Great video ! On the G9 I mapped the CNED /CNEV on the wheel - Control dial Cursor button right for that. other thing As possible with the EM5II I would really love to clean all the info from the screen when taking photos an show only what I need when I half press de shutter. and when focussing it shows only a little box. I like that experience more to create. to be more absorbed and fascinated to the image, you know if we can acheave that on the S5II and G9II ?
This is, by far, one of the best comparisons videos I have ever seen between two cameras. This was not a comparison based on stat sheets alone, nor was it hampered by preconceived expectations or even personal wishful preferences. This was just based on bare-bone raw use case scenarios. What a great watch.
Agreed. She did a very nice job covering what actually matters... THE USER EXPERIENCE! Great job on this review. The G9ii seems to be the camera to beat, even after a year, what is better?
Regarding the compability of lenses with bodies regarding burts mode, don't forget that Panasonic used DFD AF for many years and this system needed very fast motors in their lenses. Sean Robortson of Lumix USA said this during one of the Lumix Live session. Due to DFD the lenses need to make very fast changes and the motors of their lenses are build for this. So that Lumix lenses can support the super high burts mode can be explained well.
You won't go wrong with either cameras. I have two OM-1s that my Wife and I shoot wildlife with mostly birds in flight and the 300mmf4 pro lens is in a different league. When using the 100-400 panasonic lens the eye of the bird is very rarely in focus as there is a lack of sync af between the different brands. Panasonic with panasonic lens looks great with eye af and same goes for olympus native lenses. So the choice is yours as they both do a great job. Panasonic for video yes I agree. OM-1 however has beautiful stabilised video with the 9mm vlogging leica lens.
Amazing video, people who were giving you undue amounts of flack really need to grow up, especially fellow TH-camrs who should know better. Thanks for addressing some of the issues with the first video and bringing us another cracking video. 🙂
Thank you so much!! It really wasn't great, especially because it happened in Kenya so I had patchy WiFi and then whenever i logged on, comments would hit like tidal waves 😂 I'm only human and hopefully this video will update anything from the original video 🙏
Great video Emily. Looks like a fantastic trip too, and what a bonus to be able to use these two cameras side-by-side. I'm interested in your take on the new 100-400mm compared to the older one. Just want to know if it's worth the upgrade. Of course the TC will make all the difference in the new version of this lens. But it's a big chunk of money! Cheers.
Hey Marlene!! You were one of the first people I thought of when the new G9II was announced,,seeing as you are one of the best coaches on the original. I too will be curious about the differences between the older lenses and the new versions ,,I've only had the 100-400 for a year but I've had the 35-100 2.8 for more than 3,, Time and gear marches on.
Thanks Marlene! I shall get the full 100-400 ii review up in the coming weeks 😁 you make a little cameo in next week's video actually under "youtubers I love"
@@MicroFourNerds TH-camrs you Love? Thats an interesting take, validating their influence will put a smile upon their face. So mention Courtney Victoria and I'll take the time, to think of something funny and pen for you a rhyme.
Great video. I am an Olympus/OM system user. Your analysis about the lenses was really good. We focus so much on the camera body that we forget about the rest of the ecosystem
DAMNED good review, Emily! I'll be pulling the trigger on a G9 II soon. All my lenses are Lumix and stabilized. I need the video features on the G9 II. So that wins for me. But the OM-1 is a fine piece of machinery. It's great that we have such powerful and versatile and lightweight gear to use in 2023!
Many thanks for the comparison. I've been toying with the idea of selling my OM1 for the G9ii, primarily for enhanced video features, but one OM1 feature has recently become used surprisingly frequently and that's Live ND. For dynamic range and noiseless shots as well as long exposure photography plus the classic water flow effects, it's such an amazing thing to have a range of ND "filters" available in camera. It's just a shame it doesn't work for video too. But I think now I'm going to keep the OM1 instead due to my increasing reliance on this feature.
What's really cool with the Live ND feature is you can mix and match. Add a physical ND filter, and you can play around with it. It really makes for an interesting experience. And since it can draw out more dynamic range, dialing back your exposure a little prior to taking the shot still ends up with pretty good results. I've noticed highlights can end up a bit blown out in some instances otherwise, just due to the physical limitations of trying to do ND without a physical filter. So far it's my favorite computation mode as well. Now, let's combine Live ND and handheld high-res. Blur the lines. OMDS can pretty much do whatever they want so long as the processor can handle it. This is where they can really differentiate themselves. Let Panasonic give people all the extra video features, while they show us what can be done when you really go all out with photos. The competition is sure to be interesting at the very least. I especially love the thought of upgrades whenever new firmware comes out. What do they have for us this time?
Sold mine for the G9II and I'm already missing the rocksolid AF and features like Live ND ... Went "birding" with my GH6 ... what a challenge, had to resort to MF...
@@PolyglotMonkey I'm sure the AF of the G9II is better. Though the grass is greener syndrome we all suffer from can be a challenge. I know it well. I'm trying to content myself with knowing OMDS will likely put out an updated firmware that will address some things, improving the overall use of the camera. At least that's my hope. I'm sure you'll love the G9II. It's too soon to know how good it is in real life use, but so far it appears to be a pretty competent camera. I've tried mentioning the computational functions missing from it that are present in other cameras, such as the OM-1, but Panasonic reps don't reply to me. Well, hey, at least we can try to motivate them. They can do firmware updates, too!
Great job with the updated video. I loved the safari pics. I'm sure you had thousands to go through when you returned home. Also, great job touting the benefits of M43. After shooting a Sony A1 and Nikon Z8, I realized that I love the features of the M43 system and the light weight. I have pre-ordered the G9 II for the resolution, buffer, tracking and fps but also have an OM-5 for the Starry Sky AF, built-in ND and creation of a composite focused stack image during bracketing.
Don't let the hyper-critical deter you. Great reviews and really great photos. I've got the G9II on pre-order strictly because of the 4k120 and 5.8k open gate (as cutting things into TH-cam videos + Shorts and Reels has become my normal workflow) but they both seem like incredibly capable cameras.
Agreed about the hyper-critical. The defensiveness of people about their camera brand always baffles me, but it's even more bizarre within M43 where the brands share a mount and so exist symbiotically. It's trite to say (but seemingly quite commonly forgotten), but cameras are just tools. If someone prefers something about their spatula, do these odd people also fly on the offensive to defend their spatula? I understand these are very expensive spatulas, but if they were really secure and happy with what they own, I don't understand their need to defend them so emotionally. I have an OM-1 and there is nothing else I wish the camera could do (I'll note I don't shoot much video). Having previously owned and loved a G9, I'm confident I'd feel the same with a G9 ii. Even if there were one or two natural human oversights in the previous video (in a sea of useful information), so few people seemed capable of pointing that out level-headedly. Thanks for even more insight into these cameras, Emily.
@@BananaCake26 It's about the tone and the way that the feedback is given. Defensiveness makes people give it in a rude, personal and/or unconstructive way. I know many people pointed out the mistakes in a reasonable way, but many others did not. It's even more nonsensical if you aggressively correct someone on their own channel, because your comment is then less likely to get upvoted by the community and therefore less likely to be seen by people who would benefit from knowing the correct information.
Wow, what a great, comprehensive review! I have read nearly all the other preview/reviews of the G9ii and none did anywhere near as good a job as yours, and you add in all the wanted comparative information on the OM-1. Amazing! I have been doing a lot of wildlife photography for decades and have done three long trips to Africa. Your photos, particularly in your short time there are truly lovely. Well done!
Thanks so much! I'm really proud of the images especially with being a relative newbie to wildlife! I've tried to get some experience with UK "safari parks" and bird hides but nothing can quite prepare you for the real thing!
WOW!! What an incredible everything! Such a great review on both systems but also tutorial on safari shooting. As always fully comprehensive & fair to a fault...great work Emily - we loved every second 😍
I enjoyed this comparison review. Nice to see Lumix upping its game while making MFT a more credible alternative format. I have the original G9 and 100-400mm and love the portability.
Great work as usual - this is very in-depth and incredibly useful content. I prefer this instead of staring at a chart or the "pixel-peeping' that these so called photographers do. Love the practical application aspect of your videos, and the clear explanations. Great Photos as well! Long Live MFT!
OUTSTANDING info / review! Early OM1 user, switched to G9 mostly due to menu and my personal inability to find/make changes easily. I have absolutely loved the G9 as a still-photography camera. You helped me a lot re current OM1 menu ease of use status. Thanks
I'm glad to see a comparison on these cameras that is fair and impartial. Aside from the lack of lens stability options for the Zuiko lenses (which OM should/needs to address as soon as possible) it seems that in nearly every situation you presented here, you found differences between the 2 systems that are insignificant and honestly, that is pretty much what I hoping for. I would have liked to have seen a side by side of the Zuiko 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS and the Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 lenses, but I realize that packing the two of those might have been detrimental to your back.
