"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

The pro lenses will always be faster than mid range tele lenses. The 100-300 mkII won't be quite as snappy nor as bright as the Oly 40-150 pro, but as you say you plan to use that more so for daylight shooting so should be just fine. A lot of people who switched from FF to the smaller, lighter M43 gear are very surprised by the performance and quality. I really believe that many [we see it on here all the time, you only have to peep into the latest FF mirrorless threads] just buy the latest higher end gear because some reviewers tell them to, or just to keep up with the Jones's - as your hubby discovered, it's more about the grade of gear within any system that counts more, and also the user skill. With Full frame set ups it's no different, for shooting sports you need the faster, higher end lenses where cheaper zoom don't cut it. The real 'big' difference though is the equivilant for FF weighs a tonne more and will be much more expensive.

Thanks Cagey75
He has still to try the M4/3 set up during a real match but after last night he seems far more confident in doing this ( except for this weekend as it’s a Cup Game!!). I can’t win!
 
Thanks Cagey75
He has still to try the M4/3 set up during a real match but after last night he seems far more confident in doing this ( except for this weekend as it’s a Cup Game!!). I can’t win!

He's right I would say, use the gear you're most comfortable with for the most important events. He'll be fine once he gets more used to the set up ;)
 
Afternoon everyone. As a complete novice in these things I would like to know and learn more about how to use graduated filters to improve my photography. My question is what filter holder should i get and filters? I remember reading somewhere 100mm filters were better than the 75mm ones member ( srhmoto ) was using but can't remember the reason.I guess it depends on the lens they're going on? Any suggestions for some good quality kit and why? Thanks Mark.
 
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I use the 85MM firecrest filters and holder.
Used them at 12mm with no issues.
The 100mm would be a lot more expensive and bulky.
 
I use the 85MM firecrest filters and holder.
Used them at 12mm with no issues.
The 100mm would be a lot more expensive and bulky.

I also have a Hitech 85mm filter set up (though rarely use it) and it's fine at 12mm on a Panasonic 12-60. I think if you have a search on the forums someone used one on an Olympus 12-40 and had slight vignette at 12mm.
 
I use the 85MM firecrest filters and holder.
Used them at 12mm with no issues.
The 100mm would be a lot more expensive and bulky.
I also have a Hitech 85mm filter set up (though rarely use it) and it's fine at 12mm on a Panasonic 12-60. I think if you have a search on the forums someone used one on an Olympus 12-40 and had slight vignette at 12mm.
I use Hitech 85mm filters all the time.
With more than three slots or two with the polarised mount. I use it with two slots at 8mm no issues.
 
The only problem I find with my Hitech filter holder is the size of it, looks fairly bulky. I am tempted to look at the SRB photographic holders at the Photography show this year. They look a bit smaller.
 
The only problem I find with my Hitech filter holder is the size of it, looks fairly bulky. I am tempted to look at the SRB photographic holders at the Photography show this year. They look a bit smaller.
I have considered getting one as they look good
 
I might have already asked before, but which speedbooster? How's the AF?

It's a secondhand Metabones Speedbooster Ultra 0.71X. The autofocus varies from lens to lens. It's good on the Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 (in reasonable light), very good on the Sigma 70-200mm F2.8, average on the Canon 50mm EF II 50mm F1.8 and unusable on the Tamron 90mm F2.8mm Macro, which just hunts and fails to lock on. I have yet to try it on my OMD EM1 Mk1 which has a hybrid phase and contrast detect autofocus, that might make a difference when using the Speedbooster. Both my GH3 and EM1 are fitted with battery grips, which helps balance out the weight of the bigger lenses. So far, I'm very impressed with the Metabones, it opens up some interesting possibilities for my EF lenses, especially for longer focal lengths. It's a shame it is so expensive new, I had to wait years to find one at a reasonable cost.
 
