savas_kyprianides Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 This link was a surprising find on another forum, bound for a Luminous Landscape article comparing the G9 with the Leica M8: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/G9-Japan.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Interesting. G9 needs a fast 28mm. With Lensmate the G9, not easily pocketable to begin with, approaches Pentax K10D size (especially considering pancake primes). With accessory wide lens the price advantage shrinks. G9 viewfinder is useless with Lensmate, making it a vastly larger camera that's less capable optically than than Canon SD870, because the latter features 28mm. If SD870 had a hot shoe, it'd be a killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryrock Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I love my G9 and think the LL review is very accurate. 28mm capability is not that critical. I do not need the converter or any additional lenses with this camera. It shoots RAW FILES! This was the deciding factor for me. This camera goes with me everywhere. You should try one John! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summitar Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 One of the major reasons I selected the Canon A650 IS over the G9 is that I couldn't hold the G9 very well. Where can I learn more about Lensmate? Is the lens shade really necessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas_kyprianides Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Kerry, the lens shade you refer to is an adapter that accepts lenses and filters. It does not help for shade or act like a hood. The reviewer happened to like holding onto it. The grip that Richard Franiac makes furnishes, for me, the big difference in grip. It is inexpensive and adds so much; many think it should have been standard issue. I don't use the lensmate adapter all that much, except when occasionally putting the 2x tele adapter on the camera for 440mm. The A650 is a wonderful camera, though I don't think it features raw capture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin carron Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I'm with John K on this one. The lack of anything approaching a wide angle on so many P&S cameras is a serious problem for me. Obviously I am in the minority as few manufacturers bother with the wide angles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 There are several few that do. You've just got to look for brands that start with something other than "C"... http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/3047994#165903262-X2-LB http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/3986208#234165420-X2-LB http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/3986208#243966958-X2-LB http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/2900447#156477672-X2-LB http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/2900447#177649267-X2-LB http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/2900447#184094436-X2-LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 We need a short-term ability to amend a post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The handgrip looks like a very useful accessory. Much more useful than the big 'lens shade'. How often do you use filters in a camera like that? A lens hood would be useful but to add a big piece of drainpipe to the front of the camera that blocks the viewfinder is certainly not for me. I would also like a 28 or even 24, even if the long end becomes a bit shorter. 24-135 anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 [[How often do you use filters in a camera like that?]] I had a lensmate adapter for my A80 and, while I used a polarizing filter occasionally, what I really got it for was mounting a reversed 50mm lens for some macro photography. Fun stuff. [[24-135 anyone?]] Have you tried the Ricoh GX100? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I'm about to buy a GRDII...reviews on GX100 don't appeal as much as do Canon 870 or G9. Lack of optical finder is a deal killer for shooting people. Canon's only rivals appear to be Ricoh and Sony. People still use Leica rangefinders for good reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin carron Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Wide angle starts at 28mm. What about 24, 20...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 "Have you tried the Ricoh GX100?" I have tried it briefly. I also tried to use my GRD without the optical finder for a few days. Then I bought a separate finder for it. Many people are using these cameras with the rear LCD. Good for them. But I found it completely useless in bright sunlight, even with the LCD brightness boost on. I will not buy a digicam without an optical viewfinder, either built in or separate. Sadly, the GX100 does not have one, and being a zoom compact, it is not easy to equip it with a separate one either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Dockery_Photos Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I have the same set-up as described in the article and love it - vastly improves handling. The Lensmate does add bulk and make the camera less pocketable (in pants), but I can carry it in my jacket pocket no problem. It does act as a hood to a certain extent, and I have added a rubber one to it (must keep it folded back on wide angle). I find this very useful when shooting on a snowy day to keep moisture off the lens. The whole thing pops off with the push of a button when using the flash. I also agree with the article's conclusions - great camera with some limitations. It seemed like the best bang for the buck small camera going now. I often get around the lack of 28 mm by shooting a panorama series and stitching in post. I hardly use my Rebel XT any more (but would love to get a new SLR). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I had that set up on my G7, but found it disrupts the compactness which, after all, seems to be the point. When I happened to see an Olympus E-410 at the camera shop and realized that with the 14-42mm kit lens it was just as compact as the G7 with Lensmate adapter it was goodbye G7. Had the G7 been a G9, I don't know if the outcome would have changed. The responsiveness of the E-410, larger sensor, and other DSLR attributes, most importantly its responsiveness, won me over. I think the luminous-landscape article, as flattering as it is, also points out the digicam downside of slower response to the photographer's inputs. One can adjust to these things and it depends on one's style and the needs of the moment, but I sensed in the article that novelty played a part in the writer's enthusiasm. To nod to his analogies, when the honeymoon is over, will the G9 continue to suffice as camera to choose over something like an M8? In my own case between the G7 and the E-410, it didn't. For me the pendulum regarding camera size and the compromises required swings back and forth, and it's now swinging back toward the larger end since I've been using a panasonic L1 with the obviously rather large 14-50mm /2.8-3.5 panaLeica lens. The results from that kit don't require me to rationalize the quality or performance, and carrying it in a small domke F5 bag is, for me, no more hardship than having the G7 over my shoulder. Different strokes and all that, but IMO the whole big camera vs little camera thing is overplayed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Dockery_Photos Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I bought my G9 for climbing and back-country skiing trips where weight is at a premium, and size matters - a smaller camera fits in a padded case that clips to my pack or harness much better than a SLR, so I tend to get it out more, and take more pictures. A side effect I've found is that I grab it for short walks with the wife more than I would have with my Rebel and have had a couple of lucky "found" shots as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w_t1 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I find I take it a lot more (to work, on walks with the dog, to Home Depot, etc.) because it slips in a pocket well, esp. a jacket pocket. My G2 isn't as pocketable. I do miss the swivel screen, though. Jim, or anyone who has the setup, does the grip attach firmly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Dockery_Photos Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 The grip comes with super sticky adhesive that seems solid. Mine is doing great after a few months and I've had it bouncing around in a little Lowe neoprene case on my pack when skiing a number of days recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerjporter Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 was the kodak P880 the only point and shoot to offer a 24mm lens? that camera had potential, but was ahead of its time in some ways, and fell short in many others... not really pocket size, but great lens length (24-140 mechanical zoom) and raw files. if it hadn't been so slow, it would have been a great street camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael s. Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 << ... <i>was the kodak P880 the only point and shoot to offer a 24mm lens? ... </i>>><p> Another was the <a href=http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25521>Nikon Coolpix 8400</a>, which offered 24 - 85mm (equivalent), and by reputation was optically quite good, but suffered from pronounced lag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbizarro Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Adding the adapter tube also helps balancing the camera a bit better when using an external flash. And, if you want to carry it in your pocket or a belt pouch, it takes only 1 second to take the tube out. No big deal really. I use the tube a lot to shoot IR images with the Hoya filter, so I am glad there is one available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Sony R1 offered a 24-120mm lens, and a big sensor. To say it isn't pocketable is an understatement. The Ricoh GX and GX8 were sweet little cameras that had a small adapter and wide angle converter that provided a 22mm equiv FOV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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