Panasonic GX9 ... impulse buy

[Godfrey]

I haven't seen this camera talked about here very much...

In a moment of weakness, I saw the Panasonic GX9 body and thought, "Sheesh! That looks like a renovated, miniaturized, current version of my favorite old Panasonic L1 DSLR from 2006. And I have a whole bunch of lenses to use on Micro-FourThirds cameras...!" And then I found one, new body only for $500. Couldn't resist...

Panasonic GX9, black, body-only
Olympus Body Cap Lenses: 15mm f/8 & 9mm Fisheye f/8​

I had the lenses already. The GX9 with the 15/8 body cap lens is just perfect for snapping about, light and compact for bicycle carry, etc.

So the other day, I fitted it with a Nikon F to m43 adapter, and fitted my cheap and crappy old Sigma 600mm f/8 mirror lens to the camera. A quick snap across the living room ... and then across to the Methodist Church across the street ...

Cool little camera, lots of fun.

G

 

[bensonga]

Congrats Godfrey! I don't know much about the GX9, but my pair of GX8s are certainly a few of my favorite cameras. I love the compact size, having the tilt up EVF and also the IBIS when I mount a Leica R lens on the GX8. As you said...the cameras are so small and portable. I often take a GX8 on my bicycle rides too.

Gary

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks Gary!

I have a bunch of Leica lenses and, of course, I have the Novoflex mount adapters to fit Leica R and M lenses to the GX9. I was closing up the house the other night, the Moon was a day or so past full and beginning to wane, and as I looked up, I noticed that the dust in the air had subsided enough that I might get a decent Moon shot...

Waning Moon - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Elmar-R 180mm f/4 + 2x Extender-R
ISO 200 @ f/8 @ 1/13 sec​

Not too bad, considering the air.

enjoy,
G

 

[Godfrey]

Had lunch with one of my old friends from Apple today, and I carried the GX9+Olympus Body Cap Lens 9mm FishEye. As usual, we discussed cameras, he showed me the lovely little Retina I he's been playing with, and I shot him with the GX9. It's amazing how good this lens is!

​

 

[raist3d]

The GX9 is a pretty good Camera. The only drawback I found is the rear wheel started to get jumpy/"stuttere y" on me within months making for an annoying experience.

The sensor is good and the DR window characterization is also good - unlike say the GM5 which tends to clip more often. I also like the shutter sound, it's reasonably quiet for what it is. The AF in lower light starts to become a hair more imprecise, but not unusable.

 

[Godfrey]

The GX9 is a pretty good Camera. The only drawback I found is the rear wheel started to get jumpy/"stuttere y" on me within months making for an annoying experience.

The sensor is good and the DR window characterization is also good - unlike say the GM5 which tends to clip more often. I also like the shutter sound, it's reasonably quiet for what it is. The AF in lower light starts to become a hair more imprecise, but not unusable.

That problem sounds like a particular unit mechanical malfunction. I'll see what happens with mine. So far, I'm pretty happy with the GX9's performance, and a little dazed by the number of functions and commands it has. It's almost (but not quite) as complicated as my Olympus E-M1..! LOL! But because of its more rectangular shape, it turns out to be a little smaller and more compact, easier to stuff into a small bag and go on a bicycle ride with. And that's what I was looking for.

G

 

[Godfrey]

Another Moon shot ... The Harvest Moon was full last night.

Full Moon - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror Reflex
ISO 200 @ f/8 @ 1/200​

The air was clear, and the old Sigma (purchased at least a decade ago for about $85) proved to do a pretty good job.

G

 

[bensonga]

Very good moon shots Godfrey with both lenses.

I don't check in on GetDPI nearly as often as I used to, but it is good to see many of my GetDPI friends here still do.

Gary

 

[Godfrey]

My neighborhood walks continue, as they have since the beginning of the lockdown on March 17, on the days when I don't do a longish bicycle ride. I nearly always carry some kind of camera on the walks and find them a productive time for meditation and the kinds of 'found art' still life abstracts that I enjoy.

