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Last effort by the mighty G6 :(

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Hen3ry

Hen3ry

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Here I am in Australia staying with friends at beautiful Nambour on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland (north of Brisbane) taking a few happy snaps and…

…the mighty G6 refuses to switch on! Aarghh!

That's the bad news. There is worse news -- the camera is a gray import; so no warranty. I bought it on eBay because I wanted a white camera not offered in Australia (for some stupid reason).

The good news: thank goodness it chose this moment to go rather than when I was on a job in a remote corner of New Guinea! I have had no back up camera for more than a year; the lack of back up in case of breakdown was making me increasingly nervous, so I was planning to buy a GX7 to fill that role during this visit to Oz but then I was also thinking about waiting a bit to see if the GX8 (or a G8) materialized in May.

Well, the decision is out of my hands now -- I have to buy a camera and also see about getting this one fixed outside warranty. Probably not viable but I will see.

In the meantime, a couple of the last pix I took with the G6:

A panorama from a lookout near Nambour. The 12-35 @ 35 held vertically. 10 frames. Manual exposure. Stitched with PTGui.


I didn't get the horizon quite straight. I trimmed the top of the frame to get this view. Clearly, though, a view this wide is silly unless you are going to print it very large and have it stretch across a wall.


An unattended roadside stall for local produce operated on the honesty system. You take the fruit you want and put your coins (up to $2 is coins in Australia) in the little box on the left corner of the stall.

--
Geoffrey Heard
Down and out in Rabaul in the South Pacific
http://rabaulpng.com/we-are-all-traveling-throug/i-waited-51-years-for-tavur.html
 
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bs1946 said:
Well Geoff, we know that you are a Panasonic man and love your G6. If you are unsure about the GX7, check out the local dealers and see if you can find a good used G6 to take back home, and if the price is right, maybe even two so you have a backup. Or if we can lure you to the dark-side, an E-M10, EM-5, EP-5, or EPL-7
Click to expand...
 
Geoffrey, regarding the Australian dollar. The current government has made a mockery out of the economic stability that the previous Labor government offered at the start of 2013. It's caused our dollar to tank. Of course the Liberal agenda is to be happy because it has tanked because people buying our goods now have to pay less, but, at the same time they haven't accounted for the fact in their heads yet that all we do is dig things out of the ground and sell them to others and that there is no longer any value added industry in this country.

2 years, two failed budgets later they still haven't gotten the point and as interest rates still struggle and are likely to be cut to 1.5% we are on the verge of becoming a banana republic and of having a full blown recession.
 
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Hen3ry said:
jimoyer said:
I have a VERY lightly used G5 body sitting here collecting dust that you're more than welcome to until the G...whatever or GX....whatever comes out. Send it back when you're done. Feel free to PM me if you want to go that route.
Click to expand...
…I'm on the other side of the world.

I'll be right -- I might win a reasonably priced used G6 on eBay; alternatively, the new price of the GX7 here in Oz is very reasonable at AU$670 (US$490!!!) with 14-42 and full warranty. AND I will get 10% tax off when I take it back to New Guinea.

Actually ridiculously cheap!

It is crazy that this time last year, the AU$ and US$ were at parity.
Click to expand...
 
Martin Ocando said:
bs1946 said:
Well Geoff, we know that you are a Panasonic man and love your G6. If you are unsure about the GX7, check out the local dealers and see if you can find a good used G6 to take back home, and if the price is right, maybe even two so you have a backup. Or if we can lure you to the dark-side, an E-M10, EM-5, EP-5, or EPL-7
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
G'day Geoff, I thought I'd make my contribution as we seem to share the same likes and dislikes.

The GX7 is IMO a better camera than the G6 in that it allows me to take better pictures and has slightly improved IQ. That's not to say there aren't things that I miss from the G6 but I actually have difficulties using that easiest of cameras now that I have become primarily a GX7 user.

I know people couldn't see it at the time but the G6 is a much better camera than the G5 and I don't think regression would be a good idea even for a bargain.

I evaluated EM5 mk 1 against my G6 and the G6 handling wins hands down. I have tried the EM10 and felt the same. I haven't tried the EM5 Mark 2.

