Camera confusion

zorbo

zorbo

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280
Name
john
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I am looking for some advice and hope maybee someone can give me some food for thought.
Along with my full frame camera and lenses for landscape work.Retirement hobby only. I recently purchased a compact lumix lx100 (pocket camera) mainly for fun and always having it with me for the unexpected shots.
This little camera did a good job for everyday and street work but i wanted a bit more variation and reach so without reading the full specs i purchased a panasonic gx9 a couple of weeks back as i liked the rangefinder style. My main reason was to go micro four thirds and sell my full frame gear as it is now becoming too heavy for me and i have other reasons that i will not go into now. Anyway i love the gx9 and its capabilities. The images it produces are superb.BUT,i am now finding it a bit too fiddely and limited shooting functions for me.I mainly used the lx100 on auto so not messing too much with settings .
SO what do i do .Trade it in for something like the G9 with a few more functions and not as small and fiddely or look for a different brand of MFT or just stick it out Thank you for your thoughts.
 
I have a couple of MFT cameras, GX80 and GX9. I think they're good cameras.

Can you expand a bit more on what you mean by...

"i am now finding it a bit too fiddely and limited shooting functions for me."

These cameras have all the modes a DSLR has including aperture and shutter priority and full manual and I really can't think of anything they lack for all but the most advanced and demanding. Regarding them being fiddly, they are small and feature packed so a degree of fiddliness might be built in but once the cameras are set up I find them ok and usually I'm just setting the aperture and / or shutter, moving the focus point about and pressing the shutter button and used like that I don't think they're too fiddly at all. And of course full auto is there.

I don't know if a G9 will improve things as it's the same sort of camera, just with an EVF hump rather than being RF style.

If you can expand on what you don't like or what's lacking maybe I or someone can offer some way forward before taking the drastic action of spending money on more kit :D
 
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Thank you for your reply .As i said in my post i did not do a propper in depth search regarding the specs of this model,I should have done a bit more homeork and that is my fault not the camera. It is a great camera and as i also said the images it produces are amazing and i am well pleased with the results.Moving from full frame to MFT after years of large cameras i know it will take me a while to get used to the much compact size. One of the major drawbacks for me is the lack of not being able to shoot long exposures without using a smart phone app. A smartphone i do not posess and do not wish to.I will have to experiment more with this unless somebody knows how it can be done and i mean exposures running into minutes not just seconds.
I was wromg to say lack of functions (sorry) as they are all there. I think im just finding the compact size a bit fiddely Almost all the time i was using the lx100 it was in full auto mode ,so just out of my pocket and shoot sort of thing.So i never played with the functions much. Maybee im just having an pensioners rant.
 
zorbo said:
. A smartphone i do not posess and do not wish to.I will have to experiment more with this unless somebody knows how it can be done and i mean exposures running into minutes not just seconds.
I was wromg to say lack of functions (sorry) as they are all there. I think im just finding the compact size a bit fiddely Almost all the time i was using the lx100 it was in full auto mode ,so just out of my pocket and shoot sort of thing.So i never played with the functions much. Maybee im just having an pensioners rant.
Click to expand...

Have you considered Fuji, most seem to have a B setting on the shutter dial and can be used with an old fashioned cable release for long exposures.

I've had three Panasonics (the most recent a GX7) and currently an EM5 II, but I prefer the handing of my Fuji X100s (and XE1) which I find less fiddly, and just "nicer to use".

Of course there are lots of reasons as to why one camera might better suit an individual over another camera, but if changing system was a possibility I would give the Fuji's a look.

I'm in the same sort of dilemma as you because I don't know whether to update my Fuji gear, or to swap the EM5 for an EM1: in the hope it will handle better. This isn't a key part of my decision making, but I'm struggling to ignore that the M43 EM1 body would be slightly heavier and slightly bigger than the APS-c Fuji body I would go for. And I know that my current Fuji's are also giving slightly better quality than my EM5, again not in itself a key argument, but it's all adding up.
 
I googled exposures lasting several minutes Panasonic GX9 and got to here...

wrotniak.net: Panasonic Lumix GX9

Panasonic Lumix GX9: specs, features, and commentary
www.wrotniak.net

"There is also a T setting (manual only): press the shutter release to start and to end an exposure of up to 30 minutes."

