Happy with Lumix G1

<p>I'm very happy with my new Lumix G1. The EVF takes some getting used to, and the placement of some of the control buttons encourages accidents, but the ability to mount so many different lenses is fantastic. So far I have adapters for LTM, Olympus OM, and Pentax-K. In the examples below, I used either the 14-45 kit lens (bridge) or a Zuiko 135mm (270mm on the G1).<br /> Burnside Bridge at the Antietam Battleground in Maryland<br /> <img src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/jamesmck/Misc-Nelsonfoto/255-700.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>View toward the Washington Monument from East Potomac Park in Washington, DC<br /> <img src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/jamesmck/Lumix%20G1/207-700.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>When Micro 4/3 had just two cameras, the G1 was what I recommended to a young woman who asked for advice. The reason for my preference was the "proper" eye-level finder. When I saw the thing I was sorely tempted to buy one myself. Then I saw reason. There's plenty of fast lenses 70mm (equiv.) and longer (such as my own Leica M mount lenses) but precious little that's wider.</p>

<p>I'm happy with mine, too, James. I wanted a lighter (than my D200) camera with a bigger sensor, and the G1 is what I picked. Though the G2 was already out, one of the reasons I picked the G1 was because it had no video (and that fine EVF). It's a heck of a camera, even with that 14-45 kit lens, and even though I already own more cameras than a reasonable person needs, I'm keepin' the little dude.</p>

<p>Which begs a question: how many cameras DOES a reasonable person need? I make money selling prints in galleries but no way do I consider myself a pro, and I usually (it varies) own about 5 or 6. My inventory right now:<br>

Nikon D200<br>

Nikon F4<br>

Panasonic G1<br>

Canon G11<br>

Sigma DP1s<br>

Canon A620 (my wife uses this one)</p>

<p>Mukal: I couldn't agree more about the paucity of wide enough 'legacy' lenses suitable for the 2x crop factor.<br /><br />Ted: I'm afraid that I am much less a "reasonable person" than you are. Still, I do have fewer cameras than shirts :-).</p>

<p>Geez, I guess I'm a minimalist:</p>

<p>Panasonic GH1<br>

Pentax K-7<br>

Canon G11</p>

<p>They all have their particular application. I use the G11 when I want something that's sort of pocketable. Other than that, I was strictly a Pentax guy until recently; I discovered the GH1 to be ideal for travel.</p>

<p>Lenses, now ... another matter. Let's not go there.</p>

<p>Ted. You have plenty of cameras--roughly what I have . (Don't count the vintage stuff.) If your images sell, THAT'S what counts!</p>

<p>OP. Love my G1 as well. Don't look like a dork when I'm shooting (no chimp factor) and the files are excellent. It looks like a 'tourist' camera, so I get less of the "Are you from Code Enforcement?" type of questions.</p>

<p>Count me in to the Panasonic G fan club, too.<br>

I took a long-awaited Europe trip this summer. Brought my G1 with kit zoom and 20mm f1.7, and Canon 40D with some zooms. My plan was to use the Canon most of the time, with the Panasonic as back-up, but the G1 was so much smaller and lighter, and less of a pain to carry in the 92 degree heat that by the end of the trip I was mostly using the G1.<br>

I've made a bunch of 8x10's of the resulting files, and the image quality is just fine.<br>

The EVF that you hear so many gripes about takes about 5 minutes to get used to. For me, it's the difference between a grown-up camera and a really expensive point and shoot like the GF-1 and the Olympus m4/3 offerings. The exposure compensation wheel is a poor design, but every camera has at least one issue. It's fixed in the GH-2.<br>

AND Panasonic has announced a 14mm f2.5 pancake, and says they are considering a "bright" wide-angle, a 25mm f1.4, and a faster zoom.<br>

Altogether a great camera, and getting better.</p>

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<p>Double post.<br>

Oops.</p>

 

<p>Bought the G1 to use Fd glass and found it is a useful small camera even with the kit lens. As to camera bodies well<br>

G1<br>

2 Contax G2<br>

3 Fuji GX680 (2x MkIII, 1x MkI)<br>

Canon 7d 5DII 1DIIN<br>

Canon EOS1NRS, EOS 1V, EOS 1VHS, EOS 3<br>

Canon T90 (2), New F1 (2), F1, EF, A1, AE1<br>

Nikonos V<br>

Mamiya M645 Pro, M645 Pro TL<br>

So just 24 it seems - but lenses I think I have over 100!</p>

<p>I just sold my G1, in order to post-underwrite an extremely foolhardy purchase of a barely used Nikon D300 and a very clean OM3 (I'm dong a ton more film than digital lately, having learned to process the b&w at home....albeit, so far, quite badly). I already miss the little guy and will have one again someday I suspect. Just a note: the 14-45mm is not a "even with" kind of lens; it's world class, really smashing. So is their 7-14mm; not so much their 45-200, and certainly not the new kits lens, the larger yet more limited 14-42. What were they thinking? They had a treasure and threw it overboard....<br>

