Panasonic G97 is here

I bought a Panasonic G97 and received it yesterday.  Previously, I've had the GH3, GH4, GX8, and GM5 micro Four-Thirds models from Panasonic, plus the Olympus E-M1.  Of all those, I've only kept the GM5.

The GM5 is a tiny marvel of a camera body, but it doesn't have much to offer but its size.  While it is quick and easy, it's sometimes frustrating.  The G97 is a bit like a GH4.5--a hybrid hybrid camera body.

The GH4 was known as the best camera for 4K video under US$10,000 when it was new.  However, it was a bit under-powered and lost focus occasionally when shooting video at 1080p. Add to that the original Lumix X 35-100mm f/2.8 that had a myriad of problems from OIS stutter to severe lens flare and the combination seemed a good reason to throw it far away.

The G97 is more powerful, but has to shoot 4K30p video at a crop.  It can also shoot 1080p video at 120 fps, but it isn't the greatest.  That's a shame.

The 5 stop IBIS is good, especially at the US$849 price point.  When you combine it with a lens that has Mega OIS or Power OIS, things become better, as the Dual I.S. combines the stabilization.  The viewfinder is another surprise at this level.  You can get an OLED display at 0.74x magnification, which is the same as the GH4 has. 

First impressions

After charging some batteries (without the USB cable and AC adapter that they don't include), I took the G97 and some lenses for a walk.   The body is very small, even though the controls are the same size as the GH7 and G9 Mk II.  Then again, I found the GH4 small, and it wasn't quite large enough for a good balance with some of my Four-Thirds Olympus lenses.

Controls on the top are in the same place as the GH4 but controls on the back are not.  Labeling is very different but it seems as Panasonic wanted to push flexibility and allow buttons to be re-mapped.  I tend to use controls as they come from the factory.

The internal structure of the G97 may not be as strong and light as the GH4, but it feels just as sturdy.  Using aluminium and steel instead of magnesium alloy works just as well and costs less.  I was surprised to learn that the G80/G85 and G90/G95 were weather-sealed.  Having photographed in hurricanes and sports events where rain was sudden, I want to feel comfortable that my equipment can handle it.

 There are a couple of settings I change right away.  I turn off the Beep.  I set the photo style to natural and the file to Raw.  I usually set the focus point to pin-point but I set it to Face Detection, although I wonder if it's a combination of two settings to make face detection work.  On the GH4, it was a disaster compared to the Olympus E-M1.  I want to learn if this version of Face Detection works.

Walking at night makes for difficult photography.  Film cameras didn't work well, especially when film was rated at ASA(ISO) 100 or even 400.  Sensors in 2004 weren't that good.  In 2012, I was photographing regularly at  ISO 1600 or even 3200.  In 2025, it's less of a problem.  Sensors have become better and image processing has become much better. Having strong IBIS can save a situation that a tripod can't.  I can hear how hard the IBIS is working to keep things steady.  The EVF can show me things that my eyes (or an optical viewfinder) can't see in the dark.

The camera body didn't let me down.  I'm sure I still have settings to find to fine tune my experience.  However, the G97 is quite capable, and coming from the GH4, etc., it's an easy transition.  Contrast that to my occasional frustration with the S5 Mk II and S-series lenses.  Auto Focus locks quickly and the shutter engages quickly.  In the dark, AF goes down to EV -4, just like the GH4.  There are only 49 AF areas, just like the GH4, but it works well so far in stills mode.  I doubt that DFD on video is any better than it was.

The 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS lens that came as part of the kit seems good. At 5x reach, it's the longest zoom kit lens for micro Four-Thirds.  The FoV is like a 24-120mm lens on a 135 Format camera.  On the S5 Mk II, the kit lens was 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 without OIS, which seems strange for a lens of around US$600.  The Dual I.S. was activated and I'm sure that I got shots that wouldn't have been usable otherwise.

