Sony NEX-5, Panasonic GF1, Olympus EP-1

ripclaw

ripclaw

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Michael
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Fight! :bonk:

Yes, it's that time again - daddy needs a new pair of shoes, so to speak. And by shoes, you know, I mean gadget. Although I take a new pair of shoes as well, in a pinch...

Anyway, after weighing the pros and cons of getting a D700 for too long (and thus losing that reality distortion that made me think I actually need one), I have now decided what I really need is a nice compact that I will _actually_ take with me without thinking twice and that won't have people give me the evil eye on the streets when I take a shot (I've had it with house owners storming out of their "mansion" to chase me away, cause, you know, those togs with their soul stealing machines are all out to get them at night)

So I've narrowed it down to these the three above. Here's my reasoning so far:

Sony NEX5:
+ excellent display
+ excellent APS-C sized sensor, very good High ISO performance, low noise (and mostly luminance)
+ 7fps

* menu system is convoluted, but not as bad as some reviews make it up to be

- lens selection: the 16mm isn't very good, and at 24mm equivalent is not at all what i'd chose as a walkabout lens. the zoom lens is better, but too large I find.

Panasonic GF1 and Olympus EP-1:
nice deals to be had for the EP-1, but what I want is the Pana 20mm/1.7, and that's a deal you don't get. Other than that the two seem rather similar. I kind of like the idea of the in camera IS of the EP-1, though the GF1 seem sturdier? Any experiences there?
Also, "just" a 4/3rd sensor compared to the APS-C.

Price wise it's all somewhat similar. The Sony + one of those lenses is around £600, the Olympus + Pana is probably more like £650, as is the Pana + 20mm.

Any good ideas here? :help:

Cheers
Michael
 
I'm in the same position, going to downsize my Nikon kit. I've ruled out the Sony because of the lenses and menus, I still want to have real buttons! I held the Nex5 and it really didn't feel good to hold once you had a zoom lens on it. I also don't like the way the lens is higher than the body, I think it looks odd.

I Is the Oly you mentioned the one without built in flash? Thats why I ruled out Olympus which only left the G series. My friend has the 20mm and it is an amazing lens for the price. I really want a viewfinder so think I'm going for a G2 as I want the 720p video of the GF1. I think I'll get it with the 20mm and 45-200mm lenses. I don't think the 14-45 lens will cover anything that cant be reached with the prime and a bit of movement! The 'bump' on the G1 and G2 initially put me off but once a lens is attached it doesn't add any bulk over the GF1 and like the Sony I found the GF1 felt a bit unbalanced once you added the 45-200 lens.

They're my thoughts anyway...........
 
As far as looks go I actually found the Sony ok, but that's personal taste. I don't think they can do anything against the height of the lens, seeing how it has to cover the entire APS-C sensor - i was a bit bugged by the depth of the thing though.

For me it's not as much a downgrade as an alternative camera for hiking etc. - I dragged my D90 with three lenses along into the Lake district and at one point I was ready to throw the entire lot down a ravine. Ok in all fairness I could have just put the 35mm on the D90 and it would have been fine... Also was walking around London the other week and once you get the big guns out, you can immeditaly notice people getting cautious - while nobody gives a f* if you pull out what looks like a point and shoot.

What's dragging me to the Sony is the APS-C sensor - from what I've seen of the higher ISO range, it's really, really nice. I do not understand why they have such excellent hardware and then bring it out with such a sub par lens lineup.

Don't care about flash tbh., I try to avoid using those at all cost anyway (the on camera variety I mean)

Then there are these really cheap offers for the EP1 at the moment - £399 for the Pen, the 17mm and the EVF. A great price - but not the lens I want.
 
Main advantage of the EP1 I believe is slightly better high ISO performance, IBIS, better jpegs - GF1 has faster AF

If you are interested in video there are some interesting developments going on with hacked video firmware for the Lumix cameras allowing much better quality.
 
ripclaw said:
<snip>
Ok in all fairness I could have just put the 35mm on the D90 and it would have been fine...
<snip>
Click to expand...

That was easy :)
 
I'd be interested to know where you found that pen deal. I agree the APS-C sensor is the ideal but I always keep iso low anyway,the lumix G's are fine up to