"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

Alan that Zodiac shot (y)

Little test shot from me... processed and uploaded on the iPad, some tweaks to make to the process, but it's a lot easier than playing with RAW in LightRoom on my PC for ages (and I have a tendency to get carried away doing that too, usually with little effect on the outcome!)


Dura-Ace Mech by Jimwah, on Flickr
 
A couple of questions

Has anyone gone from a G5 to a G6? Is it worth it?
And does anyone have the new version of the 14-140 lens?

I am currently undecided what to with my kit, I only have the 14mm pancake so it doesn't get used a great deal. I have a Samsung nx but not really happy with it.
What to do!
 
I was in the camera shop in Carlisle yesterday trying out a GX7. Very good thing. EVF is sufficient and colourful: ratio was alright, only slightly shorter top-to-bottom view than my VF-2.
Grip felt right to me, everything worked well. Shutter sound was oddly squeakish but kinda nice.
I have to try it on skin tones outside later, but so far it looks like a great camera.
I might buy one when someone here tires of it ...
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
I was in the camera shop in Carlisle yesterday trying out a GX7. Very good thing. EVF is sufficient and colourful: ratio was alright, only slightly shorter top-to-bottom view than my VF-2.
Grip felt right to me, everything worked well. Shutter sound was oddly squeakish but kinda nice.
I have to try it on skin tones outside later, but so far it looks like a great camera.
I might buy one when someone here tires of it ...
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Why wait - HDEW are doing the body for £479 (grey import)?
 
Yeah I went to Panamoz, it was £610 with the 20mm 1.7 - happy with that, and the service was great.

Ordered an Olympus 12-50 that should arrive today, which will cover more general duties, not the best optics but it seems to have some cool features - macro, solid construction, electronic zoom etc all for £100. Tough call between this and the Panasonic 14-45, but 12mm at the wide end is quite different to 14mm in my mind, and I like wide shots with a bit of distortion anyway.
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
I was in the camera shop in Carlisle yesterday trying out a GX7. Very good thing. EVF is sufficient and colourful: ratio was alright, only slightly shorter top-to-bottom view than my VF-2.
Grip felt right to me, everything worked well. Shutter sound was oddly squeakish but kinda nice.
I have to try it on skin tones outside later, but so far it looks like a great camera.
I might buy one when someone here tires of it ...
Click to expand...


I bought one a couple of days ago, it's really nice, very customisable, I'm sure you'll love it when you finally get one :)
 
I just found out my G3 can autofocus smoothly using the touchscreen during video ... yeah, different topic suddenly.
Rather great feature.

Hey Harry I tend not to spend £479 on bodies, I snap them up second-hand so I don't have to sell them on to recoup dosh. I like having loads of cheap ones around that do one thing each really well. Thanks for the link anyway.
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
Hey Harry I tend not to spend £479 on bodies, I snap them up second-hand so I don't have to sell them on to recoup dosh. I like having loads of cheap ones around that do one thing each really well. Thanks for the link anyway.
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No worries :) Only mentioned it because I recently paid more than £479 for a used, so when I across it on HDEW I thought it was a bargain!
 
Hi all,
Silly question time...

I don't suppose anyone else here has gone from using a 20mm f1.7 a lot to using the 12-35mm f2.8 (almost) as much on a Panasonic body?

The 20mm was the one lens I used the majority of the time - even though I owned so many other lenses during that period. However, since I purchased the 12-35mm I have not really bothered with the 20mm. In view of this I am now considering selling the 20mm to help pay for the 35-100mm I have just ordered - money is a bit tight but I really, really want the 35-100mm lens. My son is playing an instrument at a local music club etc; I find myself increasingly taking photos and videos of him performing in less than ideal light conditions and could therefore do with the extra bit of zoom.
I am bit concerned I may face some other low light situation where I would miss my 20mm. However, I have also read in a few places that the Mega OIS pretty much gives back two stops - certainly some quick tests under contrived conditions seems to suggest that the 12-35mm does hold its own against the 20mm.
Have I got the bits about the 2 f-stops from Mega OIS right? 2 f-stops takes you from f1.4 to f2.8 - therefore I should be able to make up the F1.7 to F2.8 difference.
If I have got this all wrong (and am being a Homer Simpson) please don't hesitate to set me straight...

Thanks!
 
