Testing the Lumix G9II on the Most Hated Bird in the World
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- čas přidán 21. 01. 2024
- I have an exciting challenge in store for the Lumix G9II camera. I’m going to put the Lumix G9II to the ultimate test by capturing the most hated bird in action. But why photograph the most hated bird, you may ask?
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Marlene Hielema
Calgary, AB Canada
** All video and audio content created by myself and or used with permission from the creator.
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Disclaimer: Some of these links go to my website and some are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. - Jak na to + styl
The pigeons that I have in my back yard are the mourning doves and the (slightly larger) white wing doves. I've been able to take some really good still shots of them with my G9 and 100-400mm. But that is when they are sitting on the rock wall. The sharpness you are getting with the birds in flight truly is mind-blowing! Actually, how well you keep them in the frame while flying is mind-blowing! Thanks for the tutorial!!
Keeping them in the frame definitely took a lot of practice! I’m very impressed with the sharpness I’m getting with this camera. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers.
Thank you so much Marlene, really appreciate your thorough explanations and helpful demonstrations of the settings. Your shots are fantastic! Beautiful BIF shots, lovely sharp feather details. As you say, if you can photograph pigeons, you can shoot anything, they're great practice subjects. Pigeons don't really deserve their "hated" label. They were used during WWI and WWII as military messengers, 32 pigeons even won the PDSA Dickin medal (known as the animal's Victoria Cross) for their valiant service. As technology progressed, they were used as aerial photographers - with miniature cameras secured by a harness and activated by a timing mechanism. Pigeons and photography are an amazing historical combination!
So true Kitty! Thanks for sharing all of that! As I said in the video, I've grown to appreciate their diversity and beauty. And mostly I'm referring to the "city dwelling" pigeons that have a bad reputation and of course to get people's attention enough to watch the video. Cheers!
Thank you very Marlene! This is very helpful 🙂 I really appreciate you showing the drive mode dial along the way as well as the settings, and your preferred quick menu.
Glad to hear it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
I love your sense of humour Marlene! Thanks so much for your videos on the G9II .. can't wait until when I can get it because my G9 is wonderful and I can see from your videos the G9II is going to be even more amazing!
Haha, glad that someone noticed that ;)
This camera really is a notch above, especially for birding. I'm loving it. Thanks for stopping by!
Loved the ‘flocks’ in flight photos especially! Plus; nice little red cabin in the background of your studio. This reminded me of the original g9 (and g100) videos….so outstanding!
Glad you enjoyed it Gordon! I have a wall full of "small" original art pieces that I've been collecting over the past 20 years. They're all about 12" x 12".
Great shots!!!
Thanks a lot!
Thank you 🙏
My new G92 came last week and the 100 and 400 is coming today. I actually did some pigeons on Saturday and used my Oly 45-150
Sadly, there’s heavy rain in Dallas Fort Worth this week so who knows when my new lens will get used. I’ve been using your channel for a lot of tips on my Lumix cameras after being with Canon for over 40 years
How exciting. New gear is always fun to test out. Yes, it's hard to shoot in the often dull winter months. It took me several weeks to get the photos for this video! I would have liked to have even more variety but at some point I had to hit "publish".
I'm an old Canon user for many many years too. Switched to Lumix M4/3 about 11 years ago. No regrets.
ooh, you're in the path of the upcoming total solar eclipse too (I'm down in Austin). If it sounds fun, but you don't already have a solar filter, you might want to go grab one now. I got one of the cardboard ones from B&H and practiced at the annular eclipse last Oct and it seems fine. Either way, I hope you get to have fun with your new camera 🙂
did we have one this summer of sorts? I was at a soccer field using cardboard glasses and it was magic ! @@I4get42
When you go into the video settings, you will find video modes, that also can do 120p in 4k, 240p and 300p in Full HD. The advantage of not going in the S&Q is, that then sound is being recorded as well, which is not the case in the S&Q mode.
Yes others have mentioned this. Thanks. I'll give it a try next time.
