picnic wrote:
No one can tell me if they have to carry a bag that they might as well carry the 5D--been there, done that for almost 4 years and largish DLSRs prior to that. .

Diane


I respect your preferences and I'm not trying to convince you to just tough it out with your 5D. All I'm saying is that I have tried several smaller cameras and invariably always regretted not having my 5D, since I had to bring a bag to carry any of these "almost pocketable" cameras anyway.

I was initially excited by the prospect of having a pocketable digital version of my EE-2. It still doesn't exist, so the 5D is still my best choice even if that means I leave it at home a lot.

Re: G1; I really need to play with it to comment on it, but I suspect it will end up in the same category as all the rest (for me so far).

cogitech wrote:

Re: G1; I really need to play with it to comment on it, but I suspect it will end up in the same category as all the rest (for me so far).

Paul,

If you make it to one of the TPMG socials, I invariably have my G1 on me. I should have one of the smaller lens options soon as well.

I personally find it just about the perfect combination of quality and portability, at least for my needs.

mawz wrote:
cogitech wrote:

Re: G1; I really need to play with it to comment on it, but I suspect it will end up in the same category as all the rest (for me so far).

Paul,

If you make it to one of the TPMG socials, I invariably have my G1 on me. I should have one of the smaller lens options soon as well.

I personally find it just about the perfect combination of quality and portability, at least for my needs.


Thanks for the offer, Adam. I might just do that.

How would the G1 work out for someone who has no interest at all in AF, live view, LCDs and all that jazz? Someone who is addicted to manually focusing with a huge, super-precise VF?

cogitech wrote:

Thanks for the offer, Adam. I might just do that.

How would the G1 work out for someone who has no interest at all in AF, live view, LCDs and all that jazz? Someone who is addicted to manually focusing with a huge, super-precise VF?



I don't do AF, live view I do, but it's a whole different ballgame with a flip/twist LCD. I almost never used it on the D300.

The G1's EVF is large (not huge, but neither is the 5D's, the two are similar sized), quite precise and has 10x zoom as an option for when you need extreme precision. It's very good to manual focus on, particularly with fast glass. I have no issues nailing focus with f1.4 lenses wide open. Frankly it is in my opinion the best sub-35mm platform for manual focus.

The downside? You'll start pricing really exotic lenses. Like C mount stuff and RF lenses.

What you've just said about manual focusing has me very interested in the G1, now.

Indeed, that is a dangerous downside

What's the best manual "standard" lens for the G1, in your opinion?

cogitech wrote:
What you've just said about manual focusing has me very interested in the G1, now.

Indeed, that is a dangerous downside

What's the best manual "standard" lens for the G1, in your opinion?

That I've used? The CV 25mm f4 (tiny, sharp, not terribly fast). I'm seriously waiting for the upcoming 20mm f1.7 from Panasonic, which will likely be my main normal. I'm mostly using a Tamron Adaptall-2 28mm f2.5 as my normal until I find a better compact normal.

Normals are probably the biggest weakness of the system right now, since you pretty much have a pick between large but good (various fast 28's and 24's), small and slow, or Leica's improbably expensive options (the huge 4/3rds 25/1.4 or the ungodly expensive Summilux-M 21 or 24's) or dealing with edge performance issues with the faster RF wides (which can 'smear' at the edges due to lack of telecentricity) like the CV 28/1.9 and 28/2.

The best options are in short/medium tele's, ie adapted 35's, 40's and 50's. The CV 15's are also reportedly excellent performers, as are the 21/4 and 25/4 Color-Skopars.

Yeah, that 2x factor. Man, that's hard to swallow... Again, if it was truly pocketable then I might force myself to overlook lack of FF.

I think I have to just admit to myself that the camera I want will never exist.

cogitech wrote:
Yeah, that 2x factor. Man, that's hard to swallow... Again, if it was truly pocketable then I might force myself to overlook lack of FF.

I think I have to just admit to myself that the camera I want will never exist.

As the system matures, options will appear. It's pretty clear that both Olympus and Panasonic realize that primes are strongly desired in the system, since there's now almost as many primes announced/shown for m43 from Panasonic and Olympus as there is for normal-range primes from teh same 2 makers in 4/3rds (17/2.8, 20/1.7, 45/2.8 OIS macro for m43, 25/1.4, 25/2.8, 35/3.5 and 50/2 for 4/3rds) despite 4/3rds being a 6 year old system.

I'd also be interested in seeing Panasonic's compact model. It's rumoured we'll see one later this year, possibly as the LX3 replacement. The biggest problem will be that sticking a 3" LCD on it will not leave room for an EVF in a compact model. I'd like to see a clip-on EVF a la Ricoh GX100 as the solution, rather than the clip-on OVF of the E-P1 and LX3.

For me it's not simply about whether it will fit in a pocket (though I wear duffle coats 6 months of the year and I am certain that it will). It's about having a second body for casual shooting that doesn't look like an SLR. It's about discretion as much as pocketability, and, seeing as I'd have to use liveview to focus any of my alt lenses on a 450D or 500D, the lack of an EVF is of very little consequence. I'm looking at a 2 lens kit with this camera - the 17 (or the Panasonic 20 when it comes out, subject to decent IQ) and a Konica 40mm 1.8.

The second lens will definitely fit in a pocket, and the body with lens attached will fit in a jacket pocket for me. No camera will fit in my pants pocket...

So this camera makes sense. I have also bought an EOS adapter so that I can use all of my Alt lenses on the EP-1 with minimal hassle.

cogitech wrote:
I think I have to just admit to myself that the camera I want will never exist.

It's like laptops: we want fold-out screens and keyboards which are much bigger than the laptop itself...

Have a look at one of these though:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001R23JMQ?ie=UTF8&tag=amipho-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001R23JMQ

I used to have a Fuji F31fd and I really enjoyed it. This camera seems to be a worthy replacement, and genuinely quite jeans-pocketable.

I'm always wary when I see that many MP crammed into a sensor the size of a [insert small object], but I will certainly look into it more, as I have heard nothing but good things about the F30/1. Thanks.

I was also loking at a truly pocketable cmera after the E-P1 comes in, but for me the F200 was neither here nor there. It is not far enough from the G10 to be out of the way in clothing -then again, I also don't like carrying a wallet, so pocketable is pretty subjective I guess
I did take some photos with it though and it is nicely responsive.

Yes, pocketable very much depends on how big your pockets are! For example, the rear pockets in a bicycle jersey or the cargo pockets in cargo shorts are plenty large enough for an EP-1 and a prime. If you're like me, you have those two kinds of pockets in over 75% of your shooting (mountain biking, cycling, backpacking and most travel situations).

So for me, the EP-1 is pocketable.

I'm very much looking forward to replacing my E-420 + 25mm f/2.8 pancake lens with an EP-1 + 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens.

I'll have greater insight to offer after Friday when my EP-1 is scheduled to arrive...