moving completely to MFT.

The first is the relatively poor higher ISO performance of my G1 but that will very probably be improved on the very latest (and possibly Sony sensor equiped) MTF bodies.

The second is night photography and the EVF issues of blacking out and acting like a torch. I suspect that this will still be an issue with the latest bodies.

If MFT or some other small system such as Nex could cure both those issues I'd sell my Canon gear and move completely to CSC.
 
Is £499 a decent price for a G5? Best I can find is around £50 more than that. There's a short term Groupon deal on it at the mo.
 
I think the £50 cashback may still be on too? If so make sure you get it from the right shops!
 
2blue4u said:
Is £499 a decent price for a G5? Best I can find is around £50 more than that. There's a short term Groupon deal on it at the mo.
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Is there something on the G5 that you want that the G3 does not have? Correct me if I am wrong but crucial things like sensor and EVF are very similar and you can get a G3+ the the 14-42 lens for a lot less than the G5

There is a s/h here for 200....
 
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Vasilis, for those of us with older and better-handling G bodies the G3 came out with a lot of stuff missing. The G5 fixes what they broke for the G3, it seems much better for actually using the thing, and I would consider getting a G5 but not a G3, myself.
Unfortunately they also broke my favourite thing (multifilm) so I'm not getting a G5 either ... but that's just me.
 
2blue4u said:
Is £499 a decent price for a G5? Best I can find is around £50 more than that. There's a short term Groupon deal on it at the mo.
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The cheapest price for a G5 body online is £525 (that qualifies for 3y warranty and cashback) that I could find.
The groupon offer is £499 for the kit including 14-42mm, and the retailer that does the groupon deal is an authorised panasonic reseller, and you should still be able to get £50 cashback and 3y warranty.
Also, you can use quidco/topcashback to get 5% cashback on all purchases through groupon.
So overall it ends up being a fantastic deal in my opinion, and I've bought one.

I'd been thinking about moving from the G3 to the G5 for some time, and I spotted the groupon deal, shortly after I'd gone to the local PC World for the second time to have a feel of the G5 in my hands. I'm not expecting any major image quality difference, just an improved user experience, so that I feel more tempted to carry it around with me all the time!
 
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Musicman said:
The adapter has a chip onboard that fools the camera into thinking it's talking to a native EF lens in manual focus mode. Half-press the shutter button and it then just uses the phase-detect AF in the same way you would with an EF lens and highlights with red boxes in the viewfinder as normal.

Some of the more pricey adapters are programmable, so you can set the EXIF data with the correct information to identify the adapted lens (Make, focal length, maximum aperture, etc. but not the actual aperture used at the moment of shooting) if you keep to one adapter per lens.



The Oly 24mm f/2.8 made it to runner-up in the 16:9 The 24mm World Cup on a 5D.

There's a couple of long-running threads over on fredmiranda.com dedicated to OM Zuiko lenses, mostly on non-OM bodies and frequently Canon EOS digital.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/909179

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1129615
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Thanks for this guys! I must not buy another 5D!!!!
 
I thought I'd write a quick report on the manual lenses I've bought recently...

A while ago I picked up a Minolta Rokkor 55mm f1.7 and I've been so happy with it I decided to add a few more manual lenses to my little collection and especially a 28mm f2.8 to take to places I'd rather not take my Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 (I'm no shrinking violet and I can look after myself but the fact is that I don't live in the best area and I do like to go for walks by myself with my camera.) As Minolta 28mm f2.8's seemed a bit thin on the ground I decided to go for Olympus Zuiko lenses as I've always thought they look gorgeous.

So I got... Olympus Zuiko 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 and 135mm f3.5.

I then spotted a Rokkor 28mm f2.8 so I got that as well and also a 135mm f3.5 so I ended up with two sets...

Zuiko - 28mm 2.8, 50mm f1.8 and 135mm f3.5.
Rokkor - 28mm f2.8, 55mm f1.7 and 135mm f3.5.

The Oly lenses look gorgeous but I actually prefer the Rokkor's in use as they are smoother and nicer to operate, the Oly's being a bit clunky when changing aperture. The Rokkor's also have additional f stops which give advantages when balancing ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The Zuiko's are a little smaller than the Rokkors but only just so and not enough for it to be significant for me. So, all in all although the Zuiko's look lovely I much prefer the Rokkor's and especially the 55mm f1.7 which is simply gorgeous.

