PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS on the PANASONIC LUMIX G9 MARKii. How good is the new Animal/Eye detection AF?

[@sue.Hoo123]

Brilliant images Andrew. I got my G9ii a few days ago, but the weather has been really dull and wet in the UK, so not ideal for wildlife shots. Having said that I have noticed how the AF locks onto a small bird, even when it’s in the middle of foliage. I’ve been using the small area with the larger area surrounding, so I’ll try your recommendation. Thanks for all you do 👍

[@mareeh38]

Hi Andrew, I feel the same with the g9 ii, it has bought the fun back into bird photography! I used to do a fair bit of swearing as the focus drifted on and off, but that has stopped now. I’m loving it too. The near and far shift buttons are really good to give it a hand if it does search in tricky situations, which is mainly in low light, but far less than before. I have had success in forest situations using the c1,2,3 set for different situations, so it is a flick of the dial to achieve the settings for up in the sky with all points active, or in deep shade busy situations with pinpoint active. This is working really well, I set each before walking off depending on the day/weather. Thanks for your videos- love them!

[@TufferImages]

Thanks Andrew. Had my G9II for a couple weeks and also have the original 100-400 Leica lens. Still experimenting with different AF settings for birds, cars, aircraft etc and will try your settings. Overall very impressed with the G9II thus far. Upgraded from the Lumix G95 which is a very good camera but the G9II is next level.

[@howardchud9097]

I’d love to see a video on how you pick a shutter speed for bird photography.

[@robertavery8002]

Wonderful images Andrew - many thanks. The G9ii is looking impressive - a future upgrade from my old G9 could now be looming over the horizon!

[@PanasonicAustralia]

🥳Congratulations on 1 million views!

[@jettysplash]

Thank you Andrew. This is the best!

[@DotGreen]

Superb ❤ am facing some issues with the same camera and lens combo. While shooting video it is detecting the birds in difficult surroundings but not locking on to that - kind of focus jumping or shifting happening.. I am using animal eye and body detection with tracking on..

[@bernym4047]

Impressive and I'm tempted.

[@chiara1086]

Thanks for the video! That iso 2000 shots look still very clean! Did you also see a huge improvement of the iso in raws compared to the g9?

[@naturesimagephotography]

Definitely an improvement, perhaps 1.5 to 2 stops worth. So noise at 3200 ISO on the new camera is comparable to noise at 800-1000 on the old G9

[@chiara1086]

​@@naturesimagephotographysounds great! Thanks for your reply

[@LookatBowen]

Andrew, thank you for the video. Nothing convinces me more but to get the camera than some spectacular photographs. The last photo in particular, just wow! I'm definitely upgrading my Lumix DMC G80 for the G9II, however I'm a little torn if I should upgrade my Leica DG 100-400mm for the new version. How much different is it? The tele-converter option is what got me very interested. To extend that magnificent zoom in the small body factor is nice to have, and I don't have that option at the moment with the current lens. Plus that sticky ring has always been there. Will be interested to see your video on that lens

[@bitwise2832]

Very nice...bravo. Recently got my G9ii and added the 12-60mm and the 100-400mm lenses. Birding is harder than it looks. They are always moving around 😂

[@mi9se253]

Thanks so much for this review. What do you think of the image quality compared to the original G9, is it a bit better? Also I am curious what you personally think of the ergonomics compared to the original.

[@naturesimagephotography]

You can see the difference in the 25 megapixels. Better detail and the noise levels are a stop or two better as well. I like the new design. Really it's not so new, it's almost the same as my GH6 and exactly the same as the S5ii - so I was very much used to the feel of this camera by the time it was released (now the G9 is the odd one out in my collection). Handling is good, layout of buttons is comfortable to work with, with very little chance of pressing the wrong button by accident. I never had much use for the top screen on the old camera so I don't miss it.

[@mi9se253]

@@naturesimagephotography Thanks for the reply!

[@martyptx]

Hi Andrew, first, big congratulations on your 1,000,000 views, that’s a nice number. I’ve enjoyed your videos pretty much from the start. These are absolutely great photos. Also, impressive that you took some with a higher ISO than you would have with the G9, and they are all very good. If you continue with these g9II videos, you might convince me to eventually buy the G9II. Since I’m not fprofessional, I have a hard time buying the new camera when my g9 still takes great images. I see the G9II as a big improvement in technology but probably not a big difference in image quality. So, I cannot justify buying it at $1900. If the price eventually drops and with the help of your videos, and since my current lens will still work, I might make the purchase. (Prior to release of the G9II, I was thinking my upgrade path would be to free frame, specifically the Lumix S5II, which you have some but very few videos on, and either the Sony A7IV or Sony AC2. But, I’m not sure that I want to also invest in new lens, that are larger the M43.)

