Help on Panasonic G1

[Bill Pierce]

I've borrowed a Lumix G1 to see how it works via adapter with Leica M mount lenses and a few rather specialized lenses for the old Canon F's. I'm primarally interested in two things. (1) Finding relatively affordable digital cameras that take advantage of a large collection of Leitz and Cosina lenses and supplement the M8. (2) Finding other relatively small cameras that, like the M8, don't attract too much attention when you are out shooting in public (unless you are shooting near a Leica fan).

To be honest, I'm most intereted in cameras which are still vapor like the Samsung because they will afford a larger sensor (and presumably better low light performance).

When it comes down to it, I'm just looking for a cheap camera I can use in the same situations where I prefer a digital Leica over a DSLR. So HELP. Any of you folks with G1 experience or experience with any small, quiet camera that performs well in a variety of situations, I would sure like to hear your thoughts.

I suspect a lot of other people would also like to benefit from your experience.

Bill

 

[charjohncarter]

I have no experience, but that adapter feature had me interested too. I comes in at, I think, $900.00 which would really be a nice price for all those (new) features. The new no mirror flopping around like it has been doing for more than 50 years might also truly bring digital photography into the 21st Century.

 

[Tuolumne]

The only other option right now for your lenses would be the Epson R-D1 (used) or the soon to be released R-D1x (new). I have shot M-adapted lenses on the G1, and while it's kind of cool, they seem to loose their special character on that camera. The R-D1, on the other hand, allows the character of each lens to shine. I like the G1 for what it can do with its native lens; I like the R-D1 for what it can do with M lenses.

/T

 

[BillBingham2]

Hey Bill,

Welcome to my nightmare. I looked into this same and sadly T is right, we are SOOL.

Hence I've gone with a GR-D, can't use any of my glass. I've sold off all of my M glass and moved over to the Nikon RF world. I got tired of having my SLRs and RF lenses moving different directions.

I'm just plugging along happy with the GR-D.

B2 (;->

 

[RayPA]

I'm not sure what you're looking/asking for, but if it's any digital camera that handles and acts like an RF (quiet, small, inconspicuous) and is not the G1, the M8 or the RD1, then you might want to look at the Canon G10 or the Panisonic LX3. The Pani has the better image quality, but the G10 handles like an RF. The GRD and the Sigma DP1 are supposedly right up there too; although, I've not shot with either.

I have the G1. It's quieter than some RF cameras, especially the cameras with metal electronic shutter mechanisms. It's also smaller than some RF cameras. HOwever, with the 2x crop factor you really have to go wide on lens selection to shoot candids or street.

/

 

[Pablito]

Panasonic LX3 is amazing. I got two of them. 24mm f2.0 lens and great image quality even at high iso. Does not replace the Leicas or the DSLRs but comes close. the 24mm external viewfinder seems impossible to find anywhere though.

 

[KEH]

Bill, there is a thread related to this started by Gordy Coale. I find the G1 small, quiet, and very effective. Most lenses will eventually be mountable by adapter (I have the M and LTM adapters), and manual focus can be very precise (via zooming the viewfinder), if not particularly quick. Here is a shot from Sunday with the CV40/1.4 SC:

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[Bill Pierce]

I think what I have found out isn't surprising to anyone. If you have to shoot quickly (i.e. people), and, if you are going to have to stop down, use the coupled lenses. If you can shoot near wide open, it doesn't matter as much whether you use coupled lenses or adapt the camera to existing Cosina, Leica, Canon FD, e.t.c., lenses. The fact that you actually have to focus rather than rely on autofocus isn't quite the threat on the rangefinder forum as it is on the autofocus forum.

That said, although the performance is very good for a small sensor, you do help the situation by using low ISO's and high apertures. As the current Lumix zooms are good, but pretty slow, that means higher speed, adapted lenses can be an important consideration for quality.

No suprises, pretty much what many in the RF forum have said.

Many thanks to the folks that helped me out on this thread.

 

[kbg32]

I've been using the G1 for awhile now. I am very fond of the camera and the Panasonic lenses that are made for it. The camera is fast, convenient, quiet, and compact. I have a slew of M, CV, and Zeiss that I have tried on the G1, but find the Panasonic lenses provide the best files. As a matter of fact, while it is interesting to use other glass, I really saw no advantage in using M, CV, or Zeiss glass over the Panasonic lenses. I believe it has something to do with the chip. It doesn't "resolve" or "draw" images like the chip in the M8, where certain lenses just produce amazing files.

 

[Tuolumne]

I've been using the G1 for awhile now. I am very fond of the camera and the Panasonic lenses that are made for it. The camera is fast, convenient, quiet, and compact. I have a slew of M, CV, and Zeiss that I have tried on the G1, but find the Panasonic lenses provide the best files. As a matter of fact, while it is interesting to use other glass, I really saw no advantage in using M, CV, or Zeiss glass over the Panasonic lenses. I believe it has something to do with the chip. It doesn't "resolve" or "draw" images like the chip in the M8, where certain lenses just produce amazing files.

Interesting and I agree. I find the same with my G1. I still can't figure out why. If it were the chip or the software, you'd think there would be something "wrong" with the files, that gives them so much of their own character. But there isn't, at least to my eye. The files look fine. They just don't change with other lenses. Weird.

/T

 

[splitimageview]

I guess I'm the oddball, I see the same rendering characteristics whether a particular lens is on an M8 or a G1. Sure, it's wider on the M8 and there are camera-specific differences in the files. A bonus is I can actually focus the G1, I like shooting at wide apertures, and it was hit or miss on the M8. It's pretty much 'hit' on the G1.

Out of the 700 or so photos I've taken, perhaps 10 were with the kit lens...adapted lenses offer much greater speed, not to mention the character differences. A 45mm f/5.6 is of no use to me. That makes the kit lens usable only at the 14mm setting pretty much.

 

[hawkeye]

Bill

I have a Pani LX3 and it is amazing. The f/2 (at 24mm) lens is fast and unbelieveable sharp and with beautiful tonality. At ISO100 the LX3 prints are prettier than my Nikon dSLR files.

As I understand digitals file quality is a combination of both the lens quality and the algorithms used by the CPU. And that the math is almost more important than the lens. Looking at the LX3 images off a smaller 10MP sensor than the Nikons I have to believe that this is a factor.

I also use my old Voigtlander 25mm viewfinder on LX3. For most work it is quite accurate although I tend to frame using the parralax close-up brightline dash lined frame.

Steve