First Shots with G1 - Hooray!

[jonoslack]

Hi there
Well, a serious and inexcusable campaign by Bertie, Vivek, Arne, Cindy, Brian and others was too much for me - I cracked, it arrived this lunchtime.
The accountant was here, everybody was working, so I slipped out with the dog for half an hour.

I haven't opened the book yet - there wasn't really time. It took a while to work out how to change the front dial from exposure compensation to Aperture . . . and when I'd figured it out I couldn't stop doing it!

Nice rubbery body (how soon will it rub off?). Dinky! Solid - erm. really rather nice. I'd be surprised, except that I would have expected others here to complain if it wasn't.

It's very quick - even writing RAW+jpg - focusing is fast as well, it's the first EVF I've every found bearable - what's really odd is that it's realistic enough to feel real . . . then when you take a shot you get the review up really fast. It's like you're looking at the world through a viewfinder . . . and it suddenly stops!


First impressions are that the 14-45 lens is stellar . . . and the 45-200 less so, but we'll see.

Can't get Aperture to read the raw files (even after converting to DNG with the new ACR converter). The JPG's don't look bad though, so I'll use them and save any relevant raws until Apple get their act together.

Ho Hum

Here are a couple of colour shots:

All these were shot using daylight white balance and some setting or other which I haven't found yet.

Last one at 400 ISO others at 100.

and here are a few monochrome shots:

 

[Robert Campbell]

Congratulations!

 

[Vivek]

Right on, Jono! :thumbup:

On your:

Nice rubbery body (how soon will it rub off?).

It already did and is showing shiny black plastic underneath in my camera.

Put a little tape where the swivel TFT screen would rub against the body (I will post a shot if that would help) to protect it.

 

[scho]

Good shooting Jono! I haven't had any rubber finish rub off yet, but I expect that it will at some point.

 

[Brian Mosley]

Jono,

RTFM! :ROTFL:

I installed the free version of Silkypix in order to get at the RAW files - well worth it imho, for now I just export to tiff and finish in Lightzone.

Kit lens stellar? looks like you got a good one!

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[Martin S]

Jonoslack

What's with the 45-200 mm????

Better than I think?????

SLRgear review of that lens was not stellar.

Martin

 

[jonoslack]

Bertie - Thank you!

Vivek - I don't think I'm planning on putting the strap on it (it might happen). I'm sorry to hear about the rubber - I've had it on lots of things (psion organiser / Saab 9.3 dashboard spring to mind) and it does come off

Scho - Thanks - we'll have to be very careful

Brian - Well, I can look at the RAW files in PS3 (if I convert to dng first). I'll keep copies of good ones, and in the meantime I'll deal with jpg. it's always worth a little experimentation.
Certainly, the 24-45 looks pretty good (but I haven't done any real tests), the 45-200 perhaps less so (but the same applies).

Martin -

What's with the 45-200 mm????

Better than I think?????

SLRgear review of that lens was not stellar.

Hi there

First impressions are that the 14-45 lens is stellar . . . and the 45-200 less so, but we'll see.

I think I agree with SLR-gear on this one. But I haven't really tested it properly.

 

[Terry]

Hi,
I was holding my breath with you and the viewfinder. Yes, when you take the shot it is a jolt that you weren't looking through an OVF.

 

[Robert Campbell]

I'd be interested to hear more about the EVF. I've used ones on camcorders, and the one with the GX100, and been rather underwhelmed.

Is the G1 viewfinder 'the equal' of a SLR viewfinder -- or is it equally good, but rather different?

An obvious comparitor would be the E410/420; better/ worse or just different?

And, comparing to the E410/420 what's the advantage of the G1? They look to be about the same size. The average punter doesn't have a cupboard of Leica lenses which can be attached with adaptors. So why choose the G1 over the E4xx series?

 

[Brian Mosley]

I was using the G1 at our exhibition setup today indoors under fluorescent lighting and the viewfinder was flickering like crazy... first time I've had that happen, but luckily I'm not affected by flickering lights - you can still focus quite easily.

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[jonoslack]

Bertie - my view of The Viewfinder.
Well . . . in good lighting (even good lighting indoors), it's great - it's bigger and brigher than an E420 viewfinder (by some margin). In very low light it refreshes much more slowly - as Brian says, it get's the focus . . . but if you use continuous focusing it really does get gritty and slow (Unless of course there is some setting which I don't know about . . . . unlikely, but conceivable, as I haven't looked at the manual yet).

In decent light it's the only EVF I've ever used where you can actually forget that it's an EVF. On the other hand, it's clearly not the camera to use for indoor football!

Hi Terry - I hope you're well, How are you feeling about yours?

Brian - I hope the exhibition went well.

 

[Vivek]

There is no flickering when a fast lens is used.

BTW, on the question about G1 vs 420- the G1 has a minor advantage over a SLR because there is no mirror (well, you can say inbody stabilization) and has a quiet shutter.

I think there are other system lenses that can be used on the G1, not just Leica lenses.

 

[jonoslack]

There is no flickering when a fast lens is used.

Of course not . . . . can you think of a way we can speed up Mr Stephen Gandy?

 

[helenhill]

Mighty Fine Shots Jono
in particular : Your Colored Pencils & the B&W follow up shot of your Dog

Tres cool...Congrats !
best-h

 

[Vivek]

Of course not . . . . can you think of a way we can speed up Mr Stephen Gandy?

Call Novoflex? They could be quicker.

 

[jonoslack]

Mighty Fine Shots Jono
in particular : Your Colored Pencils & the B&W follow up shot of your Dog

Tres cool...Congrats !
best-h

Thank you Helen:
Colour pencils are, of course, a cheap shot (fun though) - the dog shot was different in that there was a really bright sky in the background,and the camera calmly held the sky and the details in the dog (well, I had to help a little,but they were there - and it was shot in jpg).

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Of course not . . . . can you think of a way we can speed up Mr Stephen Gandy?

Not a chance , he does have his own pace. LOL

 

[Oliver]

If he's importing the 3rd party M mount thingy, looks like December in Japan at $150-200 USD. So I'd guess rather soon, but perhaps not quite in time for x-mas.

http://homepage2.nifty.com/rayqual/Micro4_3.html

 

[Cindy Flood]

Right on, Jono! :thumbup:

On your:


It already did and is showing shiny black plastic underneath in my camera.

Put a little tape where the swivel TFT screen would rub against the body (I will post a shot if that would help) to protect it.

Vivek,
Please do post a shot lf the damage so that we can see. Thanks.

 

[Terry]

Hi Jono,
Sorry for not commenting on the pictures earlier. I wanted to have another look when I got home. So, I really like most of them. On the B&W the one where the trees go over the path seems like it has too much contrast for me although I LOVE the portrait of the dog. Were these right out of the camera? a little tweaking? What settings in camera?