Comment & Critique: my M43 shopping list

TyphoonTW wrote:

It all started here: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55855029

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me making the first step into M43, I've been enjoying it greatly so far! I've enjoyed it to the point that I'm planning to slowly add lenses to my collection, in order to cover all the situation where I can't / don't want to carry my 6D with me.

I currently have G3 and Panny 14mm f2.5. I'd be thrilled to switch the G3 to a better body, but apart from a couple of missing features I can't complain much about it, especially considering that I paid 100$ shipped for it. I'll consider a body upgrade maybe next year, at this moment I prefer to focus on lenses.

Here's what I'm planning to do:

a) The: "I want to carry camera + 1 really small lens that will give me good coverage, while being able to drop it in the backpack without having to worry about it" setup

For this, I plan to get the Panasonic 12-32. When collapsed it's really tiny, 24-64mm equivalent range sounds really useful, and the sharpness is quite impressive. G3 + this lens would be with me daily.

b) The: "I'm going for a small trip and I want to be able to do a bit of everything with just one lens" setup

Panasonic 14-140mm mkII seems like the best candidate for this. Keeping my fingers crossed to get my hands on a second hand copy, especially now that it comes with the G7 it may be a bit easier to find one.

c) The "I'm going for a trip where I want to able to shoot everything but can't carry the 6D with me (hiking/cycling trip)" setup

One could argue that b) and c) have a bit of overlap, but sometimes I go on longer trips on the mountains and during those occasions I want a UWA with me. The 14-140mm mkII would be part of the kit, and my other lens of choice is the Panny 7-14. It would offer similar range to my Canon 17-40 + 70-300 at a fraction of the size and weight. My wallet is not excited by the cost of the 7-14mm, but there are not many options available.

There are a couple of primes that I'd like to get, but if I have to take portraits or shot in low light, I'd rather take out the 6D with primes.

How does my plan sound like? Anything that could be improved significantly? I haven't considered the f2.8 zooms and don't plan to buy any in the near future ($$$).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Good plan. Maybe you could get a GM1 with the 12-32. That is a really small package. AFAIK the 14-140 (and 12-32) are a little sensitive to shutter shock, so it will work better on a GM1 (EFC) or any other body with electronic shutter then a G3.

The 7-14 is a great lens!