{"id":2002,"date":"2009-09-03T16:31:53","date_gmt":"2009-09-03T06:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=2002"},"modified":"2009-09-03T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2009-09-03T09:07:44","slug":"new-cameras-as-at-early-sept-2009-my-dream-camera-what-would-i-consider-buying-and-what-would-i-take-hiking-or-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=2002","title":{"rendered":"New cameras as at early Sept 2009 &#8211; my dream camera, what would I consider buying and what would I take hiking or traveling?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>If only they would get together and combine the best features of the Panasonic GF-1, GH-1, Olympus E-P1 and the Canon G11, and add a couple more features, we would have a dream compact digital &#8211; here is what I would like:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>E-P1&#8217;s image stabiliser built-in<\/strong> and which could be activated if there is no optical IS option &#8211; otherwise use the optical IS, especially in movie mode and to speed up AF<\/li>\n<li><strong>GH-1&#8217;s video capability, fast AF, over-sized sensor for non-cropped 16:9 aspect ratio and swivel LCD<\/strong>, and ability to use the Leica-D aperture rings on the lenses<\/li>\n<li>GF-1&#8217;s <strong>optional EVF<\/strong> but with the possibility of using alternative external or remote EVF, or at least a live HDMI video out so that one could <strong>record raw video output to an external device<\/strong> at higher video bit rates if desired, or in uncompressed format to allow stacking for astrophotography , or even RAW video capture for extra high quality video that could be graded better (post-processed)<\/li>\n<li>G11&#8217;s <strong>flash sync to 1\/2000th sec<\/strong> with full flash output for better fill-in flash in bright sunlight<\/li>\n<li>an option to shoot only with the <strong>electronic shutter for silent operation<\/strong> such as during weddings<\/li>\n<li>I can live without the flash built-in, but at least give us <strong>remote TTL flash capability<\/strong> as with Olympus dSLRs and a sync port in case the EVF is sitting in the hotshoe<\/li>\n<li><strong>camera electronic level indicator<\/strong> as with Olympus E-30 or Canon 7D, or perhaps better still, an option to have the sensor self-level as with the new Pentax dSLR<\/li>\n<li>someone please design a <strong>tilt-shift adapter for MFT<\/strong> which would then effectively convert nearly all non-MFT lenses to tilt-shift lenses &#8211; this is really ONLY possible on MFT bodies, so please can we have one?<\/li>\n<li>and while on that point, a <strong>Canon EOS-MFT adapter<\/strong> which allows you to change the lens aperture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>But then, who would buy another camera once they have all those features?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oh, yes, we would need a dedicated body without the IR blocking filter for infrared photography and astrophotography.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My conclusions on what camera to buy now:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>if you want the <strong>best AF HD video<\/strong> available in a still camera &#8211; the <strong>GH-1<\/strong> is it<\/li>\n<li>if you want a <strong>pocketable camera<\/strong> that is great for travel and bright situations, the <strong>Canon G11<\/strong> with its high flash sync, slightly smaller size and 5x zoom with optical viewfinder looks a great option, but bear in mind its limitations as outlined in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=1963\">previous post<\/a><\/li>\n<li>if you want a slimline interchangeable lens camera that is potentially pocketable, then there are two options depending on your priorities:\n<ul>\n<li>the <strong>GF-1&#8217;s<\/strong> inbuilt flash, faster AF and optional EVF will better suit most inexperienced point and shoot photographers while giving them a lot of room to grow<\/li>\n<li>the E-P1&#8217;s built-in image stabiliser is a better match for using a pancake lens or legacy MF lenses, so for the street photographer or sentimentalists who just want to have fun using almost any lens ever made, the <strong>E-P1 makes better sense than the GF-1<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>if you need an <strong>entry level dSLR<\/strong> then I would have a close look at the new <strong>Olympus E-600 \/ E-620<\/strong> or the heavier <strong>E-30 <\/strong> or the <strong>weatherproof E-3<\/strong> (although I would probably wait for its next version unless you get it at a good price) and consider mating it with a <strong>Olympus ZD 50-200mm f\/2.8-3.5 lens<\/strong> &#8211; you won&#8217;t get a lighter kit with the similar telephoto reach, image quality, versatility and wide aperture anywhere! In addition, the combination of ZD 9-18mm lens and the kit lenses make for a great travel combination.