"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

clicktor said:
3: I want to buy an adapter to use old style Olympus OM (film) Lenses on my Panasonic G2. I think this means buying the Olympus MF-2 adapter. It is £150 on amazon. Yet on ebay HERE there is something for £22 which I think does the same job? I am assuming this will work ok since all it does is literally mount it to the body straight. It does no other job as focus would have to be all manual. I read a review on Amazon of somebody complaining it did not work with their G1 but I think this might be because you need to set the body to "shoot without lens" somewhere as it obviously would not detect a lens.
Thoughts? Advice?
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The expensive adaptor is electronic for Oly 4/3 lenses on a m4/3 body which lets you use auto focus.
For old lenses any £20 adaptor is fine as you will only be able to use manual focus anyway.
There are hundreds of various adaptors on the net, just look for the ones with the best reviews for their fit.
 
I got an ebay one for £9 to use on my G2 and it does the job fine. Coupled with the 50mm f/1.8 lens I got, its a great little combination.
 
Mandoo said:
I got an ebay one for £9 to use on my G2 and it does the job fine. Coupled with the 50mm f/1.8 lens I got, its a great little combination.
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Hey Mandoo can you link me to that? :)

The legacy lenses that I would like to use (which I am 99% sure are all manual focus) are my Dad's lenses that he used to use with his original Olympus OM film camera. I think him seeing me use them 3 decades on will make him really happy to see them get used. I think they were a big part of his life back in the day and in "those days" cost a lot of money. I remember using them as a boy in the 80s loving it. Probably worth peanuts now. I know nothing much about them. There is a 28mm Quantary, a 50mm Olympus f/1.8 Zuiko, a Rokinon 2x Auto Tele Converter, a 28mm Olympus Zuiko f/2.8, a Kiron 80-200mm f/4 Macro.

OM to m43rds adapters I can not see that cheap. Was yours a different type?

I will post some pics up of them when I get hold of them all.
 
Mandoo said:
I got this one here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150823672...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3992wt_1270
It was £9 when I ordered it so its gone up by 97p, but they're a UK seller and I got it delivered in 3 days.
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Ta for that. I was searching for terms that didn't bring up a lot of stuff. A lot of ways of saying micro four thirds m43 / m43rds / mft etc.
I ordered the same one as you got.

I'm now going to go and see if I can find any reverse adapters so I can mount legacy glass reversed using the filter thread for macro work. Like say a MFT to 52mm thread adapter.

EDIT: Picked up a used 49mm OM reverse adapter for £5 off ebay. :)
 
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clicktor said:
I have some questions about my Panasonic G2 and 20mm if you please guys. :)

1: Is there a way (firmware) that adjusts how quickly the Panasonic 20mm lens manually focuses from macro to infinity? i.e. You have to turn it fully around a good three times perhaps to go from one to the other, as opposed to say 1 x 90 degree sweep like most decent manual lenses. Is this a limitation of the lens and nothing will cahnge it as it moves the glass when you turn it? i.e. You would have to take the lens apart as it is a mechanical limitation?

2: When you use manual focus and you set it to zoom in on the subject to assist focusing, I see you can set it to I think there were 3 settings. 1=off, 2=middle, 3=very zoomed in. I want something between 1=off and 2=middle, is it possible to adjust this or set this somehow? I cannot see a way. Also is there a way to have some sort of highlighting method to show you when you have selected good focus based on contrast? I think some of the Sony NEX range do this focus peak trick?
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So I think it has become clear to me that for point 1 above, no you cannot adjust the sweep of focus. Point 2, you cannot adjust that either.

I have other questions about my Panasonic G2 though and would appreciate any advice guys/girls.

A: I cannot get AF+MF to work at all. There is an option called AF+MF in the menu which I think should allow auto focus to complete and then manual tweaking in addition afterwards. A bit like a full time manual lens even in auto mode. I tried on both my kit and 20mm and this does not work at all. It's either manual, or auto. Never both.

B: Can someone explain to me what optical zoom is in the menus and if it is the same as crop mode on the Panasonic GH2 which seems to be a quiet little thing not talked about but very revolutionary if it works how I think it does? Is this what gives you 2x your focal length at no quality loss or disadvantage?
Have I missunderstood?


Thanks all, really appreciate the help here.
 
Yes, I use Panasonic DMW-FL360 and am pleased to be able to have high shutter speeds even when bouncing flash - something my Sony high speed flashes won't do, so that's one up to Panasonic

mrtoad said:
now that is interesting
i can get up to max speed on my panasonic FZ but i thought that was because the lens was fixed and the shutter might be a leaf type
so...is the shutter in the GX1 that type or if its removable lens...the shutter is in the body and a focal plane type
cheers
geof
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Galaxy66 said:
It is a mechanical limitation as you say and no firmware or taking it apart will alter that in my opinion.
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I'm afraid this is not entirely correct.

These lenses are focus by wire, so it is an electronic connection between the focus ring and mechanism, not a physical one like on a traditional manual focus lens.

Therefore it would indeed be possible to adjust the firmware to make small adjustments of the focus ring give larger changes in focus.

The limitation being the maximum speed of the focus motor, which in the 20mm is well-known for being tardy. The 25mm is a lot quicker. It may be that you are turning the focus ring faster than the motor can physically respond.

It's my opinion that the manual focus system is speed-sensitive - say a quarter turn at slow Speed gives less actual focus adjustment than a quarter turn at half speed. So, conversely, it may be that you're turning the focus ring too slowly!