IBIS on Four-Thirds was not very good.  I had the Olympus E-5 and couldn't tell that the IBIS was working.  My best lenses were heavy.  On micro Four-Thirds, Olympus had IBIS and Panasonic had OIS.  Of course, they would not work together.  If they had, micro Four-Thirds would have been more compelling.  IBIS in the G97 is not Panasonic's finest, being about the same as the GH5 but the Dual I.S. functionality extends that stabilization, much like Sync IS works on Olympus equipment and makes it possible to get shots handheld that were never possible.  I remember standing against a tree or a wall to get certain shots when light was scarce.

Firmware updates

Naturally, it's a good idea to have your equipment up-to-date and when I was photographing sports most every day, I'd be ready.  Both the body and the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens needed updates.  As well, I checked my other lenses and my Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 got an update back in 2022.  It's the lens I use the most on the GM5. 

Update 2025.11.15: It's been about a month since I've had the G97.  Using the lenses I have, it's worked well.  I ordered the Panasonic/Leica 9mm f/1.7 just a couple of weeks before the G97.  Both are on the Amazon 5 payments plan.

I already had the 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Mega OIS lens with the GM5.  It's a collapsible kit lens that does an amazing job at a tiny size.  When I bought the GM5, I also bought the 42.5mm f/1.7 Power OIS lens.  The other Panasonic lens was the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7.  I also have three Olympus lenses: 25mm f/1.8, 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6, and the 8mm f/8 (almost) fisheye lens cap lens.

Since I don't have reach past (135 Format) 300mm, I bought a 2.2x screw-on tele-converter for a 58mm filter thread.  It should be good enough for a while.  I noticed on Amazon that the Panasonic/Leica 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 Mk II version is available on 5 payments.  That will change by the time I'm ready.  That lens will give me a 135 Format effective 800mm reach, and you can use a tele-converter for even further reach.  However, that tele-converter is a bright light solution.

Affinity 3.0 or Canva/Affinity?

 It's been 40 years since I first saw Serif Publisher.  At the same time, I saw Timeworks Publisher, Ventura Publisher, and Adobe PageMaker.  I ended up using Calamus on the Atari ST but I became familiar with practically any available graphics software and even designed some of my own.

Today, Affinity announced that they are combining everything into one application, including Canva AI.  You can mix things a bit through Personas, but I don't know if it's going to be so capable.   What I know of all-in-one graphics software is that it has never worked well enough.

 I'm skeptical but I don't have any huge projects.  After the announcement that they were to be acquired last year, it was obvious that changes were on the way.  If you want the Premium version, there is a subscription, as I understand that there has been with Canva.

For typical users, it's free.  When upgrades are available, what will happen? 

Update  2025.11.18: I downloaded the Windows version.  They actually had four different downloads and  I downloaded one of the x64 versions.  Hopefully, I got the correct one.

In any case, it's installed and I took a look at the first tutorial, which was way too small to be useful.

I tried to bring up a raw photo that I had and tried to re-size it after expanding the application's window.  The frame for the photo went one way and the image stayed where it started when I tried to increase the magnification past 25%.  Maybe, it will be ready in a few months.

 Unfortunately, going back to Affinity Photo didn't work.  I still have the version 2.x Affinity applications on my Mac, and Affinity Photo worked on that machine just fine. 

Solo Leveling: Arise 1.5 year anniversary on the way

 The latest live stream was almost two hours.

 

You will see the codes, of course.  There are new Hunters and new Weapons.   There is a collaboration with Frieren.

In November, there will be a 1.5 year celebration.

How is everyone keeping up with all of the changes?  I feel as though I play regularly, but not as much.  I have characters at level 115 and a few weapons at level 120, with more at level 110.  Most of the skills are at level 7, and the level within Armory is level 7.  Finding resources is the main thing still.  I tried to keep everything balanced.

Buy...Buy...Buy photographic equipment

 I'm feeling a bit ridiculous.

I've got a Panasonic GM5 from my old days with a P/L15mm f/1.7, O 25mm f/1.8, P 42.5mm f/1.7, O 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6, P 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6, and a 46mm screw-on focal reducer.

 I've also got a Panasonic S5 Mk II with a P 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6, P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, P 50mm f/1.8, and a Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro lens on an EF->L-mount adapter.