Great video Marlene. Some pictures were great. The other day at my office there was a guy posting a snap he did by chance with his smartphone of a bird in flight. Indeed, It was a good pictures by smartphones standards. Maybe I should tell me he could try his luck on pigeons with the Lumix G9 II :)
People don't realize how crappy cell phone photography is, until they use a real camera. Thanks for watching. I'm glad you liked some of the photos.
As always thanks for the helpful videos, great photos of the pigeons, we have loads of wood pigeons near by, there like armoured tanks strutting their stuff on the ground. Gloomy conditions today so will venture out in better light. Regarding the quick menu and how to set it up, possibly a future video? 👍📸
Glad you enjoyed it. I showed how to set up the quick menu in my first video on the G9II. Here's the link: czcams.com/video/s4pVSA1QOuc/video.htmlsi=_3MncsQdO1_w6UvL
Of course you did go over the quick menu I watched the vid, just another senior moment…… thanks for the link I will watch again!☺️
Good video on BIF with a challenging bird. Just received a G9ii and compared to G9 it is great but miss focus stacking and the 2X digital zoom which is great for getting shots you normally could not get.
I've heard from others who miss Focus Stacking. I guess you'll have to keep the G9 or do your stacking in Photoshop. As for the digital zoom, I think with a well exposed and crisply focussed image, you should be able to crop. There are also software tools for that - Topaz Photo Ai for one! Enjoy your new camera!
You're making it really hard to resist the G9ii. The long wait for Lumix PDAF and my need for an all around safari camera with PDAF led me away from my G9 to the Sony RX10iv. As I look at the G9ii, it now has so many of the features I found in the Sony RX10iv and so much more. Now, if Lumix would come up with an 24-600mm f4 lens to go with the G9ii, I might finally have the "perfect" camera!🙂 It's great to see you take on a new challenge and share the journey with us to follow!🙏👍
Hi Jason, Yes it's a grand camera indeed! I'll be sad to give it back in a few weeks. A friend of mine got that same Sony and loves it. Pricey for a bridge camera though! She was a former Lumix bridge camera user. Her FZ1000 let her down. If you get the G9II and a long lens, you're adding a lot of weight and baggage. Or you could get the OM-1 MK2 with the newly announced 150-600mm or just that lens! Honestly, I'd personally rather travel light. I'm doing this just for fun.
@@ImageMaven I've noticed that the force of gravity increases with age. That's why my kit keeps getting lighter.😉 All the heavy gear and glass has gone. Replaced with the Sony rx10 and tiny ZV-1 for travel, and my new to me Lumix GX8 with a bag full of primes.🙂 We've all benefited from your teaching, insight and heart. Look forward to following your journey!👍
Check out the Pana 14-140 lens. When I left my FZ150 (24-600) and chose GH5/GX8 over the 1" bridge cameras, I worried about not having that long zoom range. I managed to get most of the range covered in my lens choice (through hot ebay offers) and eventually even got a 100-300. But I find my most fun Panasonic lens is the 14-140. Even though it's not as fast or sparkly as my 12-35 & 35-100 2.8, Ive found that the 28-280 range is just a joy and the lens produces excellent clear images. Ive got a screw on doubler but I rarely use it. This used to be a kit lens option on certain cameras like GH4 so it can often be found for a great price on the used market. And it works with Dual I.S. stabilization, so even without PDAF I get pretty clear shots handheld of any subject.
@@stever1514 Thanks for adding all of this for me and @lumixographer2185
@@stever1514 Good advice which I've followed. My GX8 has the 14-140 and 100-300mm zooms, along with a batch of primes (7.5, 14, 20, 42.5). Simplifying is never as easy as it seems!😄 Now the hard part is deciding which kit to take on the next trip (Lumix GX8 & ZS100 or Sony RX10IV & EV1). 🙂
Great to see, a much overlooked bird, as you say some beautiful colouring in bright light. Good practice too for when you see something rarer/more interesting. I too am blown away by the tracking on the G9ii, it’s amazing. Works well on birds, otters and as I found yesterday my Stepdaughter playing rugby.