[@naturesimagephotography]

I love the S5ii but I am focusing more of my videos on the G9ii for two reasons. 1: most of my followers took an interest in me for my micro 4/3 work, so I think they will be more interested in this camera. 2: Panasonic have done me a special honour by loaning me this camera, so I want to do right by them and focus on the G9ii for a while. But the S5ii is my go-to option for landscapes and when I get the chance I will be doing some more content on that camera as well.

[@martyptx]

@@naturesimagephotography thanks for the reply, I’m one of those who are very interested in your micro 4/3 work, I look forward to seeing all of your videos, i really like your presentation, and the information that you provide. It’s very informative, interesting, and most of all helpful. Thanks again. With regards to LUMIX, I am so familiar with their menus, I will have a hard time looking elsewhere. I have been looking at Sony, and they improved their menus, but not as good as Lumix. Also, Sony seems to find ways to save costs while LUMIX seems to always give more, especially with the firmware updates and improvements.

[@onnie1968]

WOW Lumix really stepping up their game, just wondering Andrew does the animal eye focus work when recording in 4k@60 ? Thank you.

[@JustAaronJoshua]

It does with mine. No eye detect in 4k 120 but still has autofocus

[@DatuDieter]

@@JustAaronJoshua Oh well does the auto focus work in 4K 120 P? No birds or eye detect there I know, but does it find the bird in flight locks the focus and sticks to it?

[@onnie1968]

Thank you Aaron@@JustAaronJoshua

[@JustAaronJoshua]

Yes it does work well as long as they’re in the focus box/square :)

[@DatuDieter]

@@JustAaronJoshua Thanks for your your reply. 😀👍🏻

[@andrewsleep6981]

Hi Andrew I have the G9 with the same lens your using. I notice with most of your shots you're shooting at 400mm with F-6.3 I've been struggling with sharpness and recently found i get better sharpness at 400mm with F-9-11. At that aperture with low light i struggle with shutter speeds being too fast for birds in flight. Just wondering... Are the photos you posted at the end of the video cropped much? If not you must be getting much closer than i can get to the birds out on the West Coast of SA. They are more wary of people than birds near the cities. My lens has been knocked around a bit and I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the lens. Because I've tried everything and I don't seem able to get the shots that you're getting of birds in flight. And even when small birds are sitting,i have to get very close, and still struggle with sharpness at F-6.3. Is there any way i can test the lens or do i just have to buy the bullet and get a new one Cheers Andrew

[@oneeyedphotographer]

I'm curious about how it goes with Olympus/OM lenses, specifically 100-400 150-400 60mm Macro 90mm Macro.

[@naturesimagephotography]

The only one of those lenses that I own is the 60mm macro. I used it once on the G9 and was so impressed, I decided to buy one earlier this year (second-hand) for a wildflower photography tour in Western Australia. It works brilliantly on the G9 and GH6 - don't think I have used it yet on the G9ii.

[@oneeyedphotographer]

@@naturesimagephotography You could ask about a loan for your channel from OM Systems or your camera store, or even a viewer near you.

[@janwedek]

I have both the Pl100-400 and the Oly 100-400. Both work equally well AF wise on the G9ii. Stabilization obviously is a LOT better with the PL because of Dual IS.

[@DragonfireRC]

Love your videos. Have a question for you. Do you have any Legacy 4/3 lenses to try on the new G9 II, before they were only viable with Olympus because of their PDAF system. Many fantastic Olympus 4/3 SHG lenses: 35-100mm f/2, 90-250mm f/2.8, 150mm f/2, and the 300mm f/2.8.

[@naturesimagephotography]

Thank you. And no, I only have a small number of lenses that I have purchased over the past few years.

[@adesridho]

Excellent ❤👍👏🔥

[@lakesvisions6248]

Hi Andrew and thanks for the great & useful videos. I'm likely to upgrade to the Mark 2 shortly from my G9 but can't seem to find out if there is an inbuilt converter on the new model as there was on the first G9, can you help answer that for me please?

[@naturesimagephotography]

What do you mean by inbuilt converter?

[@doddster76]

Page 3 of 5 in the stills menu had Ex Tele Conv as one of the options which could be used as Teleconverter or Digital Zoom

[@Wildridefilms]

​@@doddster76it has been renamed to pixel-pixel, where it crops in ~1.5x in 4k and 3x in 1080p video

[@lakesvisions6248]

@@naturesimagephotography I finally found out that the Ex Tele Conv feature is indeed on the mark 2

[@naturesimagephotography]

Great. And my apologies, I have been working every day for the last week and haven't even looked at the camera.

[@vikkitempleton9157]

Great video. I noticed that some of the images where shot at 400mm, I assume 800 equivalent. Also noticed that some where shot at less than 1/400, as slow as 1/100, with no blurring. In my experience I have been told you need at least 1/800 for the equivalent focal length. But you have gotten away with quite slower shutter speeds. I am now very confused. Is it purely because of the dual stabilisation? Or have I been taught the wrong thing?

