Lumix G9 Birds in Flight - 100-300mm II lens

[@ImageMaven]

TABLE OF CONTENTS 0:00 Introduction 0:23 Exposure settings 0:36 Tip - Use your shortest focal length to lock focus 0:57 Tip - Find a place with a lot of birds 1:57 Focus methods 2:40 Other factors that affect focus 2:53 Burst mode settings 3:16 Back Button Focus 3:21 Lumix AF Guide book 3:46 AF Custom Sets 4:18 Focus/release Priority 5:43 Sequences 6:09 Sample photos of BIF 8:07 EXIF Meta Data reader

[@AG-cr6tm]

Excellent tips! thank you so much Marlene! G9 rocks!!!

[@ImageMaven]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for rocking the comments!

[@pvannuys]

Thanks Marlene, also for the tip of the (new?) 'Lumix AF Guidebook', where the features and settings are more detailed and better clarified.

[@ImageMaven]

Glad it was helpful! I was so happy to find it. I think they could do an updated version for the latest firmware, but it's better than nothing.

[@meb4video]

Great information. Thanks so much for doing these videos. I bought the G9 last week and am consuming all your excellent content!

[@ImageMaven]

Great to hear! What lenses do you have?

[@meb4video]

@@ImageMaven currently just the kit 12-60. Learning with that and then need another for an upcoming trip to Alaska!

[@ImageMaven]

@@meb4video That lens is perfect for travel! You may not need anything else unless you're going for wildlife or birds. I took a vacation last year with my 12-60mm and my long telephoto and used the tele only once while shooting puffins from a boat. It was a lot of extra weight to carry around on my hikes. I wish I had left it at home. But that's me. Your needs may vary. Anyhow, enjoy!

[@meb4video]

@@ImageMaven I was planning on a 100 to 300 with the hope of getting a bald 🦅 and a 🐳. Still in the research stage though.

[@55whiplash]

Very useful information, I'm impressed with the shots you get from the 100-300 lens.

[@ImageMaven]

Glad it was helpful Mark! Takes a lot of practice to get good shots with any lens. For me it's a whole new way of shooting than I'm used to. Thanks for stopping by!

[@misha4422]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the lonks to the Lumix AF pdf and video. Such useful info. Nice photographs, too. Envious. I have plans to practice my bird photo skills.

[@ImageMaven]

Glad you find them useful Mike! Enjoy your birding adventures.

[@geriesandmann4485]

Hi Marlene…you managed to become a ‘pro’ birder’ in such a short time. Wonderful pictures and explanation as always. All the best for the future🍀🌞

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Gerie, Great to hear from you again. There's still so much to learn about birding. But I'm having a lot of fun developing my skills. What will you be focusing on in 2022? Cheers!

[@geriesandmann4485]

@@ImageMaven I’ll be focusing on getting a longer lens that I already have (Panasonic 45-175 and Zuiko 50-200). I hesitate between Panasonic 100-300 or Olympus 75-300. I own both Pannie G85 and Olympus Em-1, of which I mainly use the Olympus. For some reason I like the colours of the Olympus better. It’s gonna be a tough choice, because both are good. I think on getting one secondhand.

[@ImageMaven]

Colour is a very good reason for choosing something. That's why I have an orange bike! Enjoy your new gear, whatever the colour you choose!

[@kaushaltiwari9773]

Dear Marlene. Great pics and video. Thanks. They look professional. Goes on to show that for most people, the MFT system is more than enough. I am staying with the crop sensor. Blessings.

[@ImageMaven]

I'm with you on that, Kaushal. I have no interest in switching back to a Full Frame system. The weight alone is a killer, not to mention the cost. Thanks for watching and for dropping me a comment.

[@Outtheresomewherewild]

Thanx Marlene, very informative as usual.

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks Mark. You are so welcome!

[@sue.Hoo123]

Another great tutorial. Loving the Tern shots 👌

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks Sue. Those are some of my favourites. They look like angels - at least what we think angels might look like.

