"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

ukaskew said:
I would say it's far from 'bad' at tracking movement. I can comfortably and pretty consistently shoot cars travelling at well over 100mph with a G3 and Panasonic 100-300, presumably the G3 uses similar tech (if not older) to the GF5
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Thanks for this! Do you have any photos you could share where you dealt with a fast moving object? I'd like to find some sports/dogs m4/3 photography, the proof is in the pudding as they say:)

Llamaman said:
Because the claim is based upon photographing static objects?
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I am immediatly thinking of Achilles and Tortoise. How can tracking AF be faster than AF on stationary object? Isnt tracking AF just a series repeated static AFs? At the particular split second that it takes for AF to work, the moving object moves only a tiny amount -it may as well be static.

Maybe I should have created a thread on this, as I am confused with this :)
 
Many thanks! Looks good to me, although the pictures are not full size, so its hard to judge just how crisp they are. But very impressive still. I loved th pick where miscontrolled car kicked up some dirt and the dirt blobs were in focus- very good indeed. Cars coming towards you look great as well.

I read on DPreview forums couple of years ago that some guy sold his G3 (I believe it was a G3) as it could not keep up with his grandchildren... Maybe he was using a slow focusing lens. But I remember I gave up on m4/3 back then because of reports like his and stuck with my point'n'shoot. Now it looks very encouraging -thank you again!
 
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I've got the older G2 and never really experienced any major issues as far as AF is concerned. I've taken quite a lot of dog pictures with it over the last few months as we got a new puppy in the summer, and I've done air shows with it too, and its kept up most of the time. I've recently added a GF3 to complement it though, and that seems to be a little better which is understandable as its newer.
I think it does make a difference what lens you use though, my Sigma 19mm is noticeably faster to AF than the Panasonic kit lens for example.
 
Could anyone point me in the right direction as to how to advertise items for sale please?
 
sgott said:
Could anyone point me in the right direction as to how to advertise items for sale please?
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The rules and guidelines are here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=119
And the classifieds forums are here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15

Pick the most suitable forum area for the items you're advertising to make sure it gets more views, and make sure your listing is clear and concise. if you can get photos of the items in question, it'll help generate interest.
Get the details of anyone you trade with, and don't be afraid to say no if people start making offers. People will really try and haggle you for a deal on here, sometimes becoming quite rude about it and low balling. If you think you're price is fair don't be afraid to stick to it otherwise you'll soon end up out of pocket. There's a bit of a mentality on here that people won't pay asking price in something, even if its the cheapest around, but there are other places you can try if it doesn't sell so don't feel you have to discount straight away, just price it correctly to start with.
I've done around 15 deals on here both buying and selling, and not experienced any problems yet. All the people I've dealt with have been friendly and polite, and as they're all photographers as well I have slightly more confidence in them than buying on eBay.
 
Mandoo said:
The rules and guidelines are here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=119
And the classifieds forums are here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15

Pick the most suitable forum area for the items you're advertising to make sure it gets more views, and make sure your listing is clear and concise. if you can get photos of the items in question, it'll help generate interest.
Get the details of anyone you trade with, and don't be afraid to say no if people start making offers. People will really try and haggle you for a deal on here, sometimes becoming quite rude about it and low balling. If you think you're price is fair don't be afraid to stick to it otherwise you'll soon end up out of pocket. There's a bit of a mentality on here that people won't pay asking price in something, even if its the cheapest around, but there are other places you can try if it doesn't sell so don't feel you have to discount straight away, just price it correctly to start with.
I've done around 15 deals on here both buying and selling, and not experienced any problems yet. All the people I've dealt with have been friendly and polite, and as they're all photographers as well I have slightly more confidence in them than buying on eBay.
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Very much appreciated Mandoo, thank you :) - I will get some images taken !
 
The Oly 75mm 1.8 arrived today, what a beast! Beautifully balanced on the G5, early days but I think going to be my favourite lens by some margin. I was worried about the lack of IS with it being relatively light, but all good so far, I think I prefer it to the 135mm f2 I had on my 5D.

This was at f4 but you can see how narrow the focus area is even for a subject quite a distance away...


Kennet and Avon Canal: Robin vs Swan by Harry_S, on Flickr

and a big big crop for this Robin (this is about 30% of the original image), the detail is impressive...