[@Wildridefilms]

You might want to shoot faster shutter speeds due to 2 main reasons: 1. Freezing the motion of your subject. 2. Avoid motion blur due to camera shake. In the 1st case, you'll have to select a shutter speed that is appropriate for your subject and its size in the frame. A closeup shot would need a faster shutter speed than a wide, environmental shot. A hummingbird needs a faster shutter speed than a cow. Image stabilization will only help you with the 2nd case, for which the shutter speed=1/focal length rule of thumb was applicable. So with a theoretical 7 stops of image stabilization or so, you can shoot all the way down to 1/6 seconds on a 800mm FF eq. without motion blur. But of course, you'll get only one sharp shot out of a hundred or so images with such long shutter speeds. To get more reliably sharp shots, you can use something like 1/50 s or 1/100s, where majority of your shots should be unaffected by motion blur.

[@DragonfireRC]

What you were taught was for a non stabilized camera system. Two types of motion blur: Camera shaking and fast moving objects. For a static object on a non-stabilized camera 1/FL is the minimum shutter speed. With a stabilized camera system you have several stops of leeway with your minimum shutter speed for static shots. For capturing fast moving objects, you need the appropriate shutter speed to freeze the action of the moving subject, stabilization can not stop your subject from moving...lol...

[@naturesimagephotography]

I'm glad you liked the video. Regarding shutter speeds...sometimes you need to compromise. There's what is 'textbook' correct, but that's not always practical in the field. Ideally I would like to keep the shutter speed above 400 to eliminate camera shake - the image stabilisation is more than enough to handle that. But in a forest on a cloudy day, sometimes there is simply not enough light. So my choice is to set very high ISO which creates a noisy image, or try to get away with a slower shutter speed. The image stablisation is so good that I can often get pretty sharp shots at those slower speeds that you noticed in the video - as long as the bird doesn't move. But I have to keep the camera very steady, and I don't expect to be successful 100% of the time. If I had the choice I would always shoot above 400th/sec but sometimes that is simply not practical.

[@mi9se253]

As Andrew said you have a choice in lower light situations: option 1: shoot with a higher shutter speed and have more succes in freezing the action, but with worse and maybe unusable images or 2: take some risk and shoot with lower shutter speeds with the possibility of getting a nice image. When you take into account camera's can shoot big bursts these days option 2 does become more attractive. But you might have to delete a lot of failed pictures.

[@CAPTOURS]

Where was the seaeagle shot taken? I want to have shot at getting that close to one? I know there is a spot on the Sunshine Coast but not exactly where lol

[@naturesimagephotography]

Sea Eagle was taken at Point Arkwright, Coolum.

[@CAPTOURS]

@naturesimagephotography thanks mate I'll have to go and try and get a nice close up. Nice shots 👌

[@joeyret.617]

Hi you tried 4k in 120fps video?

[@TerryD23]

Wrestling between the G9/2 or OM1...

[@whamni]

Do you have the camera on Auto ISO ?

[@naturesimagephotography]

No, I keep everything fully manual.

[@gimmy4266]

Ho acquistato la G9ii 10 giorni fa ed ho anche la G9 ...non sono molto entusiasta..... ottimo l'autofocus in fase e ricerca del corpo/occhi ma la qualità non è molto superiore alla G9 e soprattutto ad alti ISO non ha guadagnato chissà cosa....ed hanno tolto la possibilità di gestire l'autofocus con un solo punto, molto utile nei reportage di mestieri ed artigiani per esempio......penso che la OM1 con sensore stacked abbia una migliore qualità d'immagine....

[@jaysimoes3705]

No. De tests show that the OM1 has worse IQ due to th stacked sensor. well that is presumed. But look at Riachrd Wong and others and it is clear that the 25,2 MP G9 Mark II sensor is really better. In fact it is on par with the XT5 and R7, so that is quite a feat.

[@gimmy4266]

@@jaysimoes3705 un mio amico ha la OM1 ....faremo delle prove comparative soprattutto ad alti ISO....la OM5 ad alti ISO è già migliore rispetto la G9 .... vedremo cosa accade tra G9ii e la OM1 ....😉

[@jaysimoes3705]

If you say so.....For a Portuguese it is strangely very easy to understand your Italian btw! But I trust independent tests over remarks like "my friends says..." But to each their own.

[@gimmy4266]

apart from the best quality to be "demonstrated", there are two problems to solve: A- you must be able to choose the single point (or multiple points and not area) at will and "fixed", as was done on the G9; B- the change between humans, animals, etc. must be done with buttons and sliders and not through the use of the touchscreen; this mode is too slow and absurd