TH-cam notified me the music in the original version was subject to copyright. I mistakenly believed the supplied music in Windows 10 Video Editor would be copyright free. So I decided to re-issue the video with a new background music track from the TH-cam music library. I took the opportunity to add a bit more information to address some of the commonly asked questions. Soon I will delete the original version from the playlist.
Great video. I'm an Olympus shooter with a lot of their glass and with the recent news am a bit worried about the future for their cameras in the next few years. The G9 looks like like it would be a great alternative if something happens to my current camera down the line. Thanks for the video.
Great shots! Very informative, and another nail in the coffin of my G85 (or GX85) as I've lusted after the G9 for some time now. One thing surprised me: you shot everything wide open at 6.3. I have that lens and while 6.3 is plenty sharp on my copy, 7.1 is the sweet spot and is visibly sharper. I think you got pretty lucky if this is not true of your copy. Anyway, amazing images and I'm envious of your proximity to such a target rich area.
HI Andrew. Ok, got that, but you don't mention the AF mode you use? 1? I saw a chap mention a modified 4 but it's dead easy to change. I have had the focus refuse to lock onto the subject in flight but to be fair to Panasonic, by necessity, most of my bird shots are taken over water and I was using single area....and probably forgot to lock out the first 5m....Muppet😆. What is still amazing me with this kit is the hand held stability and reach it offers, even in fairly low light. I have been able to take some amazing, danger close shots of our helicopters without leaving the edge of the pan. Pin sharp. Video is also stunning although I keep a GH5 for that and as a second lens stills cam. Great stuff, keep it coming and thanks.
I am an olympus em1 mkll photographer, but also use the panasonic leica 100-400mm lens. I noted the fault you highlighted with focusing with it jumping from sky to bird.. Quite frankly I find these critics when they can not find intelligent criticism, they tend to copy other critics thoughts. I find listening to these critics they use almost word for word complaints they heard someone else said. Would not listen to most critics
Yes The animal detect autofocus is not always so good. I lost focus on a flying Red Kite using this just after downloading update. In the end I still find a single area or your option for auto focus is best for flying birds with a quick switch to manual focus if say a bird lands or is in tree to avoid focusing on the wrong object. Animal detect to me should mean it ONLY focuses on an ANIMAL not the sky or a plant or landscape. Nice video clip as always 😊
Love your no nonsense, no gimmicks videos, so refreshing. Great tips and stunning shots. Such a pleasure to watch. I have only one small comment and that is I wish the music wasn't so loud. It seems louder than your voice at times. That said it doesn't stop me enjoying your videos.
Andrew, you keep this coming and we’ll keep watching, this form of video hits the learning sweet spot, clear learning outcomes, concise, to the point, (you don’t waffle). Importantly you have the skill and know how to gain the respect and following. The G9 is an amazing piece of kit and the 109-400 is something else, with time and practice I hope to get to your standard. This setup is great for many genres and situation photography. Thanks, once again. 😍👏
Thank you. Did you not mention the insane stabilisation? The G9 Dual2 with the PL100-400 lets it be hand-held and swung around like a bat. 400mm is immensely long on 4/3. Not so long ago even a 200mm would have been tripod on 135 film. Olympus cannot do this except with their three IS Pro lenses, I don't have any kids to sell though, and then only the E-M1X and OM-1 have bird detection. We're now up to version 2.7, I think it was version 2.3 that the animal detect got a lot better. Animal detect got added to the One-Area, it seems to be more of a follow-focus whereas the first is more tracking. The two detect modes do not seem to operate the same way. The AFC/AFF and tracking modes are customisable, the default never seems right. Bird flight is more or less straight line, so probably Set2. Manual is good but relies entirely on the auto-ISO getting the solution right. Aperture does have a minimum shutter speed setting, it will not go over the max ISO setting and will only go under the minimum shutter speed if the meter cannot get an exposure solution otherwise. Mike Lane tested his OM-1 and found onset of noise to be ISO 3200 (th-cam.com/video/apT-GTlbeO4/w-d-xo.html) I tested all my mft by the same method and I'm probably less critical than he, I judged onset of noise to be ISO 6400 on all of them including the G9. So I set max to ISO 3200, the camera will strive to shoot lower. I will use ISO 6400 (or more) if I have to, that can be cleaned up. What makes an acceptable noise level is very subjective, you have to decide for yourself.
I guess, I am about 6 months late to the party....LOL Thanks for sharing your video. Very informative with great quality photos. It caught my interest because I am about to "pull the triger" on Pana/Leica 100-400 mm you were using. I was holding back due to rather high price of this lens but now my mind is made up. So, THANK YOU!
Great experience you shared. i would like to go for this camera and lens.. I am from Kenya, where a lots of wild life available to shoot, kindly include some video samples in you channel, so i can see how good this camera on handling AF in video for wild life
I will see what I can do, I generally only shoot still photography. Right now our country is in shutdown with the virus so I am not able to do very much at all.
I found your channel looking for a review of the 100-400 lens and as an ornithologist I found the review very helpful. What was a nice co-incidence was that as an English guy I have only visited Australia once and it so happens that I stayed at Coolum Beach and Fraser Island. I did see ospreys, as I do where I live now in Lithuania, but never in England (or Scotland). I also own a Panasonic GX7, bought in Singapore on the way to Aus, so nice to see how the G9 differs.