For years, I spent many days each week photographing at skate parks or earlier, photographing at high schools.  I photographed many sports.  I'm not quite as active or able, but I'm missing the ability to do more.

Purchases too many?

Purchase number one: 

I've been photographing the night sky and I was looking for a very wide lens and there was a Brightin Star 11mm f/2.8 fisheye lens for US$259 for L-mount, except that the deal was US$40 off, not tariff, taxes, or shipping on my end.

 It's not electronically connected at all.  It's completely manual.  It's also coming from a Chinese brand that I haven't tried, but as long as it focuses to infinity and doesn't fall apart, I'll be okay.  It looks as though the optical quality is quite good, especially for the price.

It arrived today.  Packaging from shipper looked a bit ragged but inside, the box was good.  They even sent me the correct lens mount.  You probably haven't seen how many people complain about getting the wrong one.  I've been holding my breath for a lack of problems. 

  Purchase number two:

I went out with my GM5 the other night and was hoping for something very wide, missing my Olympus 8mm f/1.8 fisheye lens.  I saw an Amazon 5 monthly payments deal and bought a micro Four-Thirds Panasonic/Leica 9mm f/1.7.  It was full price, but for US$99 something each month, it's agreeable.

 It has arrived.  It's as big as the GM5 and currently, it's the only weather-sealed micro Four-Thirds lens I have.  It used to be that all my lenses were weather-sealed. Using Four-Thirds equipment, I photographed outside during hurricanes, so having weather-sealed equipment was important.

Purchase number three:

Amazon has a habit of showing me deals on equipment from 2016.  I've also been looking at (used. new) micro Four-Thirds camera bodies from around that time.  The E-M1 Mk III was interesting to me, but the EVF is low on resolution.  The GH5 Mk II looked interesting, but the lack of PDAF made too much of a compromise and with the tariffs, etc. a new one is just too expensive and good, used ones are difficult to find.

So, Amazon pushed a Panasonic G85 after the lens purchase.   The G85 is a sufficient camera, much like a cut-down version of the GH4 that I owned, but with really good IBIS.  Amazon had a 5 payments deal  but it just wasn't a step up.  I looked at the G97, which is somewhat more advanced, not unlike the 2019 G90/G95/G99.  The EVF and back panel use OLED technology.  The menus are more like my S5 Mk II than the GH4 menus.  In a lot  of ways, it's a better GH4 with IBIS.  The trouble was that there was no 5 payments  plan offered.  12 hours later, there was a 5 payments plan.

The G97 is here.  It only comes one way--with the Panasonic 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6.  Strangely, it didn't come with a USB cable of any kind or an AC adapter.  However, it instructs the user to attach both pieces and connect to an AC outlet to charge it.  The box doesn't have anything to indicate that those two items would be included.  I happened to order a separateUSB-connected battery charger with two batteries.  (Wasabi has been reliable as a third party battery provider.)

I got some of the quick settings changed straightaway.  I moved most of my equipment into an older backpack and went out to get pizza and take a long walk with the camera.

It's a but smaller than the E-M1 and smaller still than the GH4.  I wonder how it would be with larger lenses.  Except for the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, every micro Four-Thirds lens I have is rather tiny. 

Now, I have three pieces of equipment on the way. 

The OnePlus 13R is the best Android phone I've used

 Google keeps sending e-mails about their new watch, their new phones.  I'm not buying them.  The Pixel 10 is apparently less fast than the Pixel 9, even with an expensive foundry change to 3nm process.

 

Why does Google bother? My Pixel 6a was a good three years behind the competition in power.  Since the Pixel 9, they were only a few months behind the rest.  Now, they're further back again.

I've gone through a few Android devices:

• LG Optimus S
• Google Nexus 7 (Nvidia)
• Google Nexus 7 (ASUS) 
• Lenovo Tab M8 FHD
• OnePlus 8T
• Google Pixel 6a
• Razer Edge WiFi
• OnePlus 13R

There is more history in that list than I care to remember.  The bright spots are the OnePlus devices.

