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Pocketable, good to high quality, Ultra Wide Angle Camera

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MB17 said:
Hi,

After reading and doing some research based on your suggestions and opinions, I'm closing on the Pana GM1 and the Rokinon. I played a little bit with defishing to various degrees some net sample I found , and cropping, and got results that I enjoyed and found fun.

From the options, this seemed to be the best compromise between size and IQ. Although not truly pocketable, it is quite "cargo" pocketable. And MFT gives me good flexibility to play with other lenses later.

I thank you all.
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I would have picked a Sony NEX-3N: $300.

It comes with 16-50PZ giving you 24mm-75mm coverage. You could, of course, add 8mm fisheye (I have one) or even a 10mm lens that Samyang has or expected to launch soon (15mm equiv on APSc).

Or, Sony 20mm pancake which also works with 0.75x converter giving you 22 or 30mm equiv. I have this combination. Even with ECU1 on the camera, it is comparable to a Rokinon 8mm fisheye.
 
if your well heeled the m9 and 21 zeiss are superb but it wont really fit in your pocket unless its a big pocket but its significantly smaller than a dslr, also cosina makes even wider primes in M mount for this camera. doesn't get any better for super wide and size and image quality etc.

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bosjohn21 said:
if your well heeled the m9 and 21 zeiss are superb but it wont really fit in your pocket unless its a big pocket but its significantly smaller than a dslr, also cosina makes even wider primes in M mount for this camera. doesn't get any better for super wide and size and image quality etc.

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John aka bosjohn21
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I appreciate that. I perhaps could afford, but at this point I could not justify to myself getting it, though a beautiful this system would be: It goes beyond my limited abilities (and interest) in photography. Who knows one day I will get that much into my photos to buy it. :-)

My reasoning for the GM1 + Rakinon was:

- Concerning the NEX, I believe the gain in IQ may not justify the gain in size in all directions, as the MFT system will be already in the limits of pocketability. I'll have to pocket the GM1 sideways already to fit.

- the Pentax Q system would probably be the best size wise, but then I think the IQ gain of the MFT and its versatility as system will be worth the gain in size.

- GM1 + Rakinon may not be the best IQ, but then it looks good and fun enough to play with. If I want a truly high IQ, I'll have to make do framing with whatever I can get with my RX1.

I believe that's was the purpose of MFT from the beginning, right? A good compromise between size and IQ. Does this make sense?
 
MB17 said:
I believe that's was the purpose of MFT from the beginning, right? A good compromise between size and IQ. Does this make sense?
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The purpose of m43 was so that Olympus and Panasonic could make profit from selling cameras, because they certainly weren’t able to make any profit from legacy 4/3 DSLRs.

Originally, small size was stated as a benefit of m43, but then with huge cameras like the EM-1 and huge lenses like the 12-40 f/2.8 and 40-150 f/2.8, apparently small size is no longer the benefit they are pushing.
 
I don't think you gain much in size compared to something like NEX-5R/T, none in terms of depth which I believe was your criteria. In the process you loss grip, LCD articulation. The GM1 advantage would be primarily on height and little on width. Put similar lenses on the two cameras, you will likely discover that the depthis quite similar.

Try camera size comparison between 5T and GM1 with similar pancake lenses (14/2.5 on GM1 and 16/2.8 or 20/2.8 on 5T). I am not sure if m43 version of Rokinon 8mm/2.8 has any size advantage over the E-mount version (which I have).
 
EinsteinsGhost said:
I don't think you gain much in size compared to something like NEX-5R/T, none in terms of depth which I believe was your criteria. In the process you loss grip, LCD articulation. The GM1 advantage would be primarily on height and little on width. Put similar lenses on the two cameras, you will likely discover that the depthis quite similar.