[@iandrury1542]

Hi Marlene, thanks for this great video which I'm going to use when I go out to try my hand at bird photography in my local wetland trust area in Norfolk, UK, where I live. Can you show the link to the Lumix Nordic site you mentioned please ?

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks for watching Ian. The AF Guidebook links are in the video description.

[@highwayman1224]

Recently got the Leica 100-400mm and absolutely love it! Today my 100-300mm was closer & I was lazy and put it on my G9 and forgot just how good the 100-300mm is! Got some great pictures from my backyard this morning.

[@ImageMaven]

Great to hear Martin.

[@MarkoKoskenoja]

Another excellent video explainer Marlene👍 I just sold my 100-300 v2 and have a new 100-400mm coming in 2 days so I'm excited to try out some of your settings for BIF with my G9.

[@ImageMaven]

Sweet! Let me know how it goes with your 100-400, Marko. I’m interested to hear how it compares to the 100-300.

[@MarkoKoskenoja]

@@ImageMaven - will do Marlene.

[@stevewhiteley9249]

Really excellent video and lovely to see some of the birds in your part of the world. Your channel is especially helpful for someone like me who doesn't have the patience to look through a 200 page manual :-)

[@ImageMaven]

Many thanks! Yes, the camera manual is quite sparse at times. Takes a degree in communications to decipher it. That an a lot of trial and error.

[@hVF8KZuQPeCc8u]

Great range of birds and nice shots! Really love those pelicans. Thanks for all the great tips. The G9 with the 100-300mm is certainly up to the task. My daughter saw a deer and then a few days later a coyote go through our condo backyard. I need to get in the action!

[@ImageMaven]

Oh gee. Watch out for Wile E. Coyote! Lots of human coyote encounters in Calgary lately. No fun for the humans. I say start with the deer. Yes, I'm very happy with this lens! No regrets. I think I've pretty much exhausted my bird video ideas though. Time to pivot. Always great to hear from you Steven!

[@hVF8KZuQPeCc8u]

@@ImageMaven Thanks for the laugh. I was thinking the coyote needs some Geritol if it was two days behind the deer.

[@ImageMaven]

Lol 😂

[@sophrologieserenite3928]

Thx for your videos, i love my G9 because of you and your tips !

[@ImageMaven]

It's so great to hear this. People like you in this G9 community, that watch my videos and take time to leave a comment, is the best!

[@jerometerry26]

Hi Marlene, Another great and very helpful video!!!. I've been using BBF with my 100-300 V2 since one of your initial videos on that topic. I find that my hit rate is higher. Thanks much for the video.

[@ImageMaven]

Great to hear your hit rate has improved, Jerome. Hopefully you get a couple tips from this video too. Thanks for watching.

[@ksgtokgo]

I’ve been trying to get better with the animal detect settings. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Kathy, It's definitely worth practicing. I started with owls in trees a couple months ago. Just try non moving birds first and get used to things. Then move your way up to birds in flight. If there is a zoo or conservation area near you, then that's a great place to start. Birds won't be flying around too much at the zoo though, but it's a great place to use the animal detection settings. Have fun!

[@ksgtokgo]

@@ImageMaven I have a spot where I can reliably find Herons and other wading birds. I will try there. Thanks again.

[@ImageMaven]

@@ksgtokgo Sounds perfect Kathy!

[@agrafernando]

Great Video Marlene. I share the same experience when shooting BIFs with the G9. I can happen to use the Oly40-150 + TC x1.4. When the AF locks, it locks. Additionally I also like using the AF-Near/Far, depending on the situation to optimize the focus when needed. Coupled with custom AF set 2, for objects moving in a steady speed in one direction it is cool for larger birds.

[@ImageMaven]

Great to hear this. Thanks for sharing. Yes I’ve used the near and far and I have it currently set to near on the Ae/Af button instead of BBF. Just thought I’d try that out for a bit as typically there’s not much in the way of larger birds unless they’re passing in front of trees or something. And yes Set 2 is good for AFC. Thanks again!

