Panasonic G9 Exposure Compensation question

I am very interested in a G9 to replace my G7, but am confused by the addition of a dedicated Exposure Compensation button on the top plate.  On my G7 I have simply set the rear dial to always adjust exposure compensation, but looking at the G9 manual it looks like setting it on this model is a two stage process i.e. press this button then rotate the dial (much like on cheaper Canon Rebels?)  Am I right or can the G9 be set up just like my G7.

SkiHound wrote:

You can set it up to automatically use either the front or rear dial as the EC. I've generally used A mode for most things and have the rear dial controlling aperture and the front dial automatically controlling EC without pushing the EC button. I'm virtually certain you can have the front dial control aperture (or shutter speed) and the rear dial control EC, if that's what you're used to using.

Mine is set front dial.

I assigned the large dial on the back of the camera (to the right of the LCD) to exposure comp - it's very easy to reach over with my thumb and rotate that dial. The G9 is amazingly customizable.

If you use front or rear dial for EC, it will not help you for EC while in ‘M’ mode with AutoISO.  You will need the +/- button to use EC.

If you use the big dial on the back for EC, that is not the case.  However, I use that dial for ISO.

yes it is . But u might also want to take a look at the extended eyecup for the G9 as well..

Cyvan wrote:

yes it is . But u might also want to take a look at the extended eyecup for the G9 as well..

I bought and like the extended eyecups for my GX7 and GX8, so I also purchased one for my G9 to try it out. I found it too large, and I couldn't seal light out on the right side (I use my right eye) unless I turned my head a bit to the left, resulting in the odd sense of my face not pointing toward my subject. I tried cutting it down to make it an angled eyecup, but that didn't turn out so well, so I went back to the stock eyecup. I wish Panasonic would sell an angled eyecup.

Do you have the extended one on your G9? How is it working for you? I haven't heard much comment about it here.

I have a G9.  You should know that just about every control, every button, dial, switch can be defined to be whatever you want it to be.  Not just the rear dial and the front dial, but EVERY control.  I personally do not take advantage of that much, but you certainly can change the rear dial to be dedicated Exposure Compensation if you want.

And, as someone wrote above, if you're on Aperture or Shutter priority, EC doesn't matter at all.  So, you must be using P and don't worry, I use it too.  But recognize that not every one needs EC on a ddicated dial.

JosephScha wrote:

I have a G9. You should know that just about every control, every button, dial, switch can be defined to be whatever you want it to be. Not just the rear dial and the front dial, but EVERY control. I personally do not take advantage of that much, but you certainly can change the rear dial to be dedicated Exposure Compensation if you want.

And, as someone wrote above, if you're on Aperture or Shutter priority, EC doesn't matter at all. So, you must be using P and don't worry, I use it too. But recognize that not every one needs EC on a ddicated dial.

I’m not sure what you mean by “...EC doesn’t matter at all...”

Plus “so, you must be using P...”

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I assume you know what you are talking about, but what you wrote is quite confusing....at least to me. 😀

Pete Berry wrote:

brentbrent wrote:

I assigned the large dial on the back of the camera (to the right of the LCD) to exposure comp - it's very easy to reach over with my thumb and rotate that dial. The G9 is amazingly customizable.

Likewise. And since EC in M mode is through changing ISO, this is a direct route rather than first pressing the fiddly top EC button. Where that button IS useful, though, is for flash comp.

To set all this up, go to custom spanner menu "Dial set".

Pete

EC in M mode is via changing iso ONLY if you are in AutoISO!!  Otherwise, you have all 3 controls: iso, aperture, shutter speed available to you.  This is why I prefer using the front/rear dials for A/S and the rear for ISO.

This also makes ISO easily available to change in all 4 PASM modes.

The true net of this, however, is that Panasonic has give the G9 the capability to be customized to meet each of our individual styles and comfort levels.

