"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

Hey all,

I currently have a GF1, the 14-45 kit lens, and a 30mm Sigma 2.8. I've been reading this thread, and others, and am intrigued by the idea of legacy lenses. I'm happy with what I've got, but if I could get a macro lens and a long lens for cheap, then I'd be even happier. (I definitely don't have the budget to do it with native m4/3 lenses)

So, can anybody give me any pointers on what to look out for, please? Especially what NOT to get. I'd prefer to keep it simple, so one mount adaptor if possible, and a cheap one at that. I assume it'd have to be manual focus, but will I be able to set aperture on the camera, or will that be on the lens too? I've been looking on eBay, seen a lot of stuff in the £20-£40 range, but the sheer number of variables is overwhelming.

Thanks in advance!
 
You need to have an aperture ring on your lens otherwise you wont be able to alter the aperture.

I have Minolta Rokkor and Olympus Zuiko lenses and I prefer the Minolta's as they have intermediate aperture settings. Another common lens mount to use is Canon FD.

I went for a 50mm f2.8 macro and I also have 28, 50 and 135mm lenses but to be honest I don't use the 135's much as my camera (like yours) doesn't have IS and you therefore need a steady hand or a fast shutter speed with the longer lenses.

Adapters seem to be around £10 on ebay and 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4/f1.7/f1.8, 135mm and a 50mm macro lenses seem to be easy easy enough to find.

Have a look at this place...

http://www.rockycameras.com/lenses-9-c.asp

Someone posted a link a few pages back and I've bought a few lenses from them with no problems.
 
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At those prices, it could get addictive . . .

How would I go about using one? Do I set the camera into "no lens" mode, put it on aperture priority, and then metering/shutter speed works? Do I have to watch out for lenses that don't have aperture rings, or did the all have them on these mountings? (Yeah, I know absolutely nothing about the old stuff :-D )

Which Minolta mounting do you use, btw? MD?

Thanks for the help!
 
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Some lenses with no aperture ring can be attached to adapters with aperture rings/levers on them. The Minolta I mentioned in an earlier post doesn't have an aperture ring, but the adapters have a ring or a lever that lets you change it.
 
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abdoujaparov said:
At those prices, it could get addictive . . .

How would I go about using one? Do I set the camera into "no lens" mode, put it on aperture priority, and then metering/shutter speed works? Do I have to watch out for lenses that don't have aperture rings, or did the all have them on these mountings? (Yeah, I know absolutely nothing about the old stuff :-D )

Which Minolta mounting do you use, btw? MD?

Thanks for the help!
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When using legacy lenses you set the camera to "shoot without lens" and set the camera mode to Aperture or Manual.

In Aperture, obviously, the camera takes care of the shutter speed for you so setting the camera up is a little quicker. Normally I set auto ISO and have an in view histogram and I try to expose to the right and correct post capture so I often dial in a little compensation. Auto ISO seems to like 1/30 sec which may be too slow so if stuck on 1/30 sec I'd then set the ISO manually to achieve a higher shutter speed.

Personally I went for lenses with aperture rings and plain metal adapters although as Joe says you can get adapters with aperture settings built in.

Minolta MC and MD lenses are just different series and all (as far as I know) use the Minolta SR mount and are therefore interchangeable, buy any, it doesn't matter. See here... http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Lens History.html

I have a Rokkor 50mm f1.4 which I use a lot, a 28mm f2.8 and a Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro which I use for general stuff and close up pseudo macro shots, but it is a true macro, see post 18 here... http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=5616242#post5616242

Take note that the Minolta fit lenses can't be used on a Canon DSLR (just in case you have one...) without the use of an adapter with a lens in it, just like the Canon FD's. I've used my Zuiko lenses on my 5D and they give good results but manual focus with the 5D isn't for me except for "macro" flower shots.