It's a secondhand Metabones Speedbooster Ultra 0.71X. The autofocus varies from lens to lens. It's good on the Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 (in reasonable light), very good on the Sigma 70-200mm F2.8, average on the Canon 50mm EF II 50mm F1.8 and unusable on the Tamron 90mm F2.8mm Macro, which just hunts and fails to lock on. I have yet to try it on my OMD EM1 Mk1 which has a hybrid phase and contrast detect autofocus, that might make a difference when using the Speedbooster. Both my GH3 and EM1 are fitted with battery grips, which helps balance out the weight of the bigger lenses. So far, I'm very impressed with the Metabones, it opens up some interesting possibilities for my EF lenses, especially for longer focal lengths. It's a shame it is so expensive new, I had to wait years to find one at a reasonable cost.

MB speedboosters are very pricey, I would only ever consider one if I had a bunch of Canon lenses already. For the full price of the SB you could get a really nice native lens. I have pondered on the much cheaper alternatives though, like the Viltrox ef-m2. It's the same thing basically, though I'm not sure if it's as good for AF, very mixed reviews on it around the web.
 
The build quality on the Viltrox seems to be rather variable, some have had problems with infinity focus and earlier versions of the firmware could be problematic. I would also like a Speedbooster for my Canon M100 but the only one currently available is also by Viltrox and potentially has similar issues. There are rumours that Canon themselves are looking at producing one themselves licenced from Metabones, it remains to be seen if that is true and actually affordable. I also have the Zhongi Lens Turbo II Speedbooster, that's a fully manual EF to M43 converter which works well enough with an OM/EF converter, I can then use my vintage OM glass, but the images need a fair amount of work in post processing to enhance contrast.
 
MB speedboosters are very pricey, I would only ever consider one if I had a bunch of Canon lenses already. For the full price of the SB you could get a really nice native lens. I have pondered on the much cheaper alternatives though, like the Viltrox ef-m2. It's the same thing basically, though I'm not sure if it's as good for AF, very mixed reviews on it around the web.

I promise you you won’t be disappointed; buy off eBay and if no good return! I’m super happy with both; good with the canon 100-400, 200mm and 17-50 2.8
 
I'm going to Reykjavik next month in the hope of capturing the Northern Lights and I'm concerned about the speed of my wide angle lenses. I currently have the Olympus 9-18 (f4 at 9mm) & Panasonic 12-35 (f2.8 at 12mm). Do I stick with what I have or sell the Olympus to fund a Laowa 7.5mm f2 which will give me width and speed?

I'm interested to hear from those who have experience of photographing the Northern Lights with mft kit, please. Example photos would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
Ok just a quicky on advice please? I’ve just sold my Canon 70-200L IS USM Mark 1 and I’m going to take advantage of Wex’s 15% off Panasonic Lenses.
Do I go 100-300mm (which I have had my eye on for a while to replace it)or now I’ve just spied Panasonic 14-140mm? Will be mainly used for birds and occasional rugby. We’ve already bought Olympus 40-150mm 2.8.
Also I bought Ian from classifieds an Olympus omd 10 Mark ii body for Xmas. Do you think it’s worth changing it for a second hand Olympus omd-m1 Mark i, Olympus omd-m5 Mark ii or another Panasonic G80 like mine as weather proofing is better on them when he is shooting rugby?
Having just looked on Cameradecisions.com the Olympus omd-m5ii comes out tops when comparing them all against his Olympus omd-m10ii
Thanks everyone. You all help me loads with your great advice.
 
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Ok just a quicky on advice please? I’ve just sold my Canon 70-200L IS USM Mark 1 and I’m going to take advantage of Wex’s 15% off Panasonic Lenses.
Do I go 100-300mm (which I have had my eye on for a while to replace it)or now I’ve just spied Panasonic 14-140mm? Will be mainly used for birds and occasional rugby. We’ve already bought Olympus 40-150mm 2.8.
Also I bought Ian from classifieds an Olympus omd 10 Mark ii body for Xmas. Do you think it’s worth changing it for a second hand Olympus omd-m1 Mark i, Olympus omd-m5 Mark ii or another Panasonic G80 like mine as weather proofing is better on them when he is shooting rugby?
Having just looked on Cameradecisions.com the Olympus omd-m5ii comes out tops when comparing them all against his Olympus omd-m10ii
Thanks everyone. You all help me loads with your great advice.

