At the time when tiny cameras were fashionable

[Cafe Racer]

I like to occasionally revisit the comparisons I made a few years ago.



At the time when tiny cameras were fashionable

Here is a first comparison from June 2017 with an update in 2022

https://www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums/72157688958703426/

Do you think we will ever see a real comeback of these mini cameras?

Maybe not from Panasonic m4/3 as they're making the equivalent for their full frame system.



At the time in 2011 small ILC's were increasing in popularity because they were new. Much larger SLR's were the dominant ILC. In today's camera market there's plenty of compact ILC's so I don't think just being compact will guarantee popularity. Panasonic has decided that a large FF sensor camera in a small body is the way to go. I think for m4/3, Panasonic have 'been there, done that.' I'd be surprised to see anything new that's smaller than the G100.

 

[Bobapingu]

Me too. When people review cameras, they always concentrate on video specs. I get it. It's important for some, not me.

I wouldn't buy a camera without video but I couldn't care less about all that movie making mumbo jumbo they talk about. Sometimes a scene is more expressive with motion so I'll shoot a short clip but that's all. It's more of a still with motion, if that makes sense.

 

[Gregg-F]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

 

[jeffharris]

As I recall, it was more a case of affordable rather than fashionable. The alternatives were big black expensive bricks.

One of the major appeals of the early M4/3 system was the fact that it was a compact interchangeable lens system, a bit smaller than an SLR. Small cameras. Small lenses.

When I was looking for my first digital ILC camera, as a Nikon shooter I was really torn. I wanted Nikon, but the DSLR cameras c.2010 were ridiculously big and heavy. A colleague showed my the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus EP1 (he had both!), so I was able to play around with both cameras quite a bit and was impressed.

I bought a GH2.

Old and new.

 

[Maoby]

It's a bit risky indeed.

 

[NiVoak]

My entry into M43 was with the GF3. I bought it to use for work, but found it great fun for personal photography.

Here is a short user review I wrote back then.

My guess is that you can still make very nice pictures with little gem.

 

[Bobapingu]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

You could be right. I'd like to see more colour at the entry level. At the higher level, bright colours could throw a colour cast onto macros. I doesn't seem to bother Pentax though. Once walking along a bush track, I stumbled into a film set. What struck me was that the cars, gear, company logo and crew were all in monochrome. It made sense.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

That non-standard battery killed it. Add, from memory, that it was not friendly for still-shots.

It was not really smaller than a GM1 - just a different box-like shape.

 

[KEG]

I use it with Lumix 45-200

 

[plantdoc]

I found a Lumix ZS3 long forgotten about in drawer. Found a charger and couple of 3rd party batteries online. It has a 12x Leica designed lens, 10 megapixel sensor, and while more P&S oriented, it has a number of scene type modes to compensate for a variety of situations. AF speed is reasonable and the image quality is quite good especially for a nearly ancient device. It has a fitted, firm leather pouch case with belt straps. I now carry it in a jacket pocket when out and about. No longer need to worry about dropping my pricey phone for casual pics.

Greg

 

[SeeingSomeThingsMissingMany]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

Blue G2, Champagne Gh2, Purple E-Pm1 I sometimes lookout for a bargain.

Red Gf3, red G3 I've had.

Pentax dslr funky colours on eg K-x K-r something something line, if I was to pickup a Pentax dslr would be a funky colours.


K-r Fisher price

--
Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.

 

[KEG]

I have bunch of black cameras and one silver Canon EOS M6.

 

[Maoby]

These little Lumix cameras had an excellent reputation at one time

 

[gary0319]

These little Lumix cameras had an excellent reputation at one time

I had a Lumix LX100 for a couple of years. A wonderful camera to shoot. It has been converted to Infra Red and works quite well, still.

 

[mmartel]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

Blue G2, Champagne Gh2, Purple E-Pm1 I sometimes lookout for a bargain.

Red Gf3, red G3 I've had.

Pentax dslr funky colours on eg K-x K-r something something line, if I was to pickup a Pentax dslr would be a funky colours.