Clicking this photo or the link below it takes you to an album of eleven new photos on Flickr:

A Walk in November - 2020 :: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmRVMjGf​

The photos were all made with a Panasonic GX9 camera fitted with a Voigtländer Color-Skopar 28mm f/3.8 lens (Leica M-mount). It was an experiment to see how well this lens would image with the Micro-FourThirds sensor, and how well the GX9's EVF and LCD would allow me to focus accurately. I'm not entirely convinced that this lens provides any real value beyond what my Olympus ZD 25mm f/2.8 FourThirds lens performs like, but it's fun to play… LOL!

Of course, I like the photos it made for me or I wouldn't be posting them…

Enjoy!

G

 

[raist3d]

That problem sounds like a particular unit mechanical malfunction.

It doesn't seem to be. The same problem happens to the GX850. Now, I don't know if Panasonic fixed this along the line of the GX9's produced.

I'll see what happens with mine. So far, I'm pretty happy with the GX9's performance, and a little dazed by the number of functions and commands it has. It's almost (but not quite) as complicated as my Olympus E-M1..! LOL! But because of its more rectangular shape, it turns out to be a little smaller and more compact, easier to stuff into a small bag and go on a bicycle ride with. And that's what I was looking for.

But yeah, the GX9 is nice and the sensor characterization for DR is pretty good too. Having no AA filter is nice for that "sharp" bite.
Panasonic B&W JPEG engine is pretty good too.

- Ricardo

 

[Godfrey]

Proof positive: Since I've never been willing to actually sell off my FourThirds/Micro-FourThirds cameras, I should have kept both of the Panasonic-Leica lenses I had for them. I went out and found a good used example of the Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH ... A good, fast normal lens is ALWAYS my most used lens on any camera.

Persimmons - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH
ISO 400 @ f/5 @ 1/6 sec​

It does not disappoint.

enjoy!
G

 

[olafphoto]

Congratulations on your purchase. I have always enjoyed shooting with Panasonic cameras.

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks Olaf!

I had a little fun today: I fitted the 'new to me' Summilux-DG 25mm to the Panasonic GX9 and my favorite old Summilux 35 to my Leica CL, carried both of them on my bicycle ride. Every shot I made, I made with both ... both at f/2, Auto ISO, manual focus. I'm looking at the results (nothing particularly eye watering, but decent test images) and smiling at how similar the rendering looks.

And yet, they're certainly different. At f/2, the modern Summilux-DG is somewhat sharper on the focus plane than the Summilux v2 from fifty years ago, not by much but consistently through all the different frames (which means to me that it wasn't focus error at work, since I manually focused all of them). The background blur on the CL images is just slightly more blurred than the same scene with the GX9 (as you would expect from the 40% smaller format). Overall color out of the Panasonic (on AWB) is slightly warmer than that out of the Leica (also AWB).

It's an interesting comparison ... two very fast normal lenses one new tech, one old tech .. two different formats, different sensors, etc etc.

G

 

[Godfrey]

A couple quick snaps with the Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH ... It was once my most-used lens on the Olympus E-M1, it will likely be again.

Panic Button - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH
ISO 800 @ f/4 @ 1/30


Morning Espresso - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH
ISO 800 @ f/1.4 @ 1/80​

enjoy! G

 

[scho]

A rare (pre-global warming) late November day with no wind, no rain, no snow - just warm (65 degrees F}. Took the GX9 and 20/1.7 for a light carry and casual shooting in Stewart Park at the south end of Cayuga Lake.

I'll remember this next summer, but I'll pass in November (despite the balmy weather).

 

[Godfrey]

A few weeks ago yet apropos...

