Panasonic g9 advice please

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Micro-four-thirds

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Hi all, following on from my discussions in the Olympus thread last week regarding upgrading my om10 mk3 I have been looking around a bit more and the Panasonic g9 has caught my eye.
Could I have peoples views on it for wildlife please and would it be an improvement over my om10 mk3 especially with regards to the focus as that’s my main issue with the om10 mk3.
Many thanks
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Hi all, following on from my discussions in the Olympus thread last week regarding upgrading my om10 mk3 I have been looking around a bit more and the Panasonic g9 has caught my eye.
Could I have peoples views on it for wildlife please and would it be an improvement over my om10 mk3 especially with regards to the focus as that’s my main issue with the om10 mk3.
Many thanks
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Without owning a om10 mk3 I can't tell you if it is better, as I don't know the problem with the om10 mk3

However, there are many who think the G9 is excellent for wildlife.
 
Mentioned it the other day and yes it will be a considerable improvement on your E-m10 iii.
Too many reviews are based on the original firmware, think it was about v2.0 that really improved the AF.
Lot of camera for relatively little cash, I have had E-M1 ii and iii, both long gone, G9 is still here.
Admittedly I don't do flying birds, just gives me a headache all that looking up at the heavens.
Plenty of trains though and the odd static critter, no af issues with them.
 
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tijuana taxi said:
Mentioned it the other day and yes it will be a considerable improvement on your E-m10 iii.
Too many reviews are based on the original firmware, think it was about v2.0 that really improved the AF.
Lot of camera for relatively little cash, I have had E-M1 ii and iii, both long gone, G9 is still here.
Admittedly I don't do flying birds, just gives me a headache all that looking up at the heavens.
Plenty of trains though and the odd static critter, no af issues with them.
Click to expand...
Thank you, well my thinking now after considering everything is to buy one decent camera rather than purchasing something and then wanting to upgrade in a year or two.
So I’m thinking g9/ om1 or em1 mk3. I am dubious about the om1 as I prefer the manual dials on the current camera.
 
Plus all my current lenses are Panasonic so I’m presuming the ibis will work better on the g9 compared to my Olympus.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Mentioned it the other day and yes it will be a considerable improvement on your E-m10 iii.
Too many reviews are based on the original firmware, think it was about v2.0 that really improved the AF.
Lot of camera for relatively little cash, I have had E-M1 ii and iii, both long gone, G9 is still here.
Admittedly I don't do flying birds, just gives me a headache all that looking up at the heavens.
Plenty of trains though and the odd static critter, no af issues with them.
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I apologise but this might sound like a really stupid question.
If I brought the camera brand new would it have the latest firmware update on it or would I have to update it myself upon opening?
I can’t say I’ve ever brought a camera and had to update it straight away. But my last brand new camera was a good few years ago.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Plus all my current lenses are Panasonic so I’m presuming the ibis will work better on the g9 compared to my Olympus.
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If they are Power OIS then you will have dual stabilisation, if they are Mega OIS you will just have the lens stabilisation.

The firmware update is extremely simple
 
Sangoma said:
If they are Power OIS then you will have dual stabilisation, if they are Mega OIS you will just have the lens stabilisation.

The firmware update is extremely simple
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I’ve just checked and one is power ois the others mega ois.
That’s great to know, thank you.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
I apologise but this might sound like a really stupid question.
If I brought the camera brand new would it have the latest firmware update on it or would I have to update it myself upon opening?
I can’t say I’ve ever brought a camera and had to update it straight away. But my last brand new camera was a good few years ago.
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Much easier than Olympus, download to sd card and update camera.
Lateat version incorporates all the previous iterations, think its on about 2.4 now
 
Am I right in thinking the g9 has live view like my current Olympus? As this is something I find I use all the time.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Much easier than Olympus, download to sd card and update camera.
Lateat version incorporates all the previous iterations, think its on about 2.4 now
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You can update the Olympus now using your smart phone, easy peasy lemon squeezy
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Plus all my current lenses are Panasonic so I’m presuming the ibis will work better on the g9 compared to my Olympus.
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I have a mega OIS lens on the older G80 and never have a problem with stability so you should be fine with the better newer G9.
 
tijuana taxi said:
It does along with a host of other features.
Near and far focus is I believe very useful for wildlife.
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Yes, I use the two buttons next to the lens for that.