The Zuiko's do have one advantage though as they'll work on my 5D with just a metal adapter whilst the Minolta Rokkor's require an adapter with a corrective lens to achieve infinity focus. I decided that'll probably degrade the image quality so I wont bother and will just keep the Rokkor's for use on my G1 and the Zuiko's for use on my 5D. On the subject of adapters, I now have three of different types, all are just cheap ones bought off ebay but they all seem to be well made and all work fine.

The 135mm's are a bit of a problem though. In even relatively good light I've had to bump up the ISO to 200 to get a reasonable shutter speed and if the light drops at all the ISO's can soon rise to the higher reaches where the G1 struggles although it's less of an issue with the 5D. Therefore, I think that the 135's are only going to get used in good light.

This has also lead me to question my use of Panasonic cameras as the Oly's have in body IS and I therefore think I'll be heading that way if/when I buy a new body as I just can't see Panny fitting in body IS.
 
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woof woof said:
... I don't live in the best area and I do like to go for walks by myself with my camera....
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Flippin' eck has it gone so far downhill? Its not the Bronx. Where EXACTLY do you mean?

woof woof said:
... the Oly's have in body IS and I therefore think I'll be heading that way if/when I buy a new body as I just can't see Panny fitting in body IS.
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Yeah when I use my CZJ 135F3.5 I use it on an Olympus body with IS on. The G1 just seems less sensitive and needs a slower shutterspeed in addition to having no stabilisation.
 
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Ulfric M Douglas said:
Flippin' eck has it gone so far downhill? Its not the Bronx. Where EXACTLY do you mean?
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Haha. I'm a few miles outside Middlesbrough and yes, it can be a bit of a rough place, literally a few hundred yards can make the difference. There are some good photographic opportunities but you'd not want one of your loved ones to be out walking alone in some areas and when I'm there I'm not going to have expensive gear on display or even on me.

Ulfric M Douglas said:
Yeah when I use my CZJ 135F3.5 I use it on an Olympus body with IS on. The G1 just seems less sensitive and needs a slower shutterspeed in addition to having no stabilisation.
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The rumour sites are hinting at interesting developments in the next six months or so and in body IS would be a good aid with longer manual lenses.
 
Anyone had their gf3 freeze when writing.? The writing to hd symbol was on and it wouldn't turn off. Sunk a chunk of the battery for five mins, then I popped it out.

Missed a few shots that were taken whilst it was frozen. But worked fine after until the battery died (30mins later ish)
 
ecniv said:
Anyone had their gf3 freeze when writing.? The writing to hd symbol was on and it wouldn't turn off. Sunk a chunk of the battery for five mins, then I popped it out.

Missed a few shots that were taken whilst it was frozen. But worked fine after until the battery died (30mins later ish)
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Memory card starting to fail? Had something similar with some Sandisk SD cards that turned out to be copies (very good copies).
 
Whenever I've done a few lens changes I check to make sure that the sensor is clean (my G1 has never needed a wet clean) by shooting a white door at min aperture and I also shoot a "normal" exposure just to check that there's nothing wrong that the white door shot wouldn't show up.

Anyway, in every test shot of this corner of the room I get this...

odd.jpg


You may be able to see that the wallpaper looks discoloured in the areas I've marked... but there's nothing to see by eye. I can only assume that it's a white balance effect caused by the lighting / shadows.

Sorry for the pointless post :D I just find this interesting :D and thankfully no one has spotted me staring at the wallpaper yet.
 
I think it's rising damp! ;)
 
It's getting decorated soon so it'll be interesting to see if it's still there with different paper, as I said, at the moment this shows up in images but is not visible to the eye :thinking: :D
 
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The wallpaper alone is criminal.
Add the penguin and ... well I'm calling the cops.

So you're not coming to Gilsland on Sunday Woof woof?
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
The wallpaper alone is criminal.
Add the penguin and ... well I'm calling the cops.

So you're not coming to Gilsland on Sunday Woof woof?
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Gilsand? Not sure I'll be able to go anywhere on Sunday as my GF is coming Sunday or Monday, I wont know what's happening until Friday. I'd love to go on a photography day out so I'll monitor for events, thanks.

The wallpaper is going very soon! :gag: :D But there is no damp visible by eye, nothing at all to see by eye. I first noticed this when I took a picture of something I was selling and it showed up.

PS. The penguin was a gift from my niece and every time she comes she checks to make sure it's still there. I also have little wind up penguins and South Park figures, all from her :D I'm 51.
 
