When Panasonic launched the original G9 in 2017, it was a powerhouse for still photographers—a Micro Four Thirds beast with speed, resolution, and ergonomics that punched above its weight. Six years later, the G9 Mark II arrives not as an incremental update, but as a radical reinvention. This isn’t just a refresh—it’s a camera that bridges the gap between Panasonic’s photo-centric and video-driven lineages, adopting the DC-S5 II’s phase-detection autofocus while retaining the compact charm of MFT.

General

The Panasonic DMC-GF1 was a groundbreaking mirrorless camera that made a significant impact in the world of photography when it was released. Combining the compactness of a point-and-shoot with the advanced capabilities of a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR), the GF1 was designed to appeal to both amateur photographers and seasoned professionals looking for a lightweight yet powerful camera. With its impressive image quality, interchangeable lens system, and user-friendly controls, the DMC-GF1 offered a versatile solution for capturing stunning images in various weather conditions.

The Nikon Zf is a stunning fusion of iconic retro design and modern mirrorless camera technology, making it a perfect choice for photographers who value both aesthetics and performance. Equipped with a full-frame 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor, the Zf delivers exceptional image quality, while the EXPEED 7 processor ensures speedy performance and precise autofocus. Its timeless design, inspired by Nikon's classic film cameras, is complemented by advanced features such as 4K video recording, in-body image stabilisation, and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder. Whether you're a professional photographer or an enthusiast, the Nikon Zf offers a seamless blend of style and functionality to capture your creative vision.

This was not a planned purchase at all, I just came across it while looking through a well known auction site. It had such a good price on it, no problems with the camera itself and the seller assured me it was in 100% working order. I couldn’t say no.

After my initial setup of the Pen-F I took it out on my normal testing route with the Olympus 14-150 f4.0-5.6 II mounted on it. I also have the original version of this lens and have used it extensively when I've been travelling. I've noticed lately that my original has become de-centered on one side and is quite noticeable when looking closely at the images (this is only on the later hight MP cameras. It works great on the Panasonic GF1 for example). The question was, get it repaired or purchase the second version. After careful consideration I chose the latter.

Well, what a turn-up for the books this camera is. If I remember rightly I recently mentioned these bridge cameras in one of my posts and I briefly thought about purchasing one. I looked at the pricing and they really were too expensive - especially the Sony offerings.

I’m sure we all do it from time to time; just browsing the Internet to see what’s new, what’s on offer, and if there’s any acquisitions to be made, on the cheap that is. Well, I was guilty of this a few weeks back and I came across something I was hoping I was not going to see. An Olympus Pen-F with the 17 f1.8. And it was at a price I just couldn’t say no to. Well I am a bit of an Olympus fanboy. I like their cameras and the images they produce. Some swear by the SOOC jpg but I’ve always been a raw shooter and that’s what I’m going to stick to partly due to the fact that I’m not capable of getting good OOC exposure and I know the look I’m looking for, something I can produce from a raw file but find it extremely difficult in adjusting jpg files.

NOTE: This is an older post but the points in it are still relevant for me today. I still have the equipment and also have an *istDS and a K100Super. The lenses are just superb.

Don't you love it when you rediscover something you really hadn't seen for some time? It's like meeting an old friend you haven't seen in ages. This happened to me when I went through my camera gear as my interest was re-vitalized again after a long break. I came across the Panasonic GX7 and realized it really feels good in my hand. Looking through the viewfinder (which isn't the best) and realized it tilts up 90 degrees, fits nicely into the street photography niche. It is small, unobtrusive and perfect for the small MFT lenses offered by Olympus (I just can't get used to calling them OM Systems) and Panasonic.

Presently there are three iterations of the E-M5 camera. The original E-M5 camera, the E-M5II and the E-M5III. Olympus kept that nice ans easy for us.

I believe I've mentioned that the Panasonic GM5 really got my attention after I took it with me to the south of France last year (as an afterthought). The camera and the lenses made for it are so small and light you really don't realise that you're carrying them around with you.

Having being enchanted by the Fujifilm X-T1 and X-T10, I was really looking forward to purchasing the X-T2 when it came out. Come to think of it I was also looking forward to the Olympus E-M1 II. However, as I realized what the manufacturers were charging for these engineering marvels I sat down and thought it all through again. 

I thought I would update this piece with a couple of images from this camera that has been printed on Alubond at 60cm x 45cms and both are hanging on my wall as I write this. My wife wasn't impressed by my choice and she stated clearly she wouldn't have picked either for printing. That's when sh was seeing the two on the screen. Yes, they didn't look at all impressive when viewed that way but once she saw them printed at that size, she was delighted. Let me tell you something. They look just fine. Actually I wouldn't be able to tell which camera and lens was used. Just goes to prove again that all cameras today can give you great image quality. We're all spoilt for choice. Enjoy.