Which do you prefer between the G80 and the em10 mkII? the em5 mkII doesn't offer a whole bunch over the em10 afaik. When I bought the G80 I had considered the em5 mkII as I had the original em5, but the G80 is better in every way, for me at least. I much prefer the ergonomics, it balances heavier lenses much better and I prefer the Panasonic menu system, so much easier to navigate through quickly.
 
HI all, looking for the collective thoughts please. I recently decided to have a clear out of some photo stuff, and along with some lenses that I don't use anymore, I decided to let go of my 2nd body barely used Panasonic G9 (as I still had the D500, X-H1 and OMD-EM1 II). I did a deal with WEX for a cash sale, and most of it went though without a hitch, but they contacted me over the G9 saying it needs to go for repair as there is dust behind the Glass screen in front of the sensor. I've checked the last shots taken on the camera jyust before i returned it, and even at 100% I can't see anything, but at this stage I'm not disputing them. I've asked for the camera and grip to be returned to me and I'll deal with.

Thing is though, the lady on the phone stated that she went to their head technician to ask about the issue during my phone call just before (after I challenged her on it last Friday when she first told me and I asked for a second opinion because as far as I was concerned, it was fine when I returned it), and she said when he asked what camera she was referring to and said "a Panasonic G9", he apparently went, "oh, Panasonic, yeah their really prone to that sort of thing, seen it loads of times". I said WHAT...and then when I said I'd challenge Panasonic UK myself over this, and tell them that WEX had told me that their cameras (in their opinion) were very prone to this and they had seen this many times before, she baulked and retracted, saying.."well it's not quite what I just said.. it can err... affect all camera brands". But I was very sure on what WEX told me. I don't know if this is an excuse to just knock me down on price, or if it's genuine (guess I 'll see when it comes back).Thing is as well, she said that even though the debris is behind the sensor cover, she very much doubted that Panasonic would cover it under warranty ?

Has anyone ever heard of this before or is it BS ?
 
HI all, looking for the collective thoughts please. I recently decided to have a clear out of some photo stuff, and along with some lenses that I don't use anymore, I decided to let go of my 2nd body barely used Panasonic G9 (as I still had the D500, X-H1 and OMD-EM1 II). I did a deal with WEX for a cash sale, and most of it went though without a hitch, but they contacted me over the G9 saying it needs to go for repair as there is dust behind the Glass screen in front of the sensor. I've checked the last shots taken on the camera jyust before i returned it, and even at 100% I can't see anything, but at this stage I'm not disputing them. I've asked for the camera and grip to be returned to me and I'll deal with.

Thing is though, the lady on the phone stated that she went to their head technician to ask about the issue during my phone call just before (after I challenged her on it last Friday when she first told me and I asked for a second opinion because as far as I was concerned, it was fine when I returned it), and she said when he asked what camera she was referring to and said "a Panasonic G9", he apparently went, "oh, Panasonic, yeah their really prone to that sort of thing, seen it loads of times". I said WHAT...and then when I said I'd challenge Panasonic UK myself over this, and tell them that WEX had told me that their cameras (in their opinion) were very prone to this and they had seen this many times before, she baulked and retracted, saying.."well it's not quite what I just said.. it can err... affect all camera brands". But I was very sure on what WEX told me. I don't know if this is an excuse to just knock me down on price, or if it's genuine (guess I 'll see when it comes back).Thing is as well, she said that even though the debris is behind the sensor cover, she very much doubted that Panasonic would cover it under warranty ?

