New to the G9 - Couple problems I can't figure out

Ok, so I came back over to the M43 world recently after trying to get along with just a Sony RX100V. Needless to say I wanted more and so decided to try out the G9 with 12-60 2.8/4. Mostly it's been good, but damned if I can't seem to figure out this Constant Preview/EVF/Monitor/dimming/lag problem. Never had any such thing on my previous EM5 and EM1.

Problem 1, in A/S/P modes with constant preview on or off, when the shutter speed drops below a certain amount I can see tearing or blurring in the EVF/Monitor. Only way around this is to raise the shutter speed? Why is the EVF/Monitor even affected by it in these modes?

Also, in these modes, if I change exposure compensation, the scene darkens/lightens in the EVF/Monitor - just like you'd expect in M mode with constant preview ON. So why is it doing this if Preview isn't even on? And why if I make Exp. compensation crazy and it forces the shutter speed to drop, it creates the problem noted above?

Problem 2, in M mode with Constant Preview off and the shutter speed drops below the point to show problem 1, the scene will still preview after focus is locked and thus the same problem above rears it's head again. Is there no way to disable live preview completely? I've poured over the settings and can't find a way to do this, but considering how deep these menus are, I might have missed something.

I do know they added Live View Boost on the last firmware update, and that does seem to correct all this, however it adds so much noise to the EVF/Monitor that it's almost unusable. Certainly not like Live View Boost on the Olympus cameras.

I also have a fast prime on the way which may help with some of this, but I still don't quite understand why this is happening to begin with.

Guess I can answer number 1 with certainty now. Found this on exp. comp:

”Note: whether Constant Preview is on or off, Exposure Compensation will show its the effect on screen.”

Still don’t know why I always seem to see lower frame rates when lighting dims. Evf frame rate should be constant.

Anthony Curcione said:

Still don’t know why I always seem to see lower frame rates when lighting dims. Evf frame rate should be constant.

Click to expand...

The camera is exposing for the EVF image as long as for the picture you're taking.

Panasonic has two similarly named but separate features: "Constant Preview" and "Preview". Constant Preview on works only in M mode. Preview works on P/A/S/M modes and has three settings (off, shutter, aperture).

Sounds like you have "Preview" set to shutter. Default for the Fn5 button (lower front button around lens mount) is Preview. Perhaps you accidentally pressed it?

uRebel Rob said:

Panasonic has two similarly named but separate features: "Constant Preview" and "Preview". Constant Preview on works only in M mode. Preview works on P/A/S/M modes and has three settings (off, shutter, aperture).

Sounds like you have "Preview" set to shutter. Default for the Fn5 button (lower front button around lens mount) is Preview. Perhaps you accidentally pressed it?

Click to expand...

Now that I know about that feature, that’s exactly what I’m seeing in M with a constant preview off and without pressing Fn5. But, at least when the Preview is activated, the tearing or blurring effect when there’s motion in the EVF is gone.

In A the preview Fn5 button doesn’t do anything. When I zoom in and the max aperture is 4, unless there’s a lot of light I see tearing/blurring when there’s motion. Strangely, if I add minus exp. comp to the point where the Evf darkens and usually the ISO is lower than max, the problem disappears. Of course the exposure is screwed at that point, but it shows the EVF can show it properly.

So it seems to not only be shutter speed dependent, but also aperture and ISO dependent. I find the behavior very weird when compared to Olympus, especially when using their Live View Boost mode.

I’ve yet to do any low light event shooting like I normally would, but should get the chance this week (I hope). Another reason I’m getting a fast prime.

Got my new 42.5 1.2 and in the same lighting conditions I was seeing the problem, no problem. So it’s a max aperture thing and I kind figured that. It’s all good though. The 12-60 is a perfect walk around lens and this will be for low light goodness!

Anthony Curcione said:

uRebel Rob said:

Panasonic has two similarly named but separate features: "Constant Preview" and "Preview". Constant Preview on works only in M mode. Preview works on P/A/S/M modes and has three settings (off, shutter, aperture).

Sounds like you have "Preview" set to shutter. Default for the Fn5 button (lower front button around lens mount) is Preview. Perhaps you accidentally pressed it?

Click to expand...

Now that I know about that feature, that’s exactly what I’m seeing in M with a constant preview off and without pressing Fn5. But, at least when the Preview is activated, the tearing or blurring effect when there’s motion in the EVF is gone.

In A the preview Fn5 button doesn’t do anything. When I zoom in and the max aperture is 4, unless there’s a lot of light I see tearing/blurring when there’s motion. Strangely, if I add minus exp. comp to the point where the Evf darkens and usually the ISO is lower than max, the problem disappears. Of course the exposure is screwed at that point, but it shows the EVF can show it properly.

So it seems to not only be shutter speed dependent, but also aperture and ISO dependent. I find the behavior very weird when compared to Olympus, especially when using their Live View Boost mode.

I’ve yet to do any low light event shooting like I normally would, but should get the chance this week (I hope). Another reason I’m getting a fast prime.

Click to expand...

The evf/LCD lagging actually is because Preview will try to include the effect of shutter speed to its simulated image in addition to the exposure condition. As a result, when shutter speed is slow, the refresh rate of simulated image will be reduced. It is a common behaviour for all Pany cameras.

Don't mix up Preview with Live View ("LV"). The simulated image of LV does not have similar performance such that no shutter speed effect will be involved.

M of Pany does not support LV (because LV of Pany is indeed to show the different in brightness condition between 0ev metering and amount of exposure compensation ("EC"). As there is no EC in M (not sure how it work when Auto ISO in M takes EC(?), so no LV in M). Preview is the only LV alike feature to monitoring the exposure condition for M.

BTW, since Preview will physically stop down/open up the lens aperture selected to generate a simulated image, it is always far closer to what will actually capture than the image generated by LV.

Preview can also be called up anytime by hitting a fn key under all shooting mode.

For the older models, Preview had to be called up every time in M. For newer models (not sure how G9 works, wish to learn it from you), by setting Constant Preview to On, Preview will become an always on real time exposure monitoring feature. Due to its behaviour, slow shutter speed will become problem in low lighting condition.

My solution, save a shooting mode "M and Constant Preview to off" to one of the C mode. When I need to shoot in M and use slow shutter speed, I will call up that C, and when need to look at the exposure condition, use ad hoc Preview.

I am taking the behaviour of ad hoc Preview that when shutter be half pressed, Preview will be cancelled. So do my setting, confirm exposure condition by ad hoc Preview, half hit shutter to focus (also cancel Preview), no evf lag will affect me. Only annoyance is that I might have to call Preview a few time to do my setting.

In P/S/A we have LV, no evf lagging. When call up ad hoc Preview, it will be cancelled when we hit shutter to lock focus, again will not cause evf lag.

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Albert