Known in Germany as the TZ101 and as Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS100/TZ100 elsewhere (which I haven't a clue as to why) was purchased as my pocketable go anywhere daylight camera. The reason for the daylight is because of it's f5.9 aperture at the long end. As many of you know I like to shoot long and I wanted something small with a longish lens. It didn't have be fast at the long end, that would make the camera a lot bigger than it is. I have a special task for this camera in fact and it could be perfect for the job. I just hope it's image quality holds up. From what I have read so far it looks as though it will do the job.

This is supposed to be the little brother of the GX8. I see the GX85 as the big brother of the GX7, a halfway house if you like. If you look at the images below, you can hardly tell the cameras apart, and I have to hold it and look at it to tell the difference. OK, my G85 is brown which makes it easier to tell which is which, but at the bricks and mortar shop both cameras were black and I really couldn’t tell the difference.

This is supposed to be the little brother of the GX8. I see the GX85 as the big brother of the GX7, a halfway house if you like. If you look at the images below, you can hardly tell the cameras apart, and I have to hold it and look at it to tell the difference. OK, my G85 is brown which makes it easier to tell which is which, but at the bricks and mortar shop both cameras were black and I really couldn’t tell the difference.

The Panasonic 12-60 f3.5-5.6 is the kit lens that accompanies the G81 camera. It was either get the camera only or get the kit with the lens for a pittance more. I selected the second option. I’m certain I can sell it on a popular auction portal for a higher price than what I paid for it if need be.It has Power O.I.S. built in so theoretically using this in conjunction with the IBIS of the G81, stability should be pretty good. Not as good as Olympus I think but Panasonic have made some great advances in lately. The G81 also incorporates a new shutter mechanism to combat shutter shock which has plagued previous Panasonic cameras.This post is meant as an initial look at the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60 f3.5-5.6 as well as the new G81 camera (known elsewhere as the G85). The camera still retails presently for €450 body only. If bought separately the lens  would have cost €450. Buying the package which I did (camera + lens), I got a really good deal. This lens can no longer be bought in Germany, only on a popular auction site where it will cost you around €250.

Since this article was first posted I have purchased the X-S20 which has a slightly different approach to it's design and is a much better camera than the X-T10. Not a big surprise there as the X-T10 was brought onto the market in 2015, the X-S20 is 2023. That's 8 years of technology development to bring into new cameras.

Panasonic G1. Lens not recorded.

UPDATE: Since I originally published this post I have updated both of the below mentioned cameras to the X-T5 and the X-S10. This doesn't mean that the former cameras are rubbish and the image quality is bad, it's just that everything evolvs and the newer cameras offer a little more than the previous models. 

Some time ago I bought a fountain pen because I like writing with a fountain pen (pretty old fashioned eh?). But like everything else you have to like something to keep using it, and use it well. Because I didn't really connect with the first pen I bought, I bought another one. That was ok too but I felt there was a pen out there just waiting to be bought that would suit me to the ground. Finally I found one that felt good in the hand and allowed me to write a little better, or so I thought. I paid a lot for that last pen and all the other pens I bought are now somewhere in a drawer, hidden away and not being used. That last pen cost as much as all the other pens together. Do you think I learned my lesson? Not likely. I did exactly the same thing when I picked up photography again after many years and a tripod is a must. I think everyone goes through this phase until at some point it clicks.

The reason for my purchase of the Sony Alpha Axx cameras when they first came out was to have an FF sensor (a very good sensor) in a small and light package. Since my first purchase I must admit that GAS got the better of me and now I have a few of these little marvels. Each has it's own use and I use certain lenses on certain cameras. The A7r is a marvel but it is LOUD and has a few problems, but the images it turns out are simply superb. I know now that the A7rII will be purchased at some point down the road, but not at it's present price point. Just too expensive. The A7s is the best for low light but I have no intention of purchasing the A7sII. The A7II has IBIS and I use all my older manual lenses on it. It doesn't help everyone I know, but it does help me get sharper images. One other Sony I did acquire however was the RX1. I got it at a great price and couldn't pass it up. That fixed 35 f2 lens is from my favourite lens produces, Zeiss, and it shows. If ever you get a chance to try one out, try it. You'll be amazed at the files. It's not fast and the battery capacity is a joke but I just carry more batteries. It's not like they're big and heavy. The Rx1rII is out there now and it does everything better and faster, but lets face it, I'm not made of money so that camera will stay with Sony. I'm quite happy with the files from my original RX1.