Pete Berry wrote:

jrsforums wrote:

Pete Berry wrote:

brentbrent wrote:

I assigned the large dial on the back of the camera (to the right of the LCD) to exposure comp - it's very easy to reach over with my thumb and rotate that dial. The G9 is amazingly customizable.

Likewise. And since EC in M mode is through changing ISO, this is a direct route rather than first pressing the fiddly top EC button. Where that button IS useful, though, is for flash comp.

To set all this up, go to custom spanner menu "Dial set".

Pete

EC in M mode is via changing iso ONLY if you are in AutoISO!! Otherwise, you have all 3 controls: iso, aperture, shutter speed available to you. This is why I prefer using the front/rear dials for A/S and the rear for ISO.

This also makes ISO easily available to change in all 4 PASM modes.

The true net of this, however, is that Panasonic has give the G9 the capability to be customized to meet each of our individual styles and comfort levels.

You have EC in M mode without auto-ISO simply by adjusting ISO for your exposure desired with the back 4-way pad dial that both of us use for it, The amount of deviation from the "0" shows how much EC you end up with.

Using Auto-ISO in M mode you have to press the +/- top button first, then adjust ISO with your designated EC wheel for EC, and maybe have to reset your default ISO limit...

Pete

Pete, you are correct.  Moving iso with the back dial does show +/0/- changes.  However, changes to aperture and shutter speed have the same effect.

One could call that “EC”.  I think of it more as an old ‘match point’ meter.  I think of “EC” in the way it is named....’exposure compensation’ for an automated setting.

P, A, S, and M w/AutoISO all are automated settings which need “EC” to allow you to “compensate”, I.e. adjust, what the auto settings are giving you.  Full M mode gives us full control of all settings.

😀 I suspect I may be nitpicking, but just sharing my thought process

Forgive me, I overstated my case.  In  Shutter priority mode, your shutter speed is fixed,   Assuming you don't plan to change ISO  you only have one thing to adjust: Aperture. So it seems to me that EC does not serve a purpose, except to give you a different way to adjust the aperture.  I didn't mean it has no effect; what I meant is why change that instead of the aperture?

Similarly if Aperture priority, why change EC instead of changing Shutter Speed directly?

The exposure triangle is Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO.   There is no corner for EC.  In P mode, where both S and A are in play, then EC makes more sense (to me).

JosephScha wrote:

Forgive me, I overstated my case. In Shutter priority mode, your shutter speed is fixed, Assuming you don't plan to change ISO you only have one thing to adjust: Aperture. So it seems to me that EC does not serve a purpose, except to give you a different way to adjust the aperture. I didn't mean it has no effect; what I meant is why change that instead of the aperture?

Similarly if Aperture priority, why change EC instead of changing Shutter Speed directly?

The exposure triangle is Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO. There is no corner for EC. In P mode, where both S and A are in play, then EC makes more sense (to me).

Because in SS, you don’t control the aperture, the camera’s metering system does.  Same in aperture mode, the camera selects the shutter speed.  EC allows you to override these selections.  This also holds true for P mode.  EC overrides the meter selections.

In M mode (without AutoISO), you are in full control of the “exposure triangle”.  The meter (+/0/-) gives you guidance, i.e. info on if your selections fit in with what the camera meter might have selected.  You can adjust any of the setting to get to ‘0’...or above or below that.

As an aside, purist would say that “exposure” is ONLY aperture and shutter speed, i.e. the amount of light hitting the sensor.  ISO is only a multiplier if your needed A/S settings do not provide enough brightness.

The G9 can be set up to work like a G7 or really anyway you would like.  I set mine in A mode to control aperture with the front dial and the rear to do EC.  I use the real wheel to set ISO.  You could set any of those dials to set EC.  If you switch to S mode, then the front on my camera sets shutter speed.

This is covered on Page 46 of the G9 Advanced Manual, which you can download from the Panasonic website.

Tom

For anyone interested, these are my current settings: