John Matthews

9 hours ago, PannySVHS said:

I love the fov coming from a 40mm lens on a FF camera. A native 40mm 2.8 pancake would be sweet, with Af and a clutch for hard stops when in manual focus.

That is exactly what I want too. I'm really hoping Panasonic makes one, but if it were Sigma, Viltrox, or Samyang, I'd be happy too.

Heck, if OM System released a point and shoot full-frame or M43 with a 40mm, I'd seriously consider it.

Here are a few more:

Which lens f/1.8-ish + small-ish telephoto line-up looks best? Which would you rather shoot with?

In doing this exercise, I realize that it would seem Panasonic M43 and the Sony lenses were seemingly designed rather independently whereas Panasonic L was really designed all at once.

4 hours ago, ac6000cw said:

Most of the above list would not actually be issues for the vast majority of potential buyers if it was cheap enough, but it would be a hard sell if it's almost as expensive as a G9ii

Speaking of the G9 ii:

• It's too expensive;
• It's too big;
• It's not good enough in low-light (meaning high-ISO);
• It's too sharp;
• It doesn't have shallow depth of field;
• It doesn't have that "full-frame look".
• Do you really want to "invest" in M43?
• Other full-frame sensor cameras are the same price or cheaper.

And on and on we go. I don't think there's any way to universally "win". In fact, I don't think any manufacturer has any real incentive to make the "perfect" camera. If they did, why would you ever buy anything else?

My Priorities for Panasonic:

1) Release a VERY SMALL M43 camera body with PDAF and full-sensor readout in 4k NOW!

2) Release a GH7 with variable ND and PDAF.

3) Release a high-end video camera with variable ND and PDAF for L mount.

4) Release a pancake (28mm or 40mm or both) lens for L mount.

55 minutes ago, Beritar said:

Yes, the 70-300mm is a nice "little" zoom. I have both the 70-300mm and the 70-200mm S Pro f2.8.

The 70-300 seems especially good with dual IBIS. I've seen some really decent footage. It's the only telephoto lens I'd consider. I'd much rather have it because you get an extra 100mm and only lose a stop over the 70 200 F4. That's an easy tradeoff; also, it's a bit lighter.

57 minutes ago, Beritar said:

The 70-200mm S Pro f2.8 is a different beast.  Yes, it's sharp, but the rendering is outstanding, maybe because of the implication of Leica (or not), one of the best lens I own with the 24-70mm and 50mm S Pro. 

I've heard good things about it terms of IQ, but apparently it's rather heavy for what it is.

35 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

And part of me hopes it isn’t so I can stick with L Mount for video as I am not exactly trying to flip for the sake of something that might be better, ie, grass greener elsewhere, but only if it actually is!

Yeah, who knows with the Z6iii? And you know, if it's great, we'll something decent from Panasonic. In fact, I'm fairly sure all of them sit on cameras to the last minute, trying to wait until the other guy markets their camera; this way, they can either quickly add a feature or include something to get a USP. I think Panasonic is savvy at least in terms of value, especially in France where the price is even below US prices.

34 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

That’s the only fence I am currently on and I’m just sitting on it right now waiting on news on the Nikon Z6iii as that is now the pivot point.

As always, we all seem to chase the latest and greatest. Panasonic will most likely release something just after- round and round we go. It sounds like you "settle" for one season and then move on, always staying ahead of the curve.

38 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

Yes, FAR too slow. The 70-200 f4 is borderline as it is, plus zero requirement for anything longer than 200mm and 150 would be enough for my needs and that is why I have the 70-200 f4 which is under 1kg, not much heavier than that 70-300 but nowhere near the size & weight of the f2.8’s

L-mount seems a little heavy on telephoto, except for the 70-300. M43 makes more sense for most of that stuff but only in good light as they aren't great at high ISO. Only the 75 f/1.8 on a GH5s trumps that (a little), but it's a prime and not great AF. Maybe the Sigma 135mm f/1.8- never tried it though? You probably already thought of it.

16 hours ago, MrSMW said:

I doubt if there is any combo I have not considered!