Absolutely love this video. Great work Emily. As an OM-1.2 owner that has GAS and was naturally intrigued, I've got a G9ii (the first PannyBoy I've ever held) on my desk this week that I've hired just so I can have a play. I think you've hit the nail on the head - both of them are incredible cameras, and duff shots are more likely going to be user error rather than anything else. For me, personally, my observations are: 1. The OM body is lighter (only by 60g), but in the hand it feels greater. 2. The OM fits in my hand nicer/is more ergonomic. This is maybe why it feels lighter than the 60g difference might imply. The G9ii feels bulkier - very similar in the hand to my X-H2 (and coincidentally the same weight). 3. The menu systems are both cameras are as good as each other. I find the OM one easier, but that's likely down to familiarity. 4. I think the AF on face/eye detect is stickier in the G9ii (and that's using OM lenses), but my testing is highly unscientific. The OM AF isn't exactly poor. 5. I'm hard pushed to tell the difference in IQ between either. 6. I appreciate 20MB RAW files from the OM vs the 35MB RAW files from the G9ii. Think that's pretty much it to be honest. However, what I'd like both brands to do is try and get the guts of these cameras into smaller bodies. If PannyBoy could come up with a new GX9ii, and OM could facelift/redo the OM-5 I think that would bring a couple of bodies to market that would literally fly off the shelves.
Both looked very good and some wonderful photos! Assume all your camera reviews will now be done while on safari for consistency purposes ? 😊 Love to see how the OM5 would work there as well…Enjoyed!
Great review! The m4/3 system really is the perfect "safari-system". I visited Masai-Mara in sep 2022 and I brought with me 2 cameras and two lenses, the 12-100 and the 150-400 and a 2x converter. I got the 35mm equivalent of 24-2000mm with thoose lenses and everything weighted in at 9,5kg including the camerabag.
Booooommm! Mind blown! Exceeded my expectations, but I'm on safari in Botswana right now dealing with crazy schedules, extreme heat, dust, and endless photo opps. While you have blown my mind with your nerdtastic enthusiasm, I'd love to hear about your experience with the down in the dust reality of safari. There's a chasm between the world's of the top of the line safari photo purists and the cell phone tourists that's begging for a little dose of nerdy practicality. If anyone can cut through the dust, you can do it, Emily!👍😉
Good comparison. To be fair, the OM-1 is a year and a half older than the G9II so I would expect a better feature set for the G9II. If not, then Panasonic is not doing their job. I think if you are a stills only photographer, then the OM-1 would be my choice. If you are a hybrid shooter or a heavily video centric shooter, then it's the G9II all the way. All that being said, either camera will work for video or stills and can produce great results.
@@richardfink7666 no I thought printing was only invented this year! Cameras are getting more resolution. Side by side you can tell your print is less sharp.
I'm not sure if Olympus offers something extra for still photos. But it's a common argument in the comments. Star autofocus might be useful, but I use a manual focus with 16x zoom. Focus peeking is not precise. I own only Panasonic and my latest is G80, only major complain is remaining battery indicator which feels like 2/3 bars is less than half and 1/3 means good luck. Colors are subjective. Possibly Olympus might have better lenses. I have only 45/f1.8, it's perfect. But so is Panasonic 20/f1.7. 12-35/f2.8 12-60/f3.5-5.6 and 45-150/f4-5.6 are close to perfect. Only zooms releases in 2010 and before are not great.
Nice video... thanks for the meticulous efforts...Olympus users may find it difficult to accept that the Panasonic has caught up with OM1 in stills capability (and possibly may exceed it !) While it certainly beats it in video versatility...and with more firmware updates from Panasonic this is likely to be proved beyond a doubt.
As an Olympus fan, I completely disagree. I'm super happy that Panasonic can finally keep up. That's the reason to buy into Micro Four Thirds. One or the other provider always comes up with something great...and we have the choice and can change...without selling glass! Love it!
The following OM cameras have pro capture mode: OM SYSTEM OM-1. OM-D E-M1X. OM-D E-M1 Mark III. OM-D E-M1 Mark II. OM-D E-M5 Mark III. Tough TG-6. OM-5. The OM-D E-M1 mark II (used) is a bargain way to get this feature.
That was a perfect comparison for me. I come from the Lumix side and I have all 5, GH1-5. But I moved more to photography, so I changed to the OM1 and have the 40-150 and the 100-400 with the 1.4 Teleconverter from Olympus. But I have preordered the G9II with the new 100-400. I will go on an eagle safari in Canada in June and i intend to take both, the OM1 only for photography, the G9II mostly for video and some photos, in order not to have to switch lenses. So how good did the G9II 4K 120p mode autofocus, (no animal detection) keep the birds in flight sharp? All the rest just assured me, that it is a good idea to take both bodies along.
That sounds like a fantastic trip!!! The 120p even without animal detection on the g9ii still has fantastic phase detect continuous AF, so it's comparable to the S5ii, which has blown most peoples minds in terms of AF. I think it'll do great! And if you'd like to have a bit more AF help, then the 4k 60p mode does have subject detect and still let's you slow the footage down to 40% speed 😊
Great review! I don’t, however, agree in one point - the absence of stabilized lenses. At least the newer OM/Olympus lenses do have image stabilization (Here I’m talking all the lenses I have - which would be the 100-400mm 5.0-6.3, the 12-100 1.4, the 90 mm 1.35 Pro macro), and I could surely carry on. A main difference may be that only the Pro lenses synchronize their stabilization with the in-camera sensor stabilization.
Now there's dedication for you - going all that way just to do a comparison test 😁 Must have been a fabulous trip. Great comparison video. Cracking photos
Awesome video, Emily, with some seriously epic photos! I just got back from a two week trip to Sri Lanka and saw a little bit of wildlife; this video has really made me want to grab a G9ii and head down to Kenya! Completely agree with the comment about the video profile being separate to the photo one; I was trying to shoot hybrid on my trip with my S5 ii but found it really cumbersome switching between photo and video settings so I mostly stuck to photo. it would be lovely to just be able to press that little red button on the top and it start capturing video the way you want, especially when something happens in a pinch! Pre-Burst looks like a complete life saver too, wow! Glad to hear that the focusing isn't perfect; obviously, no-one posts out-of-focus images, so it's easy to be under the misconception that your own camera is defective or you're bad with it; like you said, sometimes cameras are a bit stupid, but also the AF is a tool to be used by the photographer, rather than it taking away that element altogether.
Hi Emily, i really enjoyed the comparison and the many beautiful photos/videos. You mentioned that you were using the Lumix 100-400 lens with a 2x teleconverter. Ive not been able to locate the teleconverter you mention. Can you provide a link for this? Also, any plans to do a comparison between the OM1 mkII and G9 mkII?
‘My brain is is small enough already.’ I’m so with you on that one. There is nothing worse than forgetting that seventeenth setting needed to make one’s perfect image under a high pressure situation. On my one and only safari last year, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to shoot a cheetah at the edge of the Etosha Pan. He looked directly at me and leapt over a small stream. I was so dialled in; I thought I nailed every setting. Then later that afternoon when I looked through my images I realized. They were all in jpeg! Only the cheetah photos were all in jpeg! I still don’t know how I managed to do that.
When comparing video for those 2 cameras it's always mentioned that the Lumix has much more modes, but what I care even more for is the acutual video quality. And I'm not talking about technical stuff like 10bit color or bitrates, but how it actually looks like. Now, I have no G9II yet, but I had the GH6 and the OM-1 both in use for over a year now. And with the same settings (4K, 24p, LongGOP, Log) the Panasonic just always produced much more versatile better looking footage (with the same grades applied in Davinci Resolve). I never got really beautiful footage out of the Oly, especially with their Log profile (of course using the official LUT - the different LUTs being on separate nodes and not part of the aformentioned same grade). At some point I put it to just 8bit video and the natural profile and skipped grading alltogehter. At least those videos looked ok-ish. Maybe I got somehting wrong, but playing around for over a year with pretty much all the settings both cams had to offer the video on the OM-1 was always disappointing. With photos it was of course the reverse, but not by such a big margin. It also bears mentioning that the OM-1's video files where tiny compared to the GH6 so it seems to have a much higher compression.
Great review. Have been a lumix fan for years. Love the intuitive UI. I was waiting for something like the g9ii but when the OM 1 came out I went for it. 12-100 lens has superb versatility. IS is incredible. Under dim indoor light I did 8 second handheld exposures of piano sheet music from 30 feet away at full zoom and able to read the notes clearly! Similarly with dawn and dusk shots. I wish the OM 1 had a still capture while doing video. Also, would be nice to have a video pause feature, like the phone cameras for more casual shooting. However, I am still tempted to try to justify the g9ii.
Yes please eeeeek instant buy from me if so! Imagine?! An actual compact hybrid camera that does vlogging as well as photography. Arrrgh! Please lumix haha 🙏📷
A nice summary of the devices and subjects I can appreciate. Particularly the bee eater and lilac breasted roller images which must have made you smile when you reviewed them. Thanks.
Hey Emily; One piece of information regarding buffer clearing on the OM-1. The writing speed slows down if yoyu are at 1600 ISO and above, even if you are only shooting RAW. I believe it is to do with noise reduction processing, but at lower ISO's I can clear the full 90 frames in around 8 seconds with my V90 cards.
My compliments! You took great photos! And great content btw!!! My girlfriend and I using an Olympus EM1-MII with various lenses (Oly 12-100, Oly 12-40, Oly 100-400 and the Pana Leica 50-200) and we are still getting great results. Actually it was a birthday present from me to her, at first she didn't liked it and now she loves it and she is asking me why we ever used Canon (60d and 80d). Her most favorite lens is the Pana Leica 50-200, which is indeed a fabulous lens. Gives fantastic results, is still compact and lightweight and has it's own character, in a good way. It seems to be that this lens was especially made for her. With the 1.4 TC the AF is a little bit slow. I use for wildlife mainly the Oly 100-400, excellent lens, which is already to heavy for her after some time. Nevertheless, we are really happy with M43 and the price-performance ratio for this system is unbeatable. In a full frame system we were never able to afford that much money to get the same focal length equivalent just for our hobby. And the M43 gears is smaller and lighter compared to FF. In my opinion from the performance or feature side it doesn't really matter if you are using an OM1 or G9II, both cameras are performing very well and give excellent results, it is more an issue what someone prefers or is used to.
You’ve really covered every base possible, Emily! Another fantastic video and I love all your photos! I still to this day haven’t bought a MFT camera but getting close. And even if I don’t, I will still keep watching your channel. 😊 Congratulations on a seemingly successful photography safari!
Pulled the trigger on the OM-1 mark ii!!! I got my hands on the f2.8 pro lenses as well and I must say, these are the best lenses I’ve ever owned. How did I fund this craziness? I sold all my fujifilm stuff 🙃
Honestly, I think the clear reason for he lack of image stabilisation in Olympus/ OM Systems shorter lenses is because the issues you describe with IBIS (digital image stabilisation) are usually only an issue at longer focal lengths. The IBIS in Olympus cameras is market leading, so, for most uses there is simply no need for lens stabilisation on top, unless you're using long focal lengths, for which they have that covered in their long focal length lenses (keeping R&D and production costs to a minimum).
Did you set 12mm as the focal length for manual lens IS on the OM-1? You have to set that manually on Olympus cameras, unless they changed that for the OM-1. That's probably why it was a bit warpy. I had the same issue on my E-M1 II because I thought I had set it correctly but somehow messed it up and for quite a while was wondering why my video was so wobbly with my Laowa 7.5, which is a great lens btw. It looked just like your footage. I double checked it and realized it was off and the problem went away when I fixed it. You have to reset it every time you change manual focus lenses, which is really annoying and can easily be forgotten, ask me how I know! On my EM-1 II it's in the Image Stabilization sub menu, so if you're scrolling through the regular menus you won't catch it. Hopefully it's easier on the OM-1 menu. If the G9 doesn't need that adjustment, that's definitely a point in its' favor, but you might have just been lucky and 12mm was the default. I would strongly suggest checking that setting and trying the test again. Even if you thought you had it right, you might not have, I should know! As for OM/Olympus not having IS lenses, that's because for a very long time Panasonic had no IBIS cameras, so their zooms had lens IS. Olympus didn't put IS on their lenses because it was considered unnecessary since all Olympus bodies had it. I think the trade off still works for those lenses. My favorite M43 lenses are the tiny "Premium" Olympus primes that had no IS or Aperture rings and as a result were as small and light as possible while still maintaining a high level of build and image quality at a lower price. The "Pro" lenses are nice, but also bigger, heavier, and much more expensive. Even most of the earlier Panasonic primes had no IS, just like Nikon and Canon, because it was thought that a prime could get away with faster shutter speeds and didn't need IS. When Panasonic finally embraced IBIS, for a long time it wasn't nearly as good as Olympus unless it was paired with a Panasonic IS lens. It's my understanding that OM/Olympus is still the best, but Lumix has really caught up and both systems are so good that the difference hardly matters.
Think you should be proud, some cracking photos and videos on that safari - plenty of great memories preserved. Appreciate you going into so much detail with your comparison.
The new Lumix cameras have a setting where you can choose if you want the same settings vor video or separated settings. Unfortunately the default is same settings what most people don't like. I think this works only if you shoot video in the video-mode and not in the photo-mode with the video button.
Yes just in video mode unfortunately! Which to be fair works brilliantly 90% of the time But for safari even looking up to change the dial might have made me miss the shot so I was stuck with photo mode options in this scenario
This is by far, one of the best camera comparisons! I would like to see Panasonic add some new features to the G9MK2 like Focus Stacking , Multi-Exposure, and some sort of I-Zoom or Clear Zoom without the need to reduce image size via EX Tele Converter.
An absolutely wonderful presentation and I watch a lot of these. An OM1 shooter after dumping all my full frame stuff, though I have kept my Nikon F3 and F4 for a challenge now and then. Please keep doing great work, eMILY.
OK, only just found your page, so thank you.. love it. I’m a multiple GH5 user. Weddings and some theatre shows. Basic stuff though, I’m quite traditional. Looking to upgrade. It’s either G9ii or wait for a GH6ii that may never come…..
A few upgrades! Smoother focus ring, better auto focus motor especially when trying to follow subject as you're zooming.. a few other things. The full review is in the works 🙏😊
Wonderful detailed comparison, Emily. What did you think of the ergonomics, as you handled each camera for hours on end? And viewfinders: did the higher-res EVF of the OM-1 make a difference? How about the ability to see the screens during daylight?
I found both cameras really comfortable - I'm so used to the shape of the g9ii already with my other cameras so it felt very intuitive. I found the om1 super comfortable too! For evf, both were crisp and clear and bright. The screens were sometimes useless in the bright light but they got the job done! I think ergonomics like a lot of things is down to personal preference. These two are so comfortable and well thought out. My only complaint with the om1 is the power button is on the left so that always meant two hand use and reaching over when wrangling big lenses. With the g9ii I could for instance lean the camera on top of the jeep, stop and wait, and when the action started again I could turn the camera on one handed even as I was heading to the evf to shoot. Such a minor thing tho to be fair!!
Great video comparison Emily! I am seriously considering buying the G9II in the future for its video capabilities. Did you experience any overheating problems with the G9II while filming in these warm conditions?
None at all you know! I was shooting some educational content whilst out there for another creator, and there were 45 min plus takes in Kenya heat with no problems. Granted I was in a bit of shade, but still very impressive! I did a proper "Heatwave direct sunlight" stress test in my original g9ii review, a few videos back, if you didn't see that already 😊
The comparison is vey good but it could be interesting to see the performance of the IBIS when using Open Gate mode and 5,7K. I have not pre-ordered the camera yet because all the (pre)test on youtube only shows the performance in 4K. Open Gate (and to a lesser extent 5,7K) have much weakier IBIS than 4K on the GH6. Even the AF performs very differently compared to 4K on this camera. I only use Open Gate and 5,7K on my GH6 because the 4K has less fine details than previous Panasonic cameras like the GH5 and it's not the GH5 uses more digital sharpening because when using the standard profiles, the GH6 has even more edge sharpening than the GH5 while showing less fine details (I think it's maybe why the GH6 is able to do 4K 120fps, because of the lower quality). So yes, IBIS and AF comparison in Open Gate should be great because the image quality is much better with these modes (more fine details and less edges sharpening than 4K).
Creative combined setting lets you differentiate between photo picture profile and video. On my s1h & gh6 I can snap photos in standard and then switch vlog when in video. Nothing to change
Do you need to switch to a different mode on the dial to do that? I do have that configured but still doesn't work when I stay in shutter or aperture mode. I'd love to be wrong! Haha my issue is I don't want to change the dial in a fast moving situation
This is a brilliant comparison review. I am going on safari to India and would like to use the set up that you suggest. I have an Olympus EM1 Mk2 and i have a 2x converter but can i please ask, did you use an 'Olympus ' 2x converter when you put your Lumix 100-400mm MK2 lens on your Olympus, as opposed to a Panasonic 2 x converter ?
Really enjoyed this one - Particularly that you are using Panasonic and Olympus lenses on each other's bodies. I'm curious how this fares for older bodies like the G9 and EM1-III. I'd guess that the EM1-III does better with Panasonic glass than the G9 will with Olympus? Thinking of getting a 100-400, and would like the best option for both bodies (if possible). I always thought this was a strength of micro four thirds, but an Olympus 75-300 hunting a lot, while shooting birds on the G9 (m1) is making me think otherwise!
One thing that baffles me about OM-SYSTEMS is the buffer size. The E-M1 II, III, E-M5 III and OM-5 has a 149 frame buffer. Did they not double check specs before building the OM-1? I usually only at max shoot about 20fps with those cameras and maybe a two second burst but never have a slow down of waiting for it to clear the buffer between bursts. I would probably just shoot at 25fps on the OM-1 but I'm at a higher chance of the camera filling the buffer and slowing me down with the decreased size of buffer. If they would have just matched the 149 frame buffer, I still would not notice an issue.