[@agrafernando]

@@ImageMaven totally agree. I have the near and far AF set to the front custom bottom and bbf on AF/AE. That's just because I like shooting from hides where cranes and other large birds land and take off. With the reeds around you everything the G9 offers helps. A kingfisher sitting on a stick with reeds in the background is still a big challenge 😂. I have to point to the bottom of the stock with AF near and then reposition, otherwise I will get sharp reed with lovely blurry kingfisher haha

[@ImageMaven]

Ha, yes the challenges we face. There’s always something!

[@brucegraner5901]

Marlene, thanks for taking the time do research and produce this video. I thought you produced some excellent results and I really liked your first tern photo. I think your video has given me reason to lean towards the G9 over some more expensive cameras BUT if you happen across any more birds-coming-straight-towards-you opportunities I would be very interested in your results with the new software. Any old gull will do, they move quickly enough to provide an autofocus challenge for most cameras.

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Bruce. Thanks for your comments. Gulls are so hard to shoot. Nearly impossible. They were the hardest to capture. Even getting them in the frame was hard. I worked very hard at the terns, and I love those shots too. Needed 1/2000 second and faster, shutter speed for those. My best "plain" shots with birds flying straight towards me were the hawks. Example around 7:30 in the video. I also had several chances at pelicans coming at me. Also with a good amount of success. But it's still a lot of work. I hear the Lumix S5 is better at this stuff. But I can't give you first hand experiences with that. There's a website where a guy reviews all kinds of cameras for birds in flight, called Mirrorless Comparison dot com. He might have the answer you are looking for. I'm not sure I'd buy the G9 if it's just for birds in flight. But for general use, I think it's very good at a lot of things.

[@brucegraner5901]

Thanks for getting back to me. I'll check out the website you recommended. Recently got a little too close to a colony of black skimmers nesting close to a road in a national park. They came out to let me know that I was too close with some spectacular close fly-bys. As I backed away I took some images with my Leica 114 super-zoom camera and was very surprised at the keeper rate of fast birds coming straight at me and swerving away at the last minute. I attribute this in no small part to the QUICK FOCUS feature in the menu (plus the High burst rate with the electronic shutter) and recommend you try it as part of a custom setting program if the G9 has it. The 114 is basically an upgrade of the Lumix FZ1000 and I'm thinking there's a certain commonality between menu systems in the two cameras.

[@ImageMaven]

Great suggestion Bruce. I’ll definitely look into the Quick focus. Cheers!

[@robertro1640]

Coming week i will receive my 100-300 ii . Your video will be useful 🙂 however i have Olympus M1 mk2 body. Regards from Poland 🇵🇱

[@ImageMaven]

How exciting! Have fun.

[@yourtallness]

Had a pretty disappointing experience at an airshow today with my G9 + PanaLeica 200mm f/2.8 + TC 1.4x. Used shutter speeds of 1/1000 - 1/3200, f/5.6-f/8 and AF-C in either custom multi or 225-Area. The focus boxes lit up on the aircraft making me think tracking was OK, but about 90% of my shots are out of focus. Static shots in AF-S mode were perfectly OK, but AF-C would also mess many of those static shots up (even show taxiing on the runway). With a 300mm f/4 on a Nikon D850 in AF-C 3D tracking or dynamic area mode I had a 60-70% keeper rate. Wondering what I'm doing wrong or if I should avoid contrast detect systems for airshows altogether.

[@ImageMaven]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, Mark. I have shot a few planes the past couple of months. Didn't have the issues you did. 100% focus rate. Next time try Tracking in AFS and AFC too. And for slow moving taxiing, try AFS. Also look into your Focus/release Priority settings. Maybe they need a tweak. And practice practice practice. Hit up an airport runway for a couple of hours. Even a small airport would work until you get used to things more. Have fun!

[@neonbirding2680]

Great Birding tips. I have success with the one area AF with short burst for BIF it's super fast and clears the buffer faster than with AF-tracking (with release priority set to release). I also use 4K video to shoot BIF, and pull pix if the exposure is good. I also have difficulty finding raptor birds. I only see them at morning twilight to about 1.5 hour after sunrise, at great distances. Keep up the great birding photography, and videography.

[@ImageMaven]

Thank you so much for sharing your tip. I will try that next time I find some BIF to practice on. Hopefully we both find some more raptors again soon! Cheers!