Shutter speed still needs to be high enough to freeze the movement regardless of OIS - you may get away with f2.8 if you are happy to raise the ISO.

Try the 20mm in low light at f2.8 and see how you go - I have not used the 12-35 but it should focus faster than the 20mm in low light so that's one advantage.

I use a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 in low light (on a dslr) but often have to push the ISO up to 1600 or even 3200 to get a fast enough shutter speed - not a major issue on the dslr although 3200 is not great but on my G3 ISO 3200 is worse. ISO 1600 is fine (usable) on both cameras (for me) - depends how picky you are about noise and what you use (if anything) to reduce it. Nik Dfine does a pretty great job but Lightroom is usually okay for most stuff. I don't find IBIS or OIS much of an advantage at shorter focal lengths, except for static subjects of course, when it's great, at least within that narrow range between needing a tripod regardless of OIS and being able to handhold.
 
harry66 said:
No worries :) Only mentioned it because I recently paid more than £479 for a used, so when I across it on HDEW I thought it was a bargain!
Click to expand...
Me too! Got it yesterday so playing around the menus to set it properly! Looks and feels like a proper upgrade (now I see why they skipped the 2-6 in the numbering :-))
 
I've been doing a lot of shooting with the GX7 around London over the last couple of weeks. Overall I'm very impressed with the camera - the images are excellent, the size is perfect, and it's quick and easy to make changes to the settings. I'm mostly using the 14-42 kit lens at the moment, but hopefully if funds allow next month I'll be upgrading to the 12-35mm. For the sort of shooting I've been doing lately an Oly 9-18 would probably be ideal, but I think that's going to have to wait a while, unless I come across a bargain.

There's a few on my Flickr page, but this one of Canary Wharf is probably the pick of the crop. It's 2 exposures merged, with some highlight and shadow adjustments brushed into certain areas.


 
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MarkLG said:
I've been doing a lot of shooting with the GX7 around London over the last couple of weeks. Overall I'm very impressed with the camera - the images are excellent, the size is perfect, and it's quick and easy to make changes to the settings. I'm mostly using the 14-42 kit lens at the moment, but hopefully if funds allow next month I'll be upgrading to the 12-35mm. For the sort of shooting I've been doing lately an Oly 9-18 would probably be ideal, but I think that's going to have to wait a while, unless I come across a bargain.

There's a few on my Flickr page, but this one of Canary Wharf is probably the pick of the crop. It's 2 exposures merged, with some highlight and shadow adjustments brushed into certain areas.


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Nice shot Mark, sharp as a tack & the colours are true to life as well.
Cheers.........Edwin.
P.S. I just had a look at your flickr page & the rest of the images you took with this amazing little camera & must say I'm more than impressed. I definitely have to get out more to experiment with the GX7. Thanks for sharing.
 
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Great shots there, Mark! Before you get the 12-35, try it if possible. It is a quite heavy lens, and due to the GX7 having the mount on its extreme left, it is somewhat unbalanced (that applies only if you shot a lot one handed). Otherwise, a great lens and a great choice too.

Speaking of the GX7, has anyone bought spare batteries (3rd party ones)? I read a lot of good things about the Wasabi, but they seem unavailable in Europe...
 
Just ordered a 'maxsima' battery from Amazon for £10, seems like this battery is used in quite a few Lumix models and reviews so far seem good, but it probably won't turn up until early next week. I'm off skiing in 3 weeks or so, and am conscious that a spare battery or two may be required in the colder weather!

Had a chance to play with the Olympus 12-50 last night, macro mode works nicely and the e-zoom feature is cool. Also pleased to find the GX7 works very well with my RF602 triggers and YN560 Flash, however I start to see the shutter shooting any faster than 1/200 so I think the triggers are holding me back a bit in terms of sync speed.


Oakley Dispatch 2 by Jimwah, on Flickr


Cufflinks! by Jimwah, on Flickr
 
Just starting to work through some shots taken on a few evening walks last week with the GX7. I've been looking at some of the shots taken with the 14-42 mk11 kit lens at around f5.6 and f8 and they're extremely detailed. It's really annoying that when they redesigned it they didn't open it up to 12mm at the wide end. Has anybody done a comparison between the 14-42 and the 12-32 - I've seen a few coming up for sale at around £300.