Kennet and Avon Canal: Robin by Harry_S, on Flickr
 
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I love my 75mm, a great lens

PA020796.jpg
 
I didn't think there would be a need to start a new thread so here goes...

I've given myself a theme to kick start my photography this year and the theme is churches.

What I want to know is my kit up to the task of low light no flash photography? I was thinking the 20mm would suffice with minimal distortion.

I hoped the same for external shots where obviously the light is better or to use my 14-45mm kit lens.

I also have upgradeitis! I dont like to waste money but... I'am tempted by the Panasonic 25mm 1.4 or the Olympus 45mm 1.8. Would these be any sharper and better in low light?

All advice appreciated.
 
Iiyama
They won't be sharper than a good Lumix 20mm or good 14-45, and for static subjects the 20mm focuses fine.
The 45mm is too narrow for much indoors, head & shoulders maybe.

If you buy the mZuiko 45mm you won't be wasting money. You'll take an instant fifty quid hit on depreciation but the lens is really excellent and does a whole world of a different job in terms of isolating focus.
 
Iiyama said:
I didn't think there would be a need to start a new thread so here goes...

I've given myself a theme to kick start my photography this year and the theme is churches.

What I want to know is my kit up to the task of low light no flash photography? I was thinking the 20mm would suffice with minimal distortion.

I hoped the same for external shots where obviously the light is better or to use my 14-45mm kit lens.

I also have upgradeitis! I dont like to waste money but... I'am tempted by the Panasonic 25mm 1.4 or the Olympus 45mm 1.8. Would these be any sharper and better in low light?

All advice appreciated.
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Certainly would be better in low light, two of my fav lenses ;)
 
In most churches, even the 25/1.4 may well be too slow, plus you may want a narrower aperture for more depth of field. How about the lenses you have a decent tripod and remote shutter release? Depending on your like/dislike of fisheye, something like the Samyang 7.5 may well be a useful addition lenswise.
 
Iiyama said:
I didn't think there would be a need to start a new thread so here goes...

I've given myself a theme to kick start my photography this year and the theme is churches.

What I want to know is my kit up to the task of low light no flash photography? I was thinking the 20mm would suffice with minimal distortion.

I hoped the same for external shots where obviously the light is better or to use my 14-45mm kit lens.

I also have upgradeitis! I dont like to waste money but... I'am tempted by the Panasonic 25mm 1.4 or the Olympus 45mm 1.8. Would these be any sharper and better in low light?

All advice appreciated.
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Can't speak about the other lenses but the 25 1.4 has been a liberation for low light/no flash shooting. It is a bit too narrow for my likings, but really not much to complain in an otherwise fantastic lens.
 
Has anybody seen the New tamron super zoom. It looks a nice bit of kit but no price yet. Also New versions of the sigma 19mm and 30mm with a New 60mm all on there way.
 
Rico said:
The new Sigma 60mm 2.8 interests me!

photographyblog article
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Me too, but considering how good the Oly 60mm is they are going to need to price it very competitively to make it worthwhile, I'm thinking any more than £250 and it would be hard not to save a bit longer and end up with a obscenely sharp 60mm lens that also has full 1:1 macro capabilities.
 
Have you guys spotted the new Voigtlander 42.5mm f0.95?

I have the 25mm and it's a lovely thing but wide aperture lenses like this aren't just for low light (INVHO) and when using them in good light it's easy to exceed 1/4000 sec. I do wish that Panny and Oly would increase the max shutter speed to 1/8000 and offer ISO 100 on all their cameras.

With my G1, which has ISO 100, in good light and without ND's I'm often limited to f2.8 or smaller, and I really don't like messing on with ND's.

Even with my 5D (max shutter speed 1/8000) when at f1.4 it's possible to hit 1/8000 sec.

Just a quick example, 25mm f0.95, a tack sharp at the point of focus image but I needed two stacked ND's to bring the shutter speed to 1/2000 at ISO 100.

_1040053tsb.jpg
 
They keep bringing out nice wide aperture lenses and I can only assume that no one at the manufacturers shoots with them in good light :thinking: Or maybe they have shares in the company that makes ND's.

I know it's me :bang:
:D
 
woof woof said:
They keep bringing out nice wide aperture lenses and I can only assume that no one at the manufacturers shoots with them in good light :thinking: Or maybe they have shares in the company that makes ND's.