On the other hand if someone was to offer me an EM1 despite it's age I'd bite their hands off. Not G6 comfort but much better than the other two and I am convinced that all the best pictures on these forums are taken by EM1s.

The GH4 may be the best but too big, too expensive and a very highly rated video system that I don't need.

In your shoes I take the GX7 if you can get a good price, You will enjoy it.

If I were looking for a friend for my GX7 I would buy an EM1
 
Trevor Carpenter said:
G'day Geoff, I thought I'd make my contribution as we seem to share the same likes and dislikes.

The GX7 is IMO a better camera than the G6 in that it allows me to take better pictures and has slightly improved IQ. That's not to say there aren't things that I miss from the G6 but I actually have difficulties using that easiest of cameras now that I have become primarily a GX7 user.

I know people couldn't see it at the time but the G6 is a much better camera than the G5 and I don't think regression would be a good idea even for a bargain.

I evaluated EM5 mk 1 against my G6 and the G6 handling wins hands down. I have tried the EM10 and felt the same. I haven't tried the EM5 Mark 2.

On the other hand if someone was to offer me an EM1 despite it's age I'd bite their hands off. Not G6 comfort but much better than the other two and I am convinced that all the best pictures on these forums are taken by EM1s.

The GH4 may be the best but too big, too expensive and a very highly rated video system that I don't need.

In your shoes I take the GX7 if you can get a good price, You will enjoy it.

If I were looking for a friend for my GX7 I would buy an EM1.
Click to expand...
The nearly new G6 on eBay went for $518 including postage. That was at least $50 more than I wanted to pay. It did have a 32 GB card with it, but I have cards.

I can buy a brand new GX7 from a reputable retailer for $678.30. I can sell the 14-42 lens for perhaps $100, so I am down to $578.30. Then I get $52.57 tax off when I export it to New Guinea (i.e. take it with me), so that leaves $525.73.

Doesn't leave much margin for the used G6, although perhaps I could have got $80 for its lens (the same lens but not "brand new") and perhaps $50 for the SD card.

But hey, let's face it, I am hot to trot for the GX7 and with my current experience in mind, with guarantee! :)

I buy it on the internet, take delivery over the counter, then I stick my 12-32 or 12-35 on the front and I am away having sacrificed that lovely articulated screen but gained IQ.

But, of course, I will see if I can get the G6 repaired too.

Olympus? Yes, I am impressed by the pictures produced by the current models and by the 5 way IBIS, I have very fond memories of my dual OM1 outfit, but at the end of the day, I love driving the Panny.

Just a pity the GX7 doesn't come in white or a full body silver. Oh well.
 
The two axis IBIS in the GX7 is much better than the two axis IBIS in the E-PL5 or E-PL6 and the GX7 has a viewfinder. The good thing with IBIS is that it will breath new life into using some of your lenses like the 9-18... You'll be able to use it with much slower shutter speeds and still get acceptable results.

With my OM-D E-M5 and my 9-18mm I am able to shoot down to 1/15th of a second hand held which means you can actually use the lens indoors fairly comfortably to get a good shot while keeping your ISO at reasonable levels.

This is an ISO3200 shot with some noise recovery and I find it acceptable for indoors in low light from the 9-18mm hand held. The GX7 IBIS isn't as good as the one on my E-M5 but its close enough to being as good as the one on the E-M10 which is plenty good enough.

 
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I hope to see some G8 or GX8 shots soon from you Henry. From the always lovely New Guinea!

Honesty system works here too. I am afraid it is unions, potatoes in general but in summer we have stands here with strawberries etc. And a lot cheaper than in supermarkets. For free! ;-)
 
Geoff,

I'm sorry to hear that your G6 died. In your hands, it did produce some fine pictures.

I had a scare with one of our G6s. I turned it on and the EVF and LCD were dark. The camera didn't respond to the menu button or the quick menu button. I was able to get it back to normal by half-pressing the shutter button.

I think that if you turn off the G6 while it is in sleep mode, it comes up in sleep mode when you turn the power on again. There is no message to tell you what's going on. Half-pressing the shutter button wakes it from sleep mode.

Hope your G6 has something simple wrong rather than complete failure.
 
Old Listener said:
Geoff,

I'm sorry to hear that your G6 died. In your hands, it did produce some fine pictures.

