Panasonic M4/3 watchers thread

[AlbertM43user]

You are hurting me! The gx80 is my dear, lovely, beautiful cam...

That said, I do agree with your exposure (except the gx80 part)

Me too.

I loved GX7, what a major improvement from GX1. Fantastic to have an evf of jumping in resolution (detail) and brightness, auto switching between evf & LCD, the light year ahead better Touch LCD implementation, improved JPG engine, P/S/A/M video, some other added features and the better than nothing IBIS.

I skipped GX8 because of size reason, very happy to have GX85.

So it will really depend on from which point the upgrade was made. While the improvement on GX9 has been quite material from GX7, it is more or less an incremental from GX85 IMHO.

When Tom got GX9, he can enjoy the cumulative improvements on GX85 and the newer 20Mp sensor. Naturally no point to look back at GX85.

I decided to skip GX9 and might look for GX10 or 11 if it will be released.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

You are hurting me! The gx80 is my dear, lovely, beautiful cam...

That said, I do agree with your exposure (except the gx80 part)

Hmmm - the GX85 is a very good camera and I am sorry if I might have implied that it wasn't. When I said that it was probably a mistake it was more a mistake on my part. I have not fallen out of love with the GX7 as it was a camera that I think Panasonic threw all their technical capabilities at that time at it.

Withe the GX85 I have three very similar cameras and my mistake was that I perhaps should have skipped the GX85 and gone straight for the GX9.

The GX85 is actually a very good camera but maybe the closest to surplus in my Panasonic M4/3 camera body collection.

 

[Felice62]

I had tried the gx9 twice but must have been just unlucky with this model as both of the units I purchased and an unserviceable ibis.
It was very frustrating and after the second failure I gave up trying.
Having owned the gx7 previously, I wasn't also fond of the tilting evf, although I understood the logic behind its design..

 

[jalywol]

I had tried the gx9 twice but must have been just unlucky with this model as both of the units I purchased and an unserviceable ibis.
It was very frustrating and after the second failure I gave up trying.
Having owned the gx7 previously, I wasn't also fond of the tilting evf, although I understood the logic behind its design..

The first GX9 I bought had a bad IBIS unit, but I caught it immediately and sent it back for exchange. The second was perfect, and is still fine a couple of years later. I do wonder if they are going to have another rangefinder style unit, esp since they have apparently totally discontinued the GX9 at this point....

 

[Tom Caldwell]

I had tried the gx9 twice but must have been just unlucky with this model as both of the units I purchased and an unserviceable ibis.
It was very frustrating and after the second failure I gave up trying.
Having owned the gx7 previously, I wasn't also fond of the tilting evf, although I understood the logic behind its design..

I am dopey enough not to know whether my IBIS is working or not .... I quite like the images it makes so I imagine that it is working ok.

The tilt evf is something I can easily manage without. I did try it with my GX7 but wondered why I might bother when the tilting lcd is much more versatile for low level or overhead shots.

But some absolutely adore the tilting evf. I found it best on the GX7 as a way of hiding the dioptre adjustment where it could be made easy to use. On almost all other cameras it is hard to adjust precisely when using the camera.

Unfortunately my only significant use for the tilting evf was not repeated when the GX9 arrived with a return to tilt. (sigh)

 

[Tom Caldwell]

The first GX9 I bought had a bad IBIS unit, but I caught it immediately and sent it back for exchange. The second was perfect, and is still fine a couple of years later. I do wonder if they are going to have another rangefinder style unit, esp since they have apparently totally discontinued the GX9 at this point....

Maybe something is afoot at Panasonic R&D? I also noticed that the GX9 was said to be discontinued. The G9 - bless its lovely heart is still competitive and an absolute bargain bang for buck. I have no reason to check whether there are still stocks of the GX9 to be had. But surely some are still buying them as a reasonably good RF-Style camera body. Such RF-style offerings are fairly rare these days and it confounds me that the faux-dslr body seems to be all the rage these days. But RF-style bodies don't seem to sell well with side-hinged FAS as can be seen by the ones that end up being discontinued despite some raving by those that actually own them. In any case it would seem that even if they are not the best seller then they have a popular niche.

I wish those that keep whinging about their small-evf would just go buy one of the multitude of faux-dslr bodies with the great big evf cherry on top ... I would rather have a smaller but quite usable evf if it means a camera body with a flush flat top that packs easier.

But I digress - I am a easily side-tracked person ....

Apart from some great new announcement from Panasonic be it a global shutter and tiny camera body or their own 4/3 sensor update of the 25mp sensor with PDAF it would had better be good to justify the wait of its loyal band of investors in Pana-tech.

Although I am in no rush myself they need to keep making something pertinent to keep the juices of M4/3 flowing. I doubt that their investment in L-Mount has become more than a niche one - even though they have made it a good niche. There L-Mount market is not going to be the least concerned by a couple of great M4/3 bodies being launched soon enough.

