Lumix DC-GX9 and DC-G90 — a bug in their firmware (touchscreen)?

[Max Lightroom]

Hello,

either I've found a bug within the firmware of both cameras — or maybe I'm doing something wrong? Let me know, please — and if it's not my mistake, maybe some of you can verify this with your gear.

Both cameras have touch screen, which may be somewhat annoying when shooting using viewfinder, as one can touch it occasionaly with the finger or nose. Therefore usually I have screen's touch ability switched off (it's marked on-screen with a hand with „x”).

I discovered, firstly on my GX9, that touch ability isn't inactive when the screen is off — like, for example, if your eye is closing to VF and the proximity detector gave a signal to switch the screen off. Unfortunately, exactly this moment the screen becomes sensitive to touch again, and if during taking a shot it was touched with finger, nose, or anything — it enters the mode of „moving focus points”. It's rather irritating, because it may be not that big issue with G90, where I can turn the screen towards camera body, but of course in case of GX9 it's not possible — so on rather regular basis it's interrupting my photo sessions.

Am I doing anything wrong (really?) — or it's a bug in firmware, still not fixed yet, and it needs to be filed to Panasonic? Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[alcelc]

It is because of the two Touch AF feature which were used since GX7 (might be G7 too on the G series).

They are the Touch PAD AF, which is used to set focus point by touching the LCD when the evf is activated (LCD is so disabled/shut down automatically).

The other is the Touch AF, which is doing the same thing to select/set focus by touching the LCD. This mode is used when evf is disabled/shut down.

They are very convenience and fast to set focus but also could be annoying too because of the running away focus point by mistake.

Before GX9, these 2 Touch AF features could be disabled independently under the Touch Menu. So while we retain the usual Touch LCD control (Q.Menu, soft fn keys etc), we can disabled any of these two Touch AFs according to our using. This works for GX7, GX85 & G85. GX850(GF9) has no evf such that no Touch AF only.

Using Direct Focus Area can offer a one time Touch AF operation. I disabled both two Touch AFs for my Focus-recompose operation, and mapped DFA to a fn key in case I need Touch AF (e.g. on tripod).

Unfortunately, on GX9, while Touch Pad AF (using with evf) can be disabled independently, Touch AF can not.

I am currently using the Operation Lock to disable Touch AF while having Touch LCD (most feature) active.

Not sure would G95 do the same.

Wish this might help.

 

[Max Lightroom]

Thanks, indeed — I had to set „Touch Pad AF” option to „Off” (menu: Custom -> Operation -> Touch Settings -> Touch Pad AF).

 

[maggiemole]

It’s a recurrent problem: I had it in February 2021. Solved for me by larsrb, with similar instructions to those given by Albert above, As long as I don’t change the settings, the wandering AF point stays where I want it.

 

[evetsf]

Thanks, indeed — I had to set „Touch Pad AF” option to „Off” (menu: Custom -> Operation -> Touch Settings -> Touch Pad AF).

Not a bug -- working as designed.

As has been pointed out, there are three options for the "Touch Pad AF" feature: "Off", "Exact" and "Offset".

"Exact" is the default, and gives you what you've experienced: touch the screen with anything, and the AF point jumps to that touch point on the screen. Most annoying!

"Off" disables it entirely;

"Offset" might be a happy medium: You can still move the AF point around with the touch screen, but you have to drag a finger (or whatever) around the screen to make it move. Inadvertent touches don't move it much, if at all. Could be worth trying to see if it works for you.

 

[Max Lightroom]

"Offset" might be a happy medium: You can still move the AF point around with the touch screen, but you have to drag a finger (or whatever) around the screen to make it move. Inadvertent touches don't move it much, if at all. Could be worth trying to see if it works for you.

Not really, because I had exactly „Offset” until recently I switched it off.

I simply identified „Touch AF” with „Touch Pad AF” — because these terms are very similar, and in both cases I'm using the pad — but it's not the same thing.