Re S&Q, thank you for demonstrating, I’ve used it a few times now 120fps on FHD 29.9, it’s ace. One thing I do find a little frustrating is if I set 120/29.9 on the S&Q dial, the FHD 29.9 changes whatever I had set to the Custom movie dial, surely they should be independent? My local camera store had a LUMIX Rep in and he said no, change one and it changes the other 🤷🏻♀️. I’d hoped the S&Q could stay as I’d set it and my Custom movie mode would stay on 4K 50p, but apparently not 😢
I’m definitely very pleased with G9ii, as you say better in good light, but rugby match yesterday was horrible grey and 50mph winds, but the LUMIX did great 👌
Hi Sue, Yes it can be a bit tricky to use S&Q. So much going on in the background with video codecs. Changing one thing affects other settings. So there are definitely limitations, and I do not profess to understand it all.
I'm happy to hear you thought the G9II did a great job in lower light too. And people are bigger than birds so that probably helped with the focus. I'm photographing indoor volleyball in a few days. Hopefully there is enough light to freeze the action. I'll pull out my 35-100mm f2.8 for that - a lens I rarely use. Always great to hear from you!
@@ImageMaven good luck with the volleyball 👍. I just remembered another question for you…when panning do you switch off the stabilisation?
Brilliant! You may have established a new test for cameras, the pigeon test. Like the brick wall test, (for sharpness), the pigeon test offers a continuously challenging test environment.
The pigeon test! Love it!
Very interesting as usual. When you had a little more time with the camera it would be interesting to hear your pros and cons for the Mark 2. Right now it seems like the "pros" would suggest a bright future for the Mark 2.
Yes, with me it definitely has a bright future! This is a loaner for a couple of months, but I might have to buy one when the prices drop a bit.
Excellent. J'adore votre humour so british
Thank you Marlene. This was a great CZcams for me. My Panasonic 100-400 is arriving today. I have the g9ii. I'm poised to go to the Oregon Harney Co. Bird Festival in April. I've been there before and there are plenty of birds. I had to scroll through the transcript and rewatch your video a few times to get all of the settings you have. I don't think you mentioned the lens which would different settings. I believe it was the 100-400. I wrote it all down. I like when you explain the settings on the camera that you show what it looks like. Unfortunately in a lot of CZcams instructional videos, people just skip around. The Panasonc G9ii PDF documentation is horrible to scroll through as it is not hyperlinked. It is really hard to find anything. I plan to take the lens out around my neighborhood to the very unchallenging but beautiful and interesting "turkey brothers". We're infested with them and this time of year where I live in Southern Oregon they're looking for love.
That sounds like a wonderful birding festival to attend. Yes, for these pigeons I used the 100-400mm (original version). I use that for 95% of my bird photos. My version of the pdf owner's manual is actually hyperlinked. Maybe double check that! I got mine from the Panasonic website. (Link in video description.) Makes it easy to jump around. But I agree, camera manuals are typically poorly written and don't teach they just go over specs... and that's why I have so much content for my CZcams channel! ;)
This video may also help with general bird photography settings for Lumix G9 and many other cameras. czcams.com/video/u_lW3G_w-AQ/video.html
100-400 is a great lens for birds. That thing is on my main camera probably 99% of the time, as I do mostly wildlife photography. When I'm out and about I'll often carry a smaller body m43 camera with a 20mm or 25mm prime, or occasionally a 12-35 zoom, for other nature shots or whatever, rather than swap lenses in the field.
@@fakecubed Yes, it's on my camera most of the time too. And I carry the G100 with a prime too. Seems we are kindred camera users.
You can also put the Super High 20 or Super High 60 or even Pre-Burst on Burst 1. Just scroll up and then they will appear there. The H,M,L is mechanical shutter, so you have black outs in the viewer.
Great video featuring pigeon photography even as you say they are the most hated of birds. I found a couple of the pictures to be actually spellbinding. I think I have watched all your videos on the G9 ii, as well as the G9. I'm considering upgrading from my G9 to the G9 ii and I'm curious about your experience in one regard: how much better is the autofocus speed and precision-wise on the G9 ii as compared to the G9? Would appreciate knowing your thoughts.