PS. My experience with Minolta Rokkor's is that the coatings on the earlier ones aren't great and as a result you can get flare and / or loss of contrast. I find that the later ones seem better so I ditched my 50mm f1.7 MC in favour of a MD which seems to be less affected by light and seems to give better contrast... but shoot RAW and a little lack of contrast isn't really a problem.

PPS. Another place I've bought from is Ffords, but they're a little more expensive than Rocky. Here's Ffordes... http://www.ffordes.com/
 
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Just switched over from D90 to a G5 and loving it, its so light and does not weigh me down :D

Also a heads up that London camera exchange has refurbished G5s (reclaimed stock from company's gone bust so actually new as far as I know) for between £300 and £350 with kit lens and the store I got mine from said they are eligible for the free 45-150mm tele lens so worth a trip or a phone to see, also both stores I visited offered me the 20mm for £180 when bought with the camera when asked what deal they could do :)

Onto my first question, what cheapish speedlite for experimenting with to do water drops etc, yongnuo? if so 460 or 560 and I or II model? also what cheap option is best for triggering off camera manual flash?
 
Einholt said:
Onto my first question, what cheapish speedlite for experimenting with to do water drops etc, yongnuo? if so 460 or 560 and I or II model? also what cheap option is best for triggering off camera manual flash?
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I think that this is the same as the GX1 - both Metz and Nissin do a cheaper alternative to the Panasonic version. With my Nissin, it can act as a slave to camera flash off camera. Not sure what other options there are.
 
Oh, one last question - if the Rokkor lens is 50mm, does that make it 100mm effective on a Micro 4/3 sensor? I was looking at a 70mm-200mm zoom and it occurs to me that 140-400 might be a leeeeeetle bit more than I want :p
 
Yes. My 50mm Olympus is my favourite lens to shoot with, even with the tiny field of view.

I'm sure 400mm effective will be fine with a tripod ;)
 
abdoujaparov said:
Oh, one last question - if the Rokkor lens is 50mm, does that make it 100mm effective on a Micro 4/3 sensor? I was looking at a 70mm-200mm zoom and it occurs to me that 140-400 might be a leeeeeetle bit more than I want :p
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Yes, and just like Joe my most used lens is a 50mm. I used to find 50mm too long on APS-C and it's funny because I've got used to the field of view on MFT.

And for the purists... Gotta remember that a 50mm lens is always a 50mm lens no matter what you fit it too and all that changes is the field of view you get because the sensor is smaller.

28mm f2.8's can be found easily enough and I recently got a legacy 28mm f1.9. I also have a 25mm f0.95, but that cost a bit more :D
 
Thanks again, both. I have a feeling that tomorrow I'm going to be ordering a 50mm and a 70-200mm :-D
 
MD is fine, as I mentioned they seem to have better coatings than the earlier MC. They're all SR mount.

PS. From what I've read on Rokkor files...

http://www.rokkorfiles.com/

... what's actually wrote on the lenses varied in different markets/parts of the world, but it's nothing to worry about and those MD's are indeed Rokkor SR fit and will mate to your Panny via an adapter off ebay (about £10.)
 
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Ah, ok. I got a bit confused and thought that the ones without "Rokkor" on them must have been lower quality. I'd imagine that the chances of me successfully focusing on anything other than a piece of paper at 1.4 are remote anyway, so the 1.7 will be fine :D

Thanks again! I really appreciate it.
 
50mm f1.4's crop up from time to time and I had to wait to find one but they cost more. The f1.7 is a nice lens and it's a tiny bit more compact than the f1.4.

The advantage of the f1.4 is... obviously it has f1.4 :D and it also has f2 and an intermediate setting before f2.8 whereas the f1.7 has f1.7 and then it goes straight to f2.8.

I'll see if I can dig out how much my f1.4 cost and report back, but the f1.7's are great value at about £15.

I bought cheap metal lens hoods for mine off ebay, like this one...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-49m...ns_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&hash=item3a7519e826

Just looked it up and my Rokkor 50mm f1.4 cost £44.99, it's a nice lens but not so much of a bargain compared to the f1.7.
 