On a different note, what flash setups are people using with their G series cameras?? Do generic triggers and Chinese flashes work, and what about TTL options?

 
bl0at3r said:
Your GX7 flickr shots are great mark. I'm interested in the GX7 or a new OMD :)
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I'd suggest trying them both out in a shop before buying, as they feel like quite different cameras.
I almost mail ordered an OMD E5, but after handling one in Jessops and comparing it with the GX7 I much preferred the GX7. The E5 just doesn't sit nicely in the hand for me - the E1 is a bit better, but I found the GH3 a nicer camera to hold.
I don't think you'll notice any difference in image quality/
 
MarkLG said:
I bought one off Amazon for about £10. I haven't noticed any performance difference between it and the 2 Panasonic batteries I've got.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D6Z4246/
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I checked your Flickr stuff - have to agree with the others - great shots.
At what time of the day did you take the St Pauls / Millenium bridge shot (one of my favourites) - Exif says 6pm - didn't realise it could be so empty at that time even on a Sunday? Did you have to wait long?
 
MarkLG said:
Just starting to work through some shots taken on a few evening walks last week with the GX7. I've been looking at some of the shots taken with the 14-42 mk11 kit lens at around f5.6 and f8 and they're extremely detailed. It's really annoying that when they redesigned it they didn't open it up to 12mm at the wide end. Has anybody done a comparison between the 14-42 and the 12-32 - I've seen a few coming up for sale at around £300.

On a different note, what flash setups are people using with their G series cameras?? Do generic triggers and Chinese flashes work, and what about TTL options?

Click to expand...

What a beautiful image Mark, was it taken using the GX7's HDR mode?
 
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harry66 said:
I checked your Flickr stuff - have to agree with the others - great shots.
At what time of the day did you take the St Pauls / Millenium bridge shot (one of my favourites) - Exif says 6pm - didn't realise it could be so empty at that time even on a Sunday? Did you have to wait long?
Click to expand...

The EXIF doesn't lie!!
It was a quiet evening due to the wind and rain, and the 8 second exposure was enough to make anybody who hurried past invisible:-)
 
Edwin Harvey said:
What a beautiful image Mark, was it taken with the HDR mode?
Click to expand...

It was shot as a 5 shot bracketed set in RAW, converted in Aperture 3 and the HDR processing was done Photomatix Pro;)
I haven't tried the in camera mode, as I prefer to do all my processing in the computer.
I nearly always do exposure bracketing for this sort of shot - memory cards are cheap these days, and it gives me more processing options when I get home.
 
Wow - never realised Starlings were that beautiful a bird - great shot!
Look forward to trying out the GX7 Wifi feature as soon I get some decent weather here!
 
c22w1 said:
... I was wondering wether it would be worth buying an adapter to enable me to use my old manual Pentax PK mount lenses with it? I have a 50mm f1.9 and a few zooms.
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Yes.
The proper G cameras are about ideal for manually-focusing your old lenses, their EVFs are pretty good and grippy handling helps with the focus ring.
The zooms may disappoint but one of my favourite 50mm is a Cosina in P-K mount.
 
Hi all, I think I'm posting this I'm the right place?
But my question is I currently use a Panasonic gh3 with the kit lens14-140, I'm looking or should I say my local camera shop have offered me a very good condition panny 12-35 f2.8 lens for a great price. Is it worth the layout for this lens. I'm into astro photography so will this give me more photons?? Plus general photography too!!
Thanks for any advice
 
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Yeah it'll give you more photons, but any old 50mm manual lens will too ... photons are cheap, bright AF zooms are not cheap.
If the 12-35 is offered to you truly cheaply it'd be a great buy for your GH3.
 
Dinozorr said:
Hi all, I think I'm posting this I'm the right place?
But my question is I currently use a Panasonic gh3 with the kit lens14-140, I'm looking or should I say my local camera shop have offered me a very good condition panny 12-35 f2.8 lens for a great price. Is it worth the layout for this lens. I'm into astro photography so will this give me more photons?? Plus general photography too!!
Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...
So, just how cheap is 'a great price'? One went for £500 on here recently. I am only asking because I was offered a 35-100mm for £780 2nd hand by a camera shop recently but managed to order a new one for considerably less from HDEW.
I already own the 12-35mm and it is a cracking lens.
 
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