John Matthews

I have a feeling I might reach as much as 28 minutes of 4k 120fps before the buffer even fills up. I reckon the G9ii has about 8gb of internal buffer (which is amazing).

I wouldn't complain either. With all the smaller cameras, it's always a give and take. The masses are no longer going to be buying them; so, make us a camera with much better ergos but small. It must be possible: For me, I don't want the flash, but keep the hot shoe. Also, I don't want the EVF, I'd prefer a better flip-up screen and making it smaller. Also, I don't like the camera strap attachments like that. I'd prefer the ones on the G9 ii/S5. In terms of IO, just give us a mic jack. For key specs, I want full-sensor readout and PDAF. Don't need 60fps or even 120fps, but I wouldn't whine if were in there. The other specs are just fine for me, especially the shutter (1/250 sync). Maybe that camera wouldn't sell very well, but I'd get it. OMDS came close with the E-P7, which was great, but mine broke and they're still too expensive used. They also cheaped out with no PDAF, and the sub-par plastics (it creaks when you hold it, but it's only 337g). The E-P7 had decent IBIS and controls (two usable dials on top). It has full-sensor readout too. It had 120fps at 1080p. No mic jack though. For many, the lack of EVF is a no-go, but I just don't like the hesitation I have over which one to use. For me, less is more in this case. Yes, we need more contrast in the Panasonic line-up. Big-bodied FF and M43 is not enough. We need core Panasonic features in a tiny body too. At this point, I think they should just forget about the existence of camera phones- they won the bad ergonomics point and shoot market. Let's just make a camera that enthusiasts will buy. IMO, the problem with phones is ergos and there's no way around it or it will no longer be a phone. Anything they do to "make it better" for photographers will make it clunky and not sell to the masses. Inherently, phones and cameras are different devices, for the same reason cinema cameras and camcorders will always have an edge on hybrid cameras for video. Hybrid cameras will always have and edge on cinema cameras and camcorders for photos.

FYI, the G9ii's manual is 832 pages long. Is that a record of some sort?

Do you think they'll have a microphone jack? Probably not and Youtubers will hate it... 20 videos on release saying it's great, but they won't buy it because of no mic jack. I'd rather see a GX800 with a mic jack, PDAF, and the G100's IBIS (all electronic which wasn't that bad). I don't like viewfinders on small cameras as they "just get in the way." Instead, give me a smaller body and bigger battery with a mic jack and PDAF. I'll be happy with that. It also provides more contrast in their lineup. S1H ii - video oriented, ultimate IQ with all the bells and whistles, high price S5 ii/iix- photo oriented, ulitimate IQ but not all the bells and whistles, bargain value GH7- video oriented, ultimate IQ with a crop with all the bells and whistles, high crop sensor price G9 ii- photo oriented, ulitimate IQ with a crop but not all the bells and whistles, decent crop sensor value G100, GX9 ii, GX850 ii- small video and photo camera with value features and excellent value. If they make anything that anywhere close to the G9 ii in terms of size, they'll turn off people who want a small camera. It needs to me sub 350g which is really hard. People will expect full-sensor readout, 60fps with PDAF. The real question is how cool can they make the G9 ii sensor as thermals will be key and probably the determining factor of the camera size. I'm ok with a fan in such a small body, but increase the size of the battery please- 250 shot CIPA minimum.

At 658g, I guess the G9 ii isn't so bad. It gives 842g of lens and accessories. Here are some of the fastest setups and weights: G9 ii + Panasonic 9mm f/1.7 = 788g G9 ii + Olympus 17mm f/1.2 = 1048g G9 ii + Olympus 25mm f/1.2 = 1068g G9 ii + Olympus 45mm f/1.2 = 1068g G9 ii + Olympus 75mm f/1.8 = 963g G9 ii + Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 = 1418g G9 ii + Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 = 1081g There are some nicer lenses at the telephoto end, but many put us over the mark as you'd expect.

This conversation begs the question: what is the acceptable weight for a handheld setup? IMO, 1.5kg is the upper limit. What do you think? BTW, I just turned 50.

This is quite serious stuff. I don't know if you've seen any on P. Bloom's videos from last year, but the guy had massive lower back pain. IMO, humans are not meant for carrying significant weight 8 hours a day for a career. I'm not actually sure can work anymore.