Focus is a lot better for birding! Like sooo good. Keep in mind I've mostly used it for birding so far, so can't really comment on the rest. But the original G9 was great for everything else, so I expect this camera won't disappoint. I'm shooting indoor volleyball on the weekend. I think that will be a good test of my skills as well as the camera focus! I'm just worried about the indoor lighting and if there is enough of it to freeze the action. I'll have to use my fast lens for that. Hopefully I'll get enough testing done to make a video about it.
Great captures! The orange and grey shot made my heart stop.
Thanks for taking a look!
Hi Marlene, another great explanation of how to use the G9II to its best advantage.
I understand that you are a regular user of JPEG and RAW, I'm struggling with the latter.
RAW files work fine with my G9 MK 1 on a PC with Luminar AI, but the G9MKII RAW files will not open properly ....Have I missed something? Hope you have a few minutes to make a comment. Thanks very much
What do you mean by "properly"? Sounds like have to update Luminar as the G9II camera profiles likely aren't in the version you're using. Sometimes that takes a few weeks/months with all software - not just Luminar.
How clever!!!
Marlene. 5hank you so much for your G9 andG9II videos. I have learned so much from you. However, I'm really stuck. I cannot figure out how to steer the focus point arou d the frame with the joy stick and then reset to center by pushing the center button. My G9 joystick came programed this way right out of the box. Any chance you could do a video on this. Gratefully, Steve
If all else fails, crack open that camera manual. Search "joystick" in the pdf owner's manual. I got 58 hits with joystick, many with AF instructions using the joystick. Hope that helps! (because I don't know if I'll make a video on the topic in a timely manner.)
Jup this camera is awesome for flying birds, especially in 4k 120fps slowmotion.
Yes! I need to do more slow motion. Love the vibe it creates.
Thanks for this video because I’m interested in purchasing this camera body for video 4K 120fps. Is this mode only compatible with native lenses or any m4t will work? And how was your hit rate on video tracking using what drive mode. Thanks
Hmm I'm not a video expert but seems to me that most videographers using Lumix prefer the Lumix GH6 for their work. And they can probably answer your questions better.
did you ever try the g9ii with the 100-300? also pigeons here seem to be in the amber for conservation in the UK for some reason and i havent exactly learned why, but ive got some pigeon photos before. the colours of them when quite close seem to be pretty despite the nature of them.
I haven't used my 100-300mm on it yet, but I should! Funny how I never use that lens anymore since getting the 100-400mm. By Amber, do you mean the pigeons are at risk? Maybe it's a special sub species of pigeons? We all know what happened with the Carrier Pigeons!
@@ImageMaven i really need to look into it but it could be of diseases and use of pesticides and some fertilisers being toxic to birds. its the common wood pigeon, ones that descended from the rock doves.
Hello. Could you please help with some advice? My plans are to start looking for a lens for photographing animals and birds in the near future, and I have two options: 100-400 or 200 f2.8. Which do you think is better? I have G9 and 100-300 1 version.
Not sure what you mean by "better". That depends on your specific needs. If you want more reach, then get the 100-400mm. If you want more speed, get the faster 200mm with the TC. The 200mm costs a lot more too. So your budget many determine what you get.
To be fair, Marlene, we should only go out on sunny days 😂 great video 👍 thank you.
Haha. Yes, but who can resist the lure of the birds on any day! Today it's overcast and yes, I'm going out birding. Silly me. Can't stop. Won't stop.
@ImageMaven Great Marlene, I thought you would. I look forward to your lovely images.
Did you have any issues with the buffer when shooting high speed burst? Did the mk2 version have a bigger buffer or clear the buffer faster than the original?
I didn't notice, but for these I shot jpgs. And I didn't use the 60 or 75 fps very often. The raw files on this camera are huge - some over 45MB, so I expect that would slow the buffer down considerably. As for the G9 I never experienced a buffer slowdown. But again I'm a 99% jpg shooter, especially using high burst rates when birding.
thanks for the video, but what settings did you use for AFC ? Imp1/2/3/4.?
