Upgrade my SD15

George: I have both the SD15 and SD1M, and I think your plan to keep your SD15 and buy an SD1M is a good choice.

When I first used an SD1 loaner, I was definitely underwhelmed at the outset. Since I shoot sports and always shoot my SD15 at full-on everything mode, I (wrongly) thought that I could do the same with the SD1. Though the full-on, full-size SD1 images were amazing and easily cropped to what I needed, often allowing me to get three or four good shots from one master shot, the lack of speed was driving me crazy.

And then I discovered a large part of the magic of the SD1; ... essentially, it's an SD15 with a "full-race turbo" mode. In other words, and as others have mentioned, you can dial-down the SD1 and SD1M into a very close approximation of the SD15, and get just about the same speed and image quality you're getting with the SD15. So, two cameras in one, so to speak. Sort of like the Nikon D810, which is essentially a combination of their D800 and D800E cameras.

Another huge plus for the SD1M - for me anyway - is the absolutely wonderful ergonomics. Everyone's hands are a bit different, but the SD1M fits my mitts perfectly, as if it was custom molded to my fingers.

Finally, here's a suggestion if you haven't bought your SD1M yet. Keep an eye on eBay sellers from Japan. That's where I bought my SD1M, in brand-new condition, at a killer price. For some reason there's a bunch of good deals on that camera, plus a lot of fast lenses in new and almost new condition from Japanese sellers recently. I've bought six camera items from Japanese stores on eBay over the past few months, and everything was perfect, including the prices.

Once you get your SD1M, please let us know what you think.

P.S.:  Nice shots, Motoman!  Where were they taken?  If all goes as planned, I'll be shooting the IoM TT this year, so any UK two-wheel shots are a definite buzz.