Very quick try of Panasonic G9... It's nice, but...

[IronFilm]

1 hour ago, ntblowz said:

A5100 already over heats in 1080p, can’t imagine what 4K will be like in the same body.

Indeed it did, made it quite unusable for me for some styles of work. But I still found uses for it in other areas such as just bits of B roll clips.

[leeys]

On 1/16/2018 at 5:37 AM, Andrew Reid said:

Well, I'm telling you it is. Panasonic told me directly!

Guess they are killing the mid-market line then.

23 hours ago, IronFilm said:

 

43rumors has said this in the past, there is some logic to it, and I hope that is what Panasonic will do (as I'd like to see a G900!! ha).

But who knows, might need to watch the next couple of product releases to see if this follows this pattern. Or not. 

It probably is, but doesn't mean that they have to fill up the product matrix. That provides for 12 cameras but in this market we're going to see 4-5 at most. As it is we have the GH5, G9, G80, GX80 and GX900. That's five cameras, six if they do a GX9, which may not happen.

23 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Heck you ought to move up to a GH4 then. Night and day difference. The G7 was a damn big difference to my GH3. I never really liked my GH3.

I do mostly stills, the only real benefit would've been a nicer EVF. The few times I've done video the GH3's 1080p has managed to acquit itself fine. Any shortcomings were mostly down to me.

13 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

The pattern that doesn't exist?!

It does? I think it's quite clear. What's not clear is how Panasonic will fill the gaps. As I said it's not a great market so lines will come and go. I suspect they won't do a GX9 for example.

[IronFilm]

9 hours ago, leeys said:

It probably is, but doesn't mean that they have to fill up the product matrix. That provides for 12 cameras but in this market we're going to see 4-5 at most. As it is we have the GH5, G9, G80, GX80 and GX900. That's five cameras, six if they do a GX9, which may not happen.

 

I agree, even *if* this is the pattern they're following, they're certainly not going to come out with every possible combination every generation.

 

9 hours ago, leeys said:

It does? I think it's quite clear. What's not clear is how Panasonic will fill the gaps. As I said it's not a great market so lines will come and go. I suspect they won't do a GX9 for example.

Exactly.

[leeys]

Need to rant.

Found out the G9 uses the outdated and unpopular USB 3.0 Micro-B port. WTF? The GH5 has a USB C port and somehow Panasonic thought it was a good idea to take a step backwards? Freaking boggles my mind, these Japanese companies.

[Matthew Hartman]

11 minutes ago, leeys said:

Need to rant.

Found out the G9 uses the outdated and unpopular USB 3.0 Micro-B port. WTF? The GH5 has a USB C port and somehow Panasonic thought it was a good idea to take a step backwards? Freaking boggles my mind, these Japanese companies.

I think a lot of ppl get perplexed by such things but more often than not its because Panasonic (in this case) bought/overspent on those particular components a year or two in advance and is trying to offload them now. What we see as, "make the perfect camera", manufacturer's see as "make happy shareholders", the two not always symbiotic. 

Manufactures are always going to find ways to reduce costs which eventually affects their bottom line, and sometimes in that process the consumer gets the shaft. Other times, it works out. You drive this phenomenon with your wallet. Don't like the 2.0 USB port in the G9, then you don't buy it. Other viable camera's will come along shortly. 

[IronFilm]

1 hour ago, Matthew Hartman said:

Other viable camera's will come along shortly. 

Everything comes to those with the patience to wait!

Now, how long do we need to wait for a NX2? ;-)

[Matthew Hartman]

17 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Everything comes to those with the patience to wait!

Now, how long do we need to wait for a NX2? ;-)

Unless Samsung drastically changes gears, it ain't happening. What can happen however is hiring coders veresed in Tizen to open up the current NX1's limitations. I beleive that sensor has much more to give and if we can find someone who understands the code and is paasionate enough to explore the SDK (free) we could see some interesting things happen. 

[Dave Maze]

My G9 review is live. Really like the colors off the camera. No point for any of us really. No real advantage for video...the AF may be a tad faster...but nothing to write home about 

Shot on 1DC in 4k in Canon Log

[webrunner5]

17 minutes ago, DaveAltizer said:

My G9 review is live. Really like the colors off the camera. No point for any of us really. No real advantage for video...the AF may be a tad faster...but nothing to write home about 

 

Shot on 1DC in 4k in Canon Log

You ain't going Punk Rock on us are you!!

[Mattias Burling]

I thought this video after 1 month of use was a bit interesting.