Morning (here anyway). Can't thank you enough for the tips. Instant improvement, and I found that using fully manual gave the best results. I have tried AFC Mode 1 and a modified 4 and have set both on 2 pre-sets to see which one pans out. I tried the pre burst which gave at least one good shot, but I got the exposure wrong sadly, very promising. Re animal detect I tried it from a hide when it first came out, same as you, and I went back to either point or very small single area. Appreciated, be lucky. CBA
Hi, sorry I have had a few busy days and just catching up with messages now. At the risk of shattering illusions of how clever I am, I don't really know about numbered AFC modes...and looking through my menu I still haven't found them. So I guess I have been going with the default setting. However in other news, I am thrilled that you found some of my tips helpful and you are getting some better results.
@@naturesimagephotography the numbered mode setting doesn't show unless you actually have AFC switched on. This makes me wonder what the setup is on AFS/AFF. Probably mode 1. If that works for you the happy days but for the love of god dont try and work out the manual.
I thought it was switched on when I checked...will have to take a closer look. Anyway, if I haven't found it then the answer to your question must be I am using the default setting.
Thanks for a great video. I have the same combination and I am really trying to come to grips with it (so many options). You have helped me greatly by reminding me to switch to AFC mode on moving subjects (mostly wildlife) as I have stupidly stayed in AFS and was wondering why the focus wasn't tracking well enough. Live and learn. Thanks again.
Yep, it's one thing knowing what to do in theory. Another thing entirely to remember to do it when the big moment comes. Practice and experience will get you there.
Keep it up i love your video's Thanks for the tips When shooting near braches spot works great I have the em1 mark i with no phase detection I would like to see how the g9 compares to the em1x
Super impressed by the autofocus, it certainly appears to be a decent improvement over the G85 (as expected), so I will continue to work on the minister of war and finance for an upgrade...
I've been shooting wildbird photos and wildlife with the G9 using the PL 100-400mm. I used a G7 with a Panasonic 100-300mm II before that. These tips are very helpful. Every time I think of using full-frame, my back starts hurting. The lenses are so huge and heavy! Even a Nikon D-500 (APS-C crop sensor) with an equivalent lens is so big and heavy.
Yes the Lumix is a pleasure to use for a number of reasons. Funny thing is with the 100-400mm lens on it now seems heavy to me...I have to keep on reminding myself that my old Sigma 15-500 lens alone was heavier that this camera and lens combined.
Hi Andrew, I have recently purchased the G9 with 100-300 mk2 lens which was largely due to your excellent videos. Being from the UK I was a little worried that our often Grey Skys would create high noise, this hasn't been an issue and so far I am delighted with the camera. My daughter although only 10 years old has a serious passion for Nature photography and we are out daily on local nature walks. Birds in flight has been one of the hardest things for my daughter to master, (particulary hard with the Sandmartins /Swallows) I will use these tips and see how we get on using the AFS focus mode. I haven't set up custom modes yet for the camera but was considering if I could set up a bird in flight settings for a custom channel. Not sure if this will work with AFC as this is switch controlled. Thanks for all your videos.
Yes this all makes sense. I used AFC and also Custom Multi but then switched to selecting the 225-point screen with a small area. My camera doesn't seem to have 'animal detection' so no worries there. I have the same lens too - and, thankfully, I have the same settings on the lens as you show here.
Do you have a G9? The animal detect feature came in after a firmware update in November 2019. So if you completed the update you would have access to animal detect and some other features as well.
Yes indeed. G9 and the same lens - 100-400mm. I bought it March 2020 and the camera shop had to order it so it should have been reasonably new. I didn't know about this feature until I read it online in a 'birds in flight' link I saved a few weeks before. I guess I have to download this 'Firmware 2 update' somehow? Maybe by linking up my camera to my laptop. I'll have to look into it. I had assumed that because it wasn't on my camera that was end of story.
Ok - thanks - will do. But I guess I won't use this feature right now because (as you have suggested) I will be using 1-Area combined with AFS. That website link I read didn't rate it too highly - it didn't seem to be that effective unlike the feature for humans / faces.
In firware 2.0 you can select ”the point of focus” near or far. quote: ”[AF-ON: Near Shift] and [AF-ON: Far Shift] functions have been added. [AF-ON: Near Shift] preferably focuses on a subject nearby while [AF-ON: Far Shift] preferably focuses on a subject far away.” Maybe this way you can skip the branch when focusing.
Thank you, I will certainly look into that focus option. In the case of the bird on the branch, the bird was sitting in the tree and there was a 'lumpy' bit of branch not far from the bird...the animal detect focus picked up the wood just as often as it picked up the bird. So in this case, with both features around the same distance from the camera, the far-focus / near-focus would not have made a difference.
As a newbie attempting BIF, why do you use the custom multifunction vs the tracking mode? I would have thought that tracking would be better. Thank you for any advice. I am learning so much here.
Do you mean the face/eye/animal detect mode? I tried that and found that it tracked the subject but for some reason was a bit slower and was more often just a moment behind the movement of the subject, so I had a poorer success rate. I simply got more soft images using the tracking. However after making that decision I have not really tried it again, so perhaps with more practice I might have had more success.
@@naturesimagephotography, no I mean the choice you need to make when you press the Fn1 button and the AF mode functions come up and you have 6 different choices. Just the tracking one, not the face/body/animal one. I guess I don't understand when you need to use the custom multifunction vs the regular tracking that is offered. And relating to another question from a different video, when would you use custom multi vs single point focus to tract the bird? Thank you for all your advice. I would so love to get the whole BIF thing.
@@jesnatic1296 Ok now I get it. I have actually never used that function. The way it was demonstrated to me in the store, the tracking function works when you locate your subject and tap it with your finger on the touch screen. The camera then tracks the subject you touched. That might be OK for taking a video of your cat walking around your living room, but for wildlife I pretty much decided it was not going to be of any use. To be honest I have not really looked at it since.
