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Thanks Alanna. My goal at F1.7 is to have only some things sharp, and everything else very soft. So it makes the sharp bits look even sharper! Some compositions work well, some do not. I only show people the good ones!

Don't forget when you talk to the birds you need to make sure to use a very Australian accent. Make it broad to the point of annoying!

Thanks so much Sean :)

Hi Dylan, I've never tried to retune the AF settings on the G9. But also I never used to work with AFC on it either. I treated it the way I would my DSLR gear. I think it all depends on what the situation is for birds in flight. Have shot a lot of cranes and brolga on the wing without any drama on the original G9. I use the Area focus, and scale it out large. Just like you say. And yes I would normally be on AFS too. A large bird and reasonable contrast in the scene gives the older AF a decent chance to perform. Smaller birds like a pied kingfisher hovering before a strike, also no problem. Or the pre-shutter to capture take-out, again no problem because you have pre-locked the focus anyway. I think it helps to remember that whatever system you have, the photographer has to learn what works for them and how to get the best from the gear. Digging into the modes and trying them for yourself is so important. I get a lot of comments from people who expect gear to work right out of the box without them having to do anything!

@@EwenBell Thanks so much for the response mate, I really appreciate. Digging into all the AF modes and tweaking every setting is exactly where I'm at in my journey because I honestly feel there has to be something that works better in combination than everything else. Just need a good session with some easy targets to test heavily and see how I go. Thanks for your input. Cheers Dylan

@@dylannewton76 Well said. Gotta find the right birds in your hood to help you out :)

I have four videos on auroras on this channel. All with details on lenses!

That's a really good point Joe about sensor read speeds. And no crop at the 120p for the G9II... it's a good rig. I bought the black magic speed editor (keyboard) years ago and it came with a free studio licence so I didn't realise there were issues with H265 on some computers. Super smooth workflow for me on the MacBook Air.

@@EwenBell Yeah it's really annoying. What I get are weird colour glitches all over my footage that disappear as soon as I transcode to prores. I might have to just buy an SSD holder and actually use prores but then I'll need a cage so I can hold the ssd and a microphone probably ruining the camera handling in the process. No such thing as a free lunch it seems also your main footage is fine on this video lol

@@JoeMaranophotography You on a Mac or PC? Have never had even a hint of issues with colours in H265. Might be something with your hardware, not the files. I did a lot of testing with ProRes and just found the extra storage required wasn't giving me much extra in the footage. Was so rare that we shoot in situations where it matters. I do wish the G9II had the faster CFExpress instead of SD, but I guess that's one advantage of the GH7 :)

@EwenBell I think it's an issue with the free version of resolve more than anything and I'm human so I use a PC haha 😄

You probably dont need to do that. When importing say, 100 fps clips, you can edit their attributes in Davinci. Any clip stating ‘custom’ for fps can be edited to read ‘25’ fps. You can then slow down or speed up the clip as you normally would. I’ve made a few assumptions about your workflow here but the above has been working for me on the free DaVinci. Happy to share more of a step by step if needed.

Thanks for the suggestion! I think the two cameras are a line ball. So many great stills features on the GH7, and so many great video features on the G9II. Both got similar upgrades in the latest firmware release. Active cooling and better dual-ISO features make the GH7 a little sweeter for serious video rigs. Can't realy go wrong with either of them :)

Your video really showcases how capable the G9ii is, I’ve had mine nearly a year now after 5 years with the original G9 and it’s clearly a huge improvement. One thing I would mention is the Phase detect AF is only active when using AFC, not AFS. I love Point Scope, such a useful feature.

@@sue.Hoo123 Hi Sue. Sorry to disagree but your comment of Phase Detect is not accurate. The mix of Phase and DFD is more complicated than that. Phase is in action even when shooting AFS in many of the AF modes. I've had this conversation with Panasonic before, and really wish they would release information to make it more clear to users which mode is in action at what time. Or perhaps an icon on screen to show us. In the absence of clear confirmation from Panasonic about the Phase/DFD setup I prefer to avoid being prescriptive about it.

@@EwenBell that’s really interesting and useful as I was told this by a Panasonic Rep at an in store hands on event when the camera was first released, he advised me to always shoot in AFC for phase detect, It would indeed be good if Panasonic explained in more detail. Thanks 👍

Ahhhhhh you know the little fellas! I often refer to them as the prettiest bird that nobody in Australia has ever heard of :)

@@EwenBell their call is more often heard than sighting them. I love how the male can call for so long until the female responds with her single 'pip'.

@@Nishimachi_Photography Her way of saying "cool it fellas!"

Up to my bees in photos!

ewenbell.com/lumixbirds ^ Sorry I meant to put a link in the description to the custom setup. Here it is!

Yeah it was a genuine moment, and sometimes it's hard to shoot birds in city parks :)

They are just super little guys aint they! Thanks Jono :)

Under rated bird!

It's an interesting question as to how critical that 24mm vs 28mm wide really is. If you have a 16-35mm or 14-24mm already in the bag, maybe not a big deal. It's just such a bright lens this one.

Thanks Sue!

Thanks so much Jim :) appreciate the kind words and trust you're enjoying the amazing video features on the G9II!

Same for many other countries. They're a small brand and don't always have the resources to open into certain markets. Even in Singapore they don't sell LUMIX. If they can't resource proper after sales support they won't officially sell into a market.

Well, actually they did send me that lens and I just haven't managed to pull a review together! That's on me. It. Is. Gorgeous. Totally unique offering and can't imagine a more different lens to the 28-105mm. I shoot most of my TH-cam videos with it actually. That F1.8 really delivers. The real question is, do you need a 50mm prime of you have the 28-45mm F1.8? I think no. 45mm is close enough and so is F1.8.