Thank you, Emily, for the comparison of 2 excellent m43 cameras. Regarding interchanging lenses between both brands. There are still compatibility issues that unless some radical changes would be difficult to iron out. When Panasonic launched m43 cameras they did not have, or wanted to use sensor stabilization, hence the reason why Panasonic has a lot of lenses with IS. Also it is a common belief, knowledge that for longer focal lengths lens stabilization works better compared to sensor stabilization. Olympus took the opposite approach when releasing their m43 system and used in body stabilization, the reason why most Olympus lenses have no IS as they have it in the OM-D body. Panasonic held long time on contrast detect AF, which in theory should give more "precise" results in S-AF and is actually (in theory) more precise compared to phase detect. Unfortunately on C-AF this is another story. To compensate Panasonic needed step-less motors in their lenses to acquire fast contrast AF and some clever algorithms called DFD. On the sensor side Panasonic did not want to use phase detect af, as it would degrade image quality due to pixels which are used exclusively for phase detect on the sensor. This came to an end with dual pixel AF (Canon?) as those lost pixels could suddenly be repurposed for the image and phase af. To sustain high burst rates the lens should have a magnetic diaphragm motor instead of the stepped motor design. When swapping lenses between m43 brands, you loose the SDC (Software Distortion Codes) as they are not embedded (to my knowledge into the lens) but in camera, hence one of the reasons when Pana or Oly (OM SYSTEM) releases new lenses they have to release a new fw for their cameras. When the lens is optically well corrected you need little or no SDC, Yes, you can swap lenses between both systems but results will vary greatly on AF motor, diaphragm motor, and how well the lens performs optically as no SDC is available on the "foreign" camera body. This could be a problem with some lenses, but take into account the 4/3 format (Kodak?), (later m43) was implemented as a "digital" format since its inception, taking into account the more telecentric lens design to annihilate the differences you encounter with "repurposed" existing formats. Hence the trouble Leica had/have with their M mount and why they waited so long to introduce "digital" M bodies, those M lenses worked fine on film but not on digital (especially at sub 50mm focal lengths). Perhaps a long explanation, but understanding how both companies introduced their m43 system reveals why they have the same lens bayonet mount, but the underlying technology is completely different, some lenses will work fine others not. The question is, if Panasonic and now OM-SYSTEM will work together to make a "m43 alliance". With Regards, Eric
Awesome Video 😁 Always enjoy your perspective 😁 You Definitely come across as a person who can identify with all users for either brand 😁 loved the life experiences found when crossing brands to use either to get the best photo-video possible 😁 many of us go through the same thing 😁 also makes me wonder about how they work with adapted vintage lenses 🤔
No problem I'll explain here 😊 both cameras have sensor stabilisation (ibis), but if you want any stabilisation beyond that, then Lumix lenses are mostly stabilised, so that's their primary option (dual stabilisation). Whereas on OM System, beyond sensor, there is only a small number of pricy lenses that have stabilisation, so you'd be relying primarily on digital stabilsiation if sensor stabilisation isn't enough.
For me the OM-1 (Wildlife and macro) + OM-5 (Macro, travel and street)+ G9ii (wildlife video) + S5ii (low light, portraits) are everything I need😊. And Panasonic is the perfect bridge between MFT and FF.
Thanks for this. Keen to see a comparison of the bodies with the relevant stabilised lenses, and still waiting for an IQ / low light / DR comparison. Again though, it looks like OMS have some work to do...
18:10 This is why you need the Cx buttons! And you cannot have enough of them. On my GH6 C1 =6k C2= 4k C3= 4K 120 fps C4= FHD 300 fps VideoM= setting for Teams the rest are just for Foto
Hmm, so after all the research I found a great deal on the G9ii and got my first couple of lenses. But what I feel I didn't really think through is since for me this will be a travel camera (Love my Nikon when I can have it with me) the Olympus seems to have more superzooms like 12-100, 12-200, a slightly longer 14-150 than Lumix. I went ahead and got the 12-200 (which I don't think has OIS anyways), but giving up the dual IS seems like it could be a big deal. So the only thing I'd add to your amazing review is look at the lens options that are available first before making the final decision. I'm gonna give my new combo a try and see how it does, but I feel like there might be an Olympus in my future. One thing I can't get over, is why would Olympus put the power switch on the left?!? Nikon's is so convenient right under the shutter button.
Great video, thanks, I have a question, is the new panasonic 100-400 sharper at 400mm than the olympus 100-400? Do you have experience? Thank you very much.
I greatly appreciate this review and exploration of teleconverters with the new Lumix 100-400. However, I'm curious, have you ever explored the digital capabilities of these cameras? I came into the Lumix G9 system through the Leica V-Lux 114 which is basically a Lumix FZ1000 bridge camera with a 1-inch sensor. This camera had a great digital converter called I-Zoom that expanded the 25-400 optical range to a very useable 800mm's if you limited your cropping on the far end. If MFT is all about traveling light, perhaps, as MFT users, we should be exploring this feature a bit more in the menu.
Great work and appreciate the time and effort you put in on your holiday. I wanted to ask you how interoperable are the G9 II and the S5 II in terms of handling and UI, features. I want to switch from Sony a7 Mark IV for the speed and computational features of G9 II (Pre Burst and Focus Bracketing the most) but I don't want to lose the 35mm FF DoF for pet portrait photography and I need reliable AF tracking and high speed for running and playing dogs. (The only other brand/combo that can do what OM-1 and G9 II can are the Canon R7 and R6 Mark II ... But Canon has barely any lenses and is stupidly expensive)
Did you have Low ISO Processing set to Drive Priority or Detail Priority for the OM-1? That can have a pretty large effect on buffer performance and write speed. The card you used should be ok but there were certain variants of that card that had compatibility issues with the E-M1ii but I don't know how that would apply to the OM-1.
This is a very nice and informative comparison. It seemed to me like the Panasonic was too heavy on the noise reduction during the handheld long exposures.
👏👍 from Down Under. Love your work, Emily! Subscribed. So informative. So practical. So entertaining. Very fair without dissing one brand or the other. Been in the Pany camp for some years mostly due to better video specs (I’m very hybrid) and was tempted by OM-1 bcs of crappy Pany focus. But would have lost Dual IS of 6 lenses! G9-II changes the game back finally with PDAF. Even more so when Pany finally updates firmware from 0.4 to 1.0. Thanks again and I look forward to your next vid.
I should add that I do use the Olympus 17mm f1.2 Pro and the 40-150mm f2.8 Pro (with 1.4 TC) on my Pany (mostly G9-I) bodies because those lenses are so so so good. Awesome optics for awesome results. Even the flick-back hood on the zoom is brilliantly thought out, which allows access to adjusting my CPL orientation shot-by-shot in literally 2 seconds. We are spoiled with quality now.
I hav a feeling that Lumix caeras have slightly more contrasty images, more black in them, but as a negative thing... OM seems to have more pleasent images. Or ?
My G9ii vs OM1ii video is here: th-cam.com/video/6VRB6sXYFAc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=S58_NR4iQmsab_k-
Great video ! On the G9 I mapped the CNED /CNEV on the wheel - Control dial Cursor button right for that.
other thing
As possible with the EM5II I would really love to clean all the info from the screen when taking photos an show only what I need when I half press de shutter. and when focussing it shows only a little box. I like that experience more to create. to be more absorbed and fascinated to the image, you know if we can acheave that on the S5II and G9II ?
This is, by far, one of the best comparisons videos I have ever seen between two cameras.
This was not a comparison based on stat sheets alone, nor was it hampered by preconceived expectations or even personal wishful preferences. This was just based on bare-bone raw use case scenarios. What a great watch.
Thank you very much! That's exactly what i was hoping to achieve. Im so glad you found it helpful!
Agreed. She did a very nice job covering what actually matters... THE USER EXPERIENCE! Great job on this review. The G9ii seems to be the camera to beat, even after a year, what is better?
Regarding the compability of lenses with bodies regarding burts mode, don't forget that Panasonic used DFD AF for many years and this system needed very fast motors in their lenses. Sean Robortson of Lumix USA said this during one of the Lumix Live session. Due to DFD the lenses need to make very fast changes and the motors of their lenses are build for this. So that Lumix lenses can support the super high burts mode can be explained well.
You won't go wrong with either cameras. I have two OM-1s that my Wife and I shoot wildlife with mostly birds in flight and the 300mmf4 pro lens is in a different league. When using the 100-400 panasonic lens the eye of the bird is very rarely in focus as there is a lack of sync af between the different brands. Panasonic with panasonic lens looks great with eye af and same goes for olympus native lenses. So the choice is yours as they both do a great job. Panasonic for video yes I agree. OM-1 however has beautiful stabilised video with the 9mm vlogging leica lens.