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Just thought of something else... If you're going to shoot with wide apertures in good light you may run into a wall at 1/4000 sec so you may want to pick up a couple of screw on ND's. I bought a ND2 and a ND4 and they enable me to just about shot at f0.95. They're just cheap ones from Sevendayshop but they seem fine and I've had no problem with them.

I went for 52mm ND's so that they fit my biggest legacy lenses and I use a step up ring on my 49mm lenses like the Rokkor 28 and 50mm's.
 
Ta. now I just need to pick the least dodgy-looking seller on Amazon/eBay for the adapter, and wait 3-18 days.
 
Can anyone help with skin tones on my GF1?

I'm now in the mind to sell this on. I get superb skin tones from all my other cameras (see side panel). All look completely natural. But my Gf1 tones (all shot inside, no flash, 20/14mm) are always red-heavy, exaggerating any pink/red tones. Particularly on older faces (like mine) the rendering is very unsympathetic, and not true either! I'm talking Jpeg here but if anyone has any hints profiles for Jpeg/RAW, I'd be delighted to hear them,

Thanks!
 
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GF1,G1 & G2 Jpeg skin tones can be hugely improved by finding the combination of 'Film Mode' plus altering the WhiteBalance global preset.
My G1 is in the car right now, I'll dig out my setup and edit this post later.
Basically try everything then settle for (from memory) Vibrant, saturation minus 2, global WB three stops towards amber.
(Likely to be wrong, just from memory)
Also Film mode Natural plus saturation isn't bad.
I always found 'standard' to be awful out of the box for skin tones.
 
Over at the rumour site there's news of a Fujitsu/Panasonic collaboration on a new sensor technology...

http://www.43rumors.com/

It'll be interesting to see if/when this is fitted to a camera we'd be interested in (rather than phone, security or manufacturing applications) and what the results will be like.
 
As long as they drop the X-trans matrix though....
 
I still like the feel of the G2 and looking out for one. I have a 550D though but hardly use it. A G2 with a pancake would probably get used more.
 
There are some G2's and G1's at Ffordes.

I like my G1 and it's really only the higher ISO's and a lack of ultimate DR that let it down, the latter being helped by the in view histogram. And of course the EVF eye strain in low light issue that I seem to be the only one suffering from. It's a really good size and form thought.
 
Is the G2 good indoors? I am thinking of kids pics and animals! I would like a 20mm too. Not fussy on the kit lens as I like primes.
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
GF1,G1 & G2 Jpeg skin tones can be hugely improved by finding the combination of 'Film Mode' plus altering the WhiteBalance global preset.
My G1 is in the car right now, I'll dig out my setup and edit this post later.
Basically try everything then settle for (from memory) Vibrant, saturation minus 2, global WB three stops towards amber.
(Likely to be wrong, just from memory)
Also Film mode Natural plus saturation isn't bad.
I always found 'standard' to be awful out of the box for skin tones.
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Thanks for that - looking forward to your profiles.

I tend to have my WB 2 clicks to Amber and I've played with the film modes but still haven't found a satisfactory set-up - probably been unlucky but I would never even have thought to try Vibrant then dial down the saturation.

I used to put up with the skin tones but since using my newer cameras I'm no longer happy with the GF1 output. Huge shame because, in handling terms, its the best camera I own and I really want to keep it.
Thanks in advance!:)
 
Raincloud said:
Is the G2 good indoors? I am thinking of kids pics and animals! I would like a 20mm too. Not fussy on the kit lens as I like primes.
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Hi there.
I have that combo, is there any picture you would like me to try and take?
 
panasonic say the flash for the G1 trigger voltage is 3.6 and should not have a flash attached whose trigger voltage is greater than 12V
so it looks like i wont be wise to use the vivitar 2500

thanks for all the advice

cheers
geof
 
davek said:
Thanks for that - looking forward to your profiles.
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OK I got my G1 out of the car.
It's on Multifilm : Nature, B&WDynamic, B&WSmooth
The Nature setting is +1Contrast,+1Sharp,+2Saturation
I also use Vibrant at -2Saturation, which is a bit pinker and makes greener foliage if Nature is turning out a bit yellow.
Global WB is 2 stops towards Amber