I know it's me :bang:
:D
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I'm actually debating swapping my 75mm 1.8 for the 60mm 2.8 Macro for this very reason, most of my photography is outside in good light, reviewing my 75mm shots so far nearly everything has had to be at f3.5 or narrower (and it's only January!), with the 60mm I get the bonus of 1:1 macro, which is something I've always wanted.
 
ukaskew said:
I'm actually debating swapping my 75mm 1.8 for the 60mm 2.8 Macro for this very reason,...
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As the forums are full of people buying that lens and the Pany/Oly f1.4/1.8's I did wonder if anyone else was encountering my little problem.

The lenses that give me the problem are Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 and Rokkor 55mm f1.7. The Rokkor 28mm I use is f2.8 and I haven't run into the problem with it yet. The saving grace for the 25 and 55mm lenses is that they have the same thread size, 52mm. The rest of my legacy lenses are all 49mm but I can use the 52mm ND's by fitting them to the front of my lens hood (it changes 49mm thread lenses to 52mm.) It's not the cost of ND's that annoys me, it's the inconvenience of having to take the lens hood off (most of the time I have it fitted,) fiddle and juggle with the bag/my pockets, fit the ND or ND's and then reverse the process if the next shot I want to take causes the shutter speed to drop or the ISO to rise. It'd be worse if I had to carry different thread size ND's.

The thing is that I like to shoot scenery, architecture or whatever catches my eye one minute and need the ND's and then my next shot may be some graffiti on a wall or a flower and suddenly I'm looking at ISO 1600 and 1/30 sec so the ND's need to come off.

I don't know the technical reason why 1/4000 is the norm or why ISO 100 seems to be falling out of fashion. I wish that both were possible and I'd pay more for them.

Years ago I managed with f2.8 or even f4 lenses, it wasn't untill I went digital that I got my first f1.4 lens, a Sigma 30mm, but I've got used to using wider aperture lenses and arguably they're more necessary when using the smaller sensor systems, if you want to shoot that way, and I do.

PS. If going for a macro lens it may be worth checking that the focus speed is fast enough for what you shoot as some macro lenses have relatively rather slow AF.
 
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woof woof said:
They keep bringing out nice wide aperture lenses and I can only assume that no one at the manufacturers shoots with them in good light :thinking: Or maybe they have shares in the company that makes ND's.

I know it's me :bang:
:D
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I got my 75mm F1.8 and had the same problem when test shooting yesterday with my GH2, having to stop down as there was too much light, even at 1/4000th second, my main reason for getting it was for shallow DOF shooting wide open.

So I'm having to get an ND filter, it would be great if cameras had lower ISO's or even a built in ND filter like the Fuji X100.
 
woof woof said:
Have you guys spotted the new Voigtlander 42.5mm f0.95?

I have the 25mm and it's a lovely thing but wide aperture lenses like this aren't just for low light (INVHO) and when using them in good light it's easy to exceed 1/4000 sec. I do wish that Panny and Oly would increase the max shutter speed to 1/8000 and offer ISO 100 on all their cameras.

With my G1, which has ISO 100, in good light and without ND's I'm often limited to f2.8 or smaller, and I really don't like messing on with ND's.

Even with my 5D (max shutter speed 1/8000) when at f1.4 it's possible to hit 1/8000 sec.

Just a quick example, 25mm f0.95, a tack sharp at the point of focus image but I needed two stacked ND's to bring the shutter speed to 1/2000 at ISO 100.
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Beautiful image, the max shutter speed limitation is a pain, as you say it's only jan/feb
 
I'm starting to have a real love-hate relationship with my G5. The 4 way controller is driving me mad, I've lost count of the times when just lifting the camera up to my eye (or carrying the camera whilst it's switched on) I've managed to change the white balance, ISO or AF mode. More often than not it's WB, so I'm brushing the right-hand side of it somehow (which tallies up with when I used Direct AF, as the point would always end up on the far right). The weird thing is, there is reasonable resistance to the button when I actually intend to click it, but it almost seems like it's touch sensitive at times.

With that and and rear dial frequently changing to exposure compensation I'm incredibly paranoid about double checking all my settings before every single shot now.

I've also noticed the camera slows down significantly when in AFC mode (compared to AFS), it takes an age before it allows me to take another shot, is there a setting to combat this? I seem to remember that being an issue on the G3 as well.