Very good. I got rid of my SLRs in favour of bridge cameras including the FZ300 but I'm now interested in bird photos again so I'll buy the Panasonic 100-400 Leica. Has anyone tried it with the GX8 or GX9. I don't like weight?
Just subscribed! Moving to a G9 from a G80/85. I had found AFC a bit unreliable, but will definitely give it a go with custom multi focus points. Is that better than single-point with one large box? Looking forward to trying, although most of my photography is small-bird stuff (so your video on the pre-burst mode was also really helpful.)
Thanks for the sub! To be honest I have not tried using a single point with an expanded focus area. My approach is a carry over from the way I did it with my previous DSLR's. It certainly would be worth a try.
@@naturesimagephotography By the way, have you seen this? There's a page on tweaking the AF settings for wildlife which I might try. www.panasonic.com/content/dam/Panasonic/Global/Learn-More/lumix-af-guidebook/LUMIX_AF_Guidebook_1809.pdf
I keep trying with my G9, these settings are worth a try, I just always get more in-focus shots with my OMd-Em5 Mkiii, I know the Oly. has a different focus system, I may me more used to shooting with.
Hi Mark, please note this video is a couple of years old now. The recent firmware 2.4 update has vastly improved the AF system, if you have not done the update you probably should. And since that update the animal detect focus system is much better, so now most of my bird in flight shots are done using AFC and the Human/Animal Detect AF Area Mode. Here is a link to one of the videos I have made since the update: th-cam.com/video/T1pu5uHTVMo/w-d-xo.html
Oh, and I should add I have not owned the Olympus. I know some people prefer the focus system on that camera, but I had other reasons for choosing the Lumix.
@@naturesimagephotography The G9 is great camera, but I re-watched a few of your videos and put the 100-400 back on. I'm going to just use it until I figure it out.
Hi Ryan, sorry I only just saw this message today. I don't know of spots for larger birds of prey like this, but I assume there are plenty of places around the gold coast. For smaller birds, a lot of my friends go to Oxley Creek Common, apparently it is a gold mine for bird photographers.
I assume you can do this but it is not something I have looked into. Another option might be to use AFF instead of continuous, but I have not tried that either. It's amazing with this camera there is so much technology and so many options, I still feel like I have only scratched the surface.
Towards the end of the video when you display the setting used to take the photographs, have you used exposure compensation at all in these images? Especially shooting against a blue sky?
These are all shot in fully manual mode. I choose the aperture, shutter speed and ISO myself. So exposure compensation simply doesn't apply in my method. If I want to darken the exposure while working with a moving subject, I simply leave ISO and aperture alone and set a faster shutter speed.
I've been using the G9 with the 100-400 lens since 2018. I have ran into the same problem when filming birds in flight. They will blur out, then refocus after a few seconds. It's annoying. I'm going to have to try using the custom focus setting instead of regular tracking or animal tracking.
Thank you Andrew... This is lovely... Can I ask you to talk more about how you do the research on your subjects... Also any advise on filters (if any)... Would a polarizing filter be of any benefit for birds and other wildlife - or would post processing be more than adequate?
I never use a polarizing filter for wildlife, I feel it would give limited benefit but as a dark piece of glass it would cost a few stops in shutter speed which is usually the priority for this type of photo. As for research, I have lived in this area for 30 years and bit by bit you just get to know the best locations for finding a good subject. So no formal research, but lots of experience...and talking to lots of other photographers.
Hi Andrew thanks again for a very informative video. I have been using Lumix cameras for a bit and have used focus tracking to film dogs at ability trials. Do you have any thoughts and opinions on tracking versus AFC? Cheers John.
If you mean the second item on the AF area mode list (Tracking) I have to be honest and say I have never used it. It requires me to tap the object on the rear screen to identify what I want the camera to track. With the speed and unpredictability of wildlife subjects, I don't feel I can work with that option...especially as I pretty much always shoot with my eye up to the viewfinder which takes the rear screen out of play. This video is a year or so old now...since then the new firmware update has come out and the Human/Animal Detect feature is much improved (watch my two latest videos on the new firmware for demonstrations). So my preference now is to use AFC and Human/Animal Detection.
Andrew; I don't yet shoot birds in flight but your results are very interesting. I just purchased the G9 and believe that it is the best camera available at its current price. I'm curious to know if you set the shutter speed and F number why you don't choose to use Auto ISO?
For me the whole point of shooting in Manual is to have complete control over the exposure. With auto ISO, if I make a snap decision to darken my photo with a faster shutter speed, the ISO kicks in to brighten it up again. With the excellent constant preview on the G9 I can make quick changes to my exposure as I see the bird fly into view.
Thanks Andrew; I understand; that flexibility to adjust brightness must give you a lot to think about when shooting those fast moving birds while also getting the best composition. I love your success!
I use back button focus. Is it necessary to keep the focus button pressed continually while shooting or will the camera lock on and focus as the bird moves?
Hi Maddy, I use front button and have tried switching once or twice but can't break the habit of a lifetime. So I haven't spent enough time with BBF to really have an answer. But I am pretty sure you would have to hold the button down.
Hi Andrew, bit late with this question. I have the G90 with Pana Leica 100-400. Just wondering why some photographers recommend switching off IBIS for high shutter speeds, however I see you leave it on. Any reason to select one option over the other? Thanks.
I leave it on pretty much all the time. I think any problems people have with image stabilisation at very high speeds are irrelevant, because at such high speeds it will have minimal impact on a photo either way. But with birds in flight - even big birds like these - the movement of the subject is quite erratic. With a big lens like the 100-400 it's hard enough to keep the camera steady on the subject...even harder without the image stabiliser. So to me it's not just about the instant the photo is taken but all the time in between when you are trying to keep the camera trained on the moving subject.
