Wanting to G1

[ekso]

Hello.
In my search to buy something small, I found good reviews of the G1.
The best thing is that it's small enought to count as being portable ( I have babies in the other arm) and seems to give you access to older and cheaper lenses.

However here are my questions.
1. Buying the Kits ( from Jessops witht eh £50 cashback) is still £600. That's expensive and makes me have to justify a G1 over a EOS450D.
2. Should I buy only the body and then see if I can get some older cheaper lenses....bearing in mind, I am not technical and want to learn how to photograph, as opposed to pushing the limits on a lens.
3. I I do want to buy extra older lenses now or in future, it's so confusing. I have looked at the table witht he mounts, but that does not help me. on a limited budget with mount should I go for to maximise my lens options,a nd what sort of lenses should I look out for.

thanks
Ek.

 

[petermcwerner]

Hello.
In my search to buy something small, I found good reviews of the G1.
The best thing is that it's small enought to count as being portable ( I have babies in the other arm) and seems to give you access to older and cheaper lenses.

However here are my questions.
1. Buying the Kits ( from Jessops witht eh £50 cashback) is still £600. That's expensive and makes me have to justify a G1 over a EOS450D.
2. Should I buy only the body and then see if I can get some older cheaper lenses....bearing in mind, I am not technical and want to learn how to photograph, as opposed to pushing the limits on a lens.
3. I I do want to buy extra older lenses now or in future, it's so confusing. I have looked at the table witht he mounts, but that does not help me. on a limited budget with mount should I go for to maximise my lens options,a nd what sort of lenses should I look out for.

thanks
Ek.

Welcome to the forum, Ek.

2. Should I buy only the body

Usually, they do not sell the body alone, and the kit lens that comes with it is quite good, especially if you want to learn.

on a limited budget with mount should I go for to maximise my lens options

I suggest you start with the kit lens alone. Once you are familiar with the camera, you will know what you want to achieve that the kit lens cannot deliver. There are many good lenses around, it all depends on your goals.

 

[Ranger 9]

Hello.
In my search to buy something small, I found good reviews of the G1.
The best thing is that it's small enought to count as being portable ( I have babies in the other arm) and seems to give you access to older and cheaper lenses.

In all honesty, for someone who is a non-technical photographer (as opposed to lens geeks/experimenters such as myself) I think it might be more sensible to shop for a small, light conventional DSLR -- either from the conventional Canon/Nikon/Pentax product lines or from the standard Four Thirds cameras from Olympus.

Much as I like my G1, the biggest problem today is that there are very few native Micro Four Thirds lenses that you can actually go out and buy. I believe the only ones that are currently available (as opposed to being promised sometime in the hazy future) are the 14-45 'kit lens' that comes with the camera, and Panasonic's 45-200 lens. These two lenses perform really well, but a choice of two doesn't really give you the flexibility you expect when you buy an interchangeable-lens camera! If you want a lens with a wide aperture for natural-light portraits of your babies, for example, there isn't one. If you want a macro lens for extreme close-ups, there isn't one. Etc., etc...

Yes, it's possible to get all these capabilities and more by using adapters to mount either standard Four Thirds lenses or lenses from other makers. But with this approach you do give up a lot of convenience: either no autofocus or very slow autofocus (compared to the kit lens); no image stabilization; and so forth... plus, the adapters are extra things you need to buy and extra complications you need to manage.

You'll also pay somewhat more for the Panasonic than you would for a high-volume, entry-level Canon or Nikon DSLR that offers similar capabilities at only a very slightly larger size and weight.

Six months or a year from now, all this might change. But for now, I think the G1 and Micro Four Thirds are best suited for two kinds of people: (1) travelers and outdoor enthusiasts who photograph mostly under good light and need a flexible two-lens outfit with the absolute minimum size and weight; and (2) lens enthusiasts who enjoy the ability to experiment with the different "looks" provided by various exotic optics that can't be fitted to normal DSLRs.

I'm having a great time (and making some good pictures) with mine, but I suspect it's not a good fit for you.

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

Hi,

I do, of course, agree with Peter and Ranger9.

If you can afford the G1 together with the 2 kit lenses (14-45 and 45-200), then you have a very complete and well performing set !
If you need to stick to one lens, for whatever reason, go for the 14-45 because of its versatility. Anyway, I don't think you would be able to buy the body alone ??

Unless you are very well aware of what you're buying cq doing, stear clear of all those vintage/old lenses that come in different adaptors and do or do not fulfill basic issues like sensor coverage. You would have to focus manually, have no image stabilisation, ...

