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Advice on best camera/lens combo (2 Viewers)

His mention of the expected capabilities of the GH5 makes me really curious.

It sounds strange (but I believe him) with the back/front focus of the Oly.

Niels
 
"Even a low budget DSLR beats the AF-C on Olympus E-M1
/.../
but it doesn't mean that you can't shoot sports/action with a MFT cam"

Tony Northrup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_tP7FMim40

One thing to remember here is that the maximum f-stop of the lens will limit how much light that reaches the sensor/af-system, and thus affect the AF-performance. The 300/4 Oly will of that reason have an 1 stop advantage over the 100-400 panaleica @ 300mm (I think it's f5.6 at 300mm). Also the maximum theoretical resolution is proportional to the maximum f/stop (i.e. front lens size).

Will be very interesting to see how the E-M1 II and GH5 will be rated when it comes to AF-C.
 
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1 stop advantage sounds a good arguement for the Olympus unless you need more reach, slap the 1.4x TC on the Olympus and you get 20mm more reach, but with only 1/3 stop of advantage, so the Panasonic catches up a lot at full reach.

The Olympus I understand is still very good with the TC on, so a good option if you are after ultimate reach and IQ, and don't mind the extra weight, size and price, and don't need/want a zoom.

I believe the GH5 will still be contast only focus, so will indeed be interesting to see how close to the EM1 mk2 Panasonic can get.
 
Panasonic G9 likely to be announced in the coming week, if better than the G85 it will be a seriously tempting camera!

Agree, but as owner of a near new G85 I am not sure I can make a case for changing this soon ;)

The specs as released to the rumor site talks about a seriously big buffer -- and the buffer on the G85 is big enough that I believe I only have filled it up once during normal shooting (Brown Booby sailing back and forth along a ship I was on, meaning there was always a new bird to aim at when the previous bird got a little too far away - and I did raw + jpg).

Niels
 
Agree, but as owner of a near new G85 I am not sure I can make a case for changing this soon ;)

The specs as released to the rumor site talks about a seriously big buffer -- and the buffer on the G85 is big enough that I believe I only have filled it up once during normal shooting (Brown Booby sailing back and forth along a ship I was on, meaning there was always a new bird to aim at when the previous bird got a little too far away - and I did raw + jpg).

Niels

Yes I also would be with a moral conundrum of owning a nearly new G80 :t: which I am loving so far.

....if as expected it has 20MP with no AA filter, then that would be welcome for cropping, and the thing that could tip me over is ISO 100.

Panasonic promise something groundbreaking, but not sure if it will be a new feature useful for birding photography - to introduce at a level between G80/85 and GH5 it will certainly have some features I will covet I would hope!
 
I think the ground-breaking thing is the option of taking 8 images and stitch them together into an 80 MP image. Not the thing that would move me.

I am not sure how big the difference is in AF of G85 and GH5.

Niels
 
I think the ground-breaking thing is the option of taking 8 images and stitch them together into an 80 MP image. Not the thing that would move me.

I am not sure how big the difference is in AF of G85 and GH5.

Niels

Being as the GH5 is touted as videocentric I have never looked into it too much, but 225 v 49 focus points, and generation 2 v generation 1 dfd sounds good in theory. Looking up the differences I realised I haven’t explored the AF sensitivity on my G80 fully - the GH5 seems to have AF speed customisation in addition.

The 80MP image wouldn’t be a feature I crave for either, although would try for other types of photography maybe. 6K photos I would probably use more than I do 4K on my G80 however.

On sensor phase detection, or another leap forward in dfd, or confirmation 2nd gen beats 1st gen dfd by a wide margin, with low ISO capabilities and higher MP sensor, and the order might be placed...
 
Panasonic G9 likely to be announced in the coming week, if better than the G85 it will be a seriously tempting camera!

Agree, but as owner of a near new G85 I am not sure I can make a case for changing this soon ;)

The specs as released to the rumor site talks about a seriously big buffer -- and the buffer on the G85 is big enough that I believe I only have filled it up once during normal shooting (Brown Booby sailing back and forth along a ship I was on, meaning there was always a new bird to aim at when the previous bird got a little too far away - and I did raw + jpg).

Niels
Thanks to you lot (& that nice Nikon chap) my desire for a G80(UK)/G85(USA) has gone from extreme want to must have. Question when the G9 comes out will the prices of the G80/G85 be likely to drop or be unaffected? In the UK that is.
 