Amazing video, people who were giving you undue amounts of flack really need to grow up, especially fellow TH-camrs who should know better. Thanks for addressing some of the issues with the first video and bringing us another cracking video. 🙂
Thank you so much!! It really wasn't great, especially because it happened in Kenya so I had patchy WiFi and then whenever i logged on, comments would hit like tidal waves 😂 I'm only human and hopefully this video will update anything from the original video 🙏
Great video Emily. Looks like a fantastic trip too, and what a bonus to be able to use these two cameras side-by-side. I'm interested in your take on the new 100-400mm compared to the older one. Just want to know if it's worth the upgrade. Of course the TC will make all the difference in the new version of this lens. But it's a big chunk of money! Cheers.
Hey Marlene!! You were one of the first people I thought of when the new G9II was announced,,seeing as you are one of the best coaches on the original. I too will be curious about the differences between the older lenses and the new versions ,,I've only had the 100-400 for a year but I've had the 35-100 2.8 for more than 3,, Time and gear marches on.
Thanks Marlene! I shall get the full 100-400 ii review up in the coming weeks 😁 you make a little cameo in next week's video actually under "youtubers I love"
@@MicroFourNerds Ooh thank you. You're a sweetheart!
@@MicroFourNerds TH-camrs you Love? Thats an interesting take,
validating their influence will put a smile upon their face.
So mention Courtney Victoria and I'll take the time,
to think of something funny and pen for you a rhyme.
@@JerryWilliam63 she is also featured! Did a panel with her at Wales and West photography show in August it was lovely 😊
Great video. I am an Olympus/OM system user. Your analysis about the lenses was really good. We focus so much on the camera body that we forget about the rest of the ecosystem
DAMNED good review, Emily! I'll be pulling the trigger on a G9 II soon. All my lenses are Lumix and stabilized. I need the video features on the G9 II. So that wins for me. But the OM-1 is a fine piece of machinery. It's great that we have such powerful and versatile and lightweight gear to use in 2023!
Many thanks for the comparison.
I've been toying with the idea of selling my OM1 for the G9ii, primarily for enhanced video features, but one OM1 feature has recently become used surprisingly frequently and that's Live ND. For dynamic range and noiseless shots as well as long exposure photography plus the classic water flow effects, it's such an amazing thing to have a range of ND "filters" available in camera. It's just a shame it doesn't work for video too. But I think now I'm going to keep the OM1 instead due to my increasing reliance on this feature.
What's really cool with the Live ND feature is you can mix and match. Add a physical ND filter, and you can play around with it. It really makes for an interesting experience. And since it can draw out more dynamic range, dialing back your exposure a little prior to taking the shot still ends up with pretty good results. I've noticed highlights can end up a bit blown out in some instances otherwise, just due to the physical limitations of trying to do ND without a physical filter. So far it's my favorite computation mode as well. Now, let's combine Live ND and handheld high-res. Blur the lines. OMDS can pretty much do whatever they want so long as the processor can handle it. This is where they can really differentiate themselves. Let Panasonic give people all the extra video features, while they show us what can be done when you really go all out with photos. The competition is sure to be interesting at the very least. I especially love the thought of upgrades whenever new firmware comes out. What do they have for us this time?
Sold mine for the G9II and I'm already missing the rocksolid AF and features like Live ND ... Went "birding" with my GH6 ... what a challenge, had to resort to MF...
@@PolyglotMonkey I'm sure the AF of the G9II is better. Though the grass is greener syndrome we all suffer from can be a challenge. I know it well. I'm trying to content myself with knowing OMDS will likely put out an updated firmware that will address some things, improving the overall use of the camera. At least that's my hope. I'm sure you'll love the G9II. It's too soon to know how good it is in real life use, but so far it appears to be a pretty competent camera. I've tried mentioning the computational functions missing from it that are present in other cameras, such as the OM-1, but Panasonic reps don't reply to me. Well, hey, at least we can try to motivate them. They can do firmware updates, too!
Great job with the updated video. I loved the safari pics. I'm sure you had thousands to go through when you returned home. Also, great job touting the benefits of M43. After shooting a Sony A1 and Nikon Z8, I realized that I love the features of the M43 system and the light weight. I have pre-ordered the G9 II for the resolution, buffer, tracking and fps but also have an OM-5 for the Starry Sky AF, built-in ND and creation of a composite focused stack image during bracketing.
Don't let the hyper-critical deter you. Great reviews and really great photos. I've got the G9II on pre-order strictly because of the 4k120 and 5.8k open gate (as cutting things into TH-cam videos + Shorts and Reels has become my normal workflow) but they both seem like incredibly capable cameras.
Agreed about the hyper-critical. The defensiveness of people about their camera brand always baffles me, but it's even more bizarre within M43 where the brands share a mount and so exist symbiotically.
It's trite to say (but seemingly quite commonly forgotten), but cameras are just tools. If someone prefers something about their spatula, do these odd people also fly on the offensive to defend their spatula? I understand these are very expensive spatulas, but if they were really secure and happy with what they own, I don't understand their need to defend them so emotionally. I have an OM-1 and there is nothing else I wish the camera could do (I'll note I don't shoot much video). Having previously owned and loved a G9, I'm confident I'd feel the same with a G9 ii.
Even if there were one or two natural human oversights in the previous video (in a sea of useful information), so few people seemed capable of pointing that out level-headedly. Thanks for even more insight into these cameras, Emily.
@@BananaCake26 It's about the tone and the way that the feedback is given. Defensiveness makes people give it in a rude, personal and/or unconstructive way. I know many people pointed out the mistakes in a reasonable way, but many others did not.
It's even more nonsensical if you aggressively correct someone on their own channel, because your comment is then less likely to get upvoted by the community and therefore less likely to be seen by people who would benefit from knowing the correct information.
Wow, what a great, comprehensive review! I have read nearly all the other preview/reviews of the G9ii and none did anywhere near as good a job as yours, and you add in all the wanted comparative information on the OM-1. Amazing! I have been doing a lot of wildlife photography for decades and have done three long trips to Africa. Your photos, particularly in your short time there are truly lovely. Well done!
Thanks so much! I'm really proud of the images especially with being a relative newbie to wildlife! I've tried to get some experience with UK "safari parks" and bird hides but nothing can quite prepare you for the real thing!
WOW!! What an incredible everything! Such a great review on both systems but also tutorial on safari shooting. As always fully comprehensive & fair to a fault...great work Emily - we loved every second 😍
I enjoyed this comparison review. Nice to see Lumix upping its game while making MFT a more credible alternative format. I have the original G9 and 100-400mm and love the portability.
Probably one of the best and most entertaining comparisons I’ve seen. Well done!
You are the most joyous TH-camr on the planet with refreshingly honest “reviews” of camera gear. Thanks for brightening my day.😎
Great work as usual - this is very in-depth and incredibly useful content. I prefer this instead of staring at a chart or the "pixel-peeping' that these so called photographers do. Love the practical application aspect of your videos, and the clear explanations. Great Photos as well! Long Live MFT!
OUTSTANDING info / review! Early OM1 user, switched to G9 mostly due to menu and my personal inability to find/make changes easily. I have absolutely loved the G9 as a still-photography camera. You helped me a lot re current OM1 menu ease of use status. Thanks
I'm glad to see a comparison on these cameras that is fair and impartial. Aside from the lack of lens stability options for the Zuiko lenses (which OM should/needs to address as soon as possible) it seems that in nearly every situation you presented here, you found differences between the 2 systems that are insignificant and honestly, that is pretty much what I hoping for. I would have liked to have seen a side by side of the Zuiko 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS and the Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 lenses, but I realize that packing the two of those might have been detrimental to your back.
Absolutely love this video. Great work Emily.
As an OM-1.2 owner that has GAS and was naturally intrigued, I've got a G9ii (the first PannyBoy I've ever held) on my desk this week that I've hired just so I can have a play. I think you've hit the nail on the head - both of them are incredible cameras, and duff shots are more likely going to be user error rather than anything else.
For me, personally, my observations are:
1. The OM body is lighter (only by 60g), but in the hand it feels greater.
2. The OM fits in my hand nicer/is more ergonomic. This is maybe why it feels lighter than the 60g difference might imply. The G9ii feels bulkier - very similar in the hand to my X-H2 (and coincidentally the same weight).
3. The menu systems are both cameras are as good as each other. I find the OM one easier, but that's likely down to familiarity.
4. I think the AF on face/eye detect is stickier in the G9ii (and that's using OM lenses), but my testing is highly unscientific. The OM AF isn't exactly poor.
5. I'm hard pushed to tell the difference in IQ between either.
6. I appreciate 20MB RAW files from the OM vs the 35MB RAW files from the G9ii.
Think that's pretty much it to be honest. However, what I'd like both brands to do is try and get the guts of these cameras into smaller bodies. If PannyBoy could come up with a new GX9ii, and OM could facelift/redo the OM-5 I think that would bring a couple of bodies to market that would literally fly off the shelves.
Both looked very good and some wonderful photos! Assume all your camera reviews will now be done while on safari for consistency purposes ? 😊 Love to see how the OM5 would work there as well…Enjoyed!
Hahaha I wish!!! I already want to go back. Need to win the lottery!
I really appreciate you comming with the second video and correcting some of the old infos. Well done!
Great review! The m4/3 system really is the perfect "safari-system". I visited Masai-Mara in sep 2022 and I brought with me 2 cameras and two lenses, the 12-100 and the 150-400 and a 2x converter. I got the 35mm equivalent of 24-2000mm with thoose lenses and everything weighted in at 9,5kg including the camerabag.
Your math skill needs a slight improvement, m8. 🙂
@@HJN67😢 irony is killing me
@@larrychicco1062 How so? Please tell me what I missed, based of the info given to me.
I totally agree with you about pre-burst for birds! My Nikon has it but only for jpgs, and I wish it would do what the G9s do!
Booooommm! Mind blown! Exceeded my expectations, but I'm on safari in Botswana right now dealing with crazy schedules, extreme heat, dust, and endless photo opps. While you have blown my mind with your nerdtastic enthusiasm, I'd love to hear about your experience with the down in the dust reality of safari. There's a chasm between the world's of the top of the line safari photo purists and the cell phone tourists that's begging for a little dose of nerdy practicality. If anyone can cut through the dust, you can do it, Emily!👍😉
Good comparison. To be fair, the OM-1 is a year and a half older than the G9II so I would expect a better feature set for the G9II. If not, then Panasonic is not doing their job. I think if you are a stills only photographer, then the OM-1 would be my choice. If you are a hybrid shooter or a heavily video centric shooter, then it's the G9II all the way. All that being said, either camera will work for video or stills and can produce great results.
A 20mp sensor is inferior if you're a printing photographer.
Are you aware that photos were printed 10/15 years ago?! Or was that not possible back because they had only 10/12 MP?
@@richardfink7666 no I thought printing was only invented this year!
Cameras are getting more resolution. Side by side you can tell your print is less sharp.
You can`t always see the difference. If you make huge prints you are right!@@ofmetalphilosophy4837
I'm not sure if Olympus offers something extra for still photos. But it's a common argument in the comments. Star autofocus might be useful, but I use a manual focus with 16x zoom. Focus peeking is not precise. I own only Panasonic and my latest is G80, only major complain is remaining battery indicator which feels like 2/3 bars is less than half and 1/3 means good luck. Colors are subjective. Possibly Olympus might have better lenses. I have only 45/f1.8, it's perfect. But so is Panasonic 20/f1.7. 12-35/f2.8 12-60/f3.5-5.6 and 45-150/f4-5.6 are close to perfect. Only zooms releases in 2010 and before are not great.
Nice video... thanks for the meticulous efforts...Olympus users may find it difficult to accept that the Panasonic has caught up with OM1 in stills capability (and possibly may exceed it !) While it certainly beats it in video versatility...and with more firmware updates from Panasonic this is likely to be proved beyond a doubt.
Who are Olympus exactly?
As an Olympus fan, I completely disagree. I'm super happy that Panasonic can finally keep up. That's the reason to buy into Micro Four Thirds. One or the other provider always comes up with something great...and we have the choice and can change...without selling glass! Love it!
I wasn't aware it was a contest...
The following OM cameras have pro capture mode: OM SYSTEM OM-1.
OM-D E-M1X.
OM-D E-M1 Mark III.
OM-D E-M1 Mark II.
OM-D E-M5 Mark III.
Tough TG-6.
OM-5.
The OM-D E-M1 mark II (used) is a bargain way to get this feature.
The TG6 has it!! Wow! I was thinking of getting that camera for my Tiny Camera series. I had the original TG1 back in the day
That was a perfect comparison for me. I come from the Lumix side and I have all 5, GH1-5.
But I moved more to photography, so I changed to the OM1 and have the 40-150 and the 100-400 with the 1.4 Teleconverter from Olympus.
But I have preordered the G9II with the new 100-400.
I will go on an eagle safari in Canada in June and i intend to take both, the OM1 only for photography, the G9II mostly for video and some photos, in order not to have to switch lenses.
So how good did the G9II 4K 120p mode autofocus, (no animal detection) keep the birds in flight sharp?
All the rest just assured me, that it is a good idea to take both bodies along.
That sounds like a fantastic trip!!! The 120p even without animal detection on the g9ii still has fantastic phase detect continuous AF, so it's comparable to the S5ii, which has blown most peoples minds in terms of AF. I think it'll do great! And if you'd like to have a bit more AF help, then the 4k 60p mode does have subject detect and still let's you slow the footage down to 40% speed 😊
STUNNING PHOTOS Emily!!! Looks like you had an amazing trip!
Thank you Richard!!! 🙏
Great review! I don’t, however, agree in one point - the absence of stabilized lenses. At least the newer OM/Olympus lenses do have image stabilization (Here I’m talking all the lenses I have - which would be the 100-400mm 5.0-6.3, the 12-100 1.4, the 90 mm 1.35 Pro macro), and I could surely carry on. A main difference may be that only the Pro lenses synchronize their stabilization with the in-camera sensor stabilization.
Another brilliant video Emily. Both make very compelling cases and I doubt anyone would be disappointed with either.
Now there's dedication for you - going all that way just to do a comparison test 😁 Must have been a fabulous trip.
Great comparison video. Cracking photos
Awesome video, Emily, with some seriously epic photos! I just got back from a two week trip to Sri Lanka and saw a little bit of wildlife; this video has really made me want to grab a G9ii and head down to Kenya!
Completely agree with the comment about the video profile being separate to the photo one; I was trying to shoot hybrid on my trip with my S5 ii but found it really cumbersome switching between photo and video settings so I mostly stuck to photo. it would be lovely to just be able to press that little red button on the top and it start capturing video the way you want, especially when something happens in a pinch!
Pre-Burst looks like a complete life saver too, wow!
Glad to hear that the focusing isn't perfect; obviously, no-one posts out-of-focus images, so it's easy to be under the misconception that your own camera is defective or you're bad with it; like you said, sometimes cameras are a bit stupid, but also the AF is a tool to be used by the photographer, rather than it taking away that element altogether.
Hi Emily, i really enjoyed the comparison and the many beautiful photos/videos. You mentioned that you were using the Lumix 100-400 lens with a 2x teleconverter. Ive not been able to locate the teleconverter you mention. Can you provide a link for this? Also, any plans to do a comparison between the OM1 mkII and G9 mkII?
"In the real world, where it matters" 👑
‘My brain is is small enough already.’ I’m so with you on that one. There is nothing worse than forgetting that seventeenth setting needed to make one’s perfect image under a high pressure situation. On my one and only safari last year, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to shoot a cheetah at the edge of the Etosha Pan. He looked directly at me and leapt over a small stream. I was so dialled in; I thought I nailed every setting. Then later that afternoon when I looked through my images I realized. They were all in jpeg! Only the cheetah photos were all in jpeg! I still don’t know how I managed to do that.
When comparing video for those 2 cameras it's always mentioned that the Lumix has much more modes, but what I care even more for is the acutual video quality. And I'm not talking about technical stuff like 10bit color or bitrates, but how it actually looks like.
Now, I have no G9II yet, but I had the GH6 and the OM-1 both in use for over a year now. And with the same settings (4K, 24p, LongGOP, Log) the Panasonic just always produced much more versatile better looking footage (with the same grades applied in Davinci Resolve). I never got really beautiful footage out of the Oly, especially with their Log profile (of course using the official LUT - the different LUTs being on separate nodes and not part of the aformentioned same grade).
At some point I put it to just 8bit video and the natural profile and skipped grading alltogehter. At least those videos looked ok-ish. Maybe I got somehting wrong, but playing around for over a year with pretty much all the settings both cams had to offer the video on the OM-1 was always disappointing.
With photos it was of course the reverse, but not by such a big margin. It also bears mentioning that the OM-1's video files where tiny compared to the GH6 so it seems to have a much higher compression.
Great review. Have been a lumix fan for years. Love the intuitive UI. I was waiting for something like the g9ii but when the OM 1 came out I went for it. 12-100 lens has superb versatility. IS is incredible. Under dim indoor light I did 8 second handheld exposures of piano sheet music from 30 feet away at full zoom and able to read the notes clearly! Similarly with dawn and dusk shots. I wish the OM 1 had a still capture while doing video. Also, would be nice to have a video pause feature, like the phone cameras for more casual shooting. However, I am still tempted to try to justify the g9ii.
12-100 is 9The 12-100 is one of the best lenses of all time
Much better comparison than the first one. I think this video was balanced and well worth watching. Thank you.
Love your reviews. Love the G9 II, but for the love of all that is good, can we get a compact body to complement it??
Yes please eeeeek instant buy from me if so! Imagine?! An actual compact hybrid camera that does vlogging as well as photography. Arrrgh! Please lumix haha 🙏📷
We love you too, and I sincerely hope you made it to the pool eventually! Thanks for your hard work on this one.
A nice summary of the devices and subjects I can appreciate. Particularly the bee eater and lilac breasted roller images which must have made you smile when you reviewed them. Thanks.
Seems to be a very fair comparison, hope you enjoyed your trip.