Has anyone ever heard of this before or is it BS ?

If its behind the glass I reckon it would have got there at manufacture and yes they should cover it.
I know some Fuji X-T1's suffered from the same issue, they were replaced under warranty.
Contact Panasonic rather than their official repair agents, just out of interest when and where did you buy it?
 
Purchased it brand new from Wex in January last year, so the 1 year warranty is almost up. I'll have a look at it when I get it back and see what's what.
 
HI all, looking for the collective thoughts please. I recently decided to have a clear out of some photo stuff, and along with some lenses that I don't use anymore, I decided to let go of my 2nd body barely used Panasonic G9 (as I still had the D500, X-H1 and OMD-EM1 II). I did a deal with WEX for a cash sale, and most of it went though without a hitch, but they contacted me over the G9 saying it needs to go for repair as there is dust behind the Glass screen in front of the sensor. I've checked the last shots taken on the camera jyust before i returned it, and even at 100% I can't see anything, but at this stage I'm not disputing them. I've asked for the camera and grip to be returned to me and I'll deal with.

Thing is though, the lady on the phone stated that she went to their head technician to ask about the issue during my phone call just before (after I challenged her on it last Friday when she first told me and I asked for a second opinion because as far as I was concerned, it was fine when I returned it), and she said when he asked what camera she was referring to and said "a Panasonic G9", he apparently went, "oh, Panasonic, yeah their really prone to that sort of thing, seen it loads of times". I said WHAT...and then when I said I'd challenge Panasonic UK myself over this, and tell them that WEX had told me that their cameras (in their opinion) were very prone to this and they had seen this many times before, she baulked and retracted, saying.."well it's not quite what I just said.. it can err... affect all camera brands". But I was very sure on what WEX told me. I don't know if this is an excuse to just knock me down on price, or if it's genuine (guess I 'll see when it comes back).Thing is as well, she said that even though the debris is behind the sensor cover, she very much doubted that Panasonic would cover it under warranty ?

Has anyone ever heard of this before or is it BS ?


I've not heard of this with any camera, let alone Panasonic specifically. I can tell you that Panasonic do take these things seriously, and they don't like stores mucking customers about. A while back part of the hinge for the LCD on my G80 came loose, some of the rubberised grip was also starting to peel. I sent it back to the store I bought it new from, they returned it apparently mended but I discovered the IBIS was now acting up, it would randomly 'jerk' up or down even for stills, unusable for video. I sent it back again and this time demanded a replacement as it was still under warranty - they were humming and hawing saying they would 'fix it' again! I contacted Panasonic - gave them the name of the store and told them they wouldn't replace the body for me, a Panasonic rep told me if they don't help me out they will be in contact with them. I passed this info on to the store and next day a brand new G80 arrived at the door. Funny that :D I have owned the replacement now for longer than the original body and have no such issues, so can only assume it was an earlier batch and they have since improved on the build. This wouldn't be rare, I've seen it tonnes of times with other gear, early batches with issues - customer feedback - next batch with stealth improvements.

Your case is a bit different as youre looking to trade, so your case is not with Wex but the store or site you purchased from. I would go after them for a replacement, you are entitled to do so as long as it isn't caused by user error - hard to imagine how this would be your fault.

[edit] just read your follow up post, seems it IS Wex's responsibility! You shouldn't be looking to trade it in, but ask them to fix or replace it as you bought it from them. I would contact Panasonic about the issue and forward on any response you get from them to Wex
 
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Well, got my G9 back from WEX (after I'd sent it in to sell and they had said it needed repair due to dust behind the sensor), and the dust behind the sensor was actually in front, and came off with my blower (go figure !). Well now I have it back I've again realised how good the camera is, so in fact they have done me a favour as I'll be keeping it now.