This is just a general note on the m43 equipment I use and a few thoughts on how that could change. The more I use the Panasonic GX7 the more I like it. I can see why some people would find it too small but it fits my hands perfectly, which tells you something about the size of my hands. The Panasonic 7-14 f4 ( while having some problems with flare) has really surprised me by how good it is. I think I must try this lens on the GX85 which is the successor to the GX7 to see if there is a difference if at all. I doubt it but you have to try it out to find out. The ergonomics might be better but you never know.

Fanboy...ism

I have now used the Olympus E-M1 and E-M5 II extensively for four solid days. One complaint I have is battery consumption. I don't believe it's down to the cameras but to the third party batteries I've purchased. I haven't bought any Olympus original batteries because I had such good experience with the older type batteries used in their older models. I am now possibly regretting my decision to go the same route with these new batteries. Quality doesn't seem to be quite up the old standard. Some of these batteries seem to die after only about 30 images; some I couldn't even insert into the E-M5 II because they've expanded (possibkly a sign that they'll eplode if I keep using them). These batteries can be disposed of immediately because they will not hold a charge. I think I will have to change my strategy on battery purchases, especially when it comes to these Olympus third party ones.

After going through all of my images from my Loire Valley trip (and deleting some 90% of the images), I have come to the conclusion that a couple of things have to change. I always tend to do this type of thing, it's the only way you're going to find out what works, what doesn't and what you have to change. I normally don't like a post-mortem, but this is exactly what I am doing here.

My Fuji system is small and light with superb the XF lenses and the cameras themselves are a joy to use. They have a plethora of small light and quite bright prime lenses and they really shine. However, I think quite a few photographers like to use zoom lenses because they are more practical than prime lenses. It's not always possible to zoom with your feet.

For those of us that like using manual focus lenses, I'm sure that we all have our favourites that we always grab on the way out the door. I have a few so I thought I would mention them here. Maybe I can get a few tips on what you like, and maybe, just maybe, you can recommend one that I haven't tried and turns out to be a gem.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one lens from the Olympus stable right now you have two choices. The first one is the 12-100 f4 which has been out for a couple of years, and now you have the 12-200 f3.5-6.3 although the latter is a little slow at the long end.

After my recent post about small, light lenses I decided to go back and look for images that were taken with the Panasonic GX7 which started all my thought process about the GX series from Panasonic.

Having just tested the Olympus 14-42 f3.5-5.6 EZ I was expecting the same sort of performance from this lens. Lets just look at these two for a minute; both are 14-42mm, both are f3.5-5.6 and both have a power zoom (or electronic zoom). Lets see the specs for the lens:

This lens (or my copy) can't be described as Olympus' greatest achievement. I think this was the kit lens with one of the earliest EM model cameras. Forgot which but it doesn't really matter. Olympus 12-50 f3.5-6.3 EZ (24-100 35mm equivalent).

Nice and compact, very light and allows you to put this, attached to an Olympus E-M10 or E-M10 II, in your jacket pocket. All the lens has on the outside is the zoom ring, and that is it.

The Olympus E-PL1 was the first interchangeable lens camera that I really enjoyed using. It also impressed me with what was possible in this strange world I had stumbled into. My first "real" digital camera was the Canon 300D but that had some major drawbacks at the time. For me the E-PL1 had it all. I purchased the 14-150 f4-5.6 with the camera and I was thrilled with the performance and image quality. The colour was much better than the Canon to my eyes, and I still think that today. Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking Canon I just prefer the Olympus colours.

Every manufacturer bring their cameras to market with astandard (normally sub-par) kit lens. Normally I discard these as “not-up-to-my-standard” and they end up in a corner somewhere. The only reason I get some of these lenses is when I can’t find a body only offer. However, sometimes these lenses surprise me with their image quality. Some of them are not to be discarded as I stated above; “sub-par”.

What a beautiful little lens. Comes with a hood and a rubber capto cover the front element that doesn’t come off when you take it out of your bag. This lens just smells of Leica.

