Finally… a new camera.

Last year I blogged about shopping for a new camera.

Well, I finally bought one. I actually made my decision on which one to choose not long after I wrote that piece, it just took me a while to actually make the purchase. I picked the Panasonic Lumix G1, but since it was still pretty new, and sporting some amazing new technology, it carried a premium price. Knowing that the patient would be rewarded with better prices I just sat and waited. For me the summer driving season is when I do most of my shooting and I could afford to wait. My trusty old Olympus still works fine, and there was no rush. I did a few events this spring, and the Olympus did fine.

As for the choice, I really appreciate the advice I received, both here and off-line via email and phone chats from so many peers. If you recall beyond the overall qualification of interchangeable lenses, my needs boiled down to a short list of priorities: Small, Light, with a reasonably-sized multi-angle LCD. These are dictated by my shooting style, which is often one-handed, from odd angles… frequently hanging out the side of a moving vehicle(!)

My choice fell finally to the Panasonic, and an Olympus. The Olympus is the smallest, lightest “true” DSLR available. The Panasonic is the first camera to use the “Micro-Four-Thirds system”, which is a combination of sensor and interchangeable lenses, specifically engineered for smaller, lighter cameras. It is NOT a “true” DSLR, as it has no penta-prism and mirror. Instead it has a “live” viewfinder reading directly from the CCD. Other advantages include:

• Contrast detect autofocus is generally more accurate than the phase detect systems usually employed on entry level DSLRs
• Shorter flange-focal distance means that practically all manual lenses can be adapted for use
• Viewfinder potentially larger and (in low light) brighter
• Electronic viewfinder can provide realtime preview of the exposure and tone
• No mirror, so no “mirror slap” causing noise and vibration

The disadvantages are: The viewfinder is very different from other cameras and will take some getting used to, and, a very limited choice of lenses at the moment. You can buy any standard four-thirds system lens and an adapter, but lose some of the functionality of the “micro” system. The Panasonic Lumix G1 is in fact the only camera available in the Micro-Four-Thirds system, and it has only two lenses available right now. Time will change or eliminate both of those disadvantages completely, so I’m not too worried about them.

I went to camera stores and held both the G1 and the Olympus E-420 in my hands. Felt their heft. Looked through their lenses. Made up my mind. The G1 got the nod. I kept an eye on prices every month or so… and waited.

I was scheduled to participate in a local vintage car event this weekend and decided the time was right. Sure enough I checked “froogle.google.com” and the G1 had dropped over $250 since its introduction. The G1 is sold as a kit, with one lens (14-45mm) and when I ordered it a few weeks ago I noted the 45-200mm telephoto was on sale for $65 off, so I figured getting the camera and both lenses was a great deal. It arrived via ground shipping yesterday and I broke it out of the box and charged up the batteries overnight. Today I spent my spare time RTFM’ing and managed to work my way through the entire user manual so now I know what all the buttons and knobs do. Unfortunately my event for the weekend was cancelled a week ago (not enough entrants I guess!) so I’ll have to settle for some other situation to take the G1 out and test it’s abilities. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile here are some photos of my old and new rigs side-by-side:

The Olympus is sporting a wide-angle lens converter that I shoot with almost all the time. The built-in lens on the C-5050z is “ok” but the addition of the .7 converter transforms it into something capable of pretty dramatic photos. The G1 is equipped with a Leica 14-45 zoom lens. It doesn’t quite have the “width” of the converter-equipped Oly. If a very-wide angle lens becomes available in a Micro-Four-Thirds format I’ll likely buy it. Until then I’m considering finding an adapter to mate the Leica and the Oly converter. We’ll see.

Note the size of the LCD on the G1 compared to the C-5050z. It is enormous! It is also very sharp, and zooms automatically to a 1:1 pixel ratio with the CCD when you touch the focus ring on the lens. Amazing.

Note also how the new rig is almost identical in size to my old Olympus. I love that here I have the latest technology, shrunk into a very compact size. Weight-wise they are very close. I think the Oly+Converter outweigh the G1, but without the big hunk-o-wide glass the Oly is still lighter. Not an issue as the G1 will easily allow one-handed low-angle fast-moving photography.

Thanks again for all your help and advice. I can’t wait to start shooting!

I’ll write a review once I’ve had more time with the camera.