Panasonic Lumix GX7 and the S-mode with vintage lenses

Drahila wrote:

Thank you MacOrneille!

I just now got a G85 to my hands. It's wasn't G85 I was testing earlier, but this model also pumps ISO in S-mode, when auto-ISO is selected, and if a lens without electric contacts is mounted.

So I expand my question:

When did Panasonic change the behaviour of their S-mode? I'm looking for an older (aka more affordable) body but it needs to do the auto-ISO in S-mode, even without lens' aperture information.

I can confirm that S-mode is not useful with older Panasonic when using lenses without electronic contacts (=manual focus lenses). I am used to A mode with manual focus lenses, although I admit it would be far better to pre-adjust the shutter speed, set the aperture from the lens and let the camera choose the ISO.

My impression is that the time of introducing DFD (2014?), Panasonic also improved the firmware in other ways (on GH4, G7, GX8). One thing was adding clean HDMI output, and my guess is that they also fixed how manual focus lenses work. All these improvements probably go hand-in-hand with the other improvements of the 2014 version of the Venus engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Engine#New_Venus_Engine_%E2%80%93_2014

Edit.: If you want an older Panasonic, there won't be IBIS, but all Olympus bodies have some kind of IBIS. Also IIRC, auto ISO works in S mode with manual lenses even with the oldest Olympus models. Just make sure that it is possible to exit the focus assist mode (magnification) by half-pressing the shutter release button.