@@naturesimagephotography thank you, I agree it's much easier to stay on subject with IS on, especially at 400mm. Love your videos mate, keep them coming.
What about this combo vs x-h1/x-t3 and 100-400 by Fuji :) I love the Lumix system but if the light is not good and you reach iso 1600 or over you get some image degradation, which is bad considering the great sharpness level of m43 lenses. Very bad photos something in terms of IQ and nothing I can do if I need fast shutter speed, need to increase iso. Are these images crops? Because I notice weak sharpness and high noise on the subject (even at low iso), like an heavy crop with a total shadow recover, that's why I'm struggling to invest in m43 system. Thanks for your attention. What's the keeper ratio in tracking with the CDAF on G9 and afc/tracking? :)
I can't compare to a camera I have never owned or even held in my hand - sorry. I am not professional camera reviewer, just making videos with my impressions on my own gear, and with tips to help beginners. And clearly you are not a beginner. Re success rate, I would say over half the photos are 'good enough' and about 30% are very good when I do my job right. Looking at photos that have been resized to suite the video editor and then displayed on TH-cam at low DPI is probably not the best way to judge sharpness. Again I can only compare to gear I have used before, and I can say this combo is sharper and gives me a much better keeper rate than my old Sigma 150-500m. I don't use autofocus tracking, it is not practical for shots like this.
Thank you! This is an outstanding video. I have the same exact Lumix/Leica configuration and I plan on using your method next time I am out. I cannot remember if I asked you before, but are you using Light Room for editing, please? Thanks!!!
Glad you are enjoying the videos JettySplash. I use Adobe Photoshop for all my editing but I really only use the Adobe RAW section for processing, which is very similar to Lightroom.
Hi Andrew (and comments readers). Not sure if you're aware that there's a supplementary Panasonic publication of 30 pages of additional info, on top of the advanced use manual, on the autofocus abilities of the G9, GH5, and GH5s and how different sensitivities for various scenes/scenarios can be adjusted. I do sometimes wonder if the commentators on the shortcomings of the DFD focus system are aware of just how well the system can be tuned for different scenes. The link's below, and if you weren't aware, of this I'd be very interested to know your thoughts. Thank you for all the videos by the way! www.panasonic.com/content/dam/Panasonic/Global/Learn-More/lumix-af-guidebook/LUMIX_AF_Guidebook_1809.pdf
Hi Jesse. In order of appearance: 1: Black Capped Tern. 2: Australasian Pelican 3:Red Tailed Tropic Bird 4: Black Kite Then once the tutorial starts you see a mixture of Ospreys (white and brown) and White Bellied Sea Eagles (white and grey)
Yes mechanical shutter for these. The electronic shutter modes are so fast and produce so many photos that are almost identical, I only use it for special purposes.
@@naturesimagephotography I actually answered my own question yesterday after writing my message. In pre burst mode I see that it defaults to the electronic shutter mode, which makes sense as its taking photos before you fully depress the shutter button. Thanks for the reply, and please keep the content coming!
Not really, it depends how big the bird is and how far away. But since I would usually see these birds coming from the distance I would probably start with the lens at 400mm and then zoom back as it comes closer. But every situation is different, I find it is a mistake to stick to a 'rule' when flexibility is what is required.
I was shooting the g9 with the same setup and had the screen face me I changed a setting on accident and it will not store the photo For now on the screen will be closed
Simple question, complicated answer as I don't have a definite process...I might try different things depending on conditions. Because the birds have a fair bit of white, I will often set the shutter speed about a stop faster than what is indicated by the lightmeter. If the birds are very active, I will happily sacrifice a couple of test shots just to check the exposure is OK. Having found settings I am happy with, there is then no need to change unless the light changes significantly. I try to keep the sun behind me where the light is best so if the birds fly between me and the sun I don't bother shooting at all. And I also have faith in the fact that shooting RAW files if an exposure is a bit less than perfect (inevitably there will be an overexposed highlight or a dark shadow somewhere) it can be retrieved with a bit of post processing.
Most photos are cropped a bit but not too much as they begin to look noisy or (if it's an extreme crop) pixelated. So if the birds are not really close enough for a decent photo, you won't see them in the videos.
This video and a few others have convinced me that the G9 and a couple of Leica lenses will be replacing my Canon kit. Great work on the videos!
Thanks mate your videos are a life saver and awesome pics
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
TH-cam notified me the music in the original version was subject to copyright. I mistakenly believed the supplied music in Windows 10 Video Editor would be copyright free. So I decided to re-issue the video with a new background music track from the TH-cam music library. I took the opportunity to add a bit more information to address some of the commonly asked questions. Soon I will delete the original version from the playlist.
Great video. I'm an Olympus shooter with a lot of their glass and with the recent news am a bit worried about the future for their cameras in the next few years. The G9 looks like like it would be a great alternative if something happens to my current camera down the line. Thanks for the video.
Great shots! Very informative, and another nail in the coffin of my G85 (or GX85) as I've lusted after the G9 for some time now. One thing surprised me: you shot everything wide open at 6.3. I have that lens and while 6.3 is plenty sharp on my copy, 7.1 is the sweet spot and is visibly sharper. I think you got pretty lucky if this is not true of your copy. Anyway, amazing images and I'm envious of your proximity to such a target rich area.
HI Andrew. Ok, got that, but you don't mention the AF mode you use? 1? I saw a chap mention a modified 4 but it's dead easy to change. I have had the focus refuse to lock onto the subject in flight but to be fair to Panasonic, by necessity, most of my bird shots are taken over water and I was using single area....and probably forgot to lock out the first 5m....Muppet😆. What is still amazing me with this kit is the hand held stability and reach it offers, even in fairly low light. I have been able to take some amazing, danger close shots of our helicopters without leaving the edge of the pan. Pin sharp. Video is also stunning although I keep a GH5 for that and as a second lens stills cam. Great stuff, keep it coming and thanks.
I am an olympus em1 mkll photographer, but also use the panasonic leica 100-400mm lens. I noted the fault you highlighted with focusing with it jumping from sky to bird.. Quite frankly I find these critics when they can not find intelligent criticism, they tend to copy other critics thoughts. I find listening to these critics they use almost word for word complaints they heard someone else said. Would not listen to most critics
Agreed
Yes The animal detect autofocus is not always so good. I lost focus on a flying Red Kite using this just after downloading update. In the end I still find a single area or your option for auto focus is best for flying birds with a quick switch to manual focus if say a bird lands or is in tree to avoid focusing on the wrong object. Animal detect to me should mean it ONLY focuses on an ANIMAL not the sky or a plant or landscape. Nice video clip as always 😊
Great stuff! Just picked up the same kit a few months back as a compliment to my bins and spotting scope when birding.
Stunning. Thanks for sharing.
I have this set up. I have been using tracking af but I will try the custom multi.
Love your no nonsense, no gimmicks videos, so refreshing. Great tips and stunning shots. Such a pleasure to watch. I have only one small comment and that is I wish the music wasn't so loud. It seems louder than your voice at times. That said it doesn't stop me enjoying your videos.
Thanks Mary. I am still learning and happy for all advice that helps me make better videos in the future.
Andrew, you keep this coming and we’ll keep watching, this form of video hits the learning sweet spot, clear learning outcomes, concise, to the point, (you don’t waffle). Importantly you have the skill and know how to gain the respect and following. The G9 is an amazing piece of kit and the 109-400 is something else, with time and practice I hope to get to your standard. This setup is great for many genres and situation photography. Thanks, once again. 😍👏
Thank you Andrew, wow what a great review, much appreciated.
Thank you.
Did you not mention the insane stabilisation? The G9 Dual2 with the PL100-400 lets it be hand-held and swung around like a bat. 400mm is immensely long on 4/3. Not so long ago even a 200mm would have been tripod on 135 film. Olympus cannot do this except with their three IS Pro lenses, I don't have any kids to sell though, and then only the E-M1X and OM-1 have bird detection.
We're now up to version 2.7, I think it was version 2.3 that the animal detect got a lot better. Animal detect got added to the One-Area, it seems to be more of a follow-focus whereas the first is more tracking. The two detect modes do not seem to operate the same way. The AFC/AFF and tracking modes are customisable, the default never seems right. Bird flight is more or less straight line, so probably Set2.
Manual is good but relies entirely on the auto-ISO getting the solution right. Aperture does have a minimum shutter speed setting, it will not go over the max ISO setting and will only go under the minimum shutter speed if the meter cannot get an exposure solution otherwise.
Mike Lane tested his OM-1 and found onset of noise to be ISO 3200 (th-cam.com/video/apT-GTlbeO4/w-d-xo.html)
I tested all my mft by the same method and I'm probably less critical than he, I judged onset of noise to be ISO 6400 on all of them including the G9. So I set max to ISO 3200, the camera will strive to shoot lower. I will use ISO 6400 (or more) if I have to, that can be cleaned up. What makes an acceptable noise level is very subjective, you have to decide for yourself.
U r correct I have one to that combo is great
I guess, I am about 6 months late to the party....LOL
Thanks for sharing your video. Very informative with great quality photos. It caught my interest because I am about to "pull the triger" on Pana/Leica 100-400 mm you were using. I was holding back due to rather high price of this lens but now my mind is made up. So, THANK YOU!
Great experience you shared. i would like to go for this camera and lens.. I am from Kenya, where a lots of wild life available to shoot, kindly include some video samples in you channel, so i can see how good this camera on handling AF in video for wild life
I will see what I can do, I generally only shoot still photography. Right now our country is in shutdown with the virus so I am not able to do very much at all.
@@naturesimagephotography Thanks Quick reply. Stay home stay safe
I found your channel looking for a review of the 100-400 lens and as an ornithologist I found the review very helpful. What was a nice co-incidence was that as an English guy I have only visited Australia once and it so happens that I stayed at Coolum Beach and Fraser Island. I did see ospreys, as I do where I live now in Lithuania, but never in England (or Scotland). I also own a Panasonic GX7, bought in Singapore on the way to Aus, so nice to see how the G9 differs.
Thanks for saying hello, glad you enjoyed the video.
Morning (here anyway). Can't thank you enough for the tips. Instant improvement, and I found that using fully manual gave the best results. I have tried AFC Mode 1 and a modified 4 and have set both on 2 pre-sets to see which one pans out. I tried the pre burst which gave at least one good shot, but I got the exposure wrong sadly, very promising. Re animal detect I tried it from a hide when it first came out, same as you, and I went back to either point or very small single area. Appreciated, be lucky. CBA
Hi, sorry I have had a few busy days and just catching up with messages now. At the risk of shattering illusions of how clever I am, I don't really know about numbered AFC modes...and looking through my menu I still haven't found them. So I guess I have been going with the default setting. However in other news, I am thrilled that you found some of my tips helpful and you are getting some better results.
@@naturesimagephotography the numbered mode setting doesn't show unless you actually have AFC switched on. This makes me wonder what the setup is on AFS/AFF. Probably mode 1. If that works for you the happy days but for the love of god dont try and work out the manual.
I thought it was switched on when I checked...will have to take a closer look. Anyway, if I haven't found it then the answer to your question must be I am using the default setting.
