slr & digital!

I'm going to be demoing an Oly 420 w/pancake lens next week. I have used the L1 and REALLY liked it but it's kinda big with that (REALLY sharp) kit lens. But you can't get the L1 new anymore unless someone is clearing out old stock.
The 420 promised to be very compact and not very expensive.
 
all new and local cdn. prices.
i've long wanted to play with that l1...

Olympus E330 w/14-45
Reg. $899.00 SALE $499.00

Olympus E420 w/14-42mm
Reg. $629.00

Panasonic DMC-L1 w/14-50mm F2.8-3.5
Reg. $1599.00 SALE $799.00
 
The 420's a better choice IMO. It has a brighter viewfinder, newer sensor and is very small and light. The 25mm (50mm equiv) pancake is pretty cool too.
 
a dSLR's autofocus and shutter responsiveness won't be significantly faster than a GRD in snap mode... at least this has been my experience with the D200 and the GRD...

the GRD at f2.4 indoors at iso400-800 in snap mode is sufficient for snaps of my dog... can't see why you really need a dSLR for photos of your dog...
 
Joe,
I had a L1 for about 6 months. A couple of observations from a RF user point of view:
It is big but works like an RF/manual slr.
It is big (I know I said that)
In Low light the VF is utterly useless.
The live view is great for stationary shots but too slow and clunky for street or candid. The AF freaks out at night. manual Focus sucks because there is no split image and the VF is very dark in low light. When conditions are right the images are awesome.

I had a Nikon D300 on loan for a week or so. None of these problems. None except that it is even bigger and MF suffers from no split image in the VF. I heard a Katzeye takes care of this but plays havoc on proper exposure, But that is just hearsay.
 
I'm doing well enough with an E-300: and I understand that its successors are rather better in most or all respects. A good place to look for information and considered opinion is wrotniak.net.
 
back alley said:
all new and local cdn. prices.
i've long wanted to play with that l1...

Olympus E330 w/14-45
Reg. $899.00 SALE $499.00

Olympus E420 w/14-42mm
Reg. $629.00

Panasonic DMC-L1 w/14-50mm F2.8-3.5
Reg. $1599.00 SALE $799.00
Click to expand...

Joe,

The 14-50 Leica is almost worth that $799 price. Matsuiyastore has a 14-50 at the moment at a BIN price of $748. You could get the L1 for next to nothing, effectively. The 14 - 50 is quite highly rated.
 
monochromejrnl said:
a dSLR's autofocus and shutter responsiveness won't be significantly faster than a GRD in snap mode... at least this has been my experience with the D200 and the GRD...

the GRD at f2.4 indoors at iso400-800 in snap mode is sufficient for snaps of my dog... can't see why you really need a dSLR for photos of your dog...
Click to expand...

i use the snap mode and it is fast, no doubt. i want more than quick snaps of the mutt.
 
i think it all boils down to wanting a digital camera that has some flexibility and access to different lenses.
i can't afford the m8 and while the rd1 remains a possibility just buying a new dslr is the simplest and maybe the cheapest route.
 
you wrote initially: the only reason i would look at an slr instead of a point & shoot is for shorter shutter lag. getting a decent photo of my super speed little dog is next to impossible with my panasonic fz 20.

back alley said:
i use the snap mode and it is fast, no doubt. i want more than quick snaps of the mutt.
Click to expand...

just get it... no need to reason with yourself... certainly not with the RFF population... if you don't like it you can always sell it without losing much...
 
this place kills me sometimes...

i originally wrote asking about a couple of different cameras and it turns into a therapy session about my motives.

so back to the basics, if someone out there has experience with the l1 or the oly equivalent i would appreciate any and all comments.
and thanks to those who have already done so.
 
I have the Oly E-420 arriving tomorrow with the 14-42 zoom but hope to add the 25mm. Does anyone know when it's due to hit the shops in the UK. I know some shops are taking advance orders.
 
kshapero said:
The DSLR that appeals to me at the moment is the Pentax K200/K20 twins. Lots of small primes they offer are appealing.
Click to expand...

I dunno if you were reading that perfect DSLR thread I started, but as a result of someone's recommendation on there (JTK's) I sold my EOS 40D and lenses and bought a K20D. I had gotten tired of some ergonomic issues I had with the 40D, but mostly I was bothered by the high price of image stabilized Canon-compatible glass. The K20D is not as nice a camera, ultimately, but it's smaller, lighter, has in-body IS, high resolution for extreme crops, and lets me use my inexpensive Pentax lenses.

Also I bought the new DA 35 Macro Limited, which is right off the bat one of the best lenses I have ever used for any camera, ever. It's, I kid you not, equally good at landscapes and closeups of insects. And tack sharp.

Finally, Pentax is nice for rangefinder enthusiasts because of the compact lenses. It feels very much akin to their sixties cameras, and when you attach an M42 to it, it doesn't look idiotic.

If you troll my flickr page, the first page of shots are with the K20D, check 'em out!
 
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