A few from yesterday (nothing too special) testing it out again (with the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro)


Panasonic G9, Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro, 1/320, F5, ISO 2000


Panasonic G9, Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro, 1/320, F4, ISO 2000
 
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Well, got my G9 back from WEX (after I'd sent it in to sell and they had said it needed repair due to dust behind the sensor), and the dust behind the sensor was actually in front, and came off with my blower (go figure !). Well now I have it back I've again realised how good the camera is, so in fact they have done me a favour as I'll be keeping it now.

A few from yesterday (nothing too special) testing it out again (with the Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro)


Panasonic G9, Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro, 1/320, F5, ISO 2000


Panasonic G9, Olympus 300mm F4 IS Pro, 1/320, F4, ISO 2000


Two very nice shots, both nicely posed with some fine detail and good colour.

George.
 
I'm going to Reykjavik next month in the hope of capturing the Northern Lights and I'm concerned about the speed of my wide angle lenses. I currently have the Olympus 9-18 (f4 at 9mm) & Panasonic 12-35 (f2.8 at 12mm). Do I stick with what I have or sell the Olympus to fund a Laowa 7.5mm f2 which will give me width and speed?

I'm interested to hear from those who have experience of photographing the Northern Lights with mft kit, please. Example photos would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Yes, you're gonna need a faster lens. I shot northern lights with the Samyang f/3.5 fisheye and Olympus 12mm f/2. It is barely - just - adequate.

The problem is high ISO noise.

Here's a few shots with an E-M5 and 12mm f/2 or 8mm f/3.5 they are all wide open.








Also, I would go to Iceland for the sake of going to Iceland, because its a beautiful country and you want to experience lots of things, out of which one may be the northern lights. If you're going there to shoot specifically northern lights... well, you risk ending up quite disappointed.
 
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@Edman many thanks for the reply & useful information, if I get images like yours I'll be more than happy. We are doing quite a lot in Iceland over the short time we are there, I just wanted to know whether it is worth investing in the Laowa. I did look at the 12mm 1.4 but it is almost double the price!
 
@Edman many thanks for the reply & useful information, if I get images like yours I'll be more than happy. We are doing quite a lot in Iceland over the short time we are there, I just wanted to know whether it is worth investing in the Laowa. I did look at the 12mm 1.4 but it is almost double the price!

Well, I haven't used the Laowa myself, so you'd have to read up on how well it does for astrophotography, if it shows any coma. If not, its definitely a good buy! At 12mm, you really want f/2, that f/1.4 would be ideal but its pretty expensive and probably hard to re-sell.

Also, I would look at a used Olympus 8mm f/1.8 fisheye, I saw one recently. I believe that also is a killer lens for this kind of stuff (though like I said, I only had the Samyang fisheye and the 12mm f/2).

Just made that remark about Iceland, because seeing northern lights is pretty lucky, I once spent 5 days north of polar circle in Finland in February, and didn't see them once. Was still a fantastic trip. Good luck!
 
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I’ve just installed it and looking now how to connect to my phone
I’ve just installed it on my phone, connected to the camera with WiFi (phone says it is connected), the camera says “if you have not launched the smartphone application, please launch it” I launch the app - the app says it is connected but the camera but the camera still stays on the same screen - I can’t do anything. Any ideas?
 
I’ve just installed it on my phone, connected to the camera with WiFi (phone says it is connected), the camera says “if you have not launched the smartphone application, please launch it” I launch the app - the app says it is connected but the camera but the camera still stays on the same screen - I can’t do anything. Any ideas?
Let me have a look at mine's
 
The camera just stays on this screen all the time
That happens with me too.
The best way is to open the app, go into wifi settings on the camera and connect that way.
When I go into wifi settings I select a destination from history, but you'd select new connection, then select your phone.
 
It's good.
I've used it to set my camera up for birds, you can then hide and use the app to show what the camera is seeing, can move focus points etc and take the shot.
This sounds wonderful, I had no idea, problem is I'm one of the few people in this world without a smartphone. Perhaps I should get one and get into birding.
 
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