Lenses for a LUMIX G9
Discussion
I've got a few lenses for my G9/G9ii. I'll list them with grading and comments:
F1.4 25mm Panasonic. 10 - It's faultless. Very light, quick to focus, blurs background if required. It's a 'nifty fifty' par excellence.
f2.8 60mm Olympus macro. 8 - Images superb, but a bit fiddly to use. Light. Doesn't seem to frighten insects.
f2.8 45mm Panasonic macro. 8 - Images superb but slow to focus. Weighs next to nothing. Badged Leica for some reason.
f3.5 (max) 12 - 60mm Panasonic. 6 - Great for video. Limited range. A wee bit of distortion at 12mm, recoverable in software. Not as sharp as the one below.
F3.5 (max) 14 - 140mm Panasonic. 8 - Best general purpose lens I've used on any camera. I have a set of close-up lenses I can use if I need to get closer than the 0.3m minimum. Power OIS.
F4 (max) 100 - 300mm Panasonic. 7 - A bit specialist, but light for what it is. Power OIS superb. With the in-camera stabilising, can be hand held at 300mm, that's 600mm in full frame remember.
Apart from the 25mm and the general purpose 14 - 140, each was bought for a specific purpose.
F1.4 25mm Panasonic. 10 - It's faultless. Very light, quick to focus, blurs background if required. It's a 'nifty fifty' par excellence.
f2.8 60mm Olympus macro. 8 - Images superb, but a bit fiddly to use. Light. Doesn't seem to frighten insects.
f2.8 45mm Panasonic macro. 8 - Images superb but slow to focus. Weighs next to nothing. Badged Leica for some reason.
f3.5 (max) 12 - 60mm Panasonic. 6 - Great for video. Limited range. A wee bit of distortion at 12mm, recoverable in software. Not as sharp as the one below.
F3.5 (max) 14 - 140mm Panasonic. 8 - Best general purpose lens I've used on any camera. I have a set of close-up lenses I can use if I need to get closer than the 0.3m minimum. Power OIS.
F4 (max) 100 - 300mm Panasonic. 7 - A bit specialist, but light for what it is. Power OIS superb. With the in-camera stabilising, can be hand held at 300mm, that's 600mm in full frame remember.
Apart from the 25mm and the general purpose 14 - 140, each was bought for a specific purpose.
Simpo Two said:
It might be an idea to start using the camera for what you want to, then you'll find out what lenses you need. Just buying a load of lenses based on what somebody else likes isn't the best idea IMHO.
I'll endorse that. Go for something to fulfil a need. However, buy a lens you don't have any use for - that's what every other photographer has done. You'd fit right in. I've bought most of my lenses used via Park Cameras or MPB. I've been satisfied with both companies.I think your other thread mentioned this camera was for hiking?
I use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
I use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
Simpo Two said:
It might be an idea to start using the camera for what you want to, then you'll find out what lenses you need. Just buying a load of lenses based on what somebody else likes isn't the best idea IMHO.
Wholly endorse this approach. Get one that fits your own style / genre of photography, become comfortable with the camera and then push on from there once you’ve created your own roadmap.If anyone needs a technical perspective on a lens then Christopher Frost on YouTube is a solid choice, but the subjective part should be governed by the owner, not by committee from a car forum.
Derek Smith said:
I'll endorse that. Go for something to fulfil a need. However, buy a lens you don't have any use for - that's what every other photographer has done. You'd fit right in. I've bought most of my lenses used via Park Cameras or MPB. I've been satisfied with both companies.
Would you say that I’d be better off with the S9? After due consideration you bought a G9 only yesterday... I think you're a bit blinded by kit and not thinking ahead to actually taking photos. I don't know either camera but suspect a photo taken with each of them would look the same.
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 1st January 18:58
Mr.Nobody said:
Derek Smith said:
I'll endorse that. Go for something to fulfil a need. However, buy a lens you don't have any use for - that's what every other photographer has done. You'd fit right in. I've bought most of my lenses used via Park Cameras or MPB. I've been satisfied with both companies.
Would you say that I d be better off with the S9? Many photographers at my club are fixated on kit. It's an aspect of photography that thrills them. A change in kit hardly ever results in better photos. They might buy a great lens that allows them to take images they could not previously, but the camera, generally, doesn't matter for image quality. At one club, there was an old boy (younger than I am now!) who had a rangefinder camera with a fixed 50mm lens. Great images, if a little limited in range.
One thing with the G9: the menu can be daunting initially, but once you have set up your quick menu, you'll only infrequently return to the full one. As I got more experienced with the camera, I also set up the Q1/Q2/Q3 dial settings. My Q2, for instance, is for manual exposure when using two flashguns. If I find another type of shot I want, say a duck doing silly things, it's just a quick turn of the dial to revert to no flash with auto exposure, and a change in focus style. My video dial is set up differently to my standard stills requirements. It's a fabulously flexible camera with a menu system that scares on first acquaintance, and soon becomes natural.
Gad-Westy said:
I think your other thread mentioned this camera was for hiking?
I use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
Is this one of your lensI use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/product/panasonic-leica-...
Mr.Nobody said:
Gad-Westy said:
I think your other thread mentioned this camera was for hiking?
I use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
Is this one of your lensI use M4/3 stuff for that too. We all differ but my priorities when out on the hills are weather resistance, portability and focal range ahead of absolute IQ. I know that if I end up needing to change lenses for certain shots, I'll either not bother because it't too much faff to take my bag off etc, especially if I'm with other people or I won't do it because of the weather conditions. I always like to have good tele length as when up high, it's often the long lens shots that are most compelling IMO. So for me, this is the one circumstance where I really like super zoom type lenses. I use either the Olympus 14-150mm ii or more recently the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm 2.8-4. Both are weather sealed and quite light. 12-60 gives great IQ but range is a little more limited.
Some other stuff I've tried, Panasonic 14-140, pretty much the same as the Olympus in my experience, could recommend either as a do it all hiking lens. Olympus 12-100 F4, truly excellent but bigger than I like and expensive. Olympus 12-200mm, I'm not a fan. The nice thing about m4/3 is that you could potentially take a couple of more speciliasied little primes in a pocket as well. I'm a big fan of the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 and Olympus 45mm 1.8, both tiny and magnificent. And I really fancy picking up a Pan/Leica 9mm 1.7 for a bit of astro on my travels. There's pretty much something for everyone!
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/product/panasonic-leica-...
Mr.Nobody said:
Just FYI - cheaper at Park Cameras https://www.parkcameras.com/used/lenses/used-micro...
I have bought a few used cameras and lenses from Park over the years - if they say it's like new i trust them. I have bought from the store, but having done so would buy other things online.
David_M said:
Just FYI - cheaper at Park Cameras
https://www.parkcameras.com/used/lenses/used-micro...
I have bought a few used cameras and lenses from Park over the years - if they say it's like new i trust them. I have bought from the store, but having done so would buy other things online.
That's surely the main advantage of going to the shop. https://www.parkcameras.com/used/lenses/used-micro...
I have bought a few used cameras and lenses from Park over the years - if they say it's like new i trust them. I have bought from the store, but having done so would buy other things online.
I was in there this afternoon to pick up a ring flash ordered from the London store. Godox MF-R76. It's impressive - so far. Taken handheld with my Panasonic 12-60, at 22mm, 1/500 at f16, on my G9ii.
Going to try some more serious stuff in the next couple of days. I'll post a proper image.
The Godox was £18 cheaper at Parks compared to Amazon.
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