...alternatively I point any of my Olympii at the problem. :|
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
OK I got my G1 out of the car.
It's on Multifilm : Nature, B&WDynamic, B&WSmooth
The Nature setting is +1Contrast,+1Sharp,+2Saturation
I also use Vibrant at -2Saturation, which is a bit pinker and makes greener foliage if Nature is turning out a bit yellow.
Global WB is 2 stops towards Amber

...alternatively I point any of my Olympii at the problem. :|
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Thanks for that: I think some Olympii might solve my problem!:)
 
Guys, I have GF1 and it served me well. Now there is this nice promotion for G5 with free 45-150 lens.
Should just buy the kit and sell it and keep 45-150 or should I consider selling my GF1?
Would G5 be a good upgrade?
 
Thanks for all the advice on legacy lenses. My Minolta nifty fifty arrived yesterday and the adaptor arrived from China today. It stopped raining long enough for me to take a quick few shots to test it out. The DoF wide open will take me a while to get the hang of, I think . . .

So far, so good! I'm very happy.


P1050813 by Arfonfab, on Flickr


P1050811 by Arfonfab, on Flickr
 
The Rokkor 35mm f2.8 I bought off Twist arrived today and I'm very happy with it.

Whole image and then a 100% crop from another. Images are lovely and sharp too on my screen.



 
I'd read some rave reviews on the new GF6 with the updated 14-42 lens and have been trying, without success, to find one in a store.

I got a call from my local shop yesterday and went to have a look. Now I am out of pocket by my Fuji X-E1 but have the GF6 twin lens outfit with the 14-42 and the 45-150 (which I believe is an updated lens too). I couldn't believe how quick the AF is with the touch screen focussing and shutter. The X-E1 has superb IQ but I often struggled trying to get grab shots etc - I don't think the Panasonic will give me any trouble there!

The build quality is great, just heavy enough to feel well made and solid but still light enough not to worry about carrying the camera and both lenses around all day long. The screen is superb and the touch function really mitigates the lack of EVF/OVF for me.

IQ wise I only managed to take a couple of dozen pictures yesterday evening but first impressions are very good - I was encouraged by many reviews which really rate the IQ. It won't match my Fuji in low light and extremes and I'll probably miss the wonderful Fuji colour rendition, but for 90% of my pictures (especially printed) I doubt I'll see much difference. What does matter is that with the AF capability I'll get pictures my Fuji would have missed.

The two lenses are very compact and light but still feel well made - I am seriously impressed by the 14-42. The central part of the image is amazingly sharp for a lens of this price at every aperture, at 5.6-8 the edges also look pretty damn good.

I'm sure the price of the little GF6 will start to drop but I just fell in love with it so was happy to pay £649 - this covers 28mm-300mm in 35mm equivalent so I'm pretty sorted lens wise. I have my CCTV lens so will get a cheap adapter for that and will also probably end up getting a couple of primes at some point (the 20mm and Olympus 45mm probably).

The wi-fi control that you can get with the free phone app is excellent - effectively my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 becomes a fully featured remote control even showing the camera's live view on the phone screen and giving full control over the camera.

The GF range really does seem to have come of age with this model. It keeps the fun, compact convenience of the previous models (it's a little larger than the GF3 I had) but has a much greater range of facilities for more serious shooting.
 
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Dave,

Out of interest, how far away can you move from the camera and still use your phobe to control the camera?

Cheers,

Simon.
 
srhmoto said:
Dave,

Out of interest, how far away can you move from the camera and still use your phobe to control the camera?

Cheers,

Simon.
Click to expand...

Not properly tested that but I've used it happily from about 15 feet. I'll hopefully get a chance to fully check everything over the next few days.
 
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