 The OnePlus 8T used the Snapdragon 865.  I heard about the Snapdragon 888 overheating and didn't want to deal with that.  The good thing was that the 8T was smooth and configured as if it meant to get an iPhone user to like it.  It had a beautiful display and smooth scrolling.

The OnePlus 13R is a lot like the 8T in my mind.  The big difference is that time has brought more powerful processors.  The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC is quite powerful and includes Adreno (Radeon?) 750, which is reasonable.  Heat is a slight issue but it never shows a "cooling down" message as the Razer Edge does with its Snapdragon G3X.  Having UFS 4.0 storage is good and 12 GB of RAM is enough. I haven't tried to use Gemini or Copilot, even though they are pre-loaded.  I have used Google Assistant in the past, especially when I couldn't see the Pixel 6a display outside.

Playing games with either is satisfying but obviously, the extra power of the 13R helps.  The Razer Kishi V2 works with the 13R, but not the 8T.  However, the Razer Kishi V2 Pro does not work with either.  It doesn't work with my overheating, then melting Razer Edge, either.

 I have not tried the cameras but I'm sure that they're more than adequate.  I have a micro Four-Thirds camera body, as well as a 135 Format camera body, so phone cameras are adequate to more than adequate.

These are phones that would have me switch from iPhone to Android.  However, my iPhone 15 is my current phone and it's a good size for me to carry. 

Why is Windows 11 so dumb?

Xfinity/Comcast internet hasn't been working for about a day.  It's inconvenient, but I can use my T-Mobile account to use my 60 GB hotspot through my iPhone.

 I connected all of my devices, got some things updated and I went back to my Windows machine and found that it had disconnected and tried the Comcast account again.

 

 This isn't the first time, but it's always annoying. It's even worse than the Comcast connection.  I've noticed that it won't switch while I have the list as a pop-up menu.

This reminds me of when I'm using WAZE and there is a backup in freeway traffic and I go to use the almost empty city streets.  WAZE constantly tells me to return to the freeway, until I'm about 1000 feet away. 

Update 2025.08.18: What's interesting tonight is that Windows not only disconnected the good connection, but downloaded a Windows Update without asking while on that connection, and locked up the system.  It's working again, but the connection may go away within minutes again. 

Update 2025.08.25: I'm constantly surprised by the decisions Microsoft makes about Windows.  Windows 7 was quite good after generations of crap.  Windows 8 was a refinement.  With Windows 10 and 11, I saw some further refinement, but I was always running into some application from the Windows NT era. 

Update 2025.09.16: The most recent update keeps telling me that the internet connection is down and I have to restart Windows to restore it. It generally happens in the middle of the night but has happened after a few hours of disuse.

Razer Edge has died and OnePlus 13R is here

 It hasn't been that long ago that I bought my Razer Edge.  It was being sold at US$199.99, which was a bargain price, even for a WiFi-only model because it came with a Kishi V2 Pro controller.

If you read my earlier blog entries, it was good but not great, and then, it was dead.  The company had an arduous website support mess.  I started the claim within my account, and it asked me to fill in my account details.  Then, I couldn't access some of the most important pages, so support staff added some of my information, and handed the support pages back to me to finish.  When it had been completed, Razer support sent me a package and label (that was another issue) and I returned it.  It didn't take too long and they sent me a whole retail box, complete with cables and another controller.

 That unit died today and I was in the middle of a game, no less.

 I'm more-or-less ahead of where I was with Android.  We'll see if Android helps me recover.  If that doesn't quite make sense, let me give you my Android history.  I had an LG Optimus S as my first Android phone.  It didn't have enough storage to hold apps and and do a System Update.  The next Android product I got was the Google Nexus 7 tablet by Nvidia.  I returned that within a week.  The next year, I got the Google Nexus 7 tablet by ASUS.  I didn't have that for years.  Then, I got a Lenovo Tab M8 FHD, which in 2018 felt like the tablet from 2013.  I later bought the OnePlus 8T and still later, the Pixel 6a.

