GX1!!! What say you GF1 lovers?

[henningw]

Knowing both of these lenses - well they are good glass, definitely better than all the zooms for m43, but FAR AWAY from being great! As the longer I think about all this m43 stuff the more I come to the conclusion it is a nice toy, but not really destined for top results.

No, the image quality is short of that of images stitched from an array of 8K-HS Betterlight shots, but then, they serve different purposes.

I use m43 a lot, but I also have and use 24x36 cameras. If I had a reasonable use for MF or larger, I'd get that probably in addition.

For m43, the 12/2, 20/1.7, 25/0.95 and 45/1.8 are very nice lenses. Whether you consider them 'great' or 'beautiful' is your call. As reference I've had and/or used most Leica screw mount and M mount lenses, and large numbers of other 35mm, MF and LF lenses. These m43 lenses can swim with most of the better ones.

Henning

 

[Willabeast]

And yet another +1... I would have been happy for them to dump the inbuilt flash if that gave it enough room. Sure the G3 is there for inbuilt EVF but the GX1 could have been something akin to to the X100 (minus OFV) but with changeable lens. Something many many have asked for.

Exactly what I said in another post... or maybe on another forum. Dump the aenemic flash and build in an EVF and I'll buy.

 

[ggibson]

Seems like the construction of this flash allows for it to be used as a bounce-flash like a couple other m4/3 cameras (and unlike my GF1). I find that functionality rather intriguing, even if results vary and it is a quite specialized use.

I agree though, I would probably find an EVF in that space more useful.

 

[Terry]

Knowing both of these lenses - well they are good glass, definitely better than all the zooms for m43, but FAR AWAY from being great! As the longer I think about all this m43 stuff the more I come to the conclusion it is a nice toy, but not really destined for top results.

If you look at the 17x22 prints I have on my wall from Kenya you would have no idea what system they were shot with (and that was not pushing the size to the limit it was a printer limit).

Peter, everyone is entitled to an opinion but calling the m4/3 system a toy is a bit over the top.

 

[cosinaphile]

my 12mm f2 m. zukio is beautiful , my 7-14 panny is beautiful , my orig kit zoom 14-45 panny is beautiful ....my 20mm 1.7 is beautiful , my 3 cv rangefinder lenses on the voightlander adapter are beautiful times 3 , 50mm 1.5 28mm 1.9 15mm 4.5
my konica hexanon 57mm 1.2 with adapter is beautiful , my canon fd 200 mm 2.8 is beautiful .....my nikon.....

just sayin

 

[greypilgrim]

I have to agree on the lenses. With Olympus offering up the 12 and the 45, I can have the 12, the Panny 20, and the 45, and I have a nifty and light prime set. I currently have the last two. I have not sprung for the Oly 12 yet (I already have the Panny 7-14, so hard to justify :-o )

My only comparison would be my Nikon system. for my D200, there is no 16mm prime. The 35 f1.8 would be just fine for the mid, and then not sure on the top end. I'd be tempted to get the Tamron 90 macro or perhaps the Cosina 58mm... So, my only option on the D200 is to go zoom on the wide front which I do have.

Compare the net weight and the quality of images, and for day long excursions, my m4/3 system keeps winning.

I really want that 12mm...

Funny thing, had Nikon dished up a 16mm prime for DX, I probably never would have acquired an m4/3 system. I never did step up to the D300 because of that, and the D700 (which would have let me use the primes I wanted) was just out of my reach and weighed even more...

Doug

 

[ptomsu]

Peter, everyone is entitled to an opinion but calling the m4/3 system a toy is a bit over the top.

Terry,

JMHO - sorry but after 2 years of use and fiddling around with it, I came to the conclusion that for serious photography it is not right there.

It is not WRT size (as it is still pretty big compared to other solutions and P&S) which it always wants to differentiate - at least if you believe marketing from Pana and Oly and it is not there WRT available lens choices. Again I have waited for over 2 years and I am missing most of what I have expected.

Agree this is maybe my personal problem but it is also my personal right to state that for ME m43 is not much than a toy WRT serious photography - right?

Best

Peter

 

[marlof]

Peter, I've seen you comment on several camera systems in the past years. I fear that for you, the ideal solution will always seem to be just around the corner.

 

[curious80]

.....

Agree this is maybe my personal problem but it is also my personal right to state that for ME m43 is not much than a toy WRT serious photography - right?

....

Typically in a discussion when people use dismissive terms like "it is a toy", it signals an attempt to make a broad assertion rather than just expressing one's preference A much more neutral way to express oneself would be "after using it for a while I decided that it does not provide the image quality that I expect from a serious DSLR level camera". And I am pretty sure no one would argue with you over that opinion .

 

[ptomsu]

Peter, I've seen you comment on several camera systems in the past years. I fear that for you, the ideal solution will always seem to be just around the corner.

How wrong you are ....

 

[ptomsu]

Typically in a discussion when people use dismissive terms like "it is a toy", it signals an attempt to make a broad assertion rather than just expressing one's preference A much more neutral way to express oneself would be "after using it for a while I decided that it does not provide the image quality that I expect from a serious DSLR level camera". And I am pretty sure no one would argue with you over that opinion .

Well, however you want to express yourself does not matter as long as no one is attacked and you walk in certain limits.