[@williambell3036]

Thanks Marlene another great video.Did you use the settings recommended in the guide book?It would be nice if you could do a video experimenting the pre settings.

[@ImageMaven]

Hi William. I wanted to do that for this video, but it was hard to decide what worked best when in actual shooting situations, mostly because the birds were moving differently and there were different types of birds. So it got chaotic. Hence the suggestion about "taking good notes". I found that most of the AFC sets worked. But it's something that you definitely need to practice for yourself. Now, I mostly use Set 1 and Set 2.

[@Greggie_D]

Great video! I was hoping you might venture into the “pre burst” SH1 and SH2 settings. I’m not up to speed with those, although I do use the 4K photo preburst a fair bit. I believe it works similar to Olympus’ preburst using the Electronic shutter to pre capture photos when half pressing the shutter button I think? Thanks for your hard work. Well presented!

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Greg, I go into those pre-burst settings more in my "Small birds in Flight" video. You can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaPMo3tvebKiq7s But be careful, you can fill up your memory card pretty fast too. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

[@andresgonzalezcerdalatam2714]

Amazing pictures and videos!!. Actually I saw your birds episode more than once... just SO beautiful! By the way, did you miss that extra 100 mm of 100-400 lens? ( despite the weight and cost)

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Andres, Glad you liked this video. I did miss the extra 100mm a couple times for sure, especially when birds are on the water and far away, and not moving very much. But honestly I'm not doing bird photos for a living so for me and my typical use and enjoyment, this lens focal length is just fine. Thanks for stopping by!

[@leoyoung6]

Great tips, I have been following your videos and subscribed. Just acquired the G9 and the 100mm-300mm v2, love the EVF and all the physical control dials. Have you upgraded your lens firmware to v1.1? Not sure what is the difference. I bought a Godox 350o flash for macro photography but having a hard time syncing with the G9, any advice? thanks.

[@leoyoung6]

Marlene, I found out how to use the Godox 350 flash

[@ImageMaven]

Great to hear from you. Thanks for watching. I hope you enjoy your G9 as much as I do. That 100-300mm lens sits on mine most of the time lately. Glad you figured out the Godox. My experience with the Godox flash is limited to this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTUpnyMfJllZ80 Cheers!

[@leoyoung6]

@@ImageMaven thanks, did you upgraded the 100-300mm II lens firmware to v1.1 from v1.?

[@ImageMaven]

Yes

[@photogenic2010]

great vid. are these settings also available on the GH5?

[@ImageMaven]

Yes they are. If you download that guide I reference you’ll see that it’s for GH5 as well. Worth a look for sure.

[@photogenic2010]

@@ImageMaven I will, Many thanks .. :-)

[@paulbertschphotography3894]

Looking good!

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks Paul!

[@AprilClayton]

When we go to the nature park, we can never get pictures of birds. But when I walk around our suburban neighborhood, I get all sorts of birds hopping in front of me, but no camera.

[@ImageMaven]

I guess you’ll have to take your camera on your suburban walks. 😉 That where I find a lot of my birds too.

[@MrKingeri]

Hello! I just received a lumix g9 camera. It comes with a 45-200 lens. Here is a supermoto competition. I would like to ask. How to set up the camera? What is your advice? Thanks for the answer in advance!! Sincerely Tamás.

[@ImageMaven]

My advice is to practice well before your big event. Get a friend to help you. Use a fast shutter speed and AFC to start with.

[@1VIDEO21]

Dear Marlene! Where can I download the AF Guide book?

[@1VIDEO21]

Sorry for the trouble, I found it!!!

[@Clickumentary]

I have the 100-300, and I'm really pining for the 100-400, instead. 1) the extra reach and speed, and 2) the added heft and tripod mount to help with tripod vibration at long lengths. Thoughts?

[@ImageMaven]

My thoughts are the 100-400mm is too expensive and heavy for me. I'm a casual birder. Plus I'm already dealing with shoulder issues, so even the 100-300mm is hefty on longer walks. So I think you need to ask someone who has used both of the lenses. Some people have left comments saying they are comparable. And some people have said that the 100-400mm is sharper. So you will need to rent or borrow a 100-400 to test it out for yourself. And if you have the budget then go for it.

