Panasonic g7

[unadog]

Have fun!

It is getting cold, grey, and nasty here. I am prepping to go down to Florida on December 1. I will be doing wildlife stills & video with the G7 (plus a Nikon D750 and D5300) for a good part of the winter. Although I am a beginner at wildlife stuff, this is only my second year.

I just bought the Panasonic 100-300 to use on the G7, I still need to test that. I also have the Nikon 70-200 4.0 VR, and a Tamron 150-600, that I will use on the G7 with a $139 Metabones Nikon to M 4/3 adapter.

I much prefer the G7 ergonomics to the D750. But I also can't give up on that full frame sensor for some things.

Good luck with your kit, and keep us updated. I don't see much chatter about the G7 anywhere. DPReview rated it pretty highly though, that should help with the holiday buying.

Cheers!
Michael

 

[ROCKMORE]

I just bought the Panasonic 100-300 to use on the G7, I still need to test that. I also have the Nikon 70-200 4.0 VR, and a Tamron 150-600, that I will use on the G7 with a $139 Metabones Nikon to M 4/3 adapter.

I much prefer the G7 ergonomics to the D750. But I also can't give up on that full frame sensor for some things.

Good luck with your kit, and keep us updated. I don't see much chatter about the G7 anywhere. DPReview rated it pretty highly though, that should help with the holiday buying.

Cheers!
Michael

My first impression when I turned it on was I'm gonna love this camera. The kit lens is very sharp and quick focusing. I bought a Canon to M43 adapter with aperture for my Canon 70-200 f4L . I heard they don't work well and I have to say they don't work at all without vignetting, I'll have to stack some ND filters. The good news if my Century 0.7 wide adapter I've had since the 90 is a little big at 77mm but seems very sharp with much less distortion than on my larger Canon glass.
I have a Formula racing shoot next week in KL so this will be my A cam in 4K! I'll post the Youtube uploads over the weekend from the track.

 

[Alchroma]

My G7 is the first and only camera I have ever owned (video or stills) where the Viewfinder is better than the flip out screen.
I would rather use the Viewfinder anytime.
The whole camera is a joy to use, I just want to shoot stuff with it.
I'm using 14-140 and 100-300 Lumix lenses at the minute, can't complain.

Al

 

[unadog]

^^ How do you find the 100-300 for quality? Do you have any long DSLR lenses to compare with? I just received my 100-300 and I have only taken a few test shots.

I also have a Tamron 150-600, mostly for wildlife stills this winter with my Nikon D750 and D5300. I also have a Metabones Nikon adapter to attach the G7 to that beast. So I will have up to 1200 mm equivalent reach in stills, and 2.4x = 1440 in video! If I can find what I am trying to point it at with that magnification. Or keep it in the frame.

I won't have much chance to compare the two lenses until I go down in December. I have the 150-600 packed in my car, which is being driven down today. Too big to haul down on the plane.

+++

I have come to love working with my G7.

I have been struggling with the ergonomics of the Nikon D750 quite a bit. So I spent 1 day going through all of the settings, trying to streamline the setup. I took it out for a while with just a 50 mm on and got more comfortable with it. I can live with it; I just can't give up on the full frame sensor for stills.

Then I picked up eth G7 the next day and it just felt good in my hands! I did the same thing- spent a good part of the day setting everything up first.

One of the biggest improvements for me was to set up a "Custom Quick Menu", instead of the standard one. I like that it is only 1 level, on teh bottom, instead of top and bottom.

I put the menu items that I use in "priority order", from most used to least. I am guessing at the order from memory, but it was something like: "ISO, AF Point Selection, AF mode, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Profile (Standard, Neutral, etc.) Movie Settings", etc. All the way to things like "Silent Mode" and "4K Photo Settings" (still have to use the dial to activate.)

That is the one thing that is really lacking on the D750. No single, central "Quick Menu" for most settings. Even my D5300 has that. Very odd, and very frustrating ...

Have fun guys!

Michael M.

 

[Alchroma]

The 100-300 is excellent.
Changing ISO to 400/800 seems to improve hand held full zoom. (stills not video)0
I'm very pleased with the results.
Re: menus, I'm still finding better ways to juggle them after a month or so of use.
The thing can be set up in seemingly endless configurations.

Al

 

[ROCKMORE]

My G7 is the first and only camera I have ever owned (video or stills) where the Viewfinder is better than the flip out screen.
I would rather use the Viewfinder anytime.
The whole camera is a joy to use, I just want to shoot stuff with it.
I'm using 14-140 and 100-300 Lumix lenses at the minute, can't complain.


