Anyone switch from G/GH camera to GX1 or smaller PEN?

I got a GX1 a couple of weeks ago after using the G1 for four years and the GH1 for about 3 years. I bought the GX1 after handling a friend's, largely as a placeholder while I wait for the GH3 to become readily available. After that it will likely become a second camera, but in the meantime I am really enjoying the compact size and the hinged EVF.

To answer your questions, I consider the EVF essential, though I expect to sometimes carry the camera without it. (I have the 15mm bodycap lens on order.) And yes, I do miss the articulated LCD. Almost certainly I will buy either a GH3 or a G5 after the first of the year.

In the meantime I'm liking the touchscreen and the image quality of the GX1 so well I ordered a second body so I can get my older bodies on ebay sooner.

Gato

--
"We paint with our brain, not with our hands" -- Michelangelo
Portrait, figure and fantasy photography at Silver Mirage Gallery:
silvermirage.com

I agree with the need for the EVF on the GX1, I ended up buying the EVF.  It is more important than an articulating screen, in my use.  I don't find the tilting or articulating screen to be a must have, although it is nice to have for shooting with the camera close to the ground.

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Ging

Greetings,

For paid assignments and/or family casual use do you carry all three cameras at the same time?

How do you carry them?

What lenses will you mount on your two GX1's.?  And the third camera?

Thank you.

FWIW, I usually carry a GX1 with 25 f1.4 , or 14-45 f3.5 and G2 with 45-200.  7-14 f4 in pocket.

Thanks.

Did you get the accessory evf? If so how do you like it?

I started with a GH1 which I love.  The EVF and articulating display plus the grip make it an extremely easy and comfortable camera to use.  The $300 new price from Samy's was easy to take also.  I supplemented this camera with a GF1 which I purchased used for $200 on ebay.

Due to its smaller size, the GF1 has proven to be very useful for certain types of photography...a second body, especially mounted with a shorter lens such as a 20mm or 9-18.  Many times I have mounted the 14-140 on it for a lightweight travel kit...GF1, 14-140 and 20 mm.

The lack of an articulating LCD can be problematic when low or high to the ground or in bright sunlight, and demands an EVF in certain situations.  I have the LVF1 which also works on my wife's LX5.  The hinged EVF does not make up for an articulating or hinged LCD, but is helpful with longer lenses (such as the 14-140 or 45-200) and bright light.

The GF1 is an almost perfect second body when used with in combination with the GH1, compact, lightweight, and easy to carry.

The GF1 is also a good every day camera, mounted with te 20mm, or an event camera...I used it for informal shots at several night events, in combination with the 20mm and I was pleasantly surprised with its quality, and the bride likes the photos just as well as her official photographer's photos.

Both cameras are not great at high ISO, say above 400, usable, but just at 800.  I guess the point is, I have liked the GF1 experience so much, I sprung for another used body on ebay, a GX1 this time to get something somewhat more modern, with better high ISO and got a practically new silver body with 530 actuations.  I have only used it for about 100+ shots, including high speed burst and it is very nice.  JPEGs are much improved.  Slightly smaller, better grip, solid feeling and the touch screen is surprisingly useful and nice.  I am looking for an EVF because I figure it will become useful in the bright summer sun, but in the winter, it is not a problem so far, especially since the EVF is almost as expensive as the GX1 body was.  The GX1 LCD is far improved over the GF1 and the GH1 in bright sun.  The electronic level is incredibly useful.

Bottom line, the GF1 (or I suspect the GX1) has become the everyday carry around camera, the GH has become the main camera when I need two cameras.  If it is more "serious" shooting, and I can only bring one camera, or I am using legacy lenses, the GH1 is the tool of choice.

The nice thing is I can easily fit both bodies into the same travel bag if I need to.

For your uses of street shooting or wildlife, the GX1 would be fine, but for long lenses, I would think you need the EVF.  The G5 might be a better choice for same price as a GX1 and EVF.  I cannot imagine using a GF1/GX1 with a long tele and no EVF, except in emergencies.

I am considering selling the Gh2 because the EPl5 does the things better that are important to me and because GH2 now is worth some money so it can make way for the GH3 in due time.

I miss the articulating screen on occassion. The tilting screen is a good, but for portraits it does not help you for instance (where swivel would do). U have the VF3 for the EPL5, much worse compared to GH2 one but here the tilting screen does the job on many occassions!

The main difference is IQ, IBIS is also nice and he speed (8fps) is nice too. Like you, I bought it for pocketability 9coats pockets, with the 20 mm 1.7 on it) and it works fine. Now that I have it, I see that GH2s only real advantage is the much better video. But I can do without it for a time. I also have used Gh2 after I got the EPL5 for a long day through some natural reserves here. In short: I truely miss EPL5 IQ and so I  don't want my first cam (GH2) to be of a lesser IQ and it clearly is. And I am talking about RAws here. So I woudl recommend the EPL5 to you, as Gh2 has a better sensor than GX1.