I had a scare with one of our G6s. I turned it on and the EVF and LCD were dark. The camera didn't respond to the menu button or the quick menu button. I was able to get it back to normal by half-pressing the shutter button.

I think that if you turn off the G6 while it is in sleep mode, it comes up in sleep mode when you turn the power on again. There is no message to tell you what's going on. Half-pressing the shutter button wakes it from sleep mode.

Hope your G6 has something simple wrong rather than complete failure.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Oldie. it has gone off in the mail, wrapped in large quantities of bubble wrap, for the $66 estimate. Beforehand, I got a photo store battery and tried that just to rule out the possibility that all my batteries were flat because of a faulty charger -- the only possibility I hadn't tested. Nope. Nuffin'! So off it went to the service people.
 
Hen3ry said:
Old Listener said:
Geoff,

I'm sorry to hear that your G6 died. In your hands, it did produce some fine pictures.

I had a scare with one of our G6s. I turned it on and the EVF and LCD were dark. The camera didn't respond to the menu button or the quick menu button. I was able to get it back to normal by half-pressing the shutter button.

I think that if you turn off the G6 while it is in sleep mode, it comes up in sleep mode when you turn the power on again. There is no message to tell you what's going on. Half-pressing the shutter button wakes it from sleep mode.

Hope your G6 has something simple wrong rather than complete failure.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Oldie. it has gone off in the mail, wrapped in large quantities of bubble wrap, for the $66 estimate. Beforehand, I got a photo store battery and tried that just to rule out the possibility that all my batteries were flat because of a faulty charger -- the only possibility .
Click to expand...
I went out and bought the GX7 body only at Digidirect, Melbourne, for a reasonable price this very afternoon, then came home and charged the battery -- which seemed to take forever (well, about 2.5 hrs).

The moment the battery was a goer, I fitted the Oly f1.8 45mm (GX7 and Oly 45? Wow! A match made in heaven or even Japan! :)), adjusted the viewfinder for my peculiar right eye, and grabbed a couple of quick pix of the grandchildren messing around just before bed time. Used the light in the room, which was a mix of halogen downlights and folded fluoro. The Panny AWB handled it very well, as I expected after experience with the G6.

These pix are OOC except for being downsized.





The amazing thing was the GX7 fits my hand like a glove. The left-hand VF is wonderful. I did try it in the shop when I bought the G6 as year and a half ago, but I haven't touched one since. I didn't even try it in the shop today. I just went in, quoted the price they had on an eBay offering, and said I wanted to buy it.

Then I brought it home, put the battery on charge, put the 12-32 lens on it and thought it looked great, then waited. I didn't play with it or whatever.

When the battery was charged, I put it in, changed the lens to the 45, and shot. Everything in the camera fell naturally to hand, and the view in the EVF and the LCD is just like the G6.

I am a happy chap.

Hopefully I will be even happier in a couple of weeks when I get the G6 back at a cost of a couple of hundred bucks but ready to perform st its usual high level again too.

--
Geoffrey Heard
Down and out in Rabaul in the South Pacific
 
Hey Geoffrey, I was very tempted by the GX7 when I bought my OM-D E-M5 except I wanted the weather sealing. Funny thing is, I don't own any weather sealed lenses yet... Maybe I should have bought the GX7 instead but I was tempted to Olympus again by the IBIS and the weather sealing. The fact I can put a battery grip on it helps to. I'm hoping your not gonna miss that with the GX7.
 
Last edited:
Hen3ry said:
Old Listener said:
Geoff,

I'm sorry to hear that your G6 died. In your hands, it did produce some fine pictures.

I had a scare with one of our G6s. I turned it on and the EVF and LCD were dark. The camera didn't respond to the menu button or the quick menu button. I was able to get it back to normal by half-pressing the shutter button.

I think that if you turn off the G6 while it is in sleep mode, it comes up in sleep mode when you turn the power on again. There is no message to tell you what's going on. Half-pressing the shutter button wakes it from sleep mode.

Hope your G6 has something simple wrong rather than complete failure.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Oldie. it has gone off in the mail, wrapped in large quantities of bubble wrap, for the $66 estimate. Beforehand, I got a photo store battery and tried that just to rule out the possibility that all my batteries were flat because of a faulty charger -- the only possibility I hadn't tested. Nope. Nuffin'! So off it went to the service people.
Click to expand...
 