I left it on the default - Set 1.
@@ImageMaven thanks I set 1 too for many situations, with other setting AF became more nervous
I think Set 1 is a pretty good overall AFC setting. With the G9II it works very good. If I change it, I'm always afraid I'll forget to change it back.
As a Sony user I have been looking at various m/43 cameras for lightness. This camera and the OM1 seem to offer pretty well all the funtions but I find the lenses either mega expensive (top ones) or poor in quality of image average ones. The only real fix for this is the Olympus 300mm f4 which seems to be the best bang for buck...but I shoot a lot of birds mainly and chasing them with a fixed focus of full frame equivalent of 600mm is pretty difficult to fill the frame! Having tried both manufacturers 100-400mm lenses they leave a lot to think on. The Oly was pretty poor on IS the Pano 100-400mm mk1 too soft at 400mm. Does this new 100-400mm make a lot of difference. I tried it in a shop in video and it still played catch up when panning! I wondered if this was wrong settings.. Your thoughts aprreciated...I use Pigeons regulary to test gear and they are the best as are Seagulls. Keep up your detailed work. regards.
Indeed, pigeons make great test subjects. Haven't used the new 100-400mm MkII. But, I find the original Pano 100-400mm that I own to be very good, especially in good light using low ISO. Focus is extremely responsive with the G9II as well. I'm getting good hit rate. I love the combo for birding.
I’ve photographed pigeons, and in the right light their feathers are iridescent. Beautiful color…
Seagulls are my favourite test subjects at home. The pidgins here are staying in the urban area's in dense areas and are staying mostly on the ground or waiting on buildings. Seagulls are more on the move and in the parks they fight over food all the time.
Do you perhaps know what would be the best way to contact Lumix for firmware upgrade inquiries? I really hope they can make switching between the different custom modes in C3 easier. A dedicated button or the an option in the Q menu would save a lot of time.
You should drop into the weekly Lumix USA live stream. Sean does a great job of answering questions. youtube.com/@LumixUSA?si=j-_wgVIJ7BYVQ1pw
Check out @lumixusa
Excellent autofocus, nothing to say. That little bit of "softness" in the images is the fault of the 100-400. When the animal is far away the photo is "softer" while if the animal fills the frame, you get more sharpness. I'm hoping Lumix will produce a new 200mm f2.8 or a 300 f4. It's time for new super-telephoto lenses to make the new G9ii work at its best.
There is a new 100-400mm Mk2 lens that was released around the same time as the G9II. Hopefully I'll get to test it out some day too.
@@ImageMaven I don't think the new 100-400 ii has a different optical scheme from the first version, so I assume that the performance is the same (I think it's a version 1 with the possibility of mounting the multiplier on it). And anyway, this lens is not enough. Prime telelens are needed like old 200mm f2.8
Marlene have you seen the comedy "The Producers" the original, with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel? There is a hysterically funny bit about pigeons. Jack
I’ll look for it. I do love those actors. Thanks Jack!
Which lens use in this vdo 100-400mm old or mark2?
Old one. Can’t afford the Mk2 yet! 😂
@@ImageMaven can you share your view on this combination performance vs old g9 ? Or make vdo that you face any issue on old combinations 100-400+g9 vs 100-400+g9m2.
Seems that we have our cameras to roughly the same Burst settings. When I started using Pre-Burst I had it set to the max. However after an hour shooting, pigeons, tits, squirrels and robins I came home with over 3k of images to trawl through. I reduced the Pre-Burst quite considerably after that learning curve.
As for filming, I don't use the S&Q mode at all. One main reason is that it does not record sound.
I know that you are not a big fan of filming, however may I suggest to get good "slow motion" filming that you consider a shutter speed double your frame rate. This will give a more fluid capture of motion with pleasing motion blur even at 120 frames per second.
It can get tricky trying to remember the idea of having your exposure double your frame rate when you try different slow motion speeds. However you can set the G9m2 to do all this automatically for you so that you don't have to scratch your brain thinking or forgetting to do this while out and about filming. Its a setting called "Shutter Angle" and the magic number to remember is 180. This is the 180 degree shutter rule that gets good aesthetically pleasing motion blur that we have all become trained/accustomed to while watching TV and films since the dawn of filming.