Cant see it will affect the price as its not in the same customer range, also there is £100 cash back at the moment on the G80.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-g80-digital-camera-body-1607694/

Thanks for that, I've been trawling through your comments on the G80/G85. Very informative.:t:

Agreed, apparently they are still going to make the G7 too.

So the G series is basically going to be entry level with G7, mid level G80/85/81/8 and upper tier G9.

I definitely had a boost in quality, croppability and birds in flight abilities with the G80 over my G7, and that camera I also gained a lot over my previous G6.

It will be interesting to see real world tests to see if the G9 is similar to optics where you have to pay a lot more for small increments of improvement, or if there is another big jump in abilities for birding photography - the G80 already being a highly capable camera!
 
Agreed, apparently they are still going to make the G7 too.

So the G series is basically going to be entry level with G7, mid level G80/85/81/8 and upper tier G9.

I definitely had a boost in quality, croppability and birds in flight abilities with the G80 over my G7, and that camera I also gained a lot over my previous G6.

It will be interesting to see real world tests to see if the G9 is similar to optics where you have to pay a lot more for small increments of improvement, or if there is another big jump in abilities for birding photography - the G80 already being a highly capable camera!

After starting with the GX8 and having to sell it due to handling problems i would like a G80 with a 20mp sensor,i know its being greedy.
Not going to risk it but i think the GX8 may not cause me the same problems with this 100-400, my first one was so stiff i gripped the camera and kept pressing buttons i didnt want to.
 
Agreed, apparently they are still going to make the G7 too.

So the G series is basically going to be entry level with G7, mid level G80/85/81/8 and upper tier G9.

I definitely had a boost in quality, croppability and birds in flight abilities with the G80 over my G7, and that camera I also gained a lot over my previous G6.

It will be interesting to see real world tests to see if the G9 is similar to optics where you have to pay a lot more for small increments of improvement, or if there is another big jump in abilities for birding photography - the G80 already being a highly capable camera!
I've got currently a Panasonic DMC TZ30
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs20-tz30-review

& a
Canon Powershot SX1 IS Bridge camera
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsx1is

so I'd imagine a G80/G85 might be ever so slightly better. ;)
 
After starting with the GX8 and having to sell it due to handling problems i would like a G80 with a 20mp sensor,i know its being greedy.
Not going to risk it but i think the GX8 may not cause me the same problems with this 100-400, my first one was so stiff i gripped the camera and kept pressing buttons i didnt want to.

From what I have read the 100-400 does generally seem to be on the stiffer side - mine is, but I just assume it will help with the water/dust tightness.

I never twist mine against the camera body, instead always holding the zoom collar and the tripod foot as a lever - reassures me I am never stressing the mount, even though it may well be up to it!
 
From what I have read the 100-400 does generally seem to be on the stiffer side - mine is, but I just assume it will help with the water/dust tightness.

I never twist mine against the camera body, instead always holding the zoom collar and the tripod foot as a lever - reassures me I am never stressing the mount, even though it may well be up to it!

I do not feel that turning the zoom with one hand and holding the camera with the other is any problem what so ever. Zoom ring is not loose, but it is not overly tight either.

Niels
 
I do not feel that turning the zoom with one hand and holding the camera with the other is any problem what so ever. Zoom ring is not loose, but it is not overly tight either.

Niels

Yep as I say almost certainly up to the job, but I just like to err on the side of caution :t: It is certainly a solidly built lens and there is a fair bit of glass inside that no doubt moves about while zooming, which probably adds to the sturdy feel of the action.

To be honest I don’t really like hanging a lens of this weight from my camera for long, carrying the camera when not in use in a holster.
 
To be honest I don’t really like hanging a lens of this weight from my camera for long, carrying the camera when not in use in a holster.

Another difference. So far I have carried it over the shoulder every time I have used it (not that many hours).

One option would be the Black Rapid Strap, which I do not have, but what I have read indicates that it attaches to the tripod attachment. That means that the camera is available and does not have to be dug up from a holster.

Niels
 
Another difference. So far I have carried it over the shoulder every time I have used it (not that many hours).

One option would be the Black Rapid Strap, which I do not have, but what I have read indicates that it attaches to the tripod attachment. That means that the camera is available and does not have to be dug up from a holster.

Niels

Interesting how we all approach things differently. I favour a holster as it allows me to be hands free, with binoculars round my neck and a tripod on my back with telescope. In the holster I generally also carry a UWA and macro lems, obviously with a few accessories like batteries and SD cards - when stopped I can just plonk the whole holster down if needed, without worry of where to put the camera down, as all in it’s own protective “capsule” - has worked as a solution for me so far.
 
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