These electronic lenses will never handle in the same way as manual lenses, but I believe with a period of familiarisation they can be just as effective in use. On Friday I took hundreds of shots of live music using manual focus and the results were effective and predictable. Best of luck.
 
here are a couple from Salisbury Cathedral shot the other day. it was really dark in there so i set the timer and put the camera on the floor and moved well back to get out of the shot. shot with a samyang 7.5mm and my G1 (iso 400, f3.5, 1/4). i suppose i should put them in the photo sharing section but i thought it might interest people to see how the samyang shoots in the darker conditions.

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rugeyes said:
here are a couple from Salisbury Cathedral shot the other day. it was really dark in there so i set the timer and put the camera on the floor and moved well back to get out of the shot. shot with a samyang 7.5mm and my G1 (iso 400, f3.5, 1/4). i suppose i should put them in the photo sharing section but i thought it might interest people to see how the samyang shoots in the darker conditions.
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Great shots from the old G1
 
rugeyes said:
here are a couple from Salisbury Cathedral shot the other day. it was really dark in there so i set the timer and put the camera on the floor and moved well back to get out of the shot. shot with a samyang 7.5mm and my G1 (iso 400, f3.5, 1/4). i suppose i should put them in the photo sharing section but i thought it might interest people to see how the samyang shoots in the darker conditions.
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Great shots. Still really fancy one of these lenses.....
 
Love the cathedral shots with the fisheye.

bl0at3r said:
Went out early this morning for a walk along Southend seafront with the GX1 and 20mm..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebloater/7357022842/
Boat OCD by TheBloater, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebloater/7357022438/
Seafront Smile by TheBloater, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebloater/7171808399/
Pebbles by TheBloater, on Flickr

And one for the Jubilee festivities ..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebloater/7357022378/
Jubilee Cuppa by TheBloater, on Flickr
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The combination of the gx1 and 20mm is great. I will post some pics later that i have took in the ladt 7 days.

Andy.
 
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Thunderbird010 said:
Love the cathedral shots with the fisheye.

The combination of the gx1 and 20mm is great.
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srhmoto said:
Great shots. Still really fancy one of these lenses.....
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bl0at3r said:
(y)(y)(y)
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thanks guys. i do really like the fisheye and use it alot more than i thought i would. on the camera screen though pics never seem to look as good as they do printed or on a computer screen.

the gx1 shots look great, i really fancy a body upgrade, i'll maybe see what the G5 brings (as long as it's not a hefty price tag)
 
I've not long had my Panasonic G3 but I have to say I do love it! Here are a couple of shots taken with it, followed by a quick shot of the camera itself with a new-to-me Nikkor-H 300mm f4.5. The MF is surprisingly easy too!! I'm yet to test the 300mm in anger though, the following shots are using the 45-200mm:

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using the built in flash
on the G1

i have mine set at the forced setting and use M for setting speed and aperture so i can use ambient light if possible
i set the speeds under 1/160 and use the f no to regulate flash intensity in conjunction with the power control
results are fine and predictable
what i need to know is why there is a time lag when i press the shutter release and the flash fires and the shutter moves
on my olympus e-420 this was instantaneous
any advice greatfull received
cheers
geof

PS WHAT IS THE CSC FOR?
 
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mrtoad said:
using the built in flash
on the G1

i have mine set at the forced setting and use M for setting speed and aperture so i can use ambient light if possible
i set the speeds under 1/160 and use the f no to regulate flash intensity in conjunction with the power control
results are fine and predictable
what i need to know is why there is a time lag when i press the shutter release and the flash fires and the shutter moves
on my olympus e-420 this was instantaneous
any advice greatfull received
cheers
geof

PS WHAT IS THE CSC FOR?
Click to expand...

CSC = compact System Camera.
 
I came back from my latest trip to Kazakhstan yesterday. I ended up taking my 5D and LX5 and left my MFT at home but I do still wish that I could replace my 5D+lenses with a MFT set up, possibly with fewer lenses, but I suppose ye cannae change the laws of physics.

The rumour sites are talking about a new Panasonic MFT in July and although I hope it'll be a rangefinder form camera with VF to compete with the Nex 7 and X Pro 1 I'm beginning to doubt that Panasonic will ever introduce one. If what comes is a G3 upgrade I'm hoping that it will leapfrog the latest Oly for IQ and I also hope for an improvement in VF technology to prevent the blacking out in low light that afflicts my G1.
 
One of my latest taken on G3 with 100-300mm lens

Cromarty Firth at Invergordon. Cruise Liner Rotterdam leaving port.




 
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bl0at3r said:
Not a fan of the EVF myself but I thought the G3 vf was a big improvement over the G1?:shrug:
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I thought it was the same one? Whatever. I hope that if / when I buy a new MFT it'll have a VF that performs a lot better than my G1's in very low light.
 
mrtoad said:
using the built in flash
on the G1

i have mine set at the forced setting and use M for setting speed and aperture so i can use ambient light if possible
i set the speeds under 1/160 and use the f no to regulate flash intensity in conjunction with the power control
results are fine and predictable
what i need to know is why there is a time lag when i press the shutter release and the flash fires and the shutter moves
on my olympus e-420 this was instantaneous
any advice greatfull received
cheers
geof

PS WHAT IS THE CSC FOR?
Click to expand...


that bit is answered and thanks

can anyone throw some light...pun...on the main question...its got me baffled
cheers
geof
 
mrtoad said:
using the built in flash
on the G1

i have mine set at the forced setting and use M for setting speed and aperture so i can use ambient light if possible
i set the speeds under 1/160 and use the f no to regulate flash intensity in conjunction with the power control
results are fine and predictable
what i need to know is why there is a time lag when i press the shutter release and the flash fires and the shutter moves
on my olympus e-420 this was instantaneous
any advice greatfully received
cheers
geof..
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hi gang...any takers or is this a silly question/unanswerable

:LOL:
 
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