Those are good recommendations. For pro lenses, I currently have 12-40 pro, 17mm pro, 40-150mm Pro f/2.8. For non-pro, I have the 9mm, 14mm, 14-42 EZ (with a killer automatic lens cap), 17mm, 25mm, 45mm, 75mm, 75-300mm. I also just picked up (in a kit) the 12-32, and 35-100 f4-5.6, but I'm not sure I'll keep them. I want the 25mm pro 1.2 when I find it at a decent price... and I'm determined I will. It would be great with the already amazing 17mm Pro. I have thoughts on all these lenses that I'll probably share soon. (time permitted)

Very helpful. Thanks for that. The superzoom option is interesting as I've never done it. The GX85 is such a great camera. In fact, it's the only other camera that I've preordered. I had it for 2 years, but sold due to gas. I often wish I had just kept it all this time, but wanted to try other things (watched too much YouTube probably). I've been thinking of the "system" a little differently though. I've been thinking "big and capable" vs. "small and less features"; not "low-light" vs. "abundant light". It's essentially the same though. I guess it's more about a "get by with" system and "no compromise-ish" system. I've also considered those big zooms, but the size and price are just killer. Yeah, I've also shot with the Olympus C4k, but it almost never hit those datarates, only at f8, lots of detail and handheld. I'll probably go for the v60 cards as they seem to be the best compromise. If I need more, I'll go for my SSD. Again, the superzoom is compelling (and only 265g). I already have most of the other lenses you mention with the exception of the 35-100; instead, I have the 40-150 Pro f/2.8. I'm not sure it's a better lens. I sold the Pany 20mm, but loved it for DFD. Thanks. My mistake. I don't know why I couldn't figure that out. (I should have kept my mouth shut.)

Just thinking through a big camera and small camera setup in terms of lenses, I think it makes sense to alternate between "pro" lenses and "consumer" lenses throughout the popular focal lengths. For example in MFT, fisheye, 10, 12, 17, 25, 42.5, 75, 150, 300 (or more) This would allow to mix and match better and have the right tool for the job. In the past, I thought I'd just copy the focal range for the pro and consumer camera, having the same focal range in both, understand better the focal length and essentially working consistently. For example, Pro: 12-35, 35-100, 200 (don't have any of these lenses) Consumer: 12-32, 35-100 Conversely, one could just choose the 10-25 and 25-50 (don't have those either) to cover most of the focal range, then choose small primes on the consumer side. Maybe some could double as a lens in both situations (example, use the 9mm for both pro and consumer if it passes mustard). Fact: the G9 ii is big for MFT; maybe the features will mitigate this, but the need for a smaller camera (for me) is necessary. The question is: which focal lengths should be pro and which should be consumer and not let the size of the g9 ii to get "out of hand". I just curious to know what you would do if you need two systems (big and small), what would you choose/have you chosen?

That was ONE of the annoying parts about the GH6. The C4k 120fps was often a completely different aspect ratio from the rest... a lack of UHD meant you were either cropping the 120fps footage or making the entire project in C4k. It was a strange limitation. The GH6 seemed to do everything, but not that. Maybe it'll be fixed in firmware.

Am I correct in saying the G9 ii does 120fps 4k, but the GH6 only does C4k 120fps?

I liked it. I felt like there was a rather large learning curve having come from very consumer Panasonic cameras to something that has so much in it. The AF seemed serviceable to me, but I'm sure the G9 ii will make it look bad. It seemed a little overkill for me and my family stuff. I better understand the menus now; so, the G9 ii will be fine, but still, there's more than what I need out of a camera. If everything goes well, I'll sell my E-M1 ii and use the G9 ii for my "big" camera with big lenses and a GX800 for my "fun, small" camera. It's funny because I've bought and sold the GX800 3 times now and it's one of the most fun cameras I've ever had. I just can't live with so many audio and video quirks. I expect the G9 ii to perform better for all of my needs over the GH6 and the E-M1 ii.

Well, I've decided to get the G9 ii. Should arrive around November 2. If people have questions, I'll do my best to answer. Also, now that I've given up my CF Express Type B that I used for my GH6, I have many v30 cards, but no v60 or v90. I don't really need the highest data rates, but I want 4k 120fps. What card to I need for that? On my CF Express card, I could just do everything without thinking about it, but I'd rather not have to shell out serious money for a v90 card unless absolutely necessary. When I look at the 4k 120fps files, their only 100 Mbps in HVEC. Can a v30 card handle 5.8 open gate?

On the G100, I tried a number of things to eliminate moiré, including a mist filter. Maybe it wasn't the right strength, but nothing worked other than moving back a foot or so. Of course the framing was wrong after that. I even tried a different lens altogether and kept the same frame- it was the same result, moiré on a cotton shirt. Panasonic does a decent job at detecting moiré and removing the color from it but the pattern remains. With DFD, it was always puling and that also mitigated the problem- moiré would go off and on. I watched a video just this morning filmed on a X-T5 and there was moiré of the worst kind with plenty of colors roaming around. It was definitely the shirt though. Clothing is one thing you can control sometimes, but not buildings. On a wedding shoot like yours, it's impossible though.

