Tony
not sure if youre after comments, but if you aren't just don't read this
I have just got back from Focus in Birmingham. As I have posted earlier I am a committed EOS owner with a 1d, a 5d and a 350d - with a Ricoh GRD2 belonging to my wife. The 5d is my workhorse for around where I live. The GRD2 goes on every holiday/excursion and the 350d when it's a trip where the Ricoh might struggle.
sounds a fair and reasonable arrangement.
Until eight hours ago I had never held a G. I am not interested in a camera without a 'proper' viewfinder so I looked at the G1, the G10, the G2 and a Canon 550d.
First impression is how much heavier the Canon feels with a lens of similar focal length to the Pannys.
precisely why I dropped my 20D and 10D systems.
Back in
Jan 2009 I was eyeing the G1 ... memories of dragging my 10D and 12-24 around india for 2 months were fresh in my mind.
Second impression is how much the viewfinder has been degraded for the G10.
yes, I'd regard it as a framing tool.
Third impression was that, for me as a G newbie, I wonder whether the new tricks of the G2, such as touch screen, better video, are useful enough at a time when there will be quite a price difference.
as a G1 owner I'll say they are not
if you're not afraid of the used market grab a used G1 and you'll get it for under $400 I reckon.
Conclusion. Yes, it would be lovely to upgrade from my 350 to the 550 and continue to use the same lenses - but if the object of the investment is to get a travel camera that weighs quite a lot less then the G1 is the answer (almost certainly abandoning the kit lens and having the short zoom and the pancake).
again, sounds fair. I would not under-rate the std zoom ... the 14-45 is a good lens. I'd couple it with just a 50mm f1.8 (pick your brand) and perhaps a light 80-100 and you'll have a very capable outfit. I've recently bought the 45-200 and didn't think so much of it. Compared to my FD 200f4 its optically inferior.
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2010/02/panasonic-45-200mm.html
I divested myself of much of my EOS gear over the recent years, and starting with 4x5 back in 1999 helped that along considerably. Still to this point in time I find that when I want 'contemplative landscape' my 4x5 gives what nothing else can, but when I want a travel light camera I think that the G1 is great.
On a recent trip to bits of Spain and Italy I took just my G1 + 9-18mm + 14-45 + 200mmf4 I'm sure it weighed about the same as my 10D and Tokina 12-24 alone.
selected images are
here for you to get an idea of the sorts of range that gives.
hth