"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

Not quite getting the definition with the 30mm macro as I did with my last 30mm macro on a Pentax system , although it has been breezy.


 
BJP said:
Not quite getting the definition with the 30mm macro as I did with my last 30mm macro on a Pentax system , although it has been breezy.


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It's not in sharp focus, either you just missed it or the breeze caught it. Did you bump exposure a lot in post? Off cam flash is your next best bud for close up and macro, unless it's really bright and sunny and then you can stop down a lot more too. F/4.5 for macro leaves little DOF to pinpoint


Tried a little 'macro' with the 25mm + Raynox today, it's not amazing for extreme close up, the magnification is less than 1:2 even with the 250 attached, but you can still hold a lot of detail with a good crop - I reckon a set of cheapo macro rings + the Raynox will work really well for macro though:

Hover fly by K G, on Flickr
 
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Cagey75 said:
It's not in sharp focus,
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Yes , I don't know why I said definition , it was moving a bit but with the Dual IS I was expecting it be sharp . I've hardly used the lens so I'll practice a bit indoors.
 
BJP said:
Yes , I don't know why I said definition , it was moving a bit but with the Dual IS I was expecting it be sharp . I've hardly used the lens so I'll practice a bit indoors.
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IS does nothing if there's any movement whatsoever, while it's amazing for completely still subjects. Reckon the wind went against you on this one. One trick is to grab the stem of the plant just out of shot with your left hand, to stop it shaking, while shooting one-handed with the right. With practice it can work well
 
Or you can buy a set of “plamps” long flexible rods with clips on the end to stop the plant moving Not sure if I got the spelling right
 
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Cagey75 said:
IS does nothing if there's any movement whatsoever,
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Yep wasn't thinking it through , I should have increased the shutter speed although it wasn't a bright day . I'll have another go .
 
sharp enough nice one
 
On the subject of being watched... GX80 and Panny 45-150mm.

ISO 1,250, 1/100, f5.6.

P1010809.jpg

ISO 500, 1/1,000, f5.6.

P1010793.jpg

ISO 1,000, 1/1,000, f5.1.

P1010788.jpg

I'm impressed with the Panny GX80 and 45-150mm. The GX80 is better than my 5D was and the 45-150mm is easily better than the 45-200mm that I struggled to get a sharp picture out of at longer lengths.

A couple more for fun...

Mrs Woof Woof feeding squirrels and birds...

P1010799.jpg

Birdie...

P1010790.jpg
 
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You now need to buy my 100-300mm Mark II to go with it!
 
Malfis said:
You now need to buy my 100-300mm Mark II to go with it!
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Yours???

I'm thinking of buying one to have a go at photographing birds as it's something I've never done plus another couple of long lens things. Also thinking about getting a GX9 as I fancy giving the 20mp sensor a try. I don't know if I should buy the lens or the camera or just get the financial shock over with and buy both at once :D
 
I tried the 100-300 lens out before my recent purchase and yes it’s a cracking little lens ,but even taking the 2X crop factor into account you will find it lacking for birding ,which then negates the need for the G9 .
I went through all the same hummmmin and harrrrrrrin and came to the canon. Adage glass comes first ,so went for the 100-400 and the G80 body ,so far no regrets
 
If you plan to do a lot of birding the 400 is the way to go obviously, but for the more casual wildlife shooter like me, 300 is more than enough. Not many FF or even APSC shooters have beyond 600mm in their arsenal. Forgetting FF "equiv" the 100-300 offers the same as 150-400 APSC. I use mine for all sorts, very rarely looking for a bird in flight
 
After thinking a bit more about it I think you guys are right and if I went for the 100-300mm I'd always have a nagging feeling that I'm missing the extra reach of the 100-400mm.

A few more GX80 and 45-150mm shots from our local park.

This walled garden is one of my favourite places on earth :D It's not at it's best at the moment but no doubt it'll be flower rich very soon :D

P1010769.jpg

Bridge over the duck pond.

P1010779.jpg

The scene.

P1010774.jpg

I discounted this last shot because I thought that the squirrel is a bit low in the frame, I don't know why I framed the shot like this but on seeing it on screen I decided that it wasn't a good choice... but... at f5.6 and 1/500 this is at a science fiction ISO 16,000, and it's useable as a whole picture with only my default noise reduction applied and would no doubt make a decent print! Yes, my Sony A7 is visibly better at very high ISO's but an A7 and a 90-300mm zoom would be both bigger and more expensive.

P1010803.jpg
 
Cagey75 said:
If you plan to do a lot of birding the 400 is the way to go obviously, but for the more casual wildlife shooter like me, 300 is more than enough. Not many FF or even APSC shooters have beyond 600mm in their arsenal. Forgetting FF "equiv" the 100-300 offers the same as 150-400 APSC. I use mine for all sorts, very rarely looking for a bird in flight
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aah but you can pull a 400 back to 300 you cant do it the other way ,and as a long term birder the further away you are with small birds the better ..also the 100-400 gives you that extreme close up range for insects .butterflies etc again without disturbing them ,loving this new combo of mine as its taking me back to my roots ,walk around and snap whatever I see with no weight limitations ,yes a g9 would have been nice but with cash back etc it was a extra £1000
 
One thing in favour of the mini SLR style cameras is that the evf's are lovely. I briefly had a G7 and it had the best evf I've used and if the newer ones are even better they must be... lovely :D

I prefer the smaller form factor of the mini RF style cameras though so I have to put up with the field sequential evf :(
 
woof woof said:
One thing in favour of the mini SLR style cameras is that the evf's are lovely. I briefly had a G7 and it had the best evf I've used and if the newer ones are even better they must be... lovely :D