Try camera size comparison between 5T and GM1 with similar pancake lenses (14/2.5 on GM1 and 16/2.8 or 20/2.8 on 5T). I am not sure if m43 version of Rokinon 8mm/2.8 has any size advantage over the E-mount version (which I have).
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What I discovered with my RX1 is that when depth is "unfriendly" (in the RX1 because the lens is big compared to the body), height is a good alternative for pockets: you put the camera sideways in your pocket (of course, depth is also important because it adds to the whole volume, but...). The GM is 55mm, and both NEXes you suggested are 59mm which is not bad... I'll check it out, thanks. Articulated LCD is indeed a cool feature, I miss the one camera I had that had it.

Since you've been very vocal in favor of the the NEX, could you indulge me some questions, please, to help me out on this?

- besides LCD and grip, do you believe there will be much IQ difference? I believe (not 100% sure on that) I've read somewhere that the Rokinon 7.5mm for MFT was sharper and a little better than the 8mm for APS-C... Or the final image will be pretty much even?

- I also wonder which produces the best OOC JPEGs. My impression is that they are pretty much equivalent, only Fujis seem to have wonderful JPEGs, is that correct?

- which system is more versatile in terms of lenses etc.

Thank you for the input.
 
MB17 said:
EinsteinsGhost said:
I don't think you gain much in size compared to something like NEX-5R/T, none in terms of depth which I believe was your criteria. In the process you loss grip, LCD articulation. The GM1 advantage would be primarily on height and little on width. Put similar lenses on the two cameras, you will likely discover that the depthis quite similar.

Try camera size comparison between 5T and GM1 with similar pancake lenses (14/2.5 on GM1 and 16/2.8 or 20/2.8 on 5T). I am not sure if m43 version of Rokinon 8mm/2.8 has any size advantage over the E-mount version (which I have).
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What I discovered with my RX1 is that when depth is "unfriendly" (in the RX1 because the lens is big compared to the body), height is a good alternative for pockets: you put the camera sideways in your pocket (of course, depth is also important because it adds to the whole volume, but...). The GM is 55mm, and both NEXes you suggested are 59mm which is not bad... I'll check it out, thanks. Articulated LCD is indeed a cool feature, I miss the one camera I had that had it.

Since you've been very vocal in favor of the the NEX, could you indulge me some questions, please, to help me out on this?

- besides LCD and grip, do you believe there will be much IQ difference? I believe (not 100% sure on that) I've read somewhere that the Rokinon 7.5mm for MFT was sharper and a little better than the 8mm for APS-C... Or the final image will be pretty much even?

- I also wonder which produces the best OOC JPEGs. My impression is that they are pretty much equivalent, only Fujis seem to have wonderful JPEGs, is that correct?

- which system is more versatile in terms of lenses etc.

Thank you for the input.
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Just to give a heads up: I ended up buying the Sony NEX 5T. The main reason was the articulated LCD. And I love it! And love the grip! Great for a small camera. Much better grip than the RX1 and RX100 (I put the sony grip here). Coupled with the Rokinon 8mm (mostly) and the sony sel 1018, I've already had great fun in a small trip. For travelling alone it is a great combination, because you can also play with self-portraits (more respectful than selfies, though I like the term...) and really smile on the way... Thank you all for your input, and specially EinsteinsGhost for insisting on it!
 
MB17 said:
Just to give a heads up: I ended up buying the Sony NEX 5T. The main reason was the articulated LCD. And I love it! And love the grip! Great for a small camera. Much better grip than the RX1 and RX100 (I put the sony grip here). Coupled with the Rokinon 8mm (mostly) and the sony sel 1018, I've already had great fun in a small trip. For travelling alone it is a great combination, because you can also play with self-portraits (more respectful than selfies, though I like the term...) and really smile on the way... Thank you all for your input, and specially EinsteinsGhost for insisting on it!
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Good call, and congratulations. EG setting people on the right course is par for the course. :)
 
if your well heeled and can live with a smallish but not pocketable camera the M leica with a 15mm cosina is about as wide and small as it gets
 
Check out the White Slim Angel from Superheadz. It has a wide angle 22mm lens, it's ultra light and pocketable, and you get the added bonus of a full frame 35mm sensor -- film! : )

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Check out my photo work at https://www.flickr.com/photos/seanandersonmedia
 
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