He'd rather be on a suet feeder...

......but I took it away from the deck because of squirrels hogging it. I put it in my entryway where the squirrels can't get to it.

The afternoon is not ideal for shooting through double paned  glass windows with internal reflections from the sun going down, but you can see how much clarity the 100-400 lens can resolve on the tiny EM10 ii body on which it feels quite awkward.  I think it focuses faster on the Panasonic gx7, but I don't like the interface or viewfinder on that camera.

Clearly I need a better larger body, but I am torn as to what to get.  I really prefer the Olympus interface, but because of its well respected viewfinder the G9 appeals but it is quite long in the tooth agewise.  It also doesn't perform as good at high ISOs as the Olympus EM1 ii or iii.

Any input about which body the 100-400 feel good on and focuses fast on?

Isabel

Mine works great on my EM1MKII.  I wouldn't want to be without it.  You can get MKII pretty cheap now, but I think if I was going to get a new camera I'd get the MKIII.  But I love the combo of my MKII and the 100-400.

The difference in price between the ii and iii is only $300 and it seems like it would make sense to get the iii, but I think I want to wait till the kinks are worked out rather than be an early adopting beta tester!

Isabel

I could never get sharp focus when taking bird photos thru a window.

Isabel Cutler wrote:

......

Clearly I need a better larger body, but I am torn as to what to get. I really prefer the Olympus interface, but because of its well respected viewfinder the G9 appeals but it is quite long in the tooth agewise. It also doesn't perform as good at high ISOs as the Olympus EM1 ii or iii.

Any input about which body the 100-400 feel good on and focuses fast on?

Isabel

I've seen very little evidence that noise is an issue when comparing the cameras. This guy seems to make it a dead heat.

https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/panasonic-vs-olympus/g9-vs-em1-mark-ii/#ISO

Trevor Carpenter wrote:

I've seen very little evidence that noise is an issue when comparing the cameras. This guy seems to make it a dead heat.

https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/panasonic-vs-olympus/g9-vs-em1-mark-ii/#ISO

Wow!  That was really in in-depth study.

I'm really leaning towards the G9 because of the excellent viewfinder.

I have a corneal condition, Fuchs Dystrophy, that's developing very slowly but really degrades my perception of contrast and a better viewfinder would certainly be appreciated.

Isabel

...except with my phone when I'm in a car and trying to shoot through the windshield - especially when it's dirty!

Being a congenital "princess" I really like shooting through my windows and sliding doors because not only do I have to go outside, but I also have a stealth benefit of being able to get closer to the wildlife.  My house is in deep woods and wildlife visit often.

Isabel

Nice clear capture Isabel.

Dale

Isabel Cutler wrote:

......but I took it away from the deck because of squirrels hogging it. I put it in my entryway where the squirrels can't get to it.

The afternoon is not ideal for shooting through double paned glass windows with internal reflections from the sun going down, but you can see how much clarity the 100-400 lens can resolve on the tiny EM10 ii body on which it feels quite awkward. I think it focuses faster on the Panasonic gx7, but I don't like the interface or viewfinder on that camera.

Clearly I need a better larger body, but I am torn as to what to get. I really prefer the Olympus interface, but because of its well respected viewfinder the G9 appeals but it is quite long in the tooth agewise. It also doesn't perform as good at high ISOs as the Olympus EM1 ii or iii.

Any input about which body the 100-400 feel good on and focuses fast on?

Isabel

Isabel Cutler wrote:

Trevor Carpenter wrote:

I've seen very little evidence that noise is an issue when comparing the cameras. This guy seems to make it a dead heat.

https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/panasonic-vs-olympus/g9-vs-em1-mark-ii/#ISO

Wow! That was really in in-depth study.

I'm really leaning towards the G9 because of the excellent viewfinder.

I have a corneal condition, Fuchs Dystrophy, that's developing very slowly but really degrades my perception of contrast and a better viewfinder would certainly be appreciated.

Isabel

we seem to have reached a point where each minor difference between cameras just comes down to personal preference. I have a friend with an EM1-II and against the flow, he doesn't like it. He comes from Canon and I assumed he wasn't getting on with mirrorless in general. He's had a play with my G9 (bear in mind set up to suit me) and now he wants to sell his Oly and buy a G9. He loves the viewfinder, couldn't get along with the Oly menus but finds the Panny ones very easy to use and surprisingly finds the AF on the G9 much snappier and more predictable. Read reviews and you can find someone who prefers a G9 feature over the equivalent EM1-II and vice versa. In the end I guess we all have our own comfort zones which may be irrelevant to someone else.

An online friend who's gotten incredibly beautiful pictures out of her EM1 ii, mainly with the Panasonic 100-400 and 12-35, switched from Panasonic to the EM1 ii because of problems she had had with the Panasonic viewfinders deteriorating. Here's what she said about those:

" I'm unlikely to go back to Panasonic after the problems I had with the EVF on both the GH3 and GH4 - both of which ended up with the external lens over this ending up crazed and blurred and needing the whole EVF unit to be replaced. They appeared to have some sort of coating that failed over time looking like miniature crazy paving on the surface (which then rubbed off), when viewed with a magnifying glass"

Wondering if anyone else has had problems with Panasonic viewfinders or perhaps the rare possibility that this lady had some sort of makeup on that affected the viewfinder.

Isabel