Draek
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Senior Member
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Posts: 2,028
Re: EX1/TL500 owners- honest opinion wanted please
dinneenp
wrote:
So basically I'm wondering
1. what you think of the EX1 (I know there's an EX2 coming) and would you recommend it
Absolutely superb camera for anything but video. The lens in particular is a work of art, best zoom I've ever used bar none, and its sensor is quite good for a compact camera as well---better, to my eyes, than 35mm film at equivalent ISO settings in terms of noise and color accuracy, which is as much as I'd ever need from a camera sensor anyways.
2. why you picked this over other premium compacts
I'll be honest: it was price. I didn't care for a swivel screen (still don't) nor did I trust the Samsung brand much (I do, now), so if they had been the same price I probably would've bought the LX5 instead. But they weren't, and now I'm glad it was so, as I do think I ended up with the superior camera.
3. what you like about it
The lens, the lens, and oh! the lens. Alright, the sensor is also quite good, and its size and ergonomics give you a sense of confidence few compacts match, but the main star is undoubtedly the lens. At f/2.8, ISO80 and RAWs developed in Lightroom, results are simply glorious.
4. what you don't like about it.
Its battery life is pitiful, and charged in-camera just to add salt to the wound. And no, it's not only against SLR cameras---even against cheaper compacts its battery life is just plain terrible. Do budget for a secondary battery and a third-party charger if you decide to get one; you'll thank me later.
Ohh, and I do find it a pity that its video mode is so mediocre; VGA resolution simply isn't good enough, even with the lens and the amount of controls the EX1 has in it.
5. anything else of interest.
Do note that you can only use external, non-coupled viewfinders with this camera, while the LX5/7 and X-Z1 can use an optional EVF as well; it'll probably be important if you do a lot of street shooting or you simply prefer an eye-level viewfinder for your work. Ohh, and if you're interested in video then the EX2F is
definitely
worth waiting for, as unlike the EX1 it shoots video at 1080p/30, with the option for an external microphone to boot.
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