Pen F vs GX9

Keithpictures wrote:

Both of these cameras have bad press. Neither have weather sealing, which is too bad. I know neither will be great for birds in flight, since they're not action cameras. I tried out a Sony a6500 and was super disappointed. I don't want a Sony, and those lenses are too big.

If you were super disappointed with Sony A6500 for BIF, then you will be dissapointed with D5, 1D X, D500, A9 etc etc in same way as any other camera out there.

It is up to the person to capture even BIF.

I went through your Flicker page for couple hundred shots and found only few of the "BIF".

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgYJI7fj4Oc/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdV9i8QjPFs/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdG4WMDDVjD/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVQmrptDMTK/

And none of those is demanding anything past Single-Autofocus or even Manual Focus.

So if you have more demanding where you don't have anything else than bird and challenging far distance background, bird flying straight toward you at deciding moment (like catching a fish, other bird etc) then PEN-F and GX9 does all perfectly fine.

I've been leaning toward the GX9 because it does speak to me. No one seems to sing its praises, though, and it seems like Panasonic in general is not well regarded. I can't figure out why - all the reviewers complain about the EVF, but that's it. Everyone loves the earlier model, the GX7 mark II ( GX85 ), but no one gushes about the GX9. Am I missing something?

Panasonic has own followers, and they are suffering from their own success too. Like what a GX7 did (first Panasonic 2-axis IBIS camera) for them, then the somewhat failure of GX8, and then came successful GX7 II (GX85) and then so many disappointed to GX9 what is GX7 III, as it wasn't GX8 II.

The Pen F is also mocked for being too much style over substance, but seems highly regarded as a lovely, fun object nonetheless. Do you agree? How bad is the auto-focus? No reviewer talks about the keystone feature. I'm curious if it works well. Any experiences out there?

The keystoning feature is great when you do architecture etc. As you get in camera the correcting (cropping) and even if you would use raw, you get the instant preview that you are not framing something important out.

The point is to get out and take pictures, so I'm wondering if the Pen F will encourage me to use my iPhone less or not. None of my local stores carry it, so I haven't been able to try it out.

If I would be you, I would go to PEN-F. But if the GX9 already "speaks to you" then it is better choice, as point is that you have fun. Of course if you have not been able to test and try the PEN-F, it is difficult to say, but you are already pleased to GX9 so I would say choose that.

The PEN-F IMHO is the best camera out there (against any Fuji, Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, Leica etc) when it comes to style, handling and the JPEG shooting. Technically there is no other camera that has the same JPEG control as PEN-F does have, so if you want to get photos right in the camera, it is the way to go. And that is what can spirit you more to use it, as it is fun to use. So many is dissing that creative knob at front, because they shoot raw and are afraid to get creative, but that is the soul of the camera and photography.