An outline of my disease?<br>

Nikon D300 and Nikon D40x with AF-S 18-70, AF D 28-70, AF D 28-80, AF D 70-210, and AF-S 35/1.8) <br>

Nikon FM2n and Nikon FE with Ai-S lenses 24/2.8, 28/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.8, non-Ai 55/3.5 macro, Ai 105/2.5, Ai-S 200/4, and 300/4.5<br>

Minolta XD11, Minolta x570, Minolta X700, with lenses: 24/2.8, 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 45/2, 50/1.7, 50/1.4, 58/1.4, 135/2.8, 135/3.5, 200/4<br>

Leica R4s mod p with 35-70/4 zoom<br>

OM3 and OM4T, so far with just the 50/1.4 and 35/2.8 lenses; looking for 24/2.8 and 85/2.8 cha-ching...)<br>

rangefinders:<br>

Leica CL and Voigtlander Bessa 2A<br>

(lenses 21/4 Skopar , 35/2.5 Skopar, 50 Summicon, 90/4 elmarit )<br>

Minolta Hi-Matic 7ii<br>

Yashica Electro 35 GSN<br>

Yashica Electro 35 GST<br>

I've never written it all down before; it's like at an AA meeting, getting up to tell your story.....</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sorry Vince the "even with the kit lens" was not meant to condem it but to express surprise that it performed quite well. I have a rather unfair basis of comparisson as the only other kit lens I have ever bought (Canon FD 50 F1.4 excepted) was the Canobn EF 18-135 that came with the 7D for an extra $200. This lens was given to the kids. My other zooms for SLRs are the full EF F2.8 range and the FD 35-105 F3.5 and FD80-200 F4L all of which are in a different price bracket to the 14-45 Panasonic. I understand that Panasonic corrects some of the 14-45 lens performance in software to remove vignetting and CA - even for "Raw" images.</p>

<p>Philip, no worries. There were two references using "even with" so I was pointing at a general attitude. I just love to praise that lens -- it was such a delight. I longed for and obtained the G1 wanting to use my VC and Leica lenses on a digital and ended up mostly using that; sometimes though I love the way of seeing that one obtains sticking with a prime for a while; that's when I used the other lenses.<br>

G1 and raw is a whole other story. My version of Adobe couldn't handle the G1 raw images and I had to use some other Adobe thing to (very slowly) translate them to DNG files, then move them into Bridge/Camera Raw etc.<br>

when I did that I perceived no ill effect of the hand of the software. I'm not experienced enough to be discriminating on that front but dpreview praised that process without a warning that it would affect raw files in any negative way.<br>

anyway I just gave it to a friend who has an EP1 so we'll see what she says.....</p>

<p>If you can update ACR the newer ACR versions do a very good job with the G1 RAW images. I only shoot my G1 in RAW as I find JPEG quite disappointing (even on My Canon's I only ever use JPEG for ski racing where I need longer bursts that fill the buffer RAW). I used to use a 2 step process but find the latest ACR very good.</p>

<p>It's too late for me, Luke. (Ksheeeeeeh - Kshaaaaaaaw) (ie mechanical echo-ey breathing sound).<br>

I already sold my G1. However I'll let my buyer know. I never managed to find and download a newer version of ACR than was on my Photoshop ACS 4 ... so if you know where to find it and how to do it let me know.... I'd still be interested in having a mroe up to date version.</p>

 

<p>I have just bought a Panasonic G1 to use my old style Leica screw fit lenses - I use a Summitar / Elmar / USSR I50 / Fed Collapsible on my M8 , and my Rokkors on a Leica Dig 3 and spare L1 bodies.<br>

It's ex dem and an affordable £280 , less than a Canon G 11 .<br>

The contrast between the L1 and G1 using the same format is amusing ! But I think a CV 35 f 2.5 Color Scopar will be just perfect for the G1 [ I like the 67mm given by a 50mm on the M8 , and 35 on the Dig 3 gives a useable 70mm ] <br>

It's just gonna be fun and pocketable to use .</p>