Customisation is another huge plus of the G9
 
I’m a little late to the party, but yes I echo these comments - the G9 is terrific. I still have one, even though I barley use it nowadays. Great machine
 
stickytape said:
I’m a little late to the party, but yes I echo these comments - the G9 is terrific. I still have one, even though I barley use it nowadays. Great machine
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Thank you, may I ask is that because you’ve moved away from m4/3s or something else?
 
I bought one when they updated there firmware for bird I.d , it lasted just under two weeks . Much prefer my Olympus . But that’s just me They are good cameras especially if you have pana lenses .but I would suggest if possible you go to a stockist and handle one first
 
the black fox said:
I bought one when they updated there firmware for bird I.d , it lasted just under two weeks . Much prefer my Olympus . But that’s just me They are good cameras especially if you have pana lenses .but I would suggest if possible you go to a stockist and handle one first
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Thank you. Yes I have found a couple of shops local to me with stock so will try one out first.
I’ve only ever really used Olympus and really like them.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thank you, may I ask is that because you’ve moved away from m4/3s or something else?
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Mostly becasue I got too much other choice of gear and despite having so much, I have lost a bit of interest at the moment. FYI I've got a Canon R5 set up, Canon RP, Nikon Z7 set up, ZFC, Z6 plus Samsung NX1 and too many lenses as well so.....
 
stickytape said:
Mostly becasue I got too much other choice of gear and despite having so much, I have lost a bit of interest at the moment. FYI I've got a Canon R5 set up, Canon RP, Nikon Z7 set up, ZFC, Z6 plus Samsung NX1 and too many lenses as well so.....
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Wow I’m impressed. Now I can see what you mean.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thank you. Yes I have found a couple of shops local to me with stock so will try one out first.
I’ve only ever really used Olympus and really like them.
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Check the view through the EVF I found it to small a f.o.v as a specs wearer
 
the black fox said:
Check the view through the EVF I found it to small a f.o.v as a specs wearer
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I have found it to be ideal as a specs wearer.

When using an ordinary SLR, you need to be able to see in the viewfinder, and the rear screen. With a mirrorless, you don't need to to see the rear screen, it is displayed in the viewfinder (yes there are some others that do the same now) so I set the dioptre adjustment on the viewfinder to use without glasses.
This also means I only have to carry one pair of glasses, other wise I would need reading glasses for the rear screen, and other to see where I am walking.
I hate things round my neck, so I just hang the glasses on my collar.

Otherwise, the G9 has the best and EVF I have seen, and you can adjust the size to see the right view with glasses if you do want to wear glasses.
 
Sangoma said:
I have found it to be ideal as a specs wearer.

When using an ordinary SLR, you need to be able to see in the viewfinder, and the rear screen. With a mirrorless, you don't need to to see the rear screen, it is displayed in the viewfinder (yes there are some others that do the same now) so I set the dioptre adjustment on the viewfinder to use without glasses.
This also means I only have to carry one pair of glasses, other wise I would need reading glasses for the rear screen, and other to see where I am walking.
I hate things round my neck, so I just hang the glasses on my collar.

Otherwise, the G9 has the best and EVF I have seen, and you can adjust the size to see the right view with glasses if you do want to wear glasses.
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Thank you, I should wear glasses myself but avoid it as much as I can so I should be alright.
 
