Connecting your Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 to your Mac

Lumix cameras have WiFi infrastructure support for connecting and transferring photos to a shared folder on your Mac. Here is how to set it up.

First, you'll need to go into System Preferences and select the "Network" pane. Select your active service and then click the "Advanced…" button.

Select the "WINS" tab and make note of your NetBIOS name. It should be in all caps and not include any spaces. Rename it if necessary. Make sure the Workgroup field equals the string "WORKGROUP". Rename it if necessary. Click OK to close the tab, and if you made any changes click the "Apply" button.

Now go to the "Sharing" preferences pane and select the "File Sharing" service in the list at left. Make sure the corresponding checkbox is checked. Click the "+" button below the "Shared Folders" field and navigate to the folder you want your camera to copy photos to, and then click the "Add" button. You should see the folder added to the list (we used one we created named DCIM). By default the system should have assigned your user account with read/write access (and possibly "Staff" and "Everyone" groups). Verify the folder is being shared to your user with read & write access.

Now click the "Options" button. In the resulting sheet, make sure the "Share... using SMB" checkbox is checked. Also check the checkbox next to your user in the "Windows File Sharing" list. Then click the "Done" button. Your now ready to connect the camera.

Turn on the camera. If you have previously failed at setting this up it is probably best to go into the "Setup" menu and select "Reset Network Settings", then turn the camera off, and back on again. Go to the "Setup" menu again and select "Wi-Fi", then "Wi-Fi Function", then "New Connection".

Select "Send images Stored in the Camera", then "PC" then "Via Network", then "From List"

The camera will present a list of SSIDs, choose your access point. You will then be asked for your key... this is your WiFi password. After entering your password the camera will connect to your WiFi and look for shared volumes. This usually fails with Macs so while on the search screen click the "Cancel" button. After a brief wait you will be presented with a manual entry method. Select it and enter your Mac's NetBIOS name. It will then search for your Mac and soon popup a screen to enter your user name and password.

This is not your full user name, but the abbreviated one assigned to your Home folder. Enter that as your user name and then enter your login password.

It should now connect and present you with a screen to set transfer options and to set what photos should be transferred.