Angel On The Doorstep - Santa Clara 2020
Panasonic GX9 + Olympus Body Cap Lens 9mm f/8 Fisheye
ISO 800 @ f/8 @ 1/4 sec​

Enjoy! G

 

[scho]

Winter Yarrow. GX9 with Lumix 100-300 II

 

[Jayman]

Hi Guys - those photos are lovely. I'm a beginner main interest has always been video - recently purchased the GX9 for its 4K video capabilities and that it had 24fps (inc good price - though I was about to go for the FZ82 for that monster zoom but it does not have 24fps). Would really appreciate your tips on this if you dont mind (you'll see how new I am from my 1st question).
1) I have some really old Hoya+Cannon lens on which I used a mft adapter (50mm - which comes to 100mm on this camera), I bought myself a cheapy 25mm lens from Ebay which had f1.8 aperture aswell. Of course, when using at night there is noise visible in low light which I cannot escape - I notice that there are Lumix/Sigma lens out there with f2.8 aperture and all these different specs (15mm / 25mm etc) but those lens are doule or triple the price of the camera. What would I see different using those lens then say the cheap ebay f1.8 one or the kit 12-32mm lens?

2) I am interesting in doing some 4K filming of the moon and distant landscapes etc (daylight)...do you have any experience with those ebay telephoto lens for mft cameras? 500mm - 1000mm (their aperture is like f8 - f32 - would I actually be able to see anything in daylight with f32?)

Very much appreciate your advice

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Hi Guys - those photos are lovely. I'm a beginner main interest has always been video - recently purchased the GX9 for its 4K video capabilities and that it had 24fps (inc good price - though I was about to go for the FZ82 for that monster zoom but it does not have 24fps). Would really appreciate your tips on this if you dont mind (you'll see how new I am from my 1st question).
1) I have some really old Hoya+Cannon lens on which I used a mft adapter (50mm - which comes to 100mm on this camera), I bought myself a cheapy 25mm lens from Ebay which had f1.8 aperture aswell. Of course, when using at night there is noise visible in low light which I cannot escape - I notice that there are Lumix/Sigma lens out there with f2.8 aperture and all these different specs (15mm / 25mm etc) but those lens are doule or triple the price of the camera. What would I see different using those lens then say the cheap ebay f1.8 one or the kit 12-32mm lens?

2) I am interesting in doing some 4K filming of the moon and distant landscapes etc (daylight)...do you have any experience with those ebay telephoto lens for mft cameras? 500mm - 1000mm (their aperture is like f8 - f32 - would I actually be able to see anything in daylight with f32?)

Very much appreciate your advice

Some quick answers:
- For using EF-mount lenses on the GX9, I can recommend the Viltrox focal length reducer. It reduces the focal length by 0.71x and gives you one stop larger aperture. Generally, it tends to enhance sharpness.
- Native MFT lenses, also the cheaper ones, are mostly very sharp. There are lots of bargains around, new and second hand. The little 12-32mm is a very capable lens, and so is its telephoto brother, the 35-100mm f/4-5.6.
- I have no experience with those eBay telephoto lenses, but I would be sceptical for a number of reasons. I can recommend the Panasonic 100-300mm, which will also give you dual IS on the GX9.
- Try the Topaz de-noising software. It's a great partner to MFT cameras and can do magic with your high-ISO photos. Their sharpening software is pretty magical too. If you are into batch processing, DXO PureRAW can be recommended.

Good luck with your new camera. It's a very good one.

 

[Jayman]

Thanks Jorgen, I very much appreciate your response. I'd managed to get the 14-150mm lens and its been amazing, going away means just taking this one lens to do everything. I bagged a very cheap $30 25mm F1.8 manual lens which unbelievable has also been remarkably amazing - managed to photograph pretty amazing photos of stars at around 200 ISO with 15 sec exposure. Even in video mode with ISO upto 3200/6400 (but with SS at around 2 -5 sec) I can actually video the stars. I might try the cheap 400mm-800mm ebay lens if I can get very very cheap. Thankyou so much for telling me about Viltrox product, I had never heard about this. I am also checking the Topaz software. All the best.