I almost never carry more than one camera on my person, but try to keep a backup close by in most cases. My own rule is that any time someone else is counting on me to produce pictures (paid or not) I carry backup equipment. In addition, here in a West Texas a photo session often requires several hours of driving - a second camera is relatively cheap compared to the loss of time or opportunity if equipment fails. I may not have been clear, but I do not plan to keep 3 cameras - 2 bodies is plenty for what I do now.

Back before zoom lenses got really good I did carry at least 2 and sometimes 3 cameras on assignment. In those days I was working in newspaper and often spent several hours a day with a full kit around my neck. I used relatively thin straps, similar to what come with most cameras. the primary camera went around my neck hanging just about the bottom of my rib cage. The bag was on my left shoulder and the secondary camera was also on the left with the strap on top of the bag strap. If I needed a third camera it was on the right shoulder. Let me stress that was with prime lenses and film - now that we can do most of our work with zooms and no longer have to change film every 36 frames we can carry a lot less gear.

My go-to lens is the Olympus 14-54 from the regular 3/4 line - I can go for weeks using only this lens, or this lens plus an inexpensive longer zoom. I bought my first one in 2005 when I was using Olympus DSLRs, then moved to the Mark II version shortly after I took up 4/3 in 2008. I have a 14-45 when I want to travel light and the 14-140 for when I need something a bit longer than the 14-54. Right not I'm considering either the Olympus 60mm macro or the Panasonice 35-100 for a faster portrait length lens. (As an aside, I'm rather impressed with the quality of the 14-42 that came with the GX-1 - much better than one would think from what people say on the forums.)

That turned into a long answer. Hope it was helpful.

--
"We paint with our brain, not with our hands" -- Michelangelo
Portrait, figure and fantasy photography at Silver Mirage Gallery:
silvermirage.com

Yes, got it and love it. Absolutely love the tilt-up feature. The view is very clear and clean, plus I can easily see the full frame in spite of my glasses. It works great and I have the option of leaving it at home when I want a compact kit.

I think my ideal m4/3 camera would include both articulated LCD and an accessory finder.

Gato

--
"We paint with our brain, not with our hands" -- Michelangelo
Portrait, figure and fantasy photography at Silver Mirage Gallery:
silvermirage.com

As someone coming from a p&s camera and only uses the screen for photos, what do you find the EVF provides that the LCD screen does not?  I'm just trying to find out what benefits the EVF has over just using the screen alone.

You could grab a GX1 and get the G3's sensor in a nice package without EVF. You could grab the G3 for its smokin' deal with kit for $299 at bhphoto.com and you retain the EVF with a 16mp sensor.

Or you could grab the e-pl5 for more money and assume that the new sensor will solve all your problems and not create a whole bunch more.

What you do need, though, is the new 16mp sensor in any of these cams so that get the extra stop in low light. And yes, some will tell you that you get another free stop from the Sony sensor, but in RAW I cannot seem to find it. They all seem to come out pretty similar in stable light.

Anyway ... good luck.

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http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com

At least for me the EVF offers better visibility in direct sun, and provides more stability when using a longer/larger lens(but that could change?)

JPEG or RAW? Got samples in RAW?

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http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com

I could agree with that, pending color accuracy is correct and consistant through both EVF and articulating display.

Thank you.

Your reply was very helpful.

Thank goodness for MFT.  Due to a back issue, I can no longer carry 2 or 3 DSLR's for travel.

How do you like the Oly(?) 14-140 as a travel lens compared to carrying for example, a 14-45 or 14-42 or 14-54 + a longer lens to cover the telephoto focal lengths?

And, in your opinion does the 14-140 balance well with the GX1?

Regards.

Care to elaborate a bit on how the GX1 would be acceptable for wildlife, but then say for long lens you may need an EVF? At least in my case for wildlife I use a long lens, for wildlife.

Can I post them here? I can post JPEGS without sacrifcing IQ I think. I guess you'll find plenty of them on the net though...

Who , needs RAW files to determine image quality , I read somewhere that 1024pixles samples areall that is needed

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50357700

Jim

I second that. I'm not an evf guy, but the quality of the displayed image is stunning. i really want to use it more, since I feel more focused on the subject.

You can learn a lot from 1024 pixels.

But I would not draw any conclusions on image quality between two cams unless I processed RAW images myself.

For those who are married to the JPEG engines, then their mileage will vary.

For measurebators who must see every pixel to determine whether a specific image might have "quality" by their own personal definition, well, their mileage will definitely vary.

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http://kimletkeman.blogspot.com