Have you considered the Panasonic 70-300? I've actually heard a lot of good things about that lens, even though it's a little slow. It probably does ok at ISO 4000 indoors.

57 minutes ago, sgreszcz said:

I need a zoom so thinking of g9ii with p10-25/1.7 and p35-100/2.8 or keep o40-150/2.8.  not sure I can be switching primes as can’t miss live action and can’t easily move around.  The s5ii with something like 24-100/f4 could be handy but then would lose the goodies like ibis and good AF on the em1ii.

For interior work, FF will outperform M43, but it also comes at the cost of lack of DOF. Also, you might be surprised how good the S5ii's AF is; IMO, better and more advanced than the EM1ii (which is also good on faces). The S5ii's IBIS is about the same as the G9ii. The G9ii is probably best for outdoors. It's the same size as the S5ii. Fitted with the 10-25 f/1.7 (690g), I think the g9ii would be out-performed by a S5ii with a Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 (470g). For ultrawide, use the kit 20-60 lens. I haven't used any of those lenses though.

18 minutes ago, sgreszcz said:

What does the E-M1ii hack give you? 

You can hack it by installing a firmware to remove the recording limits on UHD. C4k still has some sort of limit. You'll need to look for it on Mu-43.com (I think).

If you go Sony, I'd price out those lenses first. I think most people who switched to Sony now simply can't get out because they invested too much in the lenses. Personally, I heavily prefer L mount- I think it's going places. Also, it's open, not closed.

 Low-light is possible on M43- just buy the 1.7/1.8 primes for dirt cheap. Sony lenses often cost an arm and a leg and they're rather bulky IMO.

What's going on with YouTube? A9 iii has a global shutter and shoots 120fps! Somehow this is going to "revolutionize" and "change everything." Some people have been seriously spiking their cool-aid with whiskey.

Are start-up times and battery drain better on the S5ii after this most recent update?

I think the idea is that Panasonic wants you to just leave it plugged into your computer when it's not being used (with the battery in it). If you do, it charges all the time. However, I'm not actually sure if it'll charge again when it's full and drains more.

3 hours ago, IronFilm said:

You could get your own Sony RX1 these days now for "only" US$650 on eBay.

I would like decent video too. I know; I'm asking too much. Or, am I?

1 hour ago, ac6000cw said:

What's the problem with the viewfinder?

Is the moire mainly producing 'false colour' or just patterning (like the 'jeans' example you posted earlier), and is it an issue in both 1080p and 4k?

Sorry I wasn't clear. I feel like there are more problems with moiré in 1080p than with the GX800. The 4K is fine, except for the crop. The EVF is bad, only due to its optics. The EVF is sharp only in the center; everything else is slightly blurry. I've have many EVFs and the G100 has the worst, including the one in the GX80. I really hope Panasonic ditches the poor EVF.

1 hour ago, ac6000cw said:

I'm actually quite tempted by a used G100...but it's probably just GAS really...🙂

The viewfinder royally sucks- might as well not have it. I also had many moiré problems with it. IBIS is better than what people say with IS in the lens. Colors are wonderful.

IMO, the cameras that are truly small for what they are: 1) GR, 2)A5100, 3)GM1/5. I just want a GR that does video, even better with a zoom and IBIS. It won't happen though. To be really small, it needs to be a POS; although the GM1 + 14mm f/2.5 comes really close.

Ok. I've decided to wait a little longer for the G9 ii. I want to see how things shake out. Also, this camera is so popular that I'm fairly sure demand will be high and I won't even get it till mid November at the earliest... when I'll be heavily into work. I'll just go a little longer with the E-M1 ii and GX800. Other than the slow motion, they fit the bill for me right now. Make no mistake, I really want this camera though. It'll be available soon enough.

11 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

Pound for Pound performance, I’d take the 61mp full frame sensor every single time.

I think this is more about a threshold of "pocketability". Sure, there's not much difference, but it's there. I'm thinking more along the lines of a Ricoh but with video.