[@Clickumentary]

@@ImageMaven thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Your idea about renting is a good one. It is quite expensive and my mad money is saving up for the GH6, assuming that arrives during my lifetime. Cheers!

[@stevewhiteley9249]

Hi clickumentary, I used to have the 100-300 ii and changed to the 100-400. It's bigger and heavier for sure but nothing like the full frame brigade carry around. I have really enjoyed using it and got some lovely shots. Around the same time I upgraded my camera from G80 to G9 and have been making much more use of the camera's settings and working on my raw files, so my shots from the two lenses are not quite comparable. The reach and handling are important to me and it's on my camera probably 70% of the time so I figured I'd invest in the best I could get. I always enjoy using the Panasonic Leica series lenses, some of the pleasure of taking photos is interacting with the equipment, at least for me. However, the 100-300 is definitely one of the stars of the Lumix range and I sometimes wish I'd kept it, there's no reason to think you have second best, because you certainly don't.

[@Clickumentary]

@@stevewhiteley9249 Thanks for that insight Steve. I tend to do more video now, or timelapse work. I've been a bit flummoxed doing video w/long lens with normal shutter speed (180 degree rule) because even the slightest vibration from wind makes a mess, even with IS. I've started using much faster shutter speeds now. The photo aspects have been pretty good, but still learning how to get the cleanest shots w/my G9 and 100-300. Often the results haven't been focused well, so I need to figure that one out..

[@singlereed]

@@Clickumentary ah good luck with that, I don’t really use video at all. If you don’t need the 400mm reach, the Pana Leica 50-200 is a really nice lens, very smooth, not too big or heavy and a bit brighter and very sharp. It’s expensive but might be a good option for video.

[@adrianleung3760]

So you recommend to get flying bird in focus by afc with custom multi or 1 area or animals, that will increase the chance of getting them in focus?

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Adrian, I recommend trying different settings and see what works best for you. A lot has to do with the light too, and how fast the birds are flying, how large the birds are and if they are flying in a straight line or moving all over. But I don't really have much luck with the 1-area focus on faster moving birds. Tracking works if you can lock on and it will stay on the bird. But sometimes even getting them in the frame and keeping them in the frame is difficult with a longer lens. So that's my error, not a focus error. It's one of those things that takes a lot of practice and getting to know each situation. My best advice is to start with something and practice using settings with the same subject and refine as you go. Migration time is a perfect time to practice birds in flight. If you can get swans, pelicans or geese, you will have no problems. But gulls will be harder as they tend not to fly in a straight line and they are smaller and harder to keep in the frame. You may have to adjust your AF Custom Settings (the AF Sensitivity and Moving object prediction). The AF Guidebook has a ton of information on those settings. Link in video description for that. Hope that helps..... but bottom line... you have to practice.

[@adrianleung3760]

@@ImageMaven much thanks 🙏

[@Flingwing24]

Doh. Animal detection....who knew🙄. I was messing about tracking ducks with it the other day, feeling a bit daft I never tried it before. I use the 100-400 Leica and shoot a lot of dragonflies so this season I will start using animal detection because the little sods are quick!!! Thanks for that. Some great shots there.

[@ImageMaven]

Ooh, I'm interested to see if the bird/animal detection can keep up with a dragonfly. Don't forget to check your firmware to make sure it's up to date to get the latest AF features. I've got lots of videos on how to update your G9 firmware. Cheers, and have fun!

[@Flingwing24]

@@ImageMaven Yea, FW was done not long ago and I seem to remember various comments about the animal detection working. It does seem to need lots of light for good contrast to it could be ideal for birds in flight. The big question is over water. have you messed with the AFC Custom settings at all Marlene?

[@robertwalker5991]

It is not really possible to zoom in with the 100-400 as its operation is very resistant.

[@ImageMaven]

Hi Robert. Good to know. Thanks for adding that to the conversation! Cheers.

[@slimmourali]

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