I prefer the smaller form factor of the mini RF style cameras though so I have to put up with the field sequential evf :(
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That and the grip for me. It's the one thing [well, besides no IBIS] I didn't like about the Fuji cameras, the lack of a solid grip, maybe because I prefer to go strap-less [ooo errr!] so just require that little bit of extra grip for security as much as comfort.

the black fox said:
aah but you can pull a 400 back to 300 you cant do it the other way ,and as a long term birder the further away you are with small birds the better ..also the 100-400 gives you that extreme close up range for insects .butterflies etc again without disturbing them ,loving this new combo of mine as its taking me back to my roots ,walk around and snap whatever I see with no weight limitations ,yes a g9 would have been nice but with cash back etc it was a extra £1000
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Aye, but it's not going to pull back the extra £1000 :D [I only paid £270 for my mk1] Like I said, for the more casual shooter, the 100-300 is absolutely fine. People will always recommend the 400 over it, because it is better, it damn well should be! Others will say you are best to get the 300mm F4 Olympus and a TC! so why not go that route as a serious bird shooter? expense is the reason, same thing. Not everyone wants to spend that much on a tele, they might only plan to use it occasionally, and the 100-300 is plenty good enough for most people's needs. Looking at it as a lens in it's own right, without comparing, it is a solid choice for casual wildlife, portraits, a more compressed landscape effect and macro .,... yeas, macro! I stick a Raynox 250 on the end of mine and I can get just over 1:1 at 100mm, 2:1 at 200 and 3:1 macro which is insane, at 300mm. Tricky, and not the ideal macro solution for a newcomer to that field, but for an experienced macro shooter on a budget it works really well. I haven't pushed it on that side yet, but plan to over the coming weeks. I'll try get some samples today maybe, weather permitting [bit breezy atm, i was out in the garden earlier having a peek and the bushes are a bit shakey still]
 
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Some macro using the 100-300 + Raynox 250

Un-cropped spider image here, shows how close you can get in around the 100mm mark, the more you zoom the higher the magnification, this is just above 1:1
Supper sorted by K G, on Flickr

Cropped version: Just to show more detail
P1090168-2 by K G, on Flickr

P1090192-2 by K G, on Flickr

Hide and seek [sadly couldn't get both in focus, very tricky] The spider had made a dash for the lady bird just prior to this, the lady bird use the stem centre of the leaf to hide
P1090219-2 by K G, on Flickr

P1090247 by K G, on Flickr
 
super set Keith ,just looking at a 72mm set of close up lenses on e/bay for the 100-400
 
the black fox said:
super set Keith ,just looking at a 72mm set of close up lenses on e/bay for the 100-400
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The 100-400 starts off with better magnification, 1:4 Vs 1:5, so it won't need too much help, a lot of people go for the Canon 500D filter
 
Cagey75 said:
The 100-400 starts off with better magnification, 1:4 Vs 1:5, so it won't need too much help, a lot of people go for the Canon 500D filter
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yea cheers Keith only around a hundred smackers I can get a whole set for about £20 on the bay ,and not sure whether thats worth buying TBH
 
the black fox said:
yea cheers Keith only around a hundred smackers I can get a whole set for about £20 on the bay ,and not sure whether thats worth buying TBH
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Oh, didn't realise it was that much, thought I seen them for more like £60. I never really looked into it, more a Raynox man myself. I'm fine with going cheap on macro rings or dumb adapters, as they have no glass element, but for front attachments I prefer to know it's good quality glass.
 
right oh time for piccies ,nice sunny Sunday so time to put it all into practise ,first off one of a set of gulls in flight ,I'll just post the one but I think I got b.i.f sussed now ,probably about the same keeper rate as the old canon gear as its easier to wave this rig around .
dinner is served by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
Well, after looking for a couple of months and several changes of mind, I’ve finally joined the club - I went out and bought a G80 on Saturday.

I’d set my heart on a G9 (and I’m sure it would’ve been a great choice) but the head over ruled the heart (as did the wallet :) ) and I plumped for the cheaper option.

I looked at a GX8, GX9 and even an Olympus OM-D 10 MK3 before plumping for the G80.

I must say that I’m well pleased with it, haven’t got a clue how it works yet but that’s part of the fun.

I’ve only got the kit 12-60 currently, so will build up the extras over time. Will probably buy a polarising filter this week ready for the beautiful sea and sky of Jamaica next weekend. Anything else I may need?

Chris
 
I'm a bit of a fan of the 35mm field of view so I'd add an Olympus 17mm f1.8 or if you prefer to keep things Panasonic they do a nice 15mm. Other than that I do like the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 and I like close up shooting too and use an old film era Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro via a cheap adapter.

I'm sure whatever you choose you'll enjoy Jamaica! :D
 
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JasonPC said:
New-ish Panasonic owner here. Got myself a GX80 and a couple of lenses as a lighter alternative to the Nikon stuff. Took this pic a little while back but only just edited it. Really impressed with the files from the little Panny.


Horses by Jason, on Flickr
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Welcome aboard Jason, it is a great little versatile camera as you are no doubt finding out. Great photo BTW ;)
 
Only crit on them Keith is d.o.f is lacking ,would stopping down have helped ,I had similar problems yesterday with the 100-400
 
woof woof said:
One thing in favour of the mini SLR style cameras is that the evf's are lovely. I briefly had a G7 and it had the best evf I've used and if the newer ones are even better they must be... lovely :D

I prefer the smaller form factor of the mini RF style cameras though so I have to put up with the field sequential evf :(
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GX8 is OLED viewfinder.
 
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