Considering m43 for me as a toy comes from my experience I had with it. I also used 43 and E5 and this by no means is a toy, if you understand what I mean. Of course much bigger, but also much better for serious photography.

Now when it comes to an always with me camera which is easy to carry - say a high end P&S, I would consider m43 as available today to fit into that category. But for that we all know that there are numerous other alternatives, just to mention XZ1, Dlux5, S100 etc.etc which get you images in similar quality but even smaller. When you need to carry around a m43 system with several lenses then it is no longer P&S for me and then I simply could not care less than carrying for a serious job a FF DSLR with certain lenses - especially high speed primes, which again are not even available for m43 in the flavors as for FF DSLRs.

Still cannot understand why so many feel to have to comment on my preferences, might this be because they start to doubt their own decisions ? :deadhorse:

 

[Terry]

Well, however you want to express yourself does not matter as long as no one is attacked and you walk in certain limits.

Considering m43 for me as a toy comes from my experience I had with it. I also used 43 and E5 and this by no means is a toy, if you understand what I mean. Of course much bigger, but also much better for serious photography.

Now when it comes to an always with me camera which is easy to carry - say a high end P&S, I would consider m43 as available today to fit into that category. But for that we all know that there are numerous other alternatives, just to mention XZ1, Dlux5, S100 etc.etc which get you images in similar quality but even smaller. When you need to carry around a m43 system with several lenses then it is no longer P&S for me and then I simply could not care less than carrying for a serious job a FF DSLR with certain lenses - especially high speed primes, which again are not even available for m43 in the flavors as for FF DSLRs.

Still cannot understand why so many feel to have to comment on my preferences, might this be because they start to doubt their own decisions ? :deadhorse:

Peter by all means you are entitled to your opinion and here now you put it in context of what you are looking for. But to me the initial comment about it being a toy reads to a native English speaker as insulting and dismissive to other peoples thoughts rather than just something that doesn't meet your needs.

 

[ptomsu]

Peter by all means you are entitled to your opinion and here now you put it in context of what you are looking for. But to me the initial comment about it being a toy reads to a native English speaker as insulting and dismissive to other peoples thoughts rather than just something that doesn't meet your needs.

If this is the case, then I do of course apologize. I by no means wanted to insult anyone's thoughts here I can assure! So sorry for this confusion and misunderstanding.

BTW I am not saying that m43 is bad, I myself will continue to use it, but it just does not come up to what I (and I guess also others) expected from m43 as a system. Or maybe simply also because expectations are to high.

Just if I want to use a P&S, which in my case needs to be a high end P&S (I specified already earlier) then m43 is not what I use for that reason. On the other side if I do want to do serious photography (what means serious for me at least), I am back to FF DSLR. Neither 43 nor APSC was able to satisfy my needs for this.

All that evolved over the period of the last 2 years and is obviously a learning and also trust process - trust in the promises of vendors. I would not say that this trust is broken, by no means, but I am simply no longer patient to wait till m43 will evolve from a serious P&S (in my definition) into a real pro-system (as promised by Pana and Oly for years now. Looking at the GX1 (the starting point of this thread) in my opinion we are far away from any pro camera, looking at the promises from Olympus to come out with a Pen-Pro I lost confidence it will ever happen, especially when you consider where Olympus is financially heading today. And monitoring where all that pro promises for m43 end up (or evolved till today) the result is not convincing (at least not for me).

But again, sorry and apologize if I anyone felt (feels) insulted by my posts - not intended, guaranteed!

 

[Terry]

First Impressions

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/panasonic_gx1_first_impressions.shtml

 

[ggibson]

How do the G3 users here like the thumb-dial? Just playing with a G3 in-store, I noticed it is smaller than my GF1's, and more difficult to turn/adjust. I assume the GX1's will be the same as the G3's.

 

[mountainjoe]

How do the G3 users here like the thumb-dial? Just playing with a G3 in-store, I noticed it is smaller than my GF1's, and more difficult to turn/adjust. I assume the GX1's will be the same as the G3's.

No problem for me with the thumb dial - my main problem is using the fn buttons on the G3.

I have to try the rubber bump trick one of these days...

 

[Diane B]

How do the G3 users here like the thumb-dial? Just playing with a G3 in-store, I noticed it is smaller than my GF1's, and more difficult to turn/adjust. I assume the GX1's will be the same as the G3's.

I have a GF1 and have had the G3 since June. I honestly haven't noticed the difference but then I actually shot more with my G1 than my GF1. The thumb wheel works fine for me. I shot today for about 4 hours with a manual focus lens and used it for both EC and MF assist with no problems at all. Felt comfortable under my thumb.

Diane

 

[TCSJordan]

Here's a field test video on the GX1 I shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umzsaAbC2tU

Cheers!

 

[Diane B]

No problem for me with the thumb dial - my main problem is using the fn buttons on the G3.

I have to try the rubber bump trick one of these days...

I finally put the AEL/AEF on fn 2 or bottom button. I prefer fn 1/top but it is harder to use. I am going to try the bump also. Someone suggested a bit of velcro but it seems it might be hard to get a usable bit that small. Haven't tried it. I do use fn 1 for preview but would prefer to exchange these 2.

 

[RonSmith]

I finally put the AEL/AEF on fn 2 or bottom button.

So did I. Works much better and it's easier to find by feel.