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How about a G12 for pros?

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jedinstvo

jedinstvo

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I just got done shooting some newspaper photos with my G12, a camera I really like. But there are way too many things going on with this nice little piece of gear for the camera to be of value to a working photographer. There's always something popping up unexpectedly with no way to resolve it....at least no way I'm aware of. I want a camera that works like a Leica. I ended up wasting valuable time trying to figure out why the forefinger dial was changing the metering mode instead of the aperture. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed by all sorts of cubicle photographers who know every nook and cranny of the cameras complicated controls. But I'm talking about real work. What I'd like to see is a stripped down camera with more durability. None of the dweeb features that a pro doesn't use. Canon obviously gets real input on the EOS digital cameras. How about building a G12P with advice from photographers who probably will be using an iPhone for this kind of work instead?
 
jedinstvo said:
How about building a G12P with advice from photographers who probably will be using an iPhone for this kind of work instead?
Click to expand...
Very valid point. The other day, my daughter emailed me a high-quality picture off of her iPhone. Set me to thinking, if the photographer can get the composition right and the camera can get the exposure and focus, everything else is fluff.

Unfortunately, that's not the way things work. Having made a living the past 20 years using a certain word processor, I am often frustrated with the plethora of marginal features and uncontrollable defaults. Camera and computer designs are driven by the relentless challenge to create and, unfortunately, feedback from a few users who aren't always in the mainstream of function or utility.
--
Editor Bob
 
Depending on the situation you should look at Micro Four Thirds. A pro photographer (my definition) is making money at what they do and the proof is in the print. When I shot film every wedding photographer was shooting 6x6 Hassy's or Bronica but not Mamiya. The other end is using a pro 35 mm camera but it was not the "norm"

By the time the camera makers make a G12P who knows it may cost too much to do it. These things are made in mass and if Canon or Nikon does not see profit it is a waste of time. It also has to make sense. Pro photographers use power packs, strobes and wireless triggers and the camera needs to have that option.

Something in Leica form is only a Leica, but again micro four thirds does only so much but a DSLR is just what is needed today to do the job if said photographer wants to keep working IMO.
jedinstvo said:
I just got done shooting some newspaper photos with my G12, a camera I really like. But there are way too many things going on with this nice little piece of gear for the camera to be of value to a working photographer. There's always something popping up unexpectedly with no way to resolve it....at least no way I'm aware of. I want a camera that works like a Leica. I ended up wasting valuable time trying to figure out why the forefinger dial was changing the metering mode instead of the aperture. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed by all sorts of cubicle photographers who know every nook and cranny of the cameras complicated controls. But I'm talking about real work. What I'd like to see is a stripped down camera with more durability. None of the dweeb features that a pro doesn't use. Canon obviously gets real input on the EOS digital cameras. How about building a G12P with advice from photographers who probably will be using an iPhone for this kind of work instead?
Click to expand...
 
Curious as to the nature of the subject you were covering with your G12.

Like anything else, right tool for the right job gives best results.

I have a G10 and a Nikon D300. Both excellent cameras. But not used the same way or for the same situations.

Leica on a Canon budget would be nice! : )

Cheers,

DL
 
Interesting you bring up the word processor as an analogy. I've used the same word processor since 1985. I was a copy editor on a major metropolitan daily and now I edit a newspaper which I own. And almost every time I use that one particular frustrating software I ask myself "Who is this for if it's not for me?"
 
Most of the time I carry around 2 5D bodies with three lenses. But sometimes I also need a laptop and I always carry a Marantz audio recorder. That gets too heavy. If know I'll be shooting a portrait a small camera like the G12 is ideal. Actually, in the old days I'd take a Leica with a 35, but I don't shoot film much anymore. I'm not shooting for print, but for an online newspaper. My photos run 469 pixels wide, so a big camera isn't necessary. The quality of the G12 is more than adequate. I'm just saying I wish it had fewer distractions that aren't necessary. The Fuji Finepix 100 is close but still not what I'm looking for. Maybe I need to drop $9000 on a Leica M9P....nah, I could live on a beach on the Black Sea for two years on less! Attached is the shot I took with the G12 today.





!
 
jedinstvo wrote:

How about building a G12P with advice from photographers who probably will be using an iPhone for this kind of work instead?

Hi,

I understand what you mean. All an experienced photographer ever needs is a shutter speed and aperture dial as well as the ISO, + -, and perhaps WB setting. For real luxury add an "A" setting to the shutter speed dial and you have aperure priority, or "A" on the aperture dial that gives you shutter priority. "A" on both dials would give you programme automatic.

As long as you can bild 1538 extra modes and gimmicks into a box without extra cost the above will never happen. You are always in danger of an inadvertant press of some button that will give you puzzles to solve. I have always thought this to be a beginner's nightmare, but now that you write it, it seems logical that it can also happen to a pro, who must work extremely quickly and has no time to familiarize himself with every feature of every camera he uses.

I don't know if I can gve you valid advice, but this would be to use the custom settings as much as possible.

--
  • -Better a small camera in the pocket than a big one on the shelf --
 
You weren't too clear on exactly what is happening that is causing your frustration. Do you mean that sometimes you accidentally change a setting and then have to figure out how to get it set back to what you want? Would tape on some of the knobs/controls help any? Or, maybe I am misunderstanding what the issue is.

I haven't compared the controls, but would Fuji X10 be any better? It costs more than the G12, but if the controls are less fiddly and it has what you want then it might work for you. There is also the Nikon P7100, but I haven't looked at it all. Those are probably the 2 that are most like the G12. Of course, there are completely different types of cameras that you might like (no vf, etc.).
 
Gaffer's tape and maybe a bit of glue in places. The cost of cutomizing a camera body like this for a pro is peanuts.
--
Adrian
 
If you don't count the laps while trudging up and down the pool your brain can function normally, despite the lack of oxygen. It occurred to me that the way to do it is set the camera up with the computer. You go to a web page and all the options are there. Either the camera could be plugged into the computer, or all the programming could be loaded onto an SD card. The photographer could designated the purpose and function of each button without the complicated puzzle of cycling through menus on the camera. Not only would it be simple to organize the camera, but far more options would be possible. Answering above posts, I think the Fuji would be closer to what I'm thinking about. I used to use one of those Fuji 120 film cameras that is like a huge Leica. Great camera. I know something close to perfect is on the way. I'm a big Canon fan so I'm hoping it will come from them.
 
jedinstvo said:
If you don't count the laps while trudging up and down the pool your brain can function normally, despite the lack of oxygen. It occurred to me that the way to do it is set the camera up with the computer. You go to a web page and all the options are there. Either the camera could be plugged into the computer, or all the programming could be loaded onto an SD card. The photographer could designated the purpose and function of each button without the complicated puzzle of cycling through menus on the camera. Not only would it be simple to organize the camera, but far more options would be possible. Answering above posts, I think the Fuji would be closer to what I'm thinking about. I used to use one of those Fuji 120 film cameras that is like a huge Leica. Great camera. I know something close to perfect is on the way. I'm a big Canon fan so I'm hoping it will come from them.
Click to expand...
...it will probably never happen, which is a shame.
 
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