Al

I agree. I've had this camera since Friday and I'm even thinking of selling all my Canon lenses. (Except if I get a 0.65 speedbooster.
You're right, I've been using a loop on the canon viewfinder for 6 years and now with the G7 I can finally see a clear picture through the camera. Talking about user friendly this puppy has it all and I only paid $700 with an extra battery direct from Panasonic.
Just getting warmed up, but all the features like focus peaking, zebras, timelapes, etc etc etc. can't wait for the GH5

 

[ROCKMORE]

First day with the G7. Impressive detail from a video timeline

 

[ROCKMORE]

I have a Formula racing shoot next week in KL so this will be my A cam in 4K! I'll post the Youtube uploads over the weekend from the track.

Great little camera.
https://youtu.be/5nY9kUjYyxc

 

[unadog]

Very nice Michael!

I especially liked the scene where she was working at the computer with the engineer. It sort of showed her "in action" in a way you don't see when she is in the car with the helmet on.

If you have more of that type of footage, you could use some when she is talking with the mic. A sort of "voice over." Nice video though!

Best.

 

[ROCKMORE]

Very nice Michael!

I especially liked the scene where she was working at the computer with the engineer. It sort of showed her "in action" in a way you don't see when she is in the car with the helmet on.

If you have more of that type of footage, you could use some when she is talking with the mic. A sort of "voice over." Nice video though!

Best.

Thanks. Her name is Lyubov Andreyeva. Very sweet girl and very fast driver.
I shot about 20 interviews over the weekend and edited them on my laptop at the track and in my hotel room. Amazing how fast you can edit this footage. I edited and uploaded 35 minutes of footage over 3 days while shooting the event. I only had the kit lens and my Canon 70-200 f4L. I got an adapter for the Canon but the aperture control behind the lens doesn't work at all. Now that I have one I don't understand why they make them except for a funky vignetting effect. I did remember the trick about stopping the lens down with the Canon body. I closed it to f14, added a x8 ND and did the final adjustment with the 1/3 stops on the ISO. Worked just fine.
I have another event in Dec and I'd like a speedbooster for my other Canon lenses. The one nice surprise is the 2.4 crop in UHD with the 200 gives me around a 480 in 4K. I can still crop 100% in the middle for some of my long shots. The start line is 800 meters away from where I am for the race start. I think a 1.4 Canon III extender may be all I need. Most corners I'm a lot closer like 200 meters.
The G7 is really excellent. I'm shooting a commercial next week that will be shown in 100 movie theaters. I'm looking forward to see the results on the big screen.
I tried the timelapse function but still can't get the flicker out. I went through the menu and shut off everything I could find but I'm still missing something. Probably something obvious and stupid.
Here is the clip I just edited from the track https://youtu.be/3gRrGoppSZs still uploading on my lame internet connection

 

[DLD]

It's not up yet. Do you shoot in 4K or do you go for a higher frame rate?

 

[ROCKMORE]

It's not up yet. Do you shoot in 4K or do you go for a higher frame rate?

https://youtu.be/3gRrGoppSZs
For this event it's all 4K and real time. Being able to do moves on the shots with lo loss of quality. I'm a big fan for over cranking the camera so that's the next on the agenda.

 

[DLD]

It's amazing what one can get for a given price these days. I am not a racing fan - unless we're talking about the shopping carts in the sweets section of the supermarket - but this looks nice.

Beware of those Russians though. I heard even their cars are on some sort of steroid. (it's a WADA joke).

 

[unadog]

Thanks Michael, I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply. More later....

I have a whole kit of Canon lenses. I also bought a $15 "dumb" adapter to M 4/3, just to test out my lenses.

While I would like to buy a Merabones Speedbooster in the spring, for more cinematic work, the Kipon Canon EF Adapter for M 4/3 is enough for me for now.

It is a fully "active" adapter that supports changing the aperture in the body, IS, decent autofocus with a lot if lenses, and full metadata! Right now it is on sale at Adorama in the USA for about $215-$230 USA, down from $289.

I know that you probably can't order there, I just wanted to give you a comparison price. It is also available in ebay at a variety of prices, often more. (It seems like there is some price "gouging. ") You could also try Amazon.

Good luck! More when I have time.

 

[ROCKMORE]

While I would like to buy a Merabones Speedbooster in the spring, for more cinematic work, the Kipon Canon EF Adapter for M 4/3 is enough for me for now.

It is a fully "active" adapter that supports changing the aperture in the body, IS, decent autofocus with a lot if lenses, and full metadata! Right now it is on sale at Adorama in the USA for about $215-$230 USA, down from $289.

I know that you probably can't order there, I just wanted to give you a comparison price. It is also available in ebay at a variety of prices, often more. (It seems like there is some price "gouging. ") You could also try Amazon.

Good luck! More when I have time.