Thanks for a great video. I have the same combination and I am really trying to come to grips with it (so many options). You have helped me greatly by reminding me to switch to AFC mode on moving subjects (mostly wildlife) as I have stupidly stayed in AFS and was wondering why the focus wasn't tracking well enough. Live and learn. Thanks again.
Yep, it's one thing knowing what to do in theory. Another thing entirely to remember to do it when the big moment comes. Practice and experience will get you there.
Really helpful video 😊👏👏👏
Keep it up i love your video's
Thanks for the tips
When shooting near braches spot works great
I have the em1 mark i with no phase detection
I would like to see how the g9 compares to the em1x
Wow you may have converted me.I shoot Nikon but man I would love that reach with a lens that size and price.
Great video - nice sharing, 🙏
I really like your crisp, precise and easy to catch - voice and explanation.
Thanks Andrew 👌
Super impressed by the autofocus, it certainly appears to be a decent improvement over the G85 (as expected), so I will continue to work on the minister of war and finance for an upgrade...
Great tips. Thank you.
Excellent my success rate gone up with this video
Great to hear!
I've been shooting wildbird photos and wildlife with the G9 using the PL 100-400mm. I used a G7 with a Panasonic 100-300mm II before that.
These tips are very helpful.
Every time I think of using full-frame, my back starts hurting. The lenses are so huge and heavy! Even a Nikon D-500 (APS-C crop sensor) with an equivalent lens is so big and heavy.
Yes the Lumix is a pleasure to use for a number of reasons. Funny thing is with the 100-400mm lens on it now seems heavy to me...I have to keep on reminding myself that my old Sigma 15-500 lens alone was heavier that this camera and lens combined.
Hi Andrew, I have recently purchased the G9 with 100-300 mk2 lens which was largely due to your excellent videos. Being from the UK I was a little worried that our often Grey Skys would create high noise, this hasn't been an issue and so far I am delighted with the camera. My daughter although only 10 years old has a serious passion for Nature photography and we are out daily on local nature walks. Birds in flight has been one of the hardest things for my daughter to master, (particulary hard with the Sandmartins /Swallows) I will use these tips and see how we get on using the AFS focus mode. I haven't set up custom modes yet for the camera but was considering if I could set up a bird in flight settings for a custom channel. Not sure if this will work with AFC as this is switch controlled. Thanks for all your videos.
Yes this all makes sense. I used AFC and also Custom Multi but then switched to selecting the 225-point screen with a small area. My camera doesn't seem to have 'animal detection' so no worries there.
I have the same lens too - and, thankfully, I have the same settings on the lens as you show here.
Do you have a G9? The animal detect feature came in after a firmware update in November 2019. So if you completed the update you would have access to animal detect and some other features as well.
Yes indeed. G9 and the same lens - 100-400mm. I bought it March 2020 and the camera shop had to order it so it should have been reasonably new.
I didn't know about this feature until I read it online in a 'birds in flight' link I saved a few weeks before.
I guess I have to download this 'Firmware 2 update' somehow? Maybe by linking up my camera to my laptop. I'll have to look into it. I had assumed that because it wasn't on my camera that was end of story.
@@garethbramley1 do a search for "lumix g9 firmware update." You will find plenty if websites and TH-cam videos to walk you through it.
Ok - thanks - will do. But I guess I won't use this feature right now because (as you have suggested) I will be using 1-Area combined with AFS.
That website link I read didn't rate it too highly - it didn't seem to be that effective unlike the feature for humans / faces.
In firware 2.0 you can select ”the point of focus” near or far.
quote: ”[AF-ON: Near Shift] and [AF-ON: Far Shift] functions have been added. [AF-ON: Near Shift] preferably focuses on a subject nearby while [AF-ON: Far Shift] preferably focuses on a subject far away.”
Maybe this way you can skip the branch when focusing.
Thank you, I will certainly look into that focus option. In the case of the bird on the branch, the bird was sitting in the tree and there was a 'lumpy' bit of branch not far from the bird...the animal detect focus picked up the wood just as often as it picked up the bird. So in this case, with both features around the same distance from the camera, the far-focus / near-focus would not have made a difference.
As a newbie attempting BIF, why do you use the custom multifunction vs the tracking mode? I would have thought that tracking would be better. Thank you for any advice. I am learning so much here.
Do you mean the face/eye/animal detect mode? I tried that and found that it tracked the subject but for some reason was a bit slower and was more often just a moment behind the movement of the subject, so I had a poorer success rate. I simply got more soft images using the tracking. However after making that decision I have not really tried it again, so perhaps with more practice I might have had more success.
@@naturesimagephotography, no I mean the choice you need to make when you press the Fn1 button and the AF mode functions come up and you have 6 different choices. Just the tracking one, not the face/body/animal one. I guess I don't understand when you need to use the custom multifunction vs the regular tracking that is offered. And relating to another question from a different video, when would you use custom multi vs single point focus to tract the bird? Thank you for all your advice. I would so love to get the whole BIF thing.
@@jesnatic1296 Ok now I get it. I have actually never used that function. The way it was demonstrated to me in the store, the tracking function works when you locate your subject and tap it with your finger on the touch screen. The camera then tracks the subject you touched. That might be OK for taking a video of your cat walking around your living room, but for wildlife I pretty much decided it was not going to be of any use. To be honest I have not really looked at it since.
Very good. I got rid of my SLRs in favour of bridge cameras including the FZ300 but I'm now interested in bird photos again so I'll buy the Panasonic 100-400 Leica. Has anyone tried it with the GX8 or GX9. I don't like weight?