Hey Emily; One piece of information regarding buffer clearing on the OM-1. The writing speed slows down if yoyu are at 1600 ISO and above, even if you are only shooting RAW. I believe it is to do with noise reduction processing, but at lower ISO's I can clear the full 90 frames in around 8 seconds with my V90 cards.
Thanks for taking the time to do this, beautiful photos and great comparison.
My compliments! You took great photos!
And great content btw!!!
My girlfriend and I using an Olympus EM1-MII with various lenses (Oly 12-100, Oly 12-40, Oly 100-400 and the Pana Leica 50-200) and we are still getting great results.
Actually it was a birthday present from me to her, at first she didn't liked it and now she loves it and she is asking me why we ever used Canon (60d and 80d).
Her most favorite lens is the Pana Leica 50-200, which is indeed a fabulous lens. Gives fantastic results, is still compact and lightweight and has it's own character, in a good way. It seems to be that this lens was especially made for her. With the 1.4 TC the AF is a little bit slow.
I use for wildlife mainly the Oly 100-400, excellent lens, which is already to heavy for her after some time.
Nevertheless, we are really happy with M43 and the price-performance ratio for this system is unbeatable. In a full frame system we were never able to afford that much money to get the same focal length equivalent just for our hobby.
And the M43 gears is smaller and lighter compared to FF.
In my opinion from the performance or feature side it doesn't really matter if you are using an OM1 or G9II, both cameras are performing very well and give excellent results, it is more an issue what someone prefers or is used to.
You’ve really covered every base possible, Emily! Another fantastic video and I love all your photos! I still to this day haven’t bought a MFT camera but getting close. And even if I don’t, I will still keep watching your channel. 😊 Congratulations on a seemingly successful photography safari!
You have no idea how jealous I am about the Kenya trip😭 great comparison as always 🙌🏼
Pulled the trigger on the OM-1 mark ii!!!
I got my hands on the f2.8 pro lenses as well and I must say, these are the best lenses I’ve ever owned.
How did I fund this craziness? I sold all my fujifilm stuff 🙃
I LOVE your reviews. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
Stunning shot @ 12:37
Thank you I think that's one of my faves from the whole trip. Ironically not even a big predator but small bee eaters 😂🙏
Congratulations for this video, and if I can add, your enthousiasm is communicative! Thank you!
Honestly, I think the clear reason for he lack of image stabilisation in Olympus/ OM Systems shorter lenses is because the issues you describe with IBIS (digital image stabilisation) are usually only an issue at longer focal lengths. The IBIS in Olympus cameras is market leading, so, for most uses there is simply no need for lens stabilisation on top, unless you're using long focal lengths, for which they have that covered in their long focal length lenses (keeping R&D and production costs to a minimum).
Very good, balanced review. Well done, Emily!
Did you set 12mm as the focal length for manual lens IS on the OM-1? You have to set that manually on Olympus cameras, unless they changed that for the OM-1. That's probably why it was a bit warpy. I had the same issue on my E-M1 II because I thought I had set it correctly but somehow messed it up and for quite a while was wondering why my video was so wobbly with my Laowa 7.5, which is a great lens btw. It looked just like your footage. I double checked it and realized it was off and the problem went away when I fixed it. You have to reset it every time you change manual focus lenses, which is really annoying and can easily be forgotten, ask me how I know! On my EM-1 II it's in the Image Stabilization sub menu, so if you're scrolling through the regular menus you won't catch it. Hopefully it's easier on the OM-1 menu. If the G9 doesn't need that adjustment, that's definitely a point in its' favor, but you might have just been lucky and 12mm was the default. I would strongly suggest checking that setting and trying the test again. Even if you thought you had it right, you might not have, I should know!
As for OM/Olympus not having IS lenses, that's because for a very long time Panasonic had no IBIS cameras, so their zooms had lens IS. Olympus didn't put IS on their lenses because it was considered unnecessary since all Olympus bodies had it. I think the trade off still works for those lenses. My favorite M43 lenses are the tiny "Premium" Olympus primes that had no IS or Aperture rings and as a result were as small and light as possible while still maintaining a high level of build and image quality at a lower price. The "Pro" lenses are nice, but also bigger, heavier, and much more expensive. Even most of the earlier Panasonic primes had no IS, just like Nikon and Canon, because it was thought that a prime could get away with faster shutter speeds and didn't need IS. When Panasonic finally embraced IBIS, for a long time it wasn't nearly as good as Olympus unless it was paired with a Panasonic IS lens. It's my understanding that OM/Olympus is still the best, but Lumix has really caught up and both systems are so good that the difference hardly matters.
Think you should be proud, some cracking photos and videos on that safari - plenty of great memories preserved.
Appreciate you going into so much detail with your comparison.
The new Lumix cameras have a setting where you can choose if you want the same settings vor video or separated settings. Unfortunately the default is same settings what most people don't like.
I think this works only if you shoot video in the video-mode and not in the photo-mode with the video button.
Yes just in video mode unfortunately! Which to be fair works brilliantly 90% of the time
But for safari even looking up to change the dial might have made me miss the shot so I was stuck with photo mode options in this scenario
These photos are amazing! And nice comparison. Keep up the great work
This is by far, one of the best camera comparisons! I would like to see Panasonic add some new features to the G9MK2 like Focus Stacking , Multi-Exposure, and some sort of I-Zoom or Clear Zoom without the need to reduce image size via EX Tele Converter.
An absolutely wonderful presentation and I watch a lot of these. An OM1 shooter after dumping all my full frame stuff, though I have kept my Nikon F3 and F4 for a challenge now and then. Please keep doing great work, eMILY.
Awesome Vid! Thank you so much for capturing how these cameras handle the safari environment!
Great review, one that actually compares using cameras and lenses in a way that photographers would them.
OK, only just found your page, so thank you.. love it.
I’m a multiple GH5 user. Weddings and some theatre shows. Basic stuff though, I’m quite traditional. Looking to upgrade. It’s either G9ii or wait for a GH6ii that may never come…..
Great video, is there any difference with the 100-400 other than the possibility of using a converter?
Probably a smoother zoom ring than the original. It looked pretty good as far as rendering is concerned.
A few upgrades! Smoother focus ring, better auto focus motor especially when trying to follow subject as you're zooming.. a few other things. The full review is in the works 🙏😊
Wonderful detailed comparison, Emily. What did you think of the ergonomics, as you handled each camera for hours on end? And viewfinders: did the higher-res EVF of the OM-1 make a difference? How about the ability to see the screens during daylight?
I found both cameras really comfortable - I'm so used to the shape of the g9ii already with my other cameras so it felt very intuitive.
I found the om1 super comfortable too!
For evf, both were crisp and clear and bright. The screens were sometimes useless in the bright light but they got the job done!
I think ergonomics like a lot of things is down to personal preference. These two are so comfortable and well thought out. My only complaint with the om1 is the power button is on the left so that always meant two hand use and reaching over when wrangling big lenses. With the g9ii I could for instance lean the camera on top of the jeep, stop and wait, and when the action started again I could turn the camera on one handed even as I was heading to the evf to shoot. Such a minor thing tho to be fair!!
Great video comparison Emily! I am seriously considering buying the G9II in the future for its video capabilities. Did you experience any overheating problems with the G9II while filming in these warm conditions?
None at all you know! I was shooting some educational content whilst out there for another creator, and there were 45 min plus takes in Kenya heat with no problems. Granted I was in a bit of shade, but still very impressive! I did a proper "Heatwave direct sunlight" stress test in my original g9ii review, a few videos back, if you didn't see that already 😊
Very interesting video thanks. Even though I don’t have a mft system, I enjoyed it. Great delivery and as a bonus you’re English too! ❤
I think the winner is the camera that finally feels better in your hands
The comparison is vey good but it could be interesting to see the performance of the IBIS when using Open Gate mode and 5,7K. I have not pre-ordered the camera yet because all the (pre)test on youtube only shows the performance in 4K.
Open Gate (and to a lesser extent 5,7K) have much weakier IBIS than 4K on the GH6. Even the AF performs very differently compared to 4K on this camera.
I only use Open Gate and 5,7K on my GH6 because the 4K has less fine details than previous Panasonic cameras like the GH5 and it's not the GH5 uses more digital sharpening because when using the standard profiles, the GH6 has even more edge sharpening than the GH5 while showing less fine details (I think it's maybe why the GH6 is able to do 4K 120fps, because of the lower quality).
So yes, IBIS and AF comparison in Open Gate should be great because the image quality is much better with these modes (more fine details and less edges sharpening than 4K).
Amazing review! And very entertaining. Not many out there who can pull that off tbh🥳🙌
Creative combined setting lets you differentiate between photo picture profile and video. On my s1h & gh6 I can snap photos in standard and then switch vlog when in video. Nothing to change
Do you need to switch to a different mode on the dial to do that? I do have that configured but still doesn't work when I stay in shutter or aperture mode. I'd love to be wrong! Haha my issue is I don't want to change the dial in a fast moving situation
This is a brilliant comparison review. I am going on safari to India and would like to use the set up that you suggest. I have an Olympus EM1 Mk2 and i have a 2x converter but can i please ask, did you use an 'Olympus ' 2x converter when you put your Lumix 100-400mm MK2 lens on your Olympus, as opposed to a Panasonic 2 x converter ?