I don't know if that's true as I've never tried it.

Actually I've just checked the manual and it says you can expose for up to 30 minutes. Page 73 here...


I don't know if that'll be the answer for you but it's maybe a work around.
 
Thank you i am slowly working my way through the online manual link you sent. I will try the T setting and will report back. Im not sure about changing to another brand just yet but will see how i get on with working through the manual.
 
Did a bit of testing this last couple of days .I cant get my head round the long exposure setup as yet and not sure if it is going to be a suckses from what i have read in a couple of blogs. I went out yesterday in the sunshine mixed with showers and strong wind to photograph wind surfers .It was a very enjoyable couple of hours but i strugled with the small viewfinder ,it was too bright to use the flip screen .This was also awquard with me being a glasses wearer and the conditions made it difficult. Several times i slightly touched the settings on the rear of the body and had to re set again. So it dont think this is really ideal for that type of work and not being weather sealed either.But the few images i did get were really sharp and clean.I think i will be fine shooting landscapes or seascapes when i have time to set up and focus in manual as i normally do. I will keep you informed as i said i would. But im still not convinced it is right for me. As they say the jury is still out.
 
I'm not into long exposure but I do know that Olympus Live composite and Live bulb modes get some love for being effective.

7 Ways You Can Use Live Composite | OM SYSTEM

Get tips for using Live Composite from Olympus Pros (you won't believe #7), and instructions on how to activate this feature.
learnandsupport.getolympus.com learnandsupport.getolympus.com
www.olympus-imagespace.co.uk

USING LIVE BULB FOR LONG EXPOSURES | Olympus Image Space

The popularity of long-exposure photography shows no sign of abating. The Live Bulb function on Olympus cameras helps to take any guesswork out of the process. Here, Ambassador Steve Gosling explains how to use it.
www.olympus-imagespace.co.uk

There are various bodies from tiny - my OM-D E-M10ii to quite large OM-D E-MX all micro 4/3ds
 
zorbo said:
This was also awquard with me being a glasses wearer and the conditions made it difficult.
Click to expand...
I too wear glasses and find them awkward when looking through the view finder. However, my camera has a dioper adjustment wheel on the viewfinder which I find will adjust well enough to meen I do not need my glasses on. Does your camera have an equivalent dioper adjustment wheel, or can you get a corrective lens for the viewfinder? Another way is to try contact lenses. Just a thought.
 
zorbo said:
Did a bit of testing this last couple of days .I cant get my head round the long exposure setup as yet and not sure if it is going to be a suckses from what i have read in a couple of blogs. I went out yesterday in the sunshine mixed with showers and strong wind to photograph wind surfers .It was a very enjoyable couple of hours but i strugled with the small viewfinder ,it was too bright to use the flip screen .This was also awquard with me being a glasses wearer and the conditions made it difficult. Several times i slightly touched the settings on the rear of the body and had to re set again. So it dont think this is really ideal for that type of work and not being weather sealed either.But the few images i did get were really sharp and clean.I think i will be fine shooting landscapes or seascapes when i have time to set up and focus in manual as i normally do. I will keep you informed as i said i would. But im still not convinced it is right for me. As they say the jury is still out.
Click to expand...

The long exposure setting is simple. You set it to T and press the shutter, the shutter then remains open until you press it again. As far as I know that's it. I don't remember ever using any "bulb" or "T" mode except for testing how it works as I find that exposures of about 20 seconds or so are all that I've ever needed because any longer than that and movement becomes too obvious if you're looking at nighttime skyscape pictures. If you're going for movement rather than going for stars that still look like stars or shooting some other subject then either experimentation with different shutter speeds or looking for clues on blogs may be an idea.

I wear glasses and I find that that means that I'm further from the camera and that makes the viewfinder look bigger. If I take my glasses off I see much more of a tunnel effect with the EVF being surrounded by blackness. I find the diopter has quite a range of adjustment and I can use it without glasses, with my walk about glasses and also with my reading glasses. It's odd that you find this is an issue when you've used the LX100 which must be similar. I don't find changing setting accidentally to be a problem but I do have the touch screen turned off.