I hope this helps, and evt, feel free to ask more questions !

c u
Rafael

 

[HansenTsang]

I have to agree. The G1 is not design to shoot with baby on one arm. A Lumix LX3 maybe or a Canon 450 in full automatic. If you use one of the manual focus lens with the G1 you will have to turn the focus ring manually. There are not too many lenses out there that will autofocus with the G1.

 

[petermcwerner]

I have to agree. The G1 is not design to shoot with baby on one arm. A Lumix LX3 maybe or a Canon 450 in full automatic. If you use one of the manual focus lens with the G1 you will have to turn the focus ring manually. There are not too many lenses out there that will autofocus with the G1.

Allow me to disagree. I think the G1 can be a very good beginners camera when used in full automatic mode with the kit lens. And it has the potentiality, later when you are comfortable with it and know what you want, to add other lenses. Meanwhile, with the 14-45mm kit lens you have a very good starter equipment, with which you can progress later.

A word about holding the baby in the left arm. You might be more comfortable holding the camera with a grip strap. I use one from my Nikon, but there are various other ones. Like that you can have it hanging from your right hand and bring it up to your eyes when you want to shoot, all with one hand.

 

[monza]

I agree, the G1 is not only a great starter camera, it's also a great 'finish' camera, if you will.

I gave my daughter a D40x a year ago, I would not hesitate to have given her a G1 if it had been out at the time.

 

[HansenTsang]

Allow me to disagree. I think the G1 can be a very good beginners camera when used in full automatic mode with the kit lens. And it has the potentiality, later when you are comfortable with it and know what you want, to add other lenses. Meanwhile, with the 14-45mm kit lens you have a very good starter equipment, with which you can progress later.

A word about holding the baby in the left arm. You might be more comfortable holding the camera with a grip strap. I use one from my Nikon, but there are various other ones. Like that you can have it hanging from your right hand and bring it up to your eyes when you want to shoot, all with one hand.

Good thought. I didn't want to sound too "pro" G1.;-)

 

[ekso]

Thanks guys.
It's true that there are not a lot of native lenses ut there, but the 2 lense 14-45, an 45-200 do fill the range.
My concern with the 450D, and I love that camera so much I've bought a couple for my friends is that I will forver looking a the used equip ads to buy faster and more expensive lenses, in the hop that they will improve my photography.
I also went to Jessops and felt the G1. Nice, but in the shop the EVF sucked big time. My colleague and the shop-keeper were very critical of it.

Ideally this is what I want:
- G1 with both lenses on kit.
- Flash (smallish)
- 25mm (50mm equiv) at 2.8 or less, but cheap.

Speaking to Rafael, in a separate forum, the last is possible but expensive. Any suggestions on that.

Peter: What grip is that. And waht lense is that and how much ?

Ekso.

 

[JerryMK]

Hi Ekso you asked me about the Canon FD lenses on the G1. This is the 50mm f/1.4 on it.

 

[petermcwerner]

Thanks guys.
Peter: What grip is that. And waht lense is that and how much ?

Ekso,

The grip is a Nikon AH-4. I had it already for my D700. You can probably find similar third party grips that cost less. This one is made out of real leather and very agreeable: when you perspire it does not get slippery

The lens is a 21mm Avedon, a very old lens in Leica mount that is no longer made, and is quite expensive. I am mainly using it on the M8 and would not have bought it for the G1 alone, I just wanted to know how it works on the G1 (well).

25mm primes

There are many 16mm cine c-mount lenses around, all manual focus of course. Most of them will not cover the G1 sensor completely and thus vignette and/or smear, which IMHO is not acceptable. Some of them, like the 25mm/2.0 Kinoptik that was made for 35mm cine, will give excellent results and cover the whole sensor but are expensive (around $1,000)

You might opt for a MF (AI,AIS or NON-AI) 24mm Nikon or Sigma lens. I have both 2.8/24mm Sigma in Nikon mount and Nikkor that are excellent and have none of the problems of c-mount lenses. I prefer the Signma, but the Nikkor is excellent, too. If you shop around a bit and search ebay, you might find one of those lenses at or below $100-150. Make sure you get a copy in good condition that you can either return or test on the G1 before buying it. Add some $100 for adapters (Nikon-> Leica M and Leica M -> MFT or any similar combination).

Cheers
Peter

 

[ekso]

thanks Peter. Lots of info.

Ekso