micro four thirds question

finguanzo

finguanzo

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Hello, I had a question about micro four thirds cameras... Is there a fixed lens micro four thirds camera..??
My wife wants a new camera, but Id rather her have a fixed zoom lens, less to carry, plus more room for my lenses.. :)
Thanks
 
Thanks Pan F
I think I might have not asked the question correctly, I like the sigma, but this is not a zoom lens correct..?? By fixed lens, I didnt mean fixed focal length, but non-interchangable. a fixed zoom lens, unless they are, I thought sigmas were a fixed 28mm...????
If that makes more sense...
 
m4/3 as a standard is somewhat defined by the fact it has a m4/3 lens mount! So the question is really "Are there any compact cameras with a non-interchangable zoom lens and large (at least m4/3 size) sensors". m4/3 is smaller than APS-C. But it is bigger than the sensor in any compact I am aware of. The Fuji X10 has a relatively large sensor for a compact: bigger than a Canon G12 for example. To my knowledge it has the largest sensor of this class of camera. But is still about half the surface area of a m4/3 sensor. Nice camera though...
 
Yeah Pan f, it was my mistake on the question .....
I was thinking about the x10, but I keep reading about crappy battery life... 220 shots in, your battery is dead, I guess its easier than swapping film every 36 frames, but she dosen't have the same patience as I do.... :)
 
Part of the Micro 4/3 reason for existence is the interchangeable lens feature, so there are currently no fixed lens mu-43 cameras.

If you want a mu-43 sized sensor in a compact package, go for the smallest and lightest mu-43 body of your choice and then add the new Lumix X Series pancake zoom (14-42mm).

--Warren
 
finguanzo said:
Yeah Pan f, it was my mistake on the question .....
I was thinking about the x10, but I keep reading about crappy battery life... 220 shots in, your battery is dead, I guess its easier than swapping film every 36 frames, but she dosen't have the same patience as I do.... :)
Click to expand...

I think you have to question your process if you need to take 220 shots in a day, and for most purposes you can recharge every night. For those times you can't, then sure, get an extra battery - they don't cost much. P.S. I have an X10 and prefer it to the LX5 in that it has an optical viewfinder. The zoom range on each is about the same and the IQ on both is excellent up to about 8"x12" enlargement.
 
I think you're currently SOL...

I think you're currently SOL...

However, nothing can prevent you from converting a standard micro 4/3 to fixed lens. But be sure you make the zoom range on the lens appropriate to your desired range.

Then, just disable the catch that releases the lens, mount the desired lens and there you have it.... you're fixed zoom lens, largish sensor, high quality mirrorless camera.

My choice would be the smallest of the lot PEN... the E-PM-1. The M is for mini. Shoot the quality of an E5 Olympus with the size of a P&S plus the lens.

The option here.... Same idea, same camera... don't disable the mount, but don't buy or replace any other lenses on the camera... it's just a matter of choice and commitment.
 
:) , thats a great point bob .....
So Leigh, about that x10 vs lx5, those were the 2 in my head.. The vf, no focus indicator, does that confuse things using it.? What are your overall thoughts.. ?
Thanks, and Im sure you all have noticed, Im getting her the camera, but Im making sure I enjoy it too... ;)
 
I would take a look at the latest panasonic zoom...

1442vs20.jpg


OR... the Ricoh GXR with the new APS-C zoom they are making.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/11/28/ricoh16MP
 
finguanzo said:
:) , thats a great point bob .....
So Leigh, about that x10 vs lx5, those were the 2 in my head.. The vf, no focus indicator, does that confuse things using it.? What are your overall thoughts.. ?
Thanks, and Im sure you all have noticed, Im getting her the camera, but Im making sure I enjoy it too... ;)
Click to expand...

Fidel, I'm a bit old fashioned and I can't abide a camera that only has an LCD. In fact I don't even like the EVF's that are currently available and I just sold my GF-1 with kit 14-45 zoom and EVF accessory to get the X10.
Main reasons were that in spite of the acknowledged better IQ of the m43 sensor, the X10 had better ISO performance and quite acceptable quality for normal side enlargements or prints. Another very significant reason was that the X10 has maximum apertures of f2-f2.8 across the zoom range whereas the GF-1 was f3.5 to f5.6. So, a better low-light perfumer.
Another big reason for me is that I wanted a more compact and light camera for travel and family use that still gave me decent features if I wanted to get a bit more 'serious' about what I was taking. The X10 is smaller than my M6 - the GF-1 with the zoom was a bulky camera. The body alone was the same size as the M6 and then there was the added bulk of the zoom and also the EVF on top. It took great pictures though. (I see that the latest compact' zoom for m43 overcomes the problem I had with the original bulky kit zoom).

One potential disadvantage is that Adobe Camera Raw is not presently compatible with the X10 Raw format and you have to use the enclosed free SilkyPix software to open the RAF format but you can then convert the files to something more useable. There's also other software named "Contenta Converter" for $30 which does the same thing. However, I've been perfectly satisfied with the JPG images as they come out of the camera so haven't bothered with RAW. That might be a factor in the claimed battery life too - in best JPG format I see I can take 1600+ images on an 8GB card but only 327 if I shoot both Raw and JPG. Also, I have turned the LCD off. I rely on the auto focus to work and it does - I use the centre of the viewfinder to aim for focus even thought there's no frame shown and haven't missed a shot yet.

I'm pretty happy with it - it's ticked all the boxes for me.

The LX5 would have been my next choice, I think, but I would have wanted the Panasonic EVF accessory viewfinder to use with it even though it's not that good a viewfinder. And as it still has a tiny P&S sensor, even though it's very good, I suspect I wouldn't have traded "down" from the GF-1 for the LX5.
 
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It's not a Micro 4/3, but I'm really liking the Canon G12 I recently purchased.

They've recently dropped in price by about $120, get great reviews, have lots of features, long battery life, and are cute.

Cute is good.
 
If your wife wants a micro 4/3 camera why disappoint her? (One of the few things I have learned from relationships!) Besides you have not said if she knows anything about photography. If she does then she may have a good reason - the larger sensor compared with a normal digicam. Get an M4/3 camera with a standard zoom. But if you are willing to tempt fate you could get her a Panasonic Lx5. I have the LX3 and think its wonderful. The LX5 is said to be better and has a longer zoom range. Its image quality is only a hair's breadth behind an m4/3 and only then at higher isos.
 
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