Sangoma said:
Yes, you just adjust the EVF to see it clearly :)
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I’m just wondering if you could advise me on one thing, I was reading on a different forum yesterday about the g9 and people were saying the view looked to be curved when looking through the eyepiece? Sort of concave. Do you find that to be an issue at all? Thanks.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
I’m just wondering if you could advise me on one thing, I was reading on a different forum yesterday about the g9 and people were saying the view looked to be curved when looking through the eyepiece? Sort of concave. Do you find that to be an issue at all? Thanks.
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Not an issue for me at all, it has the best EVF I have used. You can adjust the size of the display which would make it easier for some to see.
I'll get it out a bit later and see, but I didn't even notice that :)
 
Sangoma said:
Not an issue for me at all, it has the best EVF I have used. You can adjust the size of the display which would make it easier for some to see.
I'll get it out a bit later and see, but I didn't even notice that :)
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Thank you, don’t put yourself out for me though. I thought it was a bit of a strange thing to notice.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thank you, don’t put yourself out for me though. I thought it was a bit of a strange thing to notice.
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Just looked, there is a slight pincushion evident, but it makes no difference to me, and you only notice it if you intentionally look at the edges.
I also tried it with glasses. It has a nice big rubber eye cap, so it is comfortable with glasses, you have yo get your eye properly in the centre, otherwise you may not see the edges of the image. BUT, that does not matter, because you just touch the button on the right side of the EVF and it reduces the image size so that you van see it all. There are three sizes it cycles through when touching the button.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thank you, don’t put yourself out for me though. I thought it was a bit of a strange thing to notice.
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I had the G9. Steve is right - it is about the largest EVF I've used, BUT I have experienced slight curvature, with or without specs, with or without adjusting the size of view. Not a lot, but I noticed it. The Oly E-M1iii (and the E-M5iii) don't show this curvature, despite (or because) of the finder being slightly smaller. PS I found it slightly convex, not concave! I must add though the viewfinder was not the reason I swapped back to Olympus from Panasonic bodies.
 
Sangoma said:
Just looked, there is a slight pincushion evident, but it makes no difference to me, and you only notice it if you intentionally look at the edges.
I also tried it with glasses. It has a nice big rubber eye cap, so it is comfortable with glasses, you have yo get your eye properly in the centre, otherwise you may not see the edges of the image. BUT, that does not matter, because you just touch the button on the right side of the EVF and it reduces the image size so that you van see it all. There are three sizes it cycles through when touching the button.
Click to expand...
That’s brilliant, thank you for checking.
 
Stephen L said:
I had the G9. Steve is right - it is about the largest EVF I've used, BUT I have experienced slight curvature, with or without specs, with or without adjusting the size of view. Not a lot, but I noticed it. The Oly E-M1iii (and the E-M5iii) don't show this curvature, despite (or because) of the finder being slightly smaller. PS I found it slightly convex, not concave! I must add though the viewfinder was not the reason I swapped back to Olympus from Panasonic bodies.
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Thank you, can I ask why you switched back to Olympus?
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thank you, can I ask why you switched back to Olympus?
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I just prefer the “feel” of them. I’ve owned both Panasonic and Olympus since they introduced mirrorless, and both give equal image quality, achieved in a slightly different way. But in this instance there were a couple of features which I wanted - live BD, and hand-held high res, which were on the E-M1iii. And I also wanted a smaller body to go with it. To me it makes sense to have two cameras with similar controls and menus, so I went with Olympus. It’s simply a personal thing, which doesn’t need justification. :)
 
Stephen L said:
I just prefer the “feel” of them. I’ve owned both Panasonic and Olympus since they introduced mirrorless, and both give equal image quality, achieved in a slightly different way. But in this instance there were a couple of features which I wanted - live BD, and hand-held high res, which were on the E-M1iii. And I also wanted a smaller body to go with it. To me it makes sense to have two cameras with similar controls and menus, so I went with Olympus. It’s simply a personal thing, which doesn’t need justification. :)
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That’s great, thank you. I can fully understand that.
I haven’t actually held a g9 yet and have only used Olympus myself so am looking forward to trying one in a local shop.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
That’s great, thank you. I can fully understand that.
I haven’t actually held a g9 yet and have only used Olympus myself so am looking forward to trying one in a local shop.
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At the end of the day there’s no such thing (within reason!) as a bad camera. It boils down to it having the features you need, and how it feels to you, no-one else.
 
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