best part of the day: Lumix G9ii: the best of the first year, pt 1

myself with the G9 and 100~400 lens, photo Mary

In November 2023 I bought a Panasonic Lumix G9ii. Much as I loved my Lumix FZ2000 bridge camera I wanted to get better quality images and felt this was the way to do that. I wanted to get a camera (and lenses) small and light enough to easily take on holiday or hike over difficult ground with, so a micro four thirds system seemed to be the best option rather than full frame. A couple of friends have the original Lumix G9 and get great results with it. The updated version promised much and received excellent reviews along with the 100~400mm lens for wildlife photography which had also been revamped.

I thought I'd collect my favourite images from the first year of ownership and jot down my impressions of the camera. I reckoned I'd maybe find about 100 photos but came up with around 280 I enjoyed seeing again, so I'll do this in 2 parts. If you can't be arsed wading through the whole thing here's the bottom line: Amazing camera, very pleased with the purchase, although it hasn't been hassle-free.

kestrel in Tenerife

I found the process of buying the camera really traumatic. Including returning the 100~400 lens because they initially gave me the mark 1 rather than the mark 2. They are virtually indistinguishable but luckily I noticed immediately I got it home and cycled straight back to Wex! Disaster averted. I have only received excellent service from Wex before and since, so it was a one-off mistake on their part.

gallotia lizard

I nearly didn't buy the standard kit 12~60mm lens but was very glad I changed the order at the last minute as it is a really good addition for wide shots, selfies, people and establishing shots. I also bought 2 other lenses later in the year which I'll get to.

emperor dragonfly (m)

I bought the camera immediately before we headed off to Tenerife in December '23. I knew I'd be less comfortable with it than my faithful bridge camera, but I also knew I had to get used to it and so got it insured and flew off to a place where I'd get to try out the new equipment on butterflies, dragonflies, birds and bugs in bright sunny weather. It made me nervous but the results were a step up from the previous camera as hoped for.

I spent a while reading the manual and watching how-to videos on youTube. The amount of settings, options and tweaking on the G9 seemed about 5 times as complex as the bridge camera and I found a lot of it offputting and disconcerting. I'd accidentally touch a switch and the focus would go weird until I found what I'd done and then change the switch on the lens back to auto from manual (focus). Or if I accidentally touched the one button on the back of the body an artificial horizon appeared on the viewfinder/screen until I searched through the menus to switch it off. Eventually I tracked down the function button that is the shortcut on/off toggle. This sort of thing doesn't happen any more or at least I know the first places to check if it does, but it was not an easy or instinctive ride along the way. I suspect all grown-up cameras are similar as they are expected to provide all these options but I found it all a bit over the top and don't require a large percentage of the possibilities presented.

a clouded yellow taken with the anticipating pre-burst mode
a very clever and useful mode for wildlife photos

A case in point (in case you think I'm just being a fanny) was the flash. When I later became interested in macro photos and stacking, I needed to attach a flash to the camera hotshoe and have them communicate. It all worked remarkably well without any hassle, and was virtually plug-and-play. About the fourth or fifth time out in the field, the flash refused to flash when I took a photo. I tinkered with the menus but couldn't get it to flash in sync with the camera.

Unable to diagnose the problem I googled it and went through an online checklist of top ten reasons your flash is not flashing. About number two or three was check you have the flash on box ticked. (I did not even know there was a flash on / off option in the menus.) I did not have it ticked. I ticked the box and there we were, the flash worked in sync with the camera again. Some questions remained though. How had the flash worked prior to this? Was that box ticked previously? (Must have been as it worked.) In which case who the fuck had changed it? Questions like this plagued the first few months of ownership but gradually settled down as I googled and read the manual, googled a bit more and eventually tamed the machine I owned.

BTW why would a camera that doesn't have a built-in flash have a button to disable the flash. (Just remove the flash if you don't want it going off, or switch the flashgun power on/off switch to OFF.) There is NO credible reason to have a Flash Off function in the menu of a camera that does not come with a flash.

scarlet darter in Tenerife

the results of wildfires the previous year - good to see plenty new growth

these Plain Tiger photos show the excellent backgrounds
the 100~400mm lens gives at low aperture

possibly my favourite Tenerife butterfly

I love the soft background hints and colours behind this monarch butterfly

December '23 was the first time we visited Loro Parque in Tenerife. Although some parts were depressing (large animals incl tigers, lions, gorillas and killer whales, although the penguins weren't great either) most of the wildlife park was spectacular and exactly where you'd go to trial a new camera. The parrots (Loro means parrot) were outstanding and happy to pose for photos at quite a short distance.

rainbow lorikeets

meerkat

I changed to the 12~60mm lens for the indoor aquariums
which had the most mindblowing jellyfish and fish exhibits

bug at the track

Monarch

emperor dragonfly (f)