Good to know!

So, how did you deal with that? That seems like a nightmare!

So what I was saying earlier about a correlation between pixel density and moiré is true. The less space there is between pixels, the less chance of moiré. In this case, 12k capture is better than 4k when it comes to moiré. On the G100, it really sucked for 1080p moiré at precisely the distance one would vlog at. Go back 50 cm and moiré would be gone due to the frequency of the patterns. I imagine the GX80/85 has a similar problem in 1080p.

Yes. If only the Foveon sensor took off, moiré would be out of everything. We should start a new thread on moiré only. I bet if we pool our resources, we might be able to diminish the effect in post or planning. If you look on YouTube, there isn't really that much on the subject; maybe that's why there isn't more energy put into it.

Yes. the GH6 is cheap now. It's an amazing deal. I just sold mine and I didn't lose too much, but I bought it at a deep discount on Black Friday. My feeling is that Panasonic isn't going to do the same deals for Black Friday this year. Anyway, I lost a couple hundred, not bad for owning it for a year. I also made it up in other gear I purchased and sold it at a profit. It sounds crazy to pay so much for AF, but fortunately, it's not just that as there are many other features too. For me, I just want something significantly better than my E-M1 ii and I think the G9 ii hits the mark, especially on the video side; with photos, only a little.

I learned a couple of things after watching a Lumix live stream. DFD is still used for S-AF because it's faster than PDAF. I've also heard that when working in low-light and small apertures (f11), only contrast is used due to PDAF not being efficient- this is true amongst all brands.

Yeah, I've seen moiré on that too. In fact, I don't know too many cameras that, with 100% certainty, don't have moiré. I'll bet even an ALEXA might have some frequency where it happens. Awhile back, I purchased some Ikea "lace" curtains and I notice a moiré effect with my naked eye, something that I thought was only possible on digital sensors, but I guess not. Oddly enough, none of my digital sensors would pick up the moiré patterns that I could see. It's 2023 and we've AI upresing and all other sorts of quality improvements, but no software AI has figured out moiré.

Yes, to buy or not. For Apple devices, I'd always go to the MacRumors.com buyer's guide. They'd say "buy now, caution, or don't buy". Given the G9ii is about to be released, I'm sure the "Buy now" would be warranted. However, do I NEED it? No. I just sold a whole bunch of gear that I wasn't using enough, I now I have the funds to pull the trigger on something I WANT. Sure, it would suck to see a GH7 coming out with a variable ND (in ALL MODES) and PDAF in a smaller body for much cheaper, but I don't think it'll happen. There's also the notion of camera paralysis, not know which one to take because they're all great- I had this. Camera upgrade paralysis is another thing- thinking there's something better soon. In terms of "bigger hybrid camera" for M43, I have my doubts about anything coming soon other than a GH7; even then, it won't be until January to March IMO. I trust Panasonic to not screw their customers too much by obsoleting just after release. Given it took 5 years to have a meaningful release of a G9ii, I think it'll be fine. On another note, I did see a video by Geeky Nerdy Techy. He said there was moiré in one of his videos: Again, most cameras will have frequency where it hits. I'm not exactly sure if it's better than or worse than the GH6 in that regard, but it would be interesting to know.

I've also seen moiré on many other cameras. I think it's just a frequency thing. I've noticed, for example, many YouTubers are turning to wearing linen instead of cotton; so, I imagine it's a problem on many cameras. I do believe, perhaps falsely, that pixel density has a major role- the more, the better; I think M43 on the GH6 or G9 ii definitely has that going for it. The other problem for me with moiré is that I just can't seem to get rid of it. I wish there was a plugin or AI that could meaningfully make it go away, as Topaz has done with aliasing. Until then, pixel density and anti-aliasing filters are all we've got IMO.

That was an interesting comparison but also rather limited being at some show. The conclusion for him was to say the FX30 was the best because, even though it lacks good IBIS, the "photos are amazing" and costs a little less. I'm finding that rather curious because FX30 lacks an actual shutter, meaning it can't even do flash photography, a basic feature for almost any "photo" camera... maybe it can, but I couldn't find any info on it. Also, he talks about M43 not doing well in low-light, which is not accurate due to their amazing IBIS (maybe he meant "high ISO"?). That was a very confusing review for me. As far as "detail rendering", I never had any problem with the GH6; nor did I notice anything. Maybe if you A-B with another camera, it's different. If anything, I'd say the trouble with GH6 is the implementation of DR Boost. The rolling shutter on the GH6 was definitely NOT an issue either, especially with IBIS enabled.