"Panasonic G series" Owners Thread

Well, it's a little quieter here than it used to be, and I've been guilty of neglecting TP (my excuse: the kids) but I'm loving the little G3. The 14mm makes the G3 a genuine 'pocket' camera, being less deep the the D3100 body only. It seems that, since selling the D700, my photographic happiness has increased as the size of the camera has decreased! Maybe I'd be happiest with a GM1.... Who knows!

Anyway, point of the post time... I'm quite interested in the Zuiko 12. Any longterm users with words of wisdom?
 
If MFT had made a camera of the spec I've been waiting for I'd have bought it, but they still haven't. Shame as I really wanted to love the system and replace my DSLR kit with MFT.

If they bring out a camera I like the look of I'll probably get one as I want to run the two systems. I still have a 14-42mm and 20mm f1.7 and I still have my Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 which despite being a lovely lens and probably the best lens I've ever had seems unsellable.

I expect that in the future I'll use MFT now and again with legacy lenses.
 
This mini-discussion about "CA" got me thinking ...
Since Panasonic awesomely remove coloured fringing/CA from Jpegs when using their own Lumix lenses ... which doesn't really make the job much easier ... I wonder if there could be a possible hack to force that feature on other lenses.
I'm not registered with Vitaly's video forum place, but it'd be a heck of a request, don't you think?
 
Maybe there could be a market for something with the growing popularity of manual lenses.

And just out of interest.

I think that the Panny AF lenses I have, 20mm and 14-42mm, aren't that bad. This is the RHS of a 14mm shot at 200%...



Even without any corrections I don't think that'll be significant in any normally viewed image either on screen or as big as most people will print.

Corrected and again at 200%.

 
The CA is also removed from raw images from Panny lenses on Panny bodies. The data that allows it is part of the exif written from the lens by the camera and is used by most raw processors (LR etc) automatically. CA correction is not done on any Oly lenses as the information is not held in the lens so cannot be written as part of the exif....
 
Just added the newest member of the G series family to my collection, it's a cutie!

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I was about to sell my 14mm but it is the perfect companion to this little camera

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Since starting this thread I have had a GF1, G1 and at present G2. With my birthday and Xmas money I am contemplating buying a GX7 but I am undecided whether it's worth the expense. Does anyone own one, and can convince me that it is superior to my G2 which I have been very pleased with. It's had a lot more use than my Nikon D7000, and also uses a lot less energy - has anyone tried lugging the Nikon around with a 10-20 lens on. :-(
I've been looking at Glen's little beauty but the thing that would put me off is that I love to have a viewfinder and a hot shoe for my flash. Input would be appreciated please.
 
We know that Pany is launching the GH4K with a big emphasis on video, but anything new for those of us who just shoot stills? I have a G6 with 14-140 which is really very good, but I would like the external controls of the GH3 in a camera which emphasises stills. Pany used to have a G10 I believe which was between the G and GH series. Perhaps they should do a GS (for stills!!) with the external controls of the GH3 but without the top spec video - hopefully at a lower cost.
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
Since starting this thread I have had a GF1, G1 and at present G2. With my birthday and Xmas money I am contemplating buying a GX7 but I am undecided whether it's worth the expense. Does anyone own one, and can convince me that it is superior to my G2 which I have been very pleased with. It's had a lot more use than my Nikon D7000, and also uses a lot less energy - has anyone tried lugging the Nikon around with a 10-20 lens on. :-(
I've been looking at Glen's little beauty but the thing that would put me off is that I love to have a viewfinder and a hot shoe for my flash. Input would be appreciated please.
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I only use the GM1 when I want to travel really light, otherwise it's my OM-D EM-1 because I too like a viewfinder but I'm prepared to do away with it for lightness. The image quality from the GM1 is sterling (it has the GX7's sensor).

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Incidentally I'm selling my GH2 and 14-45 if you are interested.
 