I like using prime lenses but really don't produce any good images when I do use them. I tend to have telescopic vision when I view the world so small wide primes have been a disappointment to me. The lenses are fantastic, it's me that's causing problems. Because of this I haven't really been using prime lenses lately but one Youtube channel in particular has insired me to get out and use them again. He reminded me that to be proficient at anything in life you have to train and then train some more. So I'll have to get out and teach my eye on how to use these lenses, and I don't mean wide vistas etc. These will be more cityscapes (street photography) and detail images more than anything. I really do believe that when the eye starts "seeing" with these lenses I will enjoy these small primes again. He also uses the Olympus MFT system with the 17mm and 25mm lenses, giving a focal length of 35mm and 50mm full frame equivalent. So I have both the cameras and lenses and I will be going into town in the next few days to start this new project. I just need to remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Small and very light weighing in at a mere 55g it packs a bigger punch than it's reputation. Just my opinion of course. It's actually so small it looks out of place on the bigger MFT bodies. It's a 28mm equivalent on FF so it might not suit everybody as it's a little wide. However, mount it on one of the smaller bodies like a GM1 or GM5 and you have a perfect carry everywhere system.

After the purchase of the Samyang 135mm f2 lens, and being very impressed by the image quality I decided to acquire the Samyang 100mm f2.8 Macro also in the E-mount version (I know I've said it before but I'll say it again anyway, there's no way I'm going to pay Sony the prices they're asking for their newer lenses). I did look at the Zeiss equivalent but I had to pick myself up off the floor when I saw the price of that one too. They may be excellent lenses but I'm just an amateur at this and I can't justify the asking price.

Over the years I have accumulated a number of manual focus lenses from Olympus, Nikon, Minolta, Zeiss, Canon among others. All of these lenses have been tested (read used) on APS-C and M4/3 cameras with good results for most of them. Those lenses that didn't pass the test on those cameras have no chance of passing on a full frame camera for the simple reason that the sensor uses the sweet spot of those lenses. I.e. Only the centre part of the lens is used because of the crop sensor. The corners don't play a part and this is where the lenses usually show their weaknesses. Those lenses that didn't come out as very good or excellent have been relegated to a box in the corner of my little office, or have been sold. 

Weight: 854gSize: 144mm x 84mmAperture: f4.5-5.6 - f22-f29MFD: 90mmFilter: 72Price: €950

Panasonic 8-18 f2.8-4.0Weight: 315gSize: 88mm x 73mmAperture: f2.8 - f22MFD: 23cm

Just like with all of my other systems I like a single lens that covers most of my shooting focal length needs when out on a walk and I don't know what to expect at my destination. I would have bought an FF lens for my A7x cameras but I couldn't really find one except the 24-240. The problem with that lens is it's heavy may spoil my walk. So I found one of these 18-105 f4 lenses for a good price and I just couldn't pass it up. I could use it on my FF cameras in crop mode but that's defeating the point of FF cameras in my eyes. Having said that I might try it out next time as my results on the Nex-7 were rather a mixed bag. This is the reason I'm thinking that an update is required for my Sony APS-C bodies. I really believe this will perform better on the A6000 or A6300 bodies.

One of my first post was about using 135mm legacy lenses on mirrorless systems. Since then I've acquired another 135mm lens but not one that can be adapted to all systems. The original post was about legacy lenses easily adapted to modern digital mirrorless systems via a cheap dumb adapter.

Not having the will power to say no to such things, I went ahead and purchased the Olympus 12-100 f4 lens. After looking closely at my use of lenses I came to the conclusion most of my images were taken between 12mm and 200mm and not really being a lover lens changes, the 12-100 f4 would be my ideal “travel” lens.

Sometimes, just sometimes you purchase a new piece of equipment and you just fall in love with it. This is the experience I had after purchasing the Zeiss Tessar 85 f4 lens. It's just a wonderful piece of engineering. It's actually quite compact at 95mm with a diameter of 54mm but I class it as being quite hefty weighing in at 310g. As a matter of fact I wanted to know what a whole package would weigh (i.e. Camera and lens). Having used this on different systems I weighed the lens on them and I got the following results:

Brought onto the market by Panasonic in 2007, this lens was my permanent buddy on one of my 4/3 Panasonic L1 bodies. It always went with me on my holidays and it has seen a lot of action over the years.

An earlier post I did was about "Lens GAS" and all the excellent lenses I would dearly love to own but can't justify. Well, lets see what excellent lenses I do own and can highly recommend.

I'm sure you've all heard the term GAS before. It's very common in photographers who think that the next piece of new kit is going to improve their photography. Of course it doesn't but there's no point preaching to them, because they just want new toys to play with. I'm not sure if Gear Acquisition Syndrome is only symptomatic to photographers, but I'm assuming it isn't.

Having a preference for the 50mm lens, it stands to reason I own a lot of lenses in this focal length. A lot of photographers find the focal length boring, preferring the 35mm view. Not me though, I prefer the 50mm.