K-r Fisher price

Any time I feel my mark 1 X Vario Lumix 12-35 f2.8 with its psychedelic purple tinged barrel is inexplicably gauche, I'll henceforth remember to weigh it against this LEGO-lovers dream by Pentax, take a deep breath, and any nausea and discomfort will surely pass quickly.

Thank you, kind sir.

--
"Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight." - Titanic musician before their final song

 

[Bobapingu]

From what I heard, what else killed was that it was put forward as an action camera. The body was quite solid but once you put a standard lens on it, that was the end of that.

 

[SeeingSomeThingsMissingMany]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

Blue G2, Champagne Gh2, Purple E-Pm1 I sometimes lookout for a bargain.

Red Gf3, red G3 I've had.

Pentax dslr funky colours on eg K-x K-r something something line, if I was to pickup a Pentax dslr would be a funky colours.


K-r Fisher price

Any time I feel my mark 1 X Vario Lumix 12-35 f2.8 with its psychedelic purple tinged barrel is inexplicably gauche, I'll henceforth remember to weigh it against this LEGO-lovers dream by Pentax, take a deep breath, and any nausea and discomfort will surely pass quickly.

Thank you, kind sir.

very welcome.

--
Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.

 

[JakeJY]

I like to occasionally revisit the comparisons I made a few years ago.


Lumix GF3 (2011) / Nikon 1 J1 ( 2011)

At the time when tiny cameras were fashionable

Here is a first comparison from June 2017 with an update in 2022

https://www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums/72157688958703426/

Do you think we will ever see a real comeback of these mini cameras?

No, and for two main reasons:

• A presumably significant portion of the market were people who now use their smartphone instead of a camera, and
• Engineering nightmare. Packing so much circuitry, cooling, and hardware into such a small area is expensive, and may be cost prohibitive for a low priced camera with a questionably sized market.

Thereby is the mouthful. If all small cameras were built for the questionable market for low priced cameras then it is hardly surprising that the market is questionable (Catch-22).

The continuing high prices for 10+ year old quality small cameras such as the GM5 shows that many will pay a higher price for quality.

The issue is how many is "many"? And despite the relatively high price for a used GM5 now, on average sold prices aren't over the $900 the camera launched and that's with extremely low supply. If a successor is put into production, that will have orders of magnitude more volume and I doubt they can really sell at that price (even the GX9 struggled an it's a far more capable camera).

The current price of the Ricoh GRIV and shortage of supply shows that there is a reasonably good market for small highly capable camera bodies.

Fixed lens compacts are a different market, and it's been proven Panasonic can't fetch the same price as other brands even if they make a capable one.

A small capable Fuji camera is also quite expensive and Fuji have toruble keeping up with demand.

I see the same problem as above, Panasonic/Olympus can't command the same prices.

Yet even today the first word expressed about a compact sized camera is "pocketable?" and the second "pancake" as the only size of lens suiable for use with it.

Yes, that is the issue, even the smallest body like the GMs, the lens makes it so unlike a fixed lens compact, you can't fit it in a pants pocket. That's the same reason why I found it acceptable to move up to the GX85 (which can fit in a jacket pocket). The price was the same at the time and I get a far more capable camera.

I've floated around the idea of making a specialized lens that retracts into the body like a fixed lens camera's does, but I don't think any manufacturer would bother to design it (it would only be compatible with certain cameras due to clearance with the shutter).

Panasonic makes the compact, addictive and affordable G100D and yet buying hozizons are limited by complaints about lack of IBIS. I should also note that it is not really pocketable nor only suitable for very small lenses.

 

[Cafe Racer]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

Beige OM System OM-5ii !

 

[gary0319]

I love the colours of those Nikon1s, seems to be little market for such wild colours these days

Beige OM System OM-5ii !

I had preordered the beige OM-5 II, but after it being back ordered for an extended time, I opted for the silver. I have yet to see the beige one in the flesh. My compact red TG7 fits in my shirt pocket and now fills my color needs …. shown below with my silver OM-5 II (fits in a jacket pocket)