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OK, 51 with nieces and wind-up South Park figures all makes sense, you are forgiven.
I thought you were about 19 Woof Woof ... seriously!

ecniv get another flippin' card! Dont risk using it more in that particular camera.
Sometimes they just don't match and there's no point in chanceing corrupted images.
I use at least five brands and they all work so far, but I've never had a GF3...
 
One from Croft Circuit last weekend with a GH2 and an effective focal length of 1200mm ;)



Cheers,

Simon.
 
srhmoto said:
One from Croft Circuit last weekend with a GH2 and an effective focal length of 1200mm ;)

http://srhphoto.zenfolio.com/p137255045/e49d60fa2

Cheers,

Simon.
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Mind me asking what you used to get to 1200, I understand the sensor is x2 but that still leaves 600!

Edit: I've just seen your other thread, are these really that adaptable with lenses, and as I'm asking is it true all m43 style cameras have the same lens mount, thereby really opening the user up to any make, model and lens
 
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JohnN said:
Mind me asking what you used to get to 1200, I understand the sensor is x2 but that still leaves 600!

Edit: I've just seen your other thread, are these really that adaptable with lenses, and as I'm asking is it true all m43 style cameras have the same lens mount, thereby really opening the user up to any make, model and lens
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I used a Tokina 300mm f2.8 AT-X SD lens and matching Tokina 2XTC with a Canon fd mount to take the photo using my Panasonic GH2.

Yes, all m4/3 cameras have the same lens mount so for native m4/3 lenses, any lens will fit any body. However, if you want to use legacy lenses then you need an appropriate adaptor to make the lens fit. I use a Fotodiox fd to m4/3 adaptor to allow me to use a number of Canon fd lenses that I have. There are no electrical connections between lens and camera, so it's manual everything which makes things more challenging, but way more fun :)

Cheers,

Simon.
 
Thanks Simon, I'm amazed different manufacturers actually agreed on something!

<<shudder>> manual focus, I have enough trouble with AF, great shot btw :)
 
Hi everyone, i currently have upgradeitis, I have a lumix G2 with 14-42 kit lens and the olympus 45mm f1.8, now as a whole iam very pleased with the camera some of the pictures it produces are stunning (in good light) but other times iam a bit disappointed (low light) eg when blinds are semi closed during the day. Now is this my technique or the camera? The day ones are pin sharp but the low light ones are soft and sometimes blurry.
So my question is would a better camera eg nikon d7000 with a 35mm 1.8 give me more keepers in low light compared to the G2? using same aperture and shutter speed. ie would the nikon at iso 3200 look as good as the g2 at iso 800 or less?

PS I dont really want to use a tripod if possible.
This is the kind of quality iam after only indoors. Taken with G2 and Oly 45mm @f1.8.
7776051814_4ddce3493d_c.jpg

7776081024_3f7c366bce_c.jpg

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7776089672_237ae7fc23_c.jpg


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Aren't the very latest compact system cameras at least as good as the best APS-C DSLR's for performance at higher ISO's?

If you did go for a newer MFT you could keep your existing lenses.
 
danolive1 said:
Hi everyone, i currently have upgradeitis, I have a lumix G2 with 14-42 kit lens and the olympus 45mm f1.8, now as a whole iam very pleased with the camera some of the pictures it produces are stunning (in good light) but other times iam a bit disappointed (low light) eg when blinds are semi closed during the day. Now is this my technique or the camera? The day ones are pin sharp but the low light ones are soft and sometimes blurry.
So my question is would a better camera eg nikon d7000 with a 35mm 1.8 give me more keepers in low light compared to the G2? using same aperture and shutter speed. ie would the nikon at iso 3200 look as good as the g2 at iso 800 or less?

PS I dont really want to use a tripod if possible.
This is the kind of quality iam after only indoors. Taken with G2 and Oly 45mm @f1.8.
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Some nice shots there dan - the background blur on portraits is great, really makes the person pop out.

The dynamic range and also the higher ISO performance on the newest m43 bodies (GX1, G3/5 and OM-D) are going to help with the type of shots you want to take indoors and certainly a big step up from the sensor in the g2 IMHO.

You may be finding currently that because of the noise you are limiting your iso to 1600 or so which in turn will give a slower shutter speed and therefore blur.

With the GX1 and G3 you can easily use 3200, and 6400 in some situations, without too much noise.

The 45mm oly lens is a small, super sharp and fast lens - the d7000 and 35mm is not really the same size/weight
 
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