I probably sound like a clumsy heavy handed oaf, but that's really not the case! Is it just me?! I don't remember having these problems on the G3.
 
Anyone bought a 12-35 f2.8 and seriously compared the IQ to their 14-45. I am tempted by the gains of a fixed aperture and sharp centre even wide open, as well as an extra 2mm at the wide end, but my 14-45 is bitingly sharp by f5.6 and I am concerned that I might lay out a lot of money for a 12-35 and find it less sharp. Anyone comment on the 14-45 vs 12-35?
 
PrinceCorum said:
Anyone bought a 12-35 f2.8 and seriously compared the IQ to their 14-45. I am tempted by the gains of a fixed aperture and sharp centre even wide open, as well as an extra 2mm at the wide end, but my 14-45 is bitingly sharp by f5.6 and I am concerned that I might lay out a lot of money for a 12-35 and find it less sharp. Anyone comment on the 14-45 vs 12-35?
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have a look at the sample images on this forum and decide for yourself. i recently upgraded for the wider aperture. the 12-35 will be my lens of choice but i'm keeping the x14-45 for when i need less bulk and using with the conversion lenses I have.

http://www.mu-43.com/f80/
 
I was having trouble earlier - it kept redirecting me to a different address that was not accessible. It seems to be sorted now, I think (you may need to clear browser cache to get it).
 
PrinceCorum said:
... I am concerned that I might lay out a lot of money for a 12-35 and find it less sharp. Anyone comment on the 14-45 vs 12-35?
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I've seen and digested quite a few user reviews and user threads on the new lens, but nobody has commented on it being LESS sharp than the original 14-45.
Personally I'm assuming it is very similar sharpness, with a great boost to aperture and perhaps more chromatic aberration wide-open, depending on the quality of the actual lens you end up getting.
This leads me to keep my 14-45 for landscapes since the new lens will not do anything better in that regard.
The 35-100 looks like a much more interesting tool for focus isolation and lower-light reach.
 
michael23 said:
Now people have used g5's for a while how are you finding the camera? High iso opinions would be good to read, also how is its video mode and focus? What is the battery life like?
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I've only gone up to ISO 1600 but it's nice and clean, I've set my Auto ISO to 1600 and don't even think about it, to be honest. AF is excellent regardless of lens used, I've not experimented with video much. Battery life is around 300 photos in my experience, that's probably 200 through EVF and 100 with swivel screen. I switch the camera off after every shot to avoid accidentally changing lots of settings.

My only issues are with handling, amusingly I bumped into another photographer on my walk today, between being handed the camera and holding it up to his eye he had managed to change the ISO from Auto to 3200, then changed the WB to the house icon, it's ridiculously easy to do accidentally.
 
Must admit that's not a problem I've had with my G1 but I do catch the little wheel and dial in compensation so that's something I have to watch for.

The same old issues are stopping me from investing more money and love into MFT but I'm starting to accept some such as the no marking FBW lenses... I think I've accepted that I'll just have to live with the hateful things.

I don't know how I can get over the EVF brightness in low light though (this is possibly just a hang on from my past when a large percentage of my shots were taken in dingy venues,) and the lack of ISO 100 on some models when accompanied by the 1/4000 shutter speed are serious limiting factors for me and I don't know if I can get over these things. Shame, as I'd really like to move fully to the smaller system :(
 
ukaskew said:
I've only gone up to ISO 1600 but it's nice and clean, I've set my Auto ISO to 1600 and don't even think about it, to be honest. AF is excellent regardless of lens used, I've not experimented with video much. Battery life is around 300 photos in my experience, that's probably 200 through EVF and 100 with swivel screen. I switch the camera off after every shot to avoid accidentally changing lots of settings.

My only issues are with handling, amusingly I bumped into another photographer on my walk today, between being handed the camera and holding it up to his eye he had managed to change the ISO from Auto to 3200, then changed the WB to the house icon, it's ridiculously easy to do accidentally.
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Thanks. The battery life seems a bit better than my dads g3, I think. If iso quality equals the g3 then I should be happy with the reaslts of a g5.

I also like the look of the new version of the 14-42, I dont really like the way the current version feels and handles so will be interesting to see if there is any price difference in the kit prices.
 
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