 

[hoodlum]

It looks like the G9 has an improved sensor with lower noise and greater DR.  What is interesting is that DR actually improves from ISO200 down to ISO100 (maybe dual gain?).  Since the G9 offers the extended ISO100 with video now, this will provide some additional flexibility.

http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Panasonic Lumix DC-G9,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

 

[ajay]

I have the G9 and sold my GH5. I do primarily wildlife photography/videography but occasionally do promotional videos.

Things I love about the camera:

• Although it doesn't have Vlog-L, Cine-D is fine for what I do. I usually record in 60p, 4k. The colors right out of the camera are very Canon-like. Need very little post-tweaking if any.
• The image stabilization is amazing with this camera. Better than the GH5 IMO. I have a gimbal but rarely use it as the footage is usually stable enough w/o one.
• The viewfinder does have a bit of pin cushion, but doesn't bother me. I've gotten use to it and don't even notice it.
• Love the ergonomics of the camera. The grip is perfect.
• Autofocus in video mode is great. Don't really have any complaints at all. Very close to Canon/Sony.

Things I don't like:

• Limited to 10 min when using 60p, 4k. (If I'm staking out a peregrine nest and just want to leave the camera run, I have to monitor the camera.)
• Highlight roll-off is the same as the GH5. You really need to be careful not to overexpose.
• Autofocus in stills mode for BIF (birds-in-flight) is not the best, especially when attempting to focus on birds in the foreground with busy backgrounds. It always locks focus on the background and can't focus on foreground subjects.

Since I do a combination of both stills and video, this is a real good fit for me. I also have the A7III but don't like the fact that I still need to schlepp around large, heavy telephoto lenses. The G9 with the 100-400mm for video/stills is liberating!

[ntblowz]

8 hours ago, ajay said:

I have the G9 and sold my GH5. I do primarily wildlife photography/videography but occasionally do promotional videos.

Things I love about the camera:

• Although it doesn't have Vlog-L, Cine-D is fine for what I do. I usually record in 60p, 4k. The colors right out of the camera are very Canon-like. Need very little post-tweaking if any.
• The image stabilization is amazing with this camera. Better than the GH5 IMO. I have a gimbal but rarely use it as the footage is usually stable enough w/o one.
• The viewfinder does have a bit of pin cushion, but doesn't bother me. I've gotten use to it and don't even notice it.
• Love the ergonomics of the camera. The grip is perfect.
• Autofocus in video mode is great. Don't really have any complaints at all. Very close to Canon/Sony.

Things I don't like:

• Limited to 10 min when using 60p, 4k. (If I'm staking out a peregrine nest and just want to leave the camera run, I have to monitor the camera.)
• Highlight roll-off is the same as the GH5. You really need to be careful not to overexpose.
• Autofocus in stills mode for BIF (birds-in-flight) is not the best, especially when attempting to focus on birds in the foreground with busy backgrounds. It always locks focus on the background and can't focus on foreground subjects.

Since I do a combination of both stills and video, this is a real good fit for me. I also have the A7III but don't like the fact that I still need to schlepp around large, heavy telephoto lenses. The G9 with the 100-400mm for video/stills is liberating!

Yeah, telephotos lens much smaller, cheaper and lighter on M43 system.  ($12K 400mm FOV lens anyone?)

[webrunner5]

8 hours ago, ajay said:

I have the G9 and sold my GH5. I do primarily wildlife photography/videography but occasionally do promotional videos.

Things I love about the camera:

• Although it doesn't have Vlog-L, Cine-D is fine for what I do. I usually record in 60p, 4k. The colors right out of the camera are very Canon-like. Need very little post-tweaking if any.
• The image stabilization is amazing with this camera. Better than the GH5 IMO. I have a gimbal but rarely use it as the footage is usually stable enough w/o one.
• The viewfinder does have a bit of pin cushion, but doesn't bother me. I've gotten use to it and don't even notice it.
• Love the ergonomics of the camera. The grip is perfect.
• Autofocus in video mode is great. Don't really have any complaints at all. Very close to Canon/Sony.

Things I don't like:

• Limited to 10 min when using 60p, 4k. (If I'm staking out a peregrine nest and just want to leave the camera run, I have to monitor the camera.)
• Highlight roll-off is the same as the GH5. You really need to be careful not to overexpose.
• Autofocus in stills mode for BIF (birds-in-flight) is not the best, especially when attempting to focus on birds in the foreground with busy backgrounds. It always locks focus on the background and can't focus on foreground subjects.

Since I do a combination of both stills and video, this is a real good fit for me. I also have the A7III but don't like the fact that I still need to schlepp around large, heavy telephoto lenses. The G9 with the 100-400mm for video/stills is liberating!