I love the light in Tenerife: although the skies can be hazy
there are plenty of warm sunny days in December and January

back to the Lothians for birds along the coast - a turnstone

sanderlings

oystercatchers

nuthatch at Cammo
a favourite Winter haunt for pics of nuthatches and jays

crow at Warriston

robin at the botanics

pheasant at Holyrood

leucistic pheasant, East Lothian

snowdrops

blue tit

Macro set up with 60mm lens, flash and softbox diffuser

I didn't wait long to get hold of another lens. I had seen the results Mairi was getting, taking macro shots and she recommended the 60mm Olympus M.Zuiko macro lens which is a M43rds lens and works for Lumix cameras. I also bought a flash and cheap diffuser and mid February went to Warriston looking for ladybirds and small things to interview. I had heard it was more an art than a science and youTubed all the optimum settings and approaches. It took a bit of practise but I really enjoyed the process and seeing things close up as never before. And contrary to all the online advice it worked really well in autofocus.

They say you're more likely to get addicted to gambling if you have a big win early on. I took hundreds of photos on that visit and one or two were way beyond what I hoped for. I was hooked. I started to look for shieldbugs and ladybirds on days when there were no butterflies, and fungii and tiny bugs became fascinating. It is a window into a miniature and compelling world and I became an instant fan of flies I hadn't even noticed before then. I added books on insects and hoverflies to the butterfly book collection. On top of that the first butterfly of the year (Feb 18th) a red admiral, appeared while I was taking flower photos with the 60mm lens in the botanics. It had the good grace to land very close to where I was standing and I didn't have to swap lenses to take its portrait.

an unplanned lucky shot

first butterfly of the year
first UK butterfly shot with the G9

And of course the first butterfly shot with the new macro lens. It let me know it was possible to shoot butterflies with this set up which should give far more detailed results than the longer lens. However it is also a lot harder to get close enough to the subject as they don't always land just in front of my nose as this one did. There is a far higher hit rate standing further back and shooting with the 100~400. But it did make me love the new macro lens and I regularly returned to Warriston to chase ladybirds.

kestrel in Warriston

chaffinch

grey wagtail

26th February for the second butterfly of the year
red admiral on viburnum

humming-bird hawk-moth (Majorca)

Early March we went to Majorca for a week. The weather had been lamentable and we felt a getaway was necessary. Mary was hunting around for inexpensive breaks somewhere warmish where we could run and take photos. Slightly more of the latter as Mary broke her foot 19 days before we left, although we weren't sure what exactly the running injury was. So we did some walking and some cycling and less running than planned. We found some excellent places to wander round within a mile of the hotel and it was with delight we came across loads of great wildlife like hoopoes, swallowtails and a selection of smaller UK-type butterflies.

hoopoe

swallowtail

small heath

Southern brown argus

Lang's short-tailed blue

spotted chafer and humming-bird hawk-moth

black redstart

large hopper

back to Scotland
and a Warriston crow - always prepared to pose in return for snacks

rats are so infrequent I feel they qualify as a rare wildlife treat

(as long as they aren't in my home)

skylark

stonechat (m)

kingfisher

robin

botanics robin with food delivery system

kingfisher on Water of Leith

blue tit

goldcrest; seen infrequently

a hairy footed bingo bee
university students number and record bees in the botanics

magnolia flower in the Botanics

blackbird

Mary in Warriston cemetery - a favourite haunt

the sparrowhawk at Warriston

robin with nest-lining moss

the rock garden comma at the Botanics

great tit

long-tailed tit

not been a great year for capturing dippers

low light kingfisher on the WoL

blue tit

speckled wood

blackcap (m) - thin on the ground this year as well

chiffchaff

This weasel was one of my top wildlife highlights last year. I saw it on this path near Gullane, on my way through, so on the way back when it ran off again, I waited and it reappeared. I was so chuffed because normally if I see a weasel or stoat they are zipping into the undergrowth at top speed never to be seen again. This one appeared again, posed perfectly then ran towards me. I was absolutely still and so it didn't pick up on my presence. A charming encounter although I hear they are fierce and fearless predators.

I really love a bee-fly for being a fluff ball on the end of long legs,
a cute insect belied by their rather unsavoury parasitic habits

small tortoiseshell - becoming scarce of late

best blackcap shot this year

roe deer near Aberlady

the rain makes this shot, taken below the Dean Village

goosander (f)

I have a great fondness for goosanders. The ones locally have learned from the ducks to appreciate food thrown for them, so luring them over for a photo is often feasible. There was so much poor weather in Spring and early Summer I missed getting any shots of the chicks (goosanderlings?) this year. Both adults are handsome though strikingly different in their colourways.

comma underwing

wren

long-tailed tit

peacock at Saltoun Big Wood

speckled wood

bee-fly in flight

the macro lens is great for short depth of field flower studies

A decent year for orange tips. Lots of species suffered from the damp Spring and numbers were lower, but orange tips seemed to survive okay. Great to see quite a few in the cemetery on the bluebells.