insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I have two of the ZS series and one FZ and they have all been good cameras.

W9OD Loc: Wisconsin

Good travel camera.

jederick Loc: Northern Utah

After being a Nikon owner for over 50 years, best all around camera I've owned for photo and video. I have two G9's and a GX9 and multiple Lumix lens and they are every bit as good as my Nikon D500 kit was!

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

I own a ZS70 that’s either in my car or with me on my road or trail bike. Always! Does a great job as a small sensor compact with two minor exceptions. The long end of the zoom can be just a little soft and I’m still not totally confident in really tight spot focusing (blame me for that). The ZS70 is no longer offered by LUMIX, but the successors are excellent buys. Good luck!

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

I echo my neighbor from Avon. I've had three and thought every one took great pictures and was easy to operate. i don't think you could go wrong. Wonderful little travel cameras.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The majority of Lumix cameras have contrast detect autofocus. It is the most accurate type of AF for STATIONARY subjects. It sucks for tracking. I don't generally photograph or video anything where I need focus tracking, so I don't care. I use the CDAF for stills, then turn it off and go manual for video.

The latest Lumix cameras, the full frame S5 Mark II and the S5 Mark IIX, have HYBRID phase detect autofocus that uses BOTH contrast detect AND phase detect systems to give you the benefits of each. It is widely accepted that they will apply this approach to all of their future cameras.

Lumix PDAF is already very close to that of Sony and Canon, and arguably better than most of Nikon's offerings, according to most reviewers. It is FAR better than even the best Lumix CDAF systems for tracking moving subjects, especially during video recording.

I was moments away from buying a Lumix GH6 when I saw the first reviews of the S5 Mark II. While I'm not going to dump my Micro 4/3 kit and buy a full frame system, I WILL keep my GH4 — and use my kid's GH5 when needed — until Lumix releases a GH6 II or GH7 with PDAF. I imagine GH6 sales fell off immediately, as the price dropped from $2200 to $1700 just before Christmas of 2022, and it has stayed there, ever since.

That said, the GH6 has the best CDAF Panasonic has ever offered. It's still not satisfying to YouTube reviewers when compared to the PDAF used by Sony, Canon, Nikon, etc... The video bloggers on YouTube are the biggest whiners. They insist on PDAF as their gold standard. I'd like to have it, too, but it has never been a deal breaker for me. Training and filmic video do not require it. Still, I'll wait for it.

radiojohn

I just got the little 20 MP G100 with the "kit" lens for under $500 [new, USA warranty].

While it is promoted for "V-Loggers," it also has all the still auto modes, full manual, good EVF and faster handling that some Olympus models.

The video modes work with the three mics, switching them as needed from face tracking data! There is also an external mic input as well. Recording times are not long, especially with the 4K setting.

All my 4/3 lenses work, including the goofy adapted ones and manual ones.

I can't justify the $2,200 cameras, and this is fine for my needs. Small too!

frjeff Loc: Mid-Michigan

I have the Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 which I moved to a few years ago from my full frame Nikon and kit of lenses. Just got tired of lugging a ton on every trip. I have been very satisfied and have never looked back. I have not yet even felt an upgrade was necessary. Trips to AU, NZ, South Korea, Alaska and the Philippines since owned and, shooting RAW, have been perfectly happy!

Verryl

I have a Lumix G9, and it is terrific! I got Helicon to make focus stacked photos of my very large 25 x 50ft HO model RR Layout from Nikon D80 and Nikon D7000 images. When we started putting scenery on the layout, all of a sudden, the depth of field problem of 50 to 65 foot long benches was obvious. With just the stark wooden benches with no scenery or model buildings in place, I never noticed that only a bit of the photo was in focus--the depth of field problem we all know about. But with scenery, most of the long scene was out of focus.

So I sent two or three of my first Helicon focus stacked photos, which took 2-3 hours to set up and take, including use of a tripod, the electronic shutter control on the D7000 to eliminate camera jiggle upon exposure, and careful focus on parts of the long bench that were about 8 feet apart--I needed several tries to get an acceptable procedure. The hardest problem was to get the multiple focused shots--the adjustments of my zoom lens were tiny--a turn of only about 1/8 to 3/16 inch on the rim of the lens was required for a stack of 6 or 8 photos to cover the 60 foot long bench, that is, focusing every 8 feet. This was difficult and time consuming to take even 2 or 3 images, now with track and scenery (grass, rock outcrops, some cattle, and now model structures all along the way).

And then I had to assemble the 6 or 8 images with different focus points spread out along the 65 foot bench, and set up Helicon to accept them to turn them into a single "exposure," image (??), which took me another afternoon to learn.

I was so proud of these initial shots, that I e-mailed them to a friend. He immediately shot back a picture of a Long Beach, California shore front businesses and a 15 - 20 foot long pedestrian ramp leading down to the ocean in the foreground only a few feet away. Then across the waterway in the same shot there were buildings and details 1 or more miles away. And the whole scene (from a few feet to 1+ miles) was in focus. His note was cryptic: "Hand held, in-camera focus stacked image from approximately 30 exposures of a 1 second motion picture (video)."

So I bought a Lumix G9. Now I shoot focus stacked photos almost exclusively, but certainly nothing but Lumix focus stacked shots, for the model RR. Lumix calls the process "Post Focus," if you are researching the camera.

Using the Lumix "Post Focus" setting, it is only necessary to hold the camera very steady for about 1 second while it takes a 1 second video or about 30 exposures at the full range of focus points from near to far (or far to near--who cares?). I am able to do this if I am standing comfortably with the camera held steady while I hold it to my eye--I use the electronic view finder, not the rear screen to frame and take a shot. This hand held steadiness is possible because the camera and lens have 5 axis (?you tell me) stabilization. But if i have to stand in front of a bench and reach over it and twist to shoot down that bench, I can't do it. In that case I set up a tripod--I have a miniature tripod that I use, and two hand made mounts that will set on the bench with pointed feet that will not flatten the scenic "grass."

I have retired my Nikons.

Here are two hand held shots over a distance of 50 to 65 feet from only about 10 feet and 5 feet from the nearest objects in the exposures. I usually crop away the overhead viewing mezzanine or building details above, but I have left them in to illustrate the focus stacking quality.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

I've been a Panasonic M43 user since 2008 and moved along with new models, both G series and/or GX series. Never had a problem. Great quality and great prices. Cameras and lenses always innovative and technologically advanced.
Definitely the poor man's Leica!

huntmj

I have a G80 as it's called in the USA and agree with all the comments above. One issue is that auto focus in low light is sometimes not reliable and needs to be considered when taking night photos. This is easily fixed by using MF as long as you remember to do it.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Yes - but dual IS makes slower shutter speeds possible in low light, and auto focus works better if using half-press shutter and locking on to a contrasty part of the image.

bkwaters

Is wonder if it’s a M43 issue and not a Panasonic or OMD issue? From what you said, the tracking on the FF cameras is now equivalent to Sony and Canon. Tracking makes a huge difference’s not only in nature photography but in photographing kids.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The issue is only with the use of contrast detect AF. It affects all cameras with CDAF.

PDAF in the new Lumix S5 Mark II series is excellent. Once users get used to it and adjust settings for their needs, they are generally thrilled with it. Watch a few of the reviews on YouTube to see how it performs.

Lumix has many other features that make their cameras a great choice. If you don't NEED to photograph birds or rugrats, or sports, then CDAF is actually fine. It is pinpoint accurate for stationary subjects. It just doesn't handle tracking well, especially for video.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I have 2 pocket model Lumix cameras and am very happy with them. One is better at low light (ZS100) and the other has a greater zoom lens (ZS80).