Just subscribed! Moving to a G9 from a G80/85. I had found AFC a bit unreliable, but will definitely give it a go with custom multi focus points. Is that better than single-point with one large box? Looking forward to trying, although most of my photography is small-bird stuff (so your video on the pre-burst mode was also really helpful.)
Thanks for the sub! To be honest I have not tried using a single point with an expanded focus area. My approach is a carry over from the way I did it with my previous DSLR's. It certainly would be worth a try.
@@naturesimagephotography By the way, have you seen this? There's a page on tweaking the AF settings for wildlife which I might try.
www.panasonic.com/content/dam/Panasonic/Global/Learn-More/lumix-af-guidebook/LUMIX_AF_Guidebook_1809.pdf
I keep trying with my G9, these settings are worth a try, I just always get more in-focus shots with my OMd-Em5 Mkiii, I know the Oly. has a different focus system, I may me more used to shooting with.
Hi Mark, please note this video is a couple of years old now. The recent firmware 2.4 update has vastly improved the AF system, if you have not done the update you probably should. And since that update the animal detect focus system is much better, so now most of my bird in flight shots are done using AFC and the Human/Animal Detect AF Area Mode. Here is a link to one of the videos I have made since the update: th-cam.com/video/T1pu5uHTVMo/w-d-xo.html
Oh, and I should add I have not owned the Olympus. I know some people prefer the focus system on that camera, but I had other reasons for choosing the Lumix.
@@naturesimagephotography The G9 is great camera, but I re-watched a few of your videos and put the 100-400 back on. I'm going to just use it until I figure it out.
the story about your shooting modes is very interesting, thanks!) Fotos super!
Great Video.
Great location. I live in Brisbane. Do you know any good pots for birding there ?
Hi Ryan, sorry I only just saw this message today. I don't know of spots for larger birds of prey like this, but I assume there are plenty of places around the gold coast. For smaller birds, a lot of my friends go to Oxley Creek Common, apparently it is a gold mine for bird photographers.
Thanks for another good video. Is it possible to save the settings to Custom.? I find the need to switch from stationary to flight quite often.
I assume you can do this but it is not something I have looked into. Another option might be to use AFF instead of continuous, but I have not tried that either. It's amazing with this camera there is so much technology and so many options, I still feel like I have only scratched the surface.
Thank you for the speedy reply. I will try...since I shoot mostly stills.
Towards the end of the video when you display the setting used to take the photographs, have you used exposure compensation at all in these images? Especially shooting against a blue sky?
These are all shot in fully manual mode. I choose the aperture, shutter speed and ISO myself. So exposure compensation simply doesn't apply in my method. If I want to darken the exposure while working with a moving subject, I simply leave ISO and aperture alone and set a faster shutter speed.
I've been using the G9 with the 100-400 lens since 2018. I have ran into the same problem when filming birds in flight. They will blur out, then refocus after a few seconds. It's annoying. I'm going to have to try using the custom focus setting instead of regular tracking or animal tracking.
Thank you Andrew... This is lovely... Can I ask you to talk more about how you do the research on your subjects... Also any advise on filters (if any)... Would a polarizing filter be of any benefit for birds and other wildlife - or would post processing be more than adequate?
I never use a polarizing filter for wildlife, I feel it would give limited benefit but as a dark piece of glass it would cost a few stops in shutter speed which is usually the priority for this type of photo. As for research, I have lived in this area for 30 years and bit by bit you just get to know the best locations for finding a good subject. So no formal research, but lots of experience...and talking to lots of other photographers.
Hi Andrew thanks again for a very informative video. I have been using Lumix cameras for a bit and have used focus tracking to film dogs at ability trials. Do you have any thoughts and opinions on tracking versus AFC? Cheers John.
If you mean the second item on the AF area mode list (Tracking) I have to be honest and say I have never used it. It requires me to tap the object on the rear screen to identify what I want the camera to track. With the speed and unpredictability of wildlife subjects, I don't feel I can work with that option...especially as I pretty much always shoot with my eye up to the viewfinder which takes the rear screen out of play.
This video is a year or so old now...since then the new firmware update has come out and the Human/Animal Detect feature is much improved (watch my two latest videos on the new firmware for demonstrations). So my preference now is to use AFC and Human/Animal Detection.
Andrew; I don't yet shoot birds in flight but your results are very interesting. I just purchased the G9 and believe that it is the best camera available at its current price. I'm curious to know if you set the shutter speed and F number why you don't choose to use Auto ISO?
For me the whole point of shooting in Manual is to have complete control over the exposure. With auto ISO, if I make a snap decision to darken my photo with a faster shutter speed, the ISO kicks in to brighten it up again. With the excellent constant preview on the G9 I can make quick changes to my exposure as I see the bird fly into view.
Thanks Andrew; I understand; that flexibility to adjust brightness must give you a lot to think about when shooting those fast moving birds while also getting the best composition. I love your success!
I use back button focus. Is it necessary to keep the focus button pressed continually while shooting or will the camera lock on and focus as the bird moves?
Hi Maddy, I use front button and have tried switching once or twice but can't break the habit of a lifetime. So I haven't spent enough time with BBF to really have an answer. But I am pretty sure you would have to hold the button down.
Hi Andrew, bit late with this question. I have the G90 with Pana Leica 100-400. Just wondering why some photographers recommend switching off IBIS for high shutter speeds, however I see you leave it on. Any reason to select one option over the other? Thanks.
I leave it on pretty much all the time. I think any problems people have with image stabilisation at very high speeds are irrelevant, because at such high speeds it will have minimal impact on a photo either way. But with birds in flight - even big birds like these - the movement of the subject is quite erratic. With a big lens like the 100-400 it's hard enough to keep the camera steady on the subject...even harder without the image stabiliser. So to me it's not just about the instant the photo is taken but all the time in between when you are trying to keep the camera trained on the moving subject.
@@naturesimagephotography thank you, I agree it's much easier to stay on subject with IS on, especially at 400mm. Love your videos mate, keep them coming.
LOVE... LOVE ....LOVE IT !!! THANKS
What about this combo vs x-h1/x-t3 and 100-400 by Fuji :) I love the Lumix system but if the light is not good and you reach iso 1600 or over you get some image degradation, which is bad considering the great sharpness level of m43 lenses. Very bad photos something in terms of IQ and nothing I can do if I need fast shutter speed, need to increase iso. Are these images crops? Because I notice weak sharpness and high noise on the subject (even at low iso), like an heavy crop with a total shadow recover, that's why I'm struggling to invest in m43 system. Thanks for your attention.
What's the keeper ratio in tracking with the CDAF on G9 and afc/tracking? :)
I can't compare to a camera I have never owned or even held in my hand - sorry. I am not professional camera reviewer, just making videos with my impressions on my own gear, and with tips to help beginners. And clearly you are not a beginner. Re success rate, I would say over half the photos are 'good enough' and about 30% are very good when I do my job right. Looking at photos that have been resized to suite the video editor and then displayed on TH-cam at low DPI is probably not the best way to judge sharpness. Again I can only compare to gear I have used before, and I can say this combo is sharper and gives me a much better keeper rate than my old Sigma 150-500m. I don't use autofocus tracking, it is not practical for shots like this.
@@naturesimagephotography thanks the answer :)
Thank you! This is an outstanding video. I have the same exact Lumix/Leica configuration and I plan on using your method next time I am out. I cannot remember if I asked you before, but are you using Light Room for editing, please? Thanks!!!
Glad you are enjoying the videos JettySplash. I use Adobe Photoshop for all my editing but I really only use the Adobe RAW section for processing, which is very similar to Lightroom.
Hi Andrew (and comments readers). Not sure if you're aware that there's a supplementary Panasonic publication of 30 pages of additional info, on top of the advanced use manual, on the autofocus abilities of the G9, GH5, and GH5s and how different sensitivities for various scenes/scenarios can be adjusted. I do sometimes wonder if the commentators on the shortcomings of the DFD focus system are aware of just how well the system can be tuned for different scenes. The link's below, and if you weren't aware, of this I'd be very interested to know your thoughts. Thank you for all the videos by the way!
www.panasonic.com/content/dam/Panasonic/Global/Learn-More/lumix-af-guidebook/LUMIX_AF_Guidebook_1809.pdf
In the menus, what AF custom setting (photo) do you have on? SET 1,2,3 or 4 for birds in flight as you don't mention that in the video?
More information please...not sure where in the menu you are talking about?
@@naturesimagephotography It's in the photo menu, page 1/5 between AFS/AFF & Photo Style.
Ok thanks, it wasn't showing because my camera was in AFS. i have never touched that menu item so it is still in the default setting 1.
Love the videos, would love it if you included the bird's names!
Hi Jesse. In order of appearance: 1: Black Capped Tern. 2: Australasian Pelican 3:Red Tailed Tropic Bird 4: Black Kite
Then once the tutorial starts you see a mixture of Ospreys (white and brown) and White Bellied Sea Eagles (white and grey)
Thanks so much for making this video and sharing. Great information! What's shutter do you use? Mechanical shutter?
Yes mechanical shutter for these. The electronic shutter modes are so fast and produce so many photos that are almost identical, I only use it for special purposes.
@@naturesimagephotography I actually answered my own question yesterday after writing my message. In pre burst mode I see that it defaults to the electronic shutter mode, which makes sense as its taking photos before you fully depress the shutter button. Thanks for the reply, and please keep the content coming!
Does OIS affect pics if left on with a moving subject and shooting at high shutter speeds?
Not in my experience. And with the 400mm lens in action, it would be very hard to keep the camera trained on the subject at all without it.
when shooting birds in Flight with the 100-400 lens do you have preferred focal length to start with
Not really, it depends how big the bird is and how far away. But since I would usually see these birds coming from the distance I would probably start with the lens at 400mm and then zoom back as it comes closer. But every situation is different, I find it is a mistake to stick to a 'rule' when flexibility is what is required.
I was shooting the g9 with the same setup and had the screen face me
I changed a setting on accident and it will not store the photo
For now on the screen will be closed
Andrew, if all your bird in flight shots are fully manual. how do you set the exposure for the birds vs background?
Simple question, complicated answer as I don't have a definite process...I might try different things depending on conditions. Because the birds have a fair bit of white, I will often set the shutter speed about a stop faster than what is indicated by the lightmeter. If the birds are very active, I will happily sacrifice a couple of test shots just to check the exposure is OK. Having found settings I am happy with, there is then no need to change unless the light changes significantly. I try to keep the sun behind me where the light is best so if the birds fly between me and the sun I don't bother shooting at all. And I also have faith in the fact that shooting RAW files if an exposure is a bit less than perfect (inevitably there will be an overexposed highlight or a dark shadow somewhere) it can be retrieved with a bit of post processing.
Curious if there was a reason why most of your pics were at F6.3?
Do you crop much for these photos? Love the content btw
Most photos are cropped a bit but not too much as they begin to look noisy or (if it's an extreme crop) pixelated. So if the birds are not really close enough for a decent photo, you won't see them in the videos.
How do you know what exposure to use? What metering you use? Thank you
I would imagine the in camera histogram and metering, it is perfect for myself using a G85.
Please for the next video don´t let the Music be so dominating.
Lesson learned Ralf, this is something I have addressed in the videos made in the months since this video was published.