I sincerely haven't taught you how to suck eggs or Mansplain something that you already knew about.
Thank you so much Frank. Very helpful indeed! I've heard about shutter angle, but honestly didn't pay attention as I didn't have a camera that had that setting before. I learn so much from people who watch my videos and send me lovely comments, like you do! Cheers. (And, you're not mansplaining!)
@@ImageMaven So glad to hear that I'm not doing that mansplaining. I'd feel terrible. The Shutter Angle rule is just that. To keep things simple just have your shutter speed double your frame rate. Panasonic just has a feature that takes all the guesswork/maths out of it with a Shutter Angle setting. It would have made your pigeon wings move fluidly at the beginning of your episode.
The only problem filming with your shutter speed double your frame rate, is when you go outside and Mr Sunshine is doing his thing making the world all bright and shiny. You are then limited by how much light you can expose your image. You can't use a frame rate, or shutter speed because they are locked in to the 180 degree rule. You could use ISO but at some point you can't go any lower. You could use your Aperture, because at some point you hit the minimum Aperture of your lens.
But you still have too much light hitting your sensor and over exposing your subject. And this is where you need to consider making the subject darker by using Neutral Density filters. When you go out in bright sunlight, you either squint till your pupils shrink small enough or you put on sunglasses. The Neutral Density filters act like sunglasses and make what you are filming dark enough to work with such a high shutter speed and frame rate as you are forced to use with the 180 degree rule.
For me, ND filters were the best investment I ever made with learning how to film stuff outside. And you don't need many of them. In fact you only need one or two at the most.
You can buy two ND filters at "3 stops" and "6 stops" for every single lighting condition that you find yourself in, from sunrise to sunset and everything in between. The only problem being that you would have to remove a filter as the lighting changed. Its a slow process but if you are not doing "Running and Gunning" is a good option. Or you could get a Variable ND filter that goes from "3 stops" to "6 stops" at the turn of a dial. They are basically two polarising filters slapped on top of each-other. No need to take off and speeds up filming.
As with all things, buy cheap pay twice. If you go down the road of ND filters get some with no colour cast in them. Back in the edit room, you'll thank me because you won't have to spend hours making all your footage look the same for that polished look.
Now that you have a Powerhouse of a professional filming camera I thoroughly recommend that you get some ND filters, they will greatly improve your images and production quality. And all for just two little bits of glass.
@@ImageMaven We recently got a new Skate Park near us, so I went out to play filming the local "Yoof" do their thing in slow motion on my GH6 camera. I'm no expert and the skaters, bikers and scooter chaps and chapesse's are probably not up to the standard that you are able to get where you live however I hope that the episode shows what a couple of ND filters can do with slow motion footage.
The episode is called "Blackpool Skate Park - Selection of best tricks".
I'd be honoured if you took a look.
I can't find any reference to Shutter Angle in the G9II menus, or in the owner's manual. So I'm thinking I'll have to do this the manual way. I do own a variable ND filter and a Polarizer too. In fact I made a video about them way back! I'll ask some experts on the G9II if they have any advice. Cheers!
@@ImageMavenYou’ll find it on page 407. Angle/ISO. It’s terrible that such an important feature of the Panasonic cameras gets a couple of lines in a massive manual.
Once you have it set up, make sure that you keep checking when filming because it’s easy to accidentally adjust the Shutter Angle when you think you are adjusting your aperture.
It’s not the end of the world. Adjusting the shutter angle is just another way of saying that you are adjusting your shutter speed.
The smaller the angle, the more choppy fast moving footage. The bigger the angle the more blurry moving footage will appear.
ND filters allow you to have f2.8 in broad daylight giving good separation between the subject and the background, if that is what your after, just like stills photography.
Amazing, thanks !! Have you seen "Bellas Vistas" channel yet? A gent from Canada with same great passion for bird photography with M4/3 like you :)
I will check it out. Thanks for watching!