No sweat, just thought I'd mention it. The GX7 should be great if the quality of the GM1 is anything to go by.
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
I am contemplating buying a GX7 but I am undecided whether it's worth the expense. Does anyone own one, and can convince me that it is superior to my G2 which I have been very pleased with. It's had a lot more use than my Nikon D7000, and also uses a lot less energy - has anyone tried lugging the Nikon around with a 10-20 lens on. :-(
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I've had my GX7 for around a month now, and I'm very happy with it.
I've had various DSLRs in the past, most recently a Canon 7D, but wasn't using it enough. Most of my photography is done when I'm out and about walking or biking, so I really wanted something smaller. I ended up getting a GX1 which was great, but the lack of a viewfinder or tilting screen and a few other things persuaded me to upgrade to the GX7.
I've got to say I'm very impressed so far - it's a nice size (compact, but not too small to hold comfortably), it's got a decent EVF, tilting screen, dual control dials and it's a lovely little camera to use. It also feels noticeably more solid than the G series models, due to the magnesium body.

Here's one from a Barnsley Photo Club meet up a couple of nights ago - there's a few more GX7 shots on my photostream.
 
Thank you Mark. The GX7 certainly looks interesting, and I would also be using it when out walking and biking. The Nikon D7000 is just not practical and only gets out of its bag for use in and about the house for macro photography. A bit of a waste really. I shall be keeping my Nikon as it was a special present from hubby.

My biggest problem is I'm a compulsive collector and can't bear to get rid of anything. My camera shelf is collapsing.:banghead: How do you find the tilt screen? I really like the swing out one on the G2 and find the fact that it folds over to protect the screen to be very useful. My worry is that if I'm carrying the GX7 around without a case the screen would scratch against rucksack buckles and zips. I haven't seen a GX7 in real life yet as I haven't had chance to take a trip to a camera shop (not many about where I live) to see one.
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
My worry is that if I'm carrying the GX7 around without a case the screen would scratch against rucksack buckles and zips.
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You can fit a screen protector.

My sister and her hubby have been using Nex's for some time with protectors fitted and she kindly fitted one to my A7.

The ones she uses come in quite a large size and you just cut them to size. They seem to work and they don't seem to leave any sticky stuff behind when you take them off either.

If you are worried about buckles and the like I suppose you could put two layers on, just to be sure.
 
PS.
She buys them from a mobile phone shop and of course they're fitted to all the families smart phones too.
 
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PPS.
I really like the articulated screen on my G1 and I wish my A7 had the same thing.
 
I think at the moment the tilt screen is the idea I like the least. I have a protector on my smart phone and although it stops a lot of damage I feel safer with the rubberised reverse screen of the G2. I only wish that Panasonic hadn't decided to change that. Otherwise it would have been a lovely camera for scrambling around mountains. I'm beginning to think that I'm in love with my G2. :confused: I wonder why we haven't got a smilee for Panasonic?
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
I think at the moment the tilt screen is the idea I like the least. I have a protector on my smart phone and although it stops a lot of damage I feel safer with the rubberised reverse screen of the G2. I only wish that Panasonic hadn't decided to change that. Otherwise it would have been a lovely camera for scrambling around mountains. I'm beginning to think that I'm in love with my G2. :confused: I wonder why we haven't got a smilee for Panasonic?
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Yup. The fully articulated screen is wonderful and yet it's getting rare.

I think that my G1 is a lovely camera and only really shows issues at the highest ISO's and because of the EVF's performance in low light. For day time shooting though, I like it :D
 
I made the move from a G2 to a G6 at Christmas thanks to an Amazon Lightning deal. I am a 'fair weather' photographer & the January rains have kept me indoors so I haven't had a lot of use from my G6 so far but it ticks all the boxes for me. It does not feel as solid as the G2 but it handles nicely & the screen & EVF are a definite improvement over the G2 (& the G3 my wife owns). I bought the G6 with the 14-140 lens which is also a nice piece of kit. I used my G2 as my walkabout holiday camera as it was a lot smaller & lighter than the Nikon D300 I also own. I am impressed with the G6 low light & indoor performance vs the G2.
 