<\/li>\n<li>if you need a <strong>sports camera capable of 8fps<\/strong> with good telephoto reach, then consider the new <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=1956\">Canon 7D<\/a><\/strong> or the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=1748\">Nikon D300s<\/a><\/strong> and perhaps consider the really heavy 70-200mm f\/2.8 IS lenses or a 400mm f\/5.6L lens<\/li>\n<li>if you want an <strong>entry level full frame camera<\/strong> and you don&#8217;t really need sports AF or burst rate capability, then the <strong>Canon 5DMII<\/strong> is probably the way to go, although the new <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/?p=1942\">Sony a850<\/a><\/strong> with its built-in image stabiliser may end up giving you more consistently sharper images<\/li>\n<li>if you have money to burn and want the <strong>current ultimate full frame dSLR- wide angle zoom combo <\/strong> , then it&#8217;s the <strong>Nikon D3x and the superb AF-S 14-24mm f\/2.8 lens<\/strong> &#8211; one of the best reasons to buy into Nikon &#8211; if you can afford it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For a hiking trip where weight is an issue but inconspicuous is not, this is my preferred kit:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Olympus dSLR<\/strong> E510\/E520\/E600\/E620\/E30\/E3 &#8211; any will be fine although the E-3 will give you benefit of almost water-proofed kit for when it rains, <strong>plus, Olympus ZD 50-200mm f\/2.8-3.5 SWD lens<\/strong> because it is so versatile, weather-proofed, with such high image quality, nice bokeh, reasonable macro at 1.2m and gives telephoto reach of 800mm in 35mm terms when used with the beautiful EC-20 2x teleconverter, and can be used in MF on the GH-1 for very cool HD videos &#8211; <strong>this lens is one of THE REASONS to buy into the Olympus dSLR range &#8211; no other lens matches its versatility and image quality for the price and weight.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>plus, Panasonic GH-1 with 14-140mm HD lens<\/strong> giving 28-280mm coverage with HD video to 560mm in 35mm terms, plus FT-MFT adapter<\/li>\n<li>that only leaves a ultra-wide angle and I would probably go for the <strong>ZD 9-18mm<\/strong> (which I don&#8217;t own but gets very favorable reports) as it will AF on both cameras and provides a nice 18-36mm range, image stabilised on the Olympus camera<\/li>\n<li>in reality, I would also probably add my <strong>Leica-D 25mm f\/1.4<\/strong> FT lens if low light was going to be a problem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Now for travel overseas, what would I take?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/forums.dpreview.com\/forums\/readflat.asp?forum=1041&#038;thread=32866890&#038;page=1\">here&#8217;s a very interesting forum with quite diverse ideas on what to take to Cambodia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>but, what would I take? I would always take 2 cameras so I do not need to be changing lenses, and as light and inconspicuous as possible &#8211; yep, dump the Canon and Nikon dSLR gear!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Olympus E-P1<\/strong> with either the 17mm f\/2.8 or perhaps better still, the <strong>Lumix 20mm f\/1.7 pancake lens<\/strong>, will give fantastic low light capability with built-in IS and good ISO 1600, making it ideal for indoors and street photography as well as usual travel snapshots &#8211; perhaps take the <strong>Olympus retractable zoom kit lens<\/strong> as well for times when you need a bit of zoom <strong>PLUS FT-MFT adapter<\/strong> so you can shoot video with your FT lenses if needed PLUS if you can afford it, the<strong> Lumix 7-14mm MFT lens<\/strong> for ultra-wide angle shots.<\/li>\n<li><strong>PLUS a Olympus E-600 or 620 with kit lenses and ZD 50mm f\/2 macro <\/strong>(for when you need to blur the background, and makes a nice compliment to E-P1 with 20mm lens), plus <strong>ZD 9-18mm<\/strong> if I didn&#8217;t have the 7-14mm MFT lens (I would also love to take the ZD 50-200mm but its a touch big &#038; heavy, while others may go for a wider aperture kit lens such as the  ZD 14-54mm II lens (will AF on the E-P1 too) or ZD 12-60mm)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If only they would get together and combine the best features of the Panasonic GF-1, GH-1, Olympus E-P1 and the Canon G11, and add a couple more features, we would have a dream compact digital &#8211; here is what I would like: E-P1&#8217;s image stabiliser built-in and which could be activated if there is no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[44,18,14,15],"class_list":["post-2002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cameras","tag-canon","tag-four-thirds-micro","tag-olympus","tag-panasonic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ayton.id.au\/wp02\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}