How is the AF though on the A7 mk III compared to the A9 for birding, BiF in both photo and video modes?

[ajay]

On 7/19/2018 at 5:15 PM, webrunner5 said:

How is the AF though on the A7 mk III compared to the A9 for birding, BiF in both photo and video modes? 

AF with both the G9 and A7III is a mixed bag and it all depends what lenses you use with the cameras. The kicker with bird photography/videography is that any FF body such as the A7 III is going to require heavy glass. There's no way to get around it. It's bulkier, less portable and fatigue can be an issue for long hikes. Full-frame sensors need bigger lenses. I can't tell you how liberating it is coming from FF 600mm lenses to use a M43 lens on the G9.

With that said however, I have yet to find the same level of autofocus performance from either the Olympus E-M1 II or Panasonic G9 as compared to the newer Sony cameras such as the A9, A7R III and A7III for photography, especially for BIF (Birds-In-Flight). I am hoping the next gen from Oly and Panny will finally become great for BIF.

From a video perspective, focus tracking usually is not the best on any camera system, even Canon's Dual Pixel Autofocus unless the bird is perched or unobstructed by any surrounding features. In most cases, my goto camera is the G9 with the 100-400 lens. It's small and image stabilization is stellar. Great for video work! Plus I shoot 60 fps with it.

Although I have not tried the A7 III with their 100-400mm lens, I have read that IS shuts off intermittently in video mode. THAT needs to be fixed and has prevented me from purchasing that lens. (The G9 with the 100-400mm lens is smooth as butter.)

[jonpais]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, @ajay.

My own thoughts are that (1) highlight rolloff on the G9 cannot compare with the log profiles of the GH5; and (2) CDAF is completely unreliable for video and cannot begin to compete with Sony’s superb implementation. 

[Aeon]

wow you've changed your tune since switching from Panasonic to Sony.

You were a big advocate for the G series, what happened Jon?

[Andrew Reid]

I think his prior love ran off with another lens?!

[jonpais]

17 minutes ago, Aeon said:

wow you've changed your tune since switching from Panasonic to Sony.

You were a big advocate for the G series, what happened Jon?

My two observations are entirely consistent with what I’ve posted in these pages since owning the GH5.

[webrunner5]

4 hours ago, ajay said:

AF with both the G9 and A7III is a mixed bag and it all depends what lenses you use with the cameras. The kicker with bird photography/videography is that any FF body such as the A7 III is going to require heavy glass. There's no way to get around it. It's bulkier, less portable and fatigue can be an issue for long hikes. Full-frame sensors need bigger lenses. I can't tell you how liberating it is coming from FF 600mm lenses to use a M43 lens on the G9.

With that said however, I have yet to find the same level of autofocus performance from either the Olympus E-M1 II or Panasonic G9 as compared to the newer Sony cameras such as the A9, A7R III and A7III for photography, especially for BIF (Birds-In-Flight). I am hoping the next gen from Oly and Panny will finally become great for BIF.

From a video perspective, focus tracking usually is not the best on any camera system, even Canon's Dual Pixel Autofocus unless the bird is perched or unobstructed by any surrounding features. In most cases, my goto camera is the G9 with the 100-400 lens. It's small and image stabilization is stellar. Great for video work! Plus I shoot 60 fps with it.

Although I have not tried the A7 III with their 100-400mm lens, I have read that IS shuts off intermittently in video mode. THAT needs to be fixed and has prevented me from purchasing that lens. (The G9 with the 100-400mm lens is smooth as butter.)

Yeah I have one of these Gimbals below in the link, which I Highly recommend it,  I got it one I was using the Canon 1D mk II N and the 1D mk III with a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L using a 1.4x extender at times with it, so I really don't have a problem with the weight of a lens other than carrying it to the setup area. But yeah if I was going back into it big time I would buy the EM1 mk II and the 100-400mm. That would be a no brainer for me. One thing I Love about the EM, EM1 mk II is they can use the old Olympus Four Thirds lenses and they really work well on them. There is some Real bargains using them and they are built like a tank. And damn they are super good sharpness wise. I had the 50-200mm, and the 12-60mm. Both crazy good.

https://www.adorama.com/svskgh02.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Digital-EZ-5020-2-50-200mm-f2-8-3-5/dp/B000XCMGMA/ref=sr_1_55?ie=UTF8&qid=1532483428&sr=8-55&keywords=Olympus+four+thirds+zoom+lens

 

https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-12-60mm-2-8-4-0-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000XCQ0LI