Hen3ry said:
jimoyer said:
I have a VERY lightly used G5 body sitting here collecting dust that you're more than welcome to until the G...whatever or GX....whatever comes out. Send it back when you're done. Feel free to PM me if you want to go that route.
Click to expand...
…I'm on the other side of the world.

I'll be right -- I might win a reasonably priced used G6 on eBay; alternatively, the new price of the GX7 here in Oz is very reasonable at AU$670 (US$490!!!) with 14-42 and full warranty. AND I will get 10% tax off when I take it back to New Guinea.

Actually ridiculously cheap!

It is crazy that this time last year, the AU$ and US$ were at parity.
Click to expand...
Go for the GX7. It's a great little camera, with great handling and really solid build. It would make an excellent compliment and companion to your G6. I use mine with lenses of various sizes and weights with no problems whatsoever.

Good news is that the upcoming G7 is due to be announced sometime sometime in mid-May. Who knows when it will ship or actually be available!

http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-panasonic-g7-to-be-announced-in-mid-may/
 
Hen3ry said:
Hen3ry said:
Old Listener said:
Geoff,

I'm sorry to hear that your G6 died. In your hands, it did produce some fine pictures.

I had a scare with one of our G6s. I turned it on and the EVF and LCD were dark. The camera didn't respond to the menu button or the quick menu button. I was able to get it back to normal by half-pressing the shutter button.

I think that if you turn off the G6 while it is in sleep mode, it comes up in sleep mode when you turn the power on again. There is no message to tell you what's going on. Half-pressing the shutter button wakes it from sleep mode.

Hope your G6 has something simple wrong rather than complete failure.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Oldie. it has gone off in the mail, wrapped in large quantities of bubble wrap, for the $66 estimate. Beforehand, I got a photo store battery and tried that just to rule out the possibility that all my batteries were flat because of a faulty charger -- the only possibility .
Click to expand...
I went out and bought the GX7 body only at Digidirect, Melbourne, for a reasonable price this very afternoon, then came home and charged the battery -- which seemed to take forever (well, about 2.5 hrs).

The moment the battery was a goer, I fitted the Oly f1.8 45mm (GX7 and Oly 45? Wow! A match made in heaven or even Japan! :)), adjusted the viewfinder for my peculiar right eye, and grabbed a couple of quick pix of the grandchildren messing around just before bed time. Used the light in the room, which was a mix of halogen downlights and folded fluoro. The Panny AWB handled it very well, as I expected after experience with the G6.

These pix are OOC except for being downsized.





The amazing thing was the GX7 fits my hand like a glove. The left-hand VF is wonderful. I did try it in the shop when I bought the G6 as year and a half ago, but I haven't touched one since. I didn't even try it in the shop today. I just went in, quoted the price they had on an eBay offering, and said I wanted to buy it.

Then I brought it home, put the battery on charge, put the 12-32 lens on it and thought it looked great, then waited. I didn't play with it or whatever.

When the battery was charged, I put it in, changed the lens to the 45, and shot. Everything in the camera fell naturally to hand, and the view in the EVF and the LCD is just like the G6.

I am a happy chap.

Hopefully I will be even happier in a couple of weeks when I get the G6 back at a cost of a couple of hundred bucks but ready to perform st its usual high level again too.

--
Geoffrey Heard
Down and out in Rabaul in the South Pacific
http://rabaulpng.com/we-are-all-traveling-throug/i-waited-51-years-for-tavur.html
Click to expand...


--
best regards
from Iceland
www.flickr.com

Gunnlaugur Gudmundsson

Explore Gunnlaugur Gudmundsson’s 170 photos on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
 
If you have not bought the GX7 yet, keep an eye out for the 2nds world site. Shop is in Sydney but they ship Australia wide. they had the GX7 body only (refurb with 6 month warranty) selling for $349+postage. I was tempted to buy one but held back and they all sold out. But might come back if you have time.
 
Way to go ! Congratulations. Lets hope you wouldn't have to blame me when the bank comes knocking on your door.

Pictures look good, camera looks good, camera feels good .... all is right with the world :)
 
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