Thank you all for your help. I decided after much thought to go for the G6 as I really love my articulated screen. When checking camerapricebusters I found that the cheapest place was my nearest camera shop 26 miles away. It was listed at £419 for the body. Then I had even better news. They had the kit box minus the 14-42 lens which they had sold separately, and so they did me a deal at £369 for the G6 body. I'm a happy bunny. Battery charged, camera being configured to my liking, software installed, manual in process of being read, now just need to get out and take some photos. Somehow I don't think it will be tonight, severe weather warning, high tide and gale blowing. after seeing the boulders that came in on the waves the other week I am staying safely in the house, thankfully 40m above sea level.
 
I just got a G6 like you and have to say it's very impressive. Moderate size but very light. The screen, viewfinder, and both touch and physical controls are a generation better than the G1/G2, and the video options are superb. I have a soft spot for the 12mp sensor but there's no doubt the the G6 is better in low light. Plus there's a few added features like an intervalometer which add to one's creative options. Overall a very powerful camera at a relatively bargain price. The only quibble is the squared-off viewfinder rubber. What were they thinking?!
 
The WIFI & Android App is a nice feature too. I can take photos of my 1 year old granddaughter playing without her noticing. She normally frowns if you point a camera at her (especially the D300) but I can sit the G6 on a tripod pointing in her general direction and wait until the moment arises to take a photo.
 
Only problem I have found so far is that LR3 won't recognise RAW files to automatically convert to DNG on import (Camera not suported) so I am having to convert these in Adobe Raw converter before importing into Lightroom which is a bit of a pain. The RAW files also won't open in PS Elements 11 either unless converted first, Or Photoplus 5, or CS3.
I certainly don't intend to subscribe to Adobe's rip off cloud subscription. I use Lightroom extensively for my cataloguing and initial import so may have to upgrade to LR5 if it gets too annoying. Good news though is that I also get a free Three year warranty with the camera.
 
martsharm said:
The screen, viewfinder, and both touch and physical controls are a generation better than the G1/G2, ...
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I have never handled a G6, but it doesn't seem (correct me if I'm just missing seeing them) to have a physical switch for single-bracket-timer nor AF-MF like the G1 does.
 
It doesn't have a physical switch but is very easy to access. Press the dial below the menu set button, and the different drive modes appear on the screen. Just touch the one you want. For AF/MF a quick press of Fn1 (quick menu) brings up the options. I was a bit dubious initially that it didn't have physical buttons and levers like my G2 but find it works quite well.
 
I want to keep the 20mm f1.7 and 14-42mm as they're fine for occasional and girlfriend use :D and they're worth peanuts so I can justify keeping them and hardly using them. I've advertised the Voigtlander which is really too good to just leave in its box but there's been no interest.
 
It is very probably the best lens I've ever owned or used but of course you can't fit it to anything else, only a MFT camera.
 
View attachment 5690
Bluff Rock Tenterfield, NSW, using the GX7 sweep pano mode. Can anyone recommend a good lens adapter for canon lenses, so I can use them in conjunction with my GX7?
 
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Should be receiving my GX7 & 20mm 1.7 in the next few days, getting a bit excited :D I used to shoot a G1 with the 20mm, 14-45, and 100-300. Then sold up and went Canon 7D and then 5D, but the bulk of it all has brought me full circle a few years later, back to a Lumix haha - Can't wait to shoot with the 20mm again. Hopefully have some shots and discussion to contribute soon! I'm encouraged by Mark's R8 shot above and photostream in general, and looking forward to playing with Pano mode and art filters etc.
 
Jimwah said:
Should be receiving my GX7 & 20mm 1.7 in the next few days, getting a bit excited :D I used to shoot a G1 with the 20mm, 14-45, and 100-300. Then sold up and went Canon 7D and then 5D, but the bulk of it all has brought me full circle a few years later, back to a Lumix haha - Can't wait to shoot with the 20mm again. Hopefully have some shots and discussion to contribute soon! I'm encouraged by Mark's R8 shot above and photostream in general, and looking forward to playing with Pano mode and art filters etc.
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That's the problem with DSLR's IMVHO, the size and weight and "LOOK AT ME!" factor. I was rarely happy using a DSLR and at the mo I can't see myself going back.
 
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