Micro 4/3 A bit of a quandary

Mike G

All-Pro
Location
West London
Name
Mike Gorman
About a year ago I added a G9 to my armoury to go alongside the X-H1 so I had a decision to make as I can’t justify running two different systems along side each other!

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So as you can see above decisions decisions, which way to flop ummmmmmm.
As I had a period of the X-H1 of resetting itself to factory defaults, this happened at the most inappropriate times, I thought b*****ks and came down on the side of the G9! As you can see there are a lot of similarities between the two models.
There is little or no difference in the IQ of the two machines! So I had no qualms of choosing either.
But that wasn’t the end of my woes as about a month into my journey with the G9, the rubber grip on the SD card slots started to come unglued, off it went to the UK service agents DK AVS Ltd, I sat back and waited and eventually the camera came back, I was gobsmacked it was in worse shape than when I sent it, this resulted in a new cover which exhibited the same peeling rubber fault and two destroyed screws.
Well I sold that body and purchased a new G9, lo and behold that also started losing rubber grips, a total of eight times so I decided to apply some self help so whipped out the super glue and stuck em all back in place. Nine months down the line and no more rubber coming adrift, touch wood. Chatting to a lady Lumix rep at the recent CameraWorld show Panasonic knows about the problem but she didn’t know what steps were being taken to rectify the annoyance!

This is a crying shame as I’ve discovered that the G9 is a superb photo taking machine!
This exercise ended up costing me a pretty penny, but hey my journey continues.
 
Well, I understand the quandary of not wanting to run 2 different systems alongside each other. And I honestly have no words of advice whatsoever to offer you because...I am in the same boat myself. Although, I finally did resolve my quandary by telling myself - yes, I am using 2 different systems - but I will actually keep on using them, since I like both so much....but somehow try to differentiate some of the daily uses I put them to.

My two systems are micro-four-thirds - a GX8 plus a handful of fine lenses - and Pentax APS-C, in the form of a Pentax KP I bought a few years ago. And (long story short) eventually I have realized that each suits different types of shooting -

With the Pentax, I have a small collection of Ltd primes - all relatively tiny lenses - and I try to take the camera or lenses on shoots - or trips - where I'm not rushed, and can take my time. Although I've used the Pentax for street photography, I tend to favor it more for what might be called landscapes or urban landscapes.

The GX8, conversely, lends itself to quick shooting. And, honestly, its superb EVF is much more 'visible' in low light than any OVF I've ever used. I tend to reach for it when I want to shoot something quickly or quietly. I've also whittled down my lens collection to the point where most everything I do with the GX8 can either be done with a small but very high-quality zoom (the 12-35 2.8) or the Pana-Leica 15mm, one of the nicest lenses I've ever used.

But...it is a quandary. And my 'solution' works for me because of the kinds of photography I do. Neither camera qualifies as a semi-pocketable or tiny travel camera, I have a few others which fit the bill much better. But each really serves different 'purposes' so to speak.

In your case - a G9 or an X-H1 - I suspect that if I were in your position, I would think not about the cameras per se....but the lenses available to each - and how and why and for what I might use those lenses --- and maybe that might shed light on the dilemma. Though, honestly, having 2 great camera systems doesn't seem to me so much of a quandary - as, rather, a blessing of riches :)
 
Steve, in what way? Not sure what you mean!
The G9. Having a camera you really like and also having an annoying "finish" problem that you can't really get resolved. Not a major thing but annoying because it should be fixable.
Back to your original post, it would be a tough call between the XH1 and G9. I never had the G9 but bought a used XH1 that had a faculty mode "subdial" and would go irreversibly into video mode. Adorama took it back and I got a demo model which has behaved flawlessly since. In my experience, the high iso noise of Fujis is better than the mu43 cameras, and I tend to have a bit of my shooting in the dim and dark.
 
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The G9. Having a camera you really like and also having an annoying "finish" problem that you can't really get resolved. Not a major thing but annoying because it should be fixable.
Back to your original post, it would be a tough call between the XH1 and G9. I never had the G9 but bought a used XH1 that had a faculty mode "subdial" and would go irreversibly into video mode. Adorama took it back and I got a demo model which has behaved flawlessly since. In my experience, the high iso noise of Fujis is better than the mu43 cameras, and I tend to have a bit of my shooting in the dim and dark.
Fixing has been on a self help basis, because the service I received having my first G9 repaired by DK AVS was crap!
 
About a year ago I added a G9 to my armoury to go alongside the X-H1 so I had a decision to make as I can’t justify running two different systems along side each other!

0444B966-7291-418E-B8E5-C0D92B77C3BB.jpeg

---

So as you can see above decisions decisions, which way to flop ummmmmmm.
As I had a period of the X-H1 of resetting itself to factory defaults, this happened at the most inappropriate times, I thought b*****ks and came down on the side of the G9! As you can see there are a lot of similarities between the two models.
There is little or no difference in the IQ of the two machines! So I had no qualms of choosing either.
But that wasn’t the end of my woes as about a month into my journey with the G9, the rubber grip on the SD card slots started to come unglued, off it went to the UK service agents DK AVS Ltd, I sat back and waited and eventually the camera came back, I was gobsmacked it was in worse shape than when I sent it, this resulted in a new cover which exhibited the same peeling rubber fault and two destroyed screws.
Well I sold that body and purchased a new G9, lo and behold that also started losing rubber grips, a total of eight times so I decided to apply some self help so whipped out the super glue and stuck em all back in place. Nine months down the line and no more rubber coming adrift, touch wood. Chatting to a lady Lumix rep at the recent CameraWorld show Panasonic knows about the problem but she didn’t know what steps were being taken to rectify the annoyance!

This is a crying shame as I’ve discovered that the G9 is a superb photo taking machine!
This exercise ended up costing me a pretty penny, but hey my journey continues.

Thanks for all that info, Mike. I was saving for a G9 in preference to anything else but after reading your woes, will wait to see what the next iteration brings.
 
Thanks for all that info, Mike. I was saving for a G9 in preference to anything else but after reading your woes, will wait to see what the next iteration brings.
Sue, the G9 is a superb photo machine without a doubt, and the peeling rubber doesn’t happen to everyone, me I’m just lucky that way. Since way back in the 1960s, after using Canon, Nikon and Fuji its the finest camera I’ve used bar the super Canon T90. Plus the price is good at the moment.
Regards Mike
 
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