Really enjoyed this one - Particularly that you are using Panasonic and Olympus lenses on each other's bodies.
I'm curious how this fares for older bodies like the G9 and EM1-III. I'd guess that the EM1-III does better with Panasonic glass than the G9 will with Olympus?
Thinking of getting a 100-400, and would like the best option for both bodies (if possible). I always thought this was a strength of micro four thirds, but an Olympus 75-300 hunting a lot, while shooting birds on the G9 (m1) is making me think otherwise!
One thing that baffles me about OM-SYSTEMS is the buffer size. The E-M1 II, III, E-M5 III and OM-5 has a 149 frame buffer. Did they not double check specs before building the OM-1? I usually only at max shoot about 20fps with those cameras and maybe a two second burst but never have a slow down of waiting for it to clear the buffer between bursts. I would probably just shoot at 25fps on the OM-1 but I'm at a higher chance of the camera filling the buffer and slowing me down with the decreased size of buffer. If they would have just matched the 149 frame buffer, I still would not notice an issue.
I really, really like your LUMIX G9ii Introduction on the LUMIX channel.
Well done. 😃😃
Thanks! They were fun to make! It was strange trying to speak at a normal pace 😂
Thanks, Emily. Very good, real-life comparison and operation tips.
Brilliant video, had micro four thirds camera since 2018, can’t believe I’ve not seen your channel before. Thanks
Thank you, Emily, for the comparison of 2 excellent m43 cameras.
Regarding interchanging lenses between both brands. There are still compatibility issues that unless some radical changes would be difficult to iron out.
When Panasonic launched m43 cameras they did not have, or wanted to use sensor stabilization, hence the reason why Panasonic has a lot of lenses with IS. Also it is a common belief, knowledge that for longer focal lengths lens stabilization works better compared to sensor stabilization. Olympus took the opposite approach when releasing their m43 system and used in body stabilization, the reason why most Olympus lenses have no IS as they have it in the OM-D body.
Panasonic held long time on contrast detect AF, which in theory should give more "precise" results in S-AF and is actually (in theory) more precise compared to phase detect. Unfortunately on C-AF this is another story. To compensate Panasonic needed step-less motors in their lenses to acquire fast contrast AF and some clever algorithms called DFD. On the sensor side Panasonic did not want to use phase detect af, as it would degrade image quality due to pixels which are used exclusively for phase detect on the sensor. This came to an end with dual pixel AF (Canon?) as those lost pixels could suddenly be repurposed for the image and phase af.
To sustain high burst rates the lens should have a magnetic diaphragm motor instead of the stepped motor design.
When swapping lenses between m43 brands, you loose the SDC (Software Distortion Codes) as they are not embedded (to my knowledge into the lens) but in camera, hence one of the reasons when Pana or Oly (OM SYSTEM) releases new lenses they have to release a new fw for their cameras. When the lens is optically well corrected you need little or no SDC,
Yes, you can swap lenses between both systems but results will vary greatly on AF motor, diaphragm motor, and how well the lens performs optically as no SDC is available on the "foreign" camera body.
This could be a problem with some lenses, but take into account the 4/3 format (Kodak?), (later m43) was implemented as a "digital" format since its inception, taking into account the more telecentric lens design to annihilate the differences you encounter with "repurposed" existing formats. Hence the trouble Leica had/have with their M mount and why they waited so long to introduce "digital" M bodies, those M lenses worked fine on film but not on digital (especially at sub 50mm focal lengths).
Perhaps a long explanation, but understanding how both companies introduced their m43 system reveals why they have the same lens bayonet mount, but the underlying technology is completely different, some lenses will work fine others not.
The question is, if Panasonic and now OM-SYSTEM will work together to make a "m43 alliance".
With Regards,
Eric
Awesome Video 😁 Always enjoy your perspective 😁 You Definitely come across as a person who can identify with all users for either brand 😁 loved the life experiences found when crossing brands to use either to get the best photo-video possible 😁 many of us go through the same thing 😁 also makes me wonder about how they work with adapted vintage lenses 🤔
I thought Olympus main stabilisation is sensor based? Confused about the long section calling Olympus stabilisation digital.
No problem I'll explain here 😊 both cameras have sensor stabilisation (ibis), but if you want any stabilisation beyond that, then Lumix lenses are mostly stabilised, so that's their primary option (dual stabilisation). Whereas on OM System, beyond sensor, there is only a small number of pricy lenses that have stabilisation, so you'd be relying primarily on digital stabilsiation if sensor stabilisation isn't enough.
For me the OM-1 (Wildlife and macro) + OM-5 (Macro, travel and street)+ G9ii (wildlife video) + S5ii (low light, portraits) are everything I need😊. And Panasonic is the perfect bridge between MFT and FF.
well done - objectively on your part !
Love it, very nice presentation. As a gh6 owner, i wonder if i should get the g9ii, everthing is swappable exept for the xpress memory cards
Thanks for this. Keen to see a comparison of the bodies with the relevant stabilised lenses, and still waiting for an IQ / low light / DR comparison. Again though, it looks like OMS have some work to do...
18:10
This is why you need the Cx buttons! And you cannot have enough of them. On my GH6
C1 =6k
C2= 4k
C3= 4K 120 fps
C4= FHD 300 fps
VideoM= setting for Teams
the rest are just for Foto
Great talking and explaining!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it 🙏
Emily, thanks so much for this video. Did you ever compare their dynamic range like shadow recovery?
Hmm, so after all the research I found a great deal on the G9ii and got my first couple of lenses. But what I feel I didn't really think through is since for me this will be a travel camera (Love my Nikon when I can have it with me) the Olympus seems to have more superzooms like 12-100, 12-200, a slightly longer 14-150 than Lumix. I went ahead and got the 12-200 (which I don't think has OIS anyways), but giving up the dual IS seems like it could be a big deal. So the only thing I'd add to your amazing review is look at the lens options that are available first before making the final decision. I'm gonna give my new combo a try and see how it does, but I feel like there might be an Olympus in my future. One thing I can't get over, is why would Olympus put the power switch on the left?!? Nikon's is so convenient right under the shutter button.
Great video, thanks, I have a question, is the new panasonic 100-400 sharper at 400mm than the olympus 100-400? Do you have experience? Thank you very much.
I greatly appreciate this review and exploration of teleconverters with the new Lumix 100-400. However, I'm curious, have you ever explored the digital capabilities of these cameras? I came into the Lumix G9 system through the Leica V-Lux 114 which is basically a Lumix FZ1000 bridge camera with a 1-inch sensor. This camera had a great digital converter called I-Zoom that expanded the 25-400 optical range to a very useable 800mm's if you limited your cropping on the far end. If MFT is all about traveling light, perhaps, as MFT users, we should be exploring this feature a bit more in the menu.
Great video Emily! What an experience and a comparison
Amazing comparison with great Shots, thank you!
Great video. An excellent addition to part 1.
Great work and appreciate the time and effort you put in on your holiday. I wanted to ask you how interoperable are the G9 II and the S5 II in terms of handling and UI, features. I want to switch from Sony a7 Mark IV for the speed and computational features of G9 II (Pre Burst and Focus Bracketing the most) but I don't want to lose the 35mm FF DoF for pet portrait photography and I need reliable AF tracking and high speed for running and playing dogs. (The only other brand/combo that can do what OM-1 and G9 II can are the Canon R7 and R6 Mark II ... But Canon has barely any lenses and is stupidly expensive)
Did you have Low ISO Processing set to Drive Priority or Detail Priority for the OM-1? That can have a pretty large effect on buffer performance and write speed. The card you used should be ok but there were certain variants of that card that had compatibility issues with the E-M1ii but I don't know how that would apply to the OM-1.
This is a very nice and informative comparison. It seemed to me like the Panasonic was too heavy on the noise reduction during the handheld long exposures.
Absolutely genius review -- and you look good too! You've gained a subscriber
👏👍 from Down Under. Love your work, Emily! Subscribed. So informative. So practical. So entertaining. Very fair without dissing one brand or the other. Been in the Pany camp for some years mostly due to better video specs (I’m very hybrid) and was tempted by OM-1 bcs of crappy Pany focus. But would have lost Dual IS of 6 lenses! G9-II changes the game back finally with PDAF. Even more so when Pany finally updates firmware from 0.4 to 1.0. Thanks again and I look forward to your next vid.
I should add that I do use the Olympus 17mm f1.2 Pro and the 40-150mm f2.8 Pro (with 1.4 TC) on my Pany (mostly G9-I) bodies because those lenses are so so so good. Awesome optics for awesome results. Even the flick-back hood on the zoom is brilliantly thought out, which allows access to adjusting my CPL orientation shot-by-shot in literally 2 seconds. We are spoiled with quality now.
I hav a feeling that Lumix caeras have slightly more contrasty images, more black in them, but as a negative thing... OM seems to have more pleasent images. Or ?