I decided to buy a reliable phone to replace the Razer Edge: the OnePlus 13R.  I had a OnePlus 8T a couple of years ago and it seemed to be made for an Apple iPhone user.  Physical things seemed to be where they should be.  The operating system seemed to understand how I needed it to work.  When I played a game, it adjusted for it.

 Then, I had a problem with the USB type C port.  Rather than get it fixed, I bought a Google Pixel 6a, and that was a huge mistake.  In fact, the upgrade to Android 14 didn't like that I had two users and it decided my data was corrupt and I had no choice but to erase it.  If the Android 14 upgrade had been optional or I could have postponed it, I would have.  That device is on Android 16 now, but it will never have my trust again.

Last year, I looked at the OnePlus 12R.  They had some good prices on it and it was quite powerful for not being the top-of-the-line phone.  The OnePlus 13R is equally impressive for the time, and at US$529 with a free case and US$50 trade-in/recycling credit, it's a decent deal.

 

Having 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM will be helpful. Having the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC will smack the Pixel 6a back into the dark ages.  Having a good cooling system will stop the likelihood of a Razer Edge-like overheating incident.  The 120 Hz low-power OLED will be impressive and the huge battery will keep things going.

 To me, this is still a lot of money for a device to just play games.  I might use it as a phone some time in the future, but it's a device for playing games.  You can tell me about other devices that are twice as much money.  They might be better, but not for me.  I bought an iPhone 15 to be my phone.  I didn't need AI messing up anything and that phone doesn't support it natively.  The 13R will have it, but I won't use that functionality unless it's part of the camera app or something like that and I have no choice.

Razer Edge on 13R box

 

Anyway, hopefully, it will be on the way sooner than expected.  The U.S. headquarters moved from Texas to California, so someone could probably drop it off on their way home.  Well, I got a shipment notice but it's at least a six hour drive from here.  I don't believe that FedEx will work that quickly.

Edge on the left, 13R on the right

 

Update 2025.07.16: The OnePlus 13R arrived.  It's big like the 8T, which isn't a horrible problem because it's still smaller than the Razer Edge.

The device came with 54% charge (6000 mAh battery) so I started downloading immediately.  There was a System Update and after that, another one.

Holding it, I was surprised to see the buttons moved.  Mute switch is on the left hand side, but Power and Volume buttons are on the right.  On the 8T, the Volume buttons were on the left and the Power button and Mute switch were on the right.  My iPhone 15 has Volume buttons and the Mute switch on the left with the Power button on the right.

The OLED is as good as expected.  It may be more power efficient, but at least, it's a 120 Hz display.  Games work as expected.  If you ever want to test a phone, run Tower of God: New World.  For a handheld game, it's quite demanding.  The display is so much better than the Razer Edge.  I'm glad I didn't spend much on that one.  I just looked at the Pixel 6a, which had a System Update and the display is pathetically bad.

 Just as I felt when I used the 8T, I could use the 13R as a replacement phone for my current iPhone.   I know that Samsung has a lot of fans, but I suspect many buy it just because it isn't Apple and that their advertising makes fun of Apple.  I've never had much luck with Samsung.

 The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 seems quite a bit stronger than the G3X that the Razer Edge had.  As many have said, that seemed to be a Snapdragon 888 with a better GPU and all the heat problems were intensified.

 

Running Tower of God: New World, it is warm, but not so hot as to fail.  The Razer Edge would have the fan going and be hot enough to cook something.  It would display "Cooling Down" but the message was only there for a moment.  OnePlus have instituted a Power Pass-Through mode where you can have a power bank attached and it will bypass the battery charging and just supply power to the unit, much the way Apple does with the Mac.

Update 2025.07.17: The 13R got a full charge overnight and it seems ready for anything.  I'm not sure how much I want to take it outside to test the cameras.  I've tried some games and it's quite good.  The Kishi V2 Pro does not work with it, but it doesn't work with my iPhone 15, either.  The older Kishi V2 works with both.  I'm not sure why Razer doesn't actually test to confirm which devices work but it's annoying.  The Kishi V3 and V3 Pro are available, but I'm not ready to put more money into Android gaming or into Razer.