Yeah over here it's not always as easy walking over to B&H when they were on 17th st. I'm from NYC so I take a trip home once or twice a year and stock up on what I need. There is a Metabones importer here but they sold out of the EOS to M43 0.65 speedbooster. Should be ready next month. For now the little kit lens covers a lot of ground. My 70-200 f4 set at f11 gets the job done and if I go low light my Tamron 17-50 2.8 would be left open anyway.
What's really amazing is for $800 I was able to get the G7 and within 2 days was shooting in 4K and using 90% of my Canon gear. I think I'm going to hang on to my 600D just for still. There is something very nice about looking through the lens for photography and I couldn't get nuch for it anyway.
I'm old school and spent most of my life shooting manual so it's really no problem. It was much tougher shooting 4X5 photogrably with sheet film in the streets of Manhattan. I guess I just enjoy the challenge and suffering.
I'm setting up the wifi remote app on my samsung tab and get the camera on my 8 meter crane this week. Fortunately I have an 8 year old son who could install the Panasonic image app in 5 seconds. Will post some material from the shoot soon.

 

[DLD]

G7 is on sale now everywhere. W/14-42, it's $600, w/ 14-140, it's $900.

And it was named the best performer in its weight class by the DP Review at an old price.

 

[ROCKMORE]

G7 is on sale now everywhere. W/14-42, it's $600, w/ 14-140, it's $900.

And it was named the best performer in its weight class by the DP Review at an old price.

I got mine for $700 including an extra battery and a case direct from Panasonic. Mine is the Pal version and the retail price here is still $800 since it was just released in Oct. I just finished a 4 day shoot with the camera and It's great. Here are some 4K frame grabs straight from the timeline uncorrected CineD all shot with the 14-42 kit lens.
This project is for a 60 second commercial to be played in movie theaters the month on Dec so I will get a chance first hand how the little G7 translates to the big screen and possibly on an I-MAX screen.
Also a collection of 4K film clips to be uploaded 3840x2160 to Youtube.
Looking forward to an 0.65 speedbooster and my faster lenses, but this shows how powerful the G7 is right out of the box. Oh yeah and the face recognition software is a very accurate to zero in and lock between camera rolls.

 

[unadog]

Beautiful images Michael! I am very impressed by what you have shared with us. You should be proud of the work that you are doing.

All with a $700 camera and a kit lens too. Pretty amazing times.

+++

So, I got the Kipon Canon EF to M 4/3 AF adapter last night. My first tests are very encouraging!

It focused accurately and locked every time in very low light, indoors at night. I tried it with my Canon 40 mm pancake and my Canon 70-200 4.0 non-IS. The ability to lock focus in a reasonable time was pretty impressive. Much, much better than my Fotidiox EF to Sony E mount on my Sony A6000, which was so slow as to be a joke.

I won't be able to test more for a few days, as I have to get ready for my trip to Florida on Tuesday. Once I am there I will test with the Canon 70-200 2.8 II and 4.0, along with 1.4x and 2x extenders, etc.

That does complicate my life a bit. I will be shooting Nikon for stills, with a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary. I was hoping to be satisfied just using the Nikon lenses on the G7. But the advantages of the in body aperture control using the control wheel, IS support, auto focus, and EXIF data reporting are too attractive to ignore. So I will definitely keep my Canon lenses to adapt to M 4/3, Sony, and other systems as needed in the future. They certainly seem like the best choice for flexibility with full function, especially for stills!

The Kipon was about $235 US from Adorama, who import it to the U.S. from China. It is also available on eBay.

I paid $135 for my Metabones Nikon to M 4/3 adapter. That allows for manual control of the aperture via an aperture control ring. With manual focus, no IS/ VR support, and no EXIF data. (Neither are a "speed booster", just a straight adapter. The Nikon is a "passive" adapter, the Kipon is an electronically "active" adapter, much more sophisticated.)

I'll probably start a new thread in a few weeks when I have time and images to share. Comparing the Nikon images with the Sigma 150-600 to the G7 with the Panasonic 100-300. Plus the G7 adapted to the 150-600, Nikon and Canon 70-200, etc.

Cheers!
Michael M.

 

[ROCKMORE]

Once I am there I will test with the Canon 70-200 2.8 II and 4.0, along with 1.4x and 2x extenders, etc.

Michael M.

Thanks for the kind words.

I will be very interested in the tests with the 1.4x and the 2x extenders. My regular F4 racing project will continue in 2016 and long shots on the track are the big challenge. I shoot the cars in the grid for every race start from the far corner at the end of the straight which puts me 800+ meters from the start line. Mt Canon 70-200 f4L is the only choice because of the constant aperture, I have to zoom out into the first turn. The first test with the G7 I zoomed 100% in post and it looks really good.
A 2x or even 1.4x is all I need to get a little closer, but I've been worried about some loss of sharpness from the tests I've seen although no personal experience. I shoot at about f 16 with a x4 ND filter so I can stop way down.

 

[prexdealer]

For those who have one.

Apologies, I double posted my question here also. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?336896-Panasonic-G7/page2

How easy is it to use and how flexible is the footage in post?

I know a lot goes into a shot beyond just the camera. But if you had limited resources like lighting, etc. can you still manage a shot that seems cinematic?

Can this be the primary camera if shooting a feature? Many of you seem to refer to it as a B camera. Or would the GH3 be better (same price roughly right now).

Thanks.