16 minutes ago, ac6000cw said:

I agree, but some are better at minimising the impact of it e.g. like the GX85/G95/GX850 you mentioned above. Moire in 1080p is more noticeable on the Oly E-M1 ii & iii than on those, despite having a higher-res sensor (and noticeably soft 1080p video).

The E-m1 ii also has a higher bitrate. The E-M5 ii was catastrophic for moiré. I'd take any of the Panasonic's over the Sony's and Olympus's. Interestingly, the GH2 had a better response to moiré patterns than the GX85/G95/GX850/G100 due to its OLPF, but it still had it (just not at the same frequencies).  Here's a screen shot crop of the type of moiré on my GX800, shot in 50fps. I was making a jack 0'lantern with my daughter. On my jeans, you see the pattern, but all the magenta was removed.

10 minutes ago, ac6000cw said:

So the bad 1080p moire on the A6600 isn't coming from "the moire is present the moment the light is collected on the sensor" (which would show up in stills mode), it's being caused by the way data from the photosites is being collected, sub-sampled and processed. I suspect the image data used for 1080p video on the A6600 is being line/pixel skipped on sensor or as it's read out from the sensor and then de-bayered. The GX85 and G95 1080p is probably pixel-binned on-sensor, so it's better but has some moire, whereas the GH5 generates 1080p by reading the data and de-bayering it at high resolution then resamples it (using super-sampling) down to 1080p.

I've never seen it on the GH5 and GH6, but it'll happen for sure. I even posted it happening on the G9ii which probably uses the same methods in 5.7K.

My understanding of the GX85/G95/GX850 is that don't pixel bin 1080p; rather they average pixels together to make a 1080p image- the results are usually better than pixel binning, but they also have it. With those cameras (especially in 50fps/60fps), the camera is smart enough to recognize it and eliminate the magenta colors that are associated with moiré, making it far less noticeable but still present.

Also, on the DpReview charts, the only camera that I've seen that doesn't do it (on their charts/frequencies) is the OG Sony A7s.

1 hour ago, ac6000cw said:

The older Sony APS-C cameras like the A6500/A6600 are/were terrible for moire in 1080p - this is a DPreview 'video still' test chart comparison of GH5, GX85, G95 and A6600 at 1080p

I'm fairly certain all these cameras will have moiré patterns at some point whether it be 1080p, 4k, or 6k. The only difference is how visible it becomes and if you can recognize it on playback. The worst of patterns can also be controlled by understanding the frequencies with each lens and the fabrics and buildings causing them. This is a huge topic and merits considerable discussion. I still believe AI should/must "correct" it automatically. Many would pay for that.

18 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

I remember it as ‘small sensor cameras full stop’ which was everything sub 4/3rds.

But could be wrong!

59 minutes ago, kye said:

Wasn't that the fixed-lens compact camera market?

That was my recollection.  Maybe I'm mis-remembering it though.  Let's hope not!!

Doesn't anyone think there's a market for FF point and shoots? FF sensors are now cheaper than their M43 counterparts. It would make sense to make a 35-50mm f2 prime with a decent small and light body. I could totally see OMDS making this and it would sell if they get the marketing right... which they won't. Panasonic also could do it. The RX1 would have been a hit if it were cheaper and a little smaller.

On 10/26/2023 at 11:48 PM, ac6000cw said:

According to the specs here https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-mirrorless-cameras/lumix-g-cameras/dc-g9m2.html#specs yes, the G9ii does 120p in both UHD and C4k

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).

4 hours ago, kye said:

I have a strange relationship with the GX85, now that I've gotten sufficiently good at colour grading - I don't feel limited by it.  Of course, if they were to increase the DR, improve low-light performance, add 10-bit, etc etc, then I'd be happy, but I'm not chafing at the bit for those things.

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.

38 minutes ago, j_one said:

With the success of the x100v, I wonder why there hasn't been a large sensor compact refresh from Panny. The LX100 ii was barely an update too, I just don't understand...its one of my favorite cameras.

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.

4 hours ago, kye said:

We all know that smartphones ate the point-and-shoot fixed lens market, but interchangeable lens cameras will always have a huge advantage over smartphones in this regard, so I think there will always be demand of some sort.

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?