I see the G100 as a sort of neither fish nor fowl nor mammal version of the GX9 and G95 as a sort of stop gap not well marketed replacement - add that it is the lineal descendent of the GM series via the GF7-GX850 side show. It has updated the sensor and given a reasonably compact evf cherry top but obviously kept the GM shutter and fixed sensor module from way back in the GM.

Flogged as a video V-logger it has nothing for me but I have tried it because a recent sale price in Oz made it an attractive buy and I was delighted to find effectively what could be a GM camera update as a predominately stills camera albeit at twice the size and weight. It has been panned as too close to the GX9 in many ways a superior camera but the reality is that here is "a G9" cut back to the compact-size basics and a very compelling camera to use.

Unfortunately sold too hard as a V-logger and like the GM series only becoming known as a delightful General Purpose Camera when the price is right.

 

[AlbertM43user]

I am dopey enough not to know whether my IBIS is working or not .... I quite like the images it makes so I imagine that it is working ok.

The tilt evf is something I can easily manage without. I did try it with my GX7 but wondered why I might bother when the tilting lcd is much more versatile for low level or overhead shots.

But some absolutely adore the tilting evf. I found it best on the GX7 as a way of hiding the dioptre adjustment where it could be made easy to use. On almost all other cameras it is hard to adjust precisely when using the camera.

Unfortunately my only significant use for the tilting evf was not repeated when the GX9 arrived with a return to tilt. (sigh)

On GX85, l found its IBIS is max +/-2~2+ stops mostly for the 14 f/2.5 & 15 f/1.7. In theory even less effective for longer lenses, could be eaten by many factors in real life. I guess it could be similar for GX9. When shooting under a hot sun sweating all over and in a hurry, basically that 2 stops would be of little help.

I love the tilting evf (on GX7, miss it on GX85). Could be because of my big fat belly and weak lower part strength (can't stand up without help after kneeling down), shooting anything shorter than me at a lower angle would be very difficult. Tilting evf permits me to shoot on chest level. This unusual low angle PoV sometimes can be very interesting. As it is quite an unique way of shooting might be interesting to many shooters around me too...

Without a tilting evf I have to stand like a giraffe wide spreading my legs (again difficult for me) to lower myself .

The tilting LCD is better for extreme low angle shooting, e.g. shooting flowers low on the ground, but not usable under bright situation.

Not sure on GX9, but the diopter adjuster (a slider at the bottom of the evf) of GX7 is harder to adjust than the usual wheel at the side of GX85 or G85.

• Panasonic - DMC-G85
• LUMIX G VARIO 12-32/F3.5-5.6
• 17.0 mm
• ƒ/4.1
• 1/60 sec
• Pattern
• Auto exposure
• 1.7
• ISO 200

 

[Pete_W]

I also noticed that the GX9 was said to be discontinued.

The GX9 has disappeared from the Panasonic USA and Australia websites. I couldn't find it on the Japanese website either. However it is still listed on the UK website.

The Australia website still shows the G85 along with G95, G9, GH5, GH5M2, GH6 and the BGH1. The USA website also shows the G7 and GH4, quite old models.

I've not been able to find GX9's available in any of the main online camera stores. It's often listed but not in stock. The GX85 with a kit lens still seems to be in stock at some stores including Amazon.

My guess is that Pana are probably still producing the GH6 and maybe the GH5M2 but that everything else is just leftover inventory being run down and this seems to vary depending on the country.

I know that Pana has said that they still think there is a market for smaller cameras but from a consumer viewpoint, it looks like they've pretty much shuttered the M4/3 business other than the GH line. The newest M4/3 lenses appear to be aimed at video usage too which supports the contention that GH may continued but that G and GX cameras are probably dead.

 

[Felice62]

I am dopey enough not to know whether my IBIS is working or not .... I quite like the images it makes so I imagine that it is working ok.

The tilt evf is something I can easily manage without. I did try it with my GX7 but wondered why I might bother when the tilting lcd is much more versatile for low level or overhead shots.

But some absolutely adore the tilting evf. I found it best on the GX7 as a way of hiding the dioptre adjustment where it could be made easy to use. On almost all other cameras it is hard to adjust precisely when using the camera.

Unfortunately my only significant use for the tilting evf was not repeated when the GX9 arrived with a return to tilt. (sigh)

I did get eventually used to the fully articulated panels bu I much prefer tilting LCDs. One if the reasons for me liking the gx80 and M10 2 so much.

 

[Felice62]

The first GX9 I bought had a bad IBIS unit, but I caught it immediately and sent it back for exchange. The second was perfect, and is still fine a couple of years later. I do wonder if they are going to have another rangefinder style unit, esp since they have apparently totally discontinued the GX9 at this point....

I would welcome a 'gx90' myself. 20mp and latest jpeg engine. To keep it reasonably small sized, a proper 4/3 evf and i am sold