@@EwenBell I completely agree, the longer end of the zoom and the 50mm f1.2 prime would be too close. A better compliment would be the 85mm f1.4, or even a 105mm. Decisions decisions! hope you'll find the time to review the zoom though, I'd be the first one to watch it! 🙂

@@EwenBell in the meantime, I got my hands on the Samyang 35-150mm f2-2.8 whilst I'm still in the return period of the Sigma. That's probably a better comparison.

@@nicoxg Spot on! I spent a month travelling in Bhutan with the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 last year (E-mount) and it was very very impressive. I loved the 35mm F2, but at the end of the day I'd rather walk around with a very small 35mm F2 prime :)

@@EwenBell I just finished testing the Samyang versus the Sigma during the weekend. I was fortunate to have two good copies, with no decentering nor lens creeping. I won't be keeping the Samyang, for a few reasons. The main reason would be the weight, and the fact that the Sigma focuses significantly closer (and is obviously a bit wider). I prefer the build of the Sigma too (rotation of the zoom ring, zoom lock, aperture ring, etc.). It's little things, but still. If i were a professional photographer, i would probably opt for the Samyang, but as a hobbyist, the Sigma is just right.

Hope you get to see some during the KP8 effects recently!

🤍

Thanks for the kind words Nicole :) I'm still learning the craft of TH-cam, and it's taken nearly two decades to learn the craft of auroras!

Thanks so much Tim! Certainly is a stunning lens and I wanted a suitably inspiring location to work it.

Thanks so much for taking a moment to share that Derek :) Will do my best to make more like this.

Thankyou! I often need to remind myself to slow down and let the shots come to me :)

HI Ewen, thanks for a great video! The Firmware V1.1 got somewhat of a recall so they've released a new one, V1.2. Are you able to update the file so it matches the new firmware in a near futute? Thanks again!

@@IdehnFiliph well that's a pain in the neck! I can sort out the v1.2 in the next day or so. Will drop a note for you when it's live. Thanks for the heads up. I'm running a tour in Nepal right now and haven't been across the v1.2

The firmware update is a massive relief for me to consider this camera. I am considering it for anamorphic video, due to the open gate and screen anamorphic viewing. It has some amazing features, but I do understand the criticism. It is flawed as a content creator focused camera, with some things making me shake my head...... 😮

@@IdehnFiliph Have updated my website/blog with the V1.2. Please take a look and let me know if the new version works for you!

Tracking performance mostly down to the camera rather than the lens. I've used the Sigma 105mm and the LUMIX, and both deliver good AF for video in the regular modes... But tracking on the S5II is not nearly as good as the Sony gear.

@@EwenBell thanks for your thoughts! Yes I was wondering more about the camera than the lens when I made the question.It's a tough choice as I also want something for more generic use cases and the price point of an S5iiX + macro lens + ok generic multi-purpose lens (wide + landscape shots i.e.) would be at a lower price point than the FX3, though the tracking and the fps for slow-motion are a big pro for Sony.. I could be wrong... just my current impression and quite divided actually. Specially bc I wanted to experiment on macro slo-mo videos... but thanks a lot again for sharing this video and your thoughts!

Thanks :) All the stills and video of birds taken on the Panasonic Leica 100-400 F4-6.3 ASPH. I hope to do another video using the 200mm F2.8 at some stage. Maybe next year. I just love the 400mm reach.

Thanks!

Kwality! Or should that be Koalatee :)

Thankyou!

Wonderful to have a patient companion for those walks! Have seen a few people out there using bridge cameras like yours. Such an effective setup :)

Some of the phones these days are waaaaay better than any compact camera of not-so-long-ago :)

Thankyou Peter :) I think some of those photos in the book remain some of by best work. Not sure having a better camera these days has made my photography any better at all!

So fine :)

What a beautiful sentiment, thankyou Michael :)

I like the idea of a 500mm prime, and the extra bokeh at F4 :)

I went to grad school in Houston TX! I literally had to adopt the accent because nobody there could understand me. They make you hand back your accent though when you cross the border :)

@EwenBell haha well according to everyone (but one person) I was Australian out there! 😆

@@JoeMaranophotography Usually a sign that they liked you :)

@@EwenBell Haha I was just thinking damn do these guys really not know what Brits sound like LOL What were you studying in Texas?

@@JoeMaranophotography I was doing a PhD in molecular biology at UT. Just one of my littiny of missteps and poorly calculated failures :)

The time spent deleting photos is way less fun that taking them :)

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much Joe! It's a bumpy old road this one aint it? I appreciate the kind words, especially from you.

@EwenBell TH-cam is hell! I envy all the rich, single folk that have the easiest of rides but I guess that's not us right? 😆

​@@JoeMaranophotography My emotional state often flips between feeling so very lucky in this moment, and so very unlucky in comparison. There's always something out there to compare against that makes me feel like I'm not working hard enough, or I'm not cool enough, or failed to secure the right inheritance! If i focus on those things I ain't happy. But then my amazing wife sits beside me and we share a cheese toasty and I realise I am the luckiest fella in the world after all. It's possible to be both lucky and unlucky at the same time. I do know that if not for the struggles I've endured over the decades, I wouldn't have ever gained the skills I have now. I'd be VERY lazy given the chance :)

In the photo menu there's a menu for high resolution shooting, and the first item is to activate handheld or not. It takes twice the number of frames once handheld is activated.

Thankyou so much for taking the time to say hello. I appreciate it.

Soooooo much bang for buck! This camera is incredible value.