The LUMIX G9 couldn’t handle it

I’ve been using the LUMIX G9 for about two years now, and I’ve been very happy with it. It has worked well in various situations, and it has been a joy when I’ve been walking around in different forests. But during the last 6-7 weeks I’ve discovered one situation where it doesn’t work, and now I need to figure out what to do.

I’m talking about is the lag between pressing the shutter and the actual exposure being made. It’s not a giant delay, in fact, I haven’t noticed it before, but it’s enough for me to missing photos.

What happens is that I’m indoors photographing martial arts, i.e., people move around quickly, and I discovered that I was missing shots because people had moved between me pressing the shutter and the photo being captured. And no, it’s not me!! I used to have a Nikon D4s, and I was able to capture these kinds of photos without any problems. I also tried a Nikon Z7 while using the G9, and I did not have this issue with the Z7.

According to the experts, it’s caused by the G9 using contrast detection for the autofocus, and there isn’t much I can do about it. So now I need to figure out what to do. I could stop photographing martial arts, or I could get an Olympus camera who apparently is faster than the G9, or … start building up a new camera system (you can probably hear my wallet screaming). Well, this is something to think about during the holidays.

Testing my new camera

OK, OK !! I admit, I have bought a new camera! The meaning of “new” is that it’s new to me, it’s a second hand camera that I bought from MPB (great shop if you’re looking for used gear). It’s an 8-year-old model, the LUMIX GM1, a micro four thirds camera that was announced in 2013.

You might wonder why I would buy such an old camera. I think this photo explains it.

Yep, this is the smallest micro four thirds camera I know of. What you see on the photo is a 16 megapixel camera with a 12-32 mm zoom (24-64 mm full frame equivalent). I assume I don’t have to tell you that it fits in any standard pocket with room to spare. This is going to be my daily carry for the foreseeable future, it will not be my main camera, but it will be the camera that’s always with me.

So, to the most important question: is an 8-year-old, entry-level micro four thirds camera any good? Well, yesterday I took a walk and tried it out. And as you can see from these images, it’s perfectly acceptable for what I intend to use it for.

A change in what camera I use

Trying to avoid some household chores, I decided to take a look at what cameras I have used 2017-2021 and it’s fun to see how it has changed. Let’s start with 2017

2017

I did take less photos than usual in 2017, and half of them was taken using my D700. This is the camera I used for sports, and since I was mostly taking martial art photos, there is nothing surprising with this. Second comes the Lumix GX80, also to be expected since it was the camera I used day-to-day and when traveling. Then the iPhone 6s and some with the Lumix GM5.

2018

Substantially more photos 21900, with 11500 taken with a Nikon D4s. I bought it early in the year and also did a lot of sports photography. But, I also continued to use the D700, third place, and as before the GX80 for day-to-day and travel. And some using the iPhone 6s.

2019

Fewer photos than previous year: 14234. If I remember correctly I did fewer trips to take sports photos, but around 70% is taken with the D4s. Then the Lumix GX80, and the iPhone.

2020

When 2020 started I had planned several trips in my mind and expected it to be my busiest year photographically so far, but we all know what happened. I’m kind of impressed that I managed to take 10239 photos last year. My GX80 developed some mechanical problems early in the year which was really irritating, so after debating if I should buy a new GX80, or a GX90, I decided to buy a Lumix G9. I switched from taking sport photos (no events to document) to landscape, I also used the G9 much more than the D4s. It’s even worse than the diagram shows, those 1828 photos are from one single event. In other words, the D4s should have had 0 photos in 2020! Then the iPhone, and a few with the GX80.

2021

It’s still early in 2021, but I don’t really expect this diagram to change much. I can’t see any sports photography, but a lot more landscape and local photography. So, my guess for 2021 would be around 10-12000 photos, about 70% with the G9, 20% with the iPhone, and the rest with other cameras (I still play with the GM5 and GX80). And 0 with the D4s.

However, if it become possible to do some sports photography, it will look very different. Then I would expect about 40% G9, 40% D4s, and 15% with the iPhone.