You seem to have a host of issues which makes me think that the camera just isn't for you but you also use the LX100 which is very similar so it's difficult to know what the problems are down to. I do think that the GX9 is quite a good camera but if it's not for you it's not for you but if that is the case I think careful thought is needed before swapping it for something else which may have similar issues for you.

Anyway. I hope you can either get to grips with it or find something which suits you better.
 
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ME AGAIN,i have been using the gx9 this last few days and tried the T mode briefly and was quite suprised with the results,but need to do more testing along with the Long Shutter Noise Removal setting. But on the whole its looking quite promising .As for the viewfinder,i have ordered a rubber eye cup from panasonic.I had a good hard think and have now decided to stay with this camera .As i said previously the image quality is superb and for me it is only a hobby . As i have now decided to settle on MFT i am on the look out for a tripod that is more suited to the smaller body. I have a big gitzo CF for the canon Full Frame gear that i still have, but at 5 lb in weight im looking for something a bit lighter .I like the sirui CF but will have to do my homework better this time round.LOL Thank you for your comments.
 
Your already into MFT so do as a lot of others have done and jump over to Olympus , you now have four top of The range bodies to choose from omd1-mkii ,mkiii,e.mix ,or a omd5-mkiii .. tbh they all leave panasonic far behind in functionality and performance plus you can keep your m.f.t lenses as they are compatible with Olympus .
Do look at the Olympus thread in the next section down view the photos and decide from there
I changed due to heart failure and the need to downsize my camera and 100-400 lens weighs all up 2kg
 
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zorbo said:
ME AGAIN,i have been using the gx9 this last few days and tried the T mode briefly and was quite suprised with the results,but need to do more testing along with the Long Shutter Noise Removal setting. But on the whole its looking quite promising .As for the viewfinder,i have ordered a rubber eye cup from panasonic.I had a good hard think and have now decided to stay with this camera .As i said previously the image quality is superb and for me it is only a hobby . As i have now decided to settle on MFT i am on the look out for a tripod that is more suited to the smaller body. I have a big gitzo CF for the canon Full Frame gear that i still have, but at 5 lb in weight im looking for something a bit lighter .I like the sirui CF but will have to do my homework better this time round.LOL Thank you for your comments.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're making progress.

There are lots of this sort of thing about from MeFOTO and K&F Concept...


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Shop MeFOTO Backpacker S Aluminium Travel Tripod (Load Capacity: 13.2 lb) (Black) BPSABLK. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.
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Been looking for the so called black friday deals online and purchased a sirui T2204x from Castle Cameras. Not tried it out yet but looks quite stable and a bit lighter then my present Gitzo.
As for the GX9 im afraid im selling it ..I just cant seem to Gell with it somehow. So i will be selling shortly along with the 12-35 2.8 .It is a nice camera but doesent do for me.
I am considering the eom 1 mk11 but its difficult without being able to visit the shop and handle one first. But thank you for your comments as always.
 
zorbo said:
Been looking for the so called black friday deals online and purchased a sirui T2204x from Castle Cameras. Not tried it out yet but looks quite stable and a bit lighter then my present Gitzo.
As for the GX9 im afraid im selling it ..I just cant seem to Gell with it somehow. So i will be selling shortly along with the 12-35 2.8 .It is a nice camera but doesent do for me.
I am considering the eom 1 mk11 but its difficult without being able to visit the shop and handle one first. But thank you for your comments as always.
Click to expand...

Personally, sorry but I think you're either mad or suffering from gas and looking to justify moving to something else. There's nothing wrong with selling perfectly good kit and buying replacement perfectly good kit if that's your aim but if there's something else going on rather than gas I do worry that you're going to go through this all again with Oly MFT too.

Whatever you do I hope you can settle on something you can get on with. Again, personally, I'd move to the Sony A7 series which offer FF and a major move up in image quality. I have the original A7 which is quite old now but it still leaves MFT in the dust image quality wise.

Oh, and one last thing. The Panasonic GX9 uses the Sony 20mp sensor and it's considered to be the best sensor in the MFT universe so if you do move to another MFT camera it may be an idea to keep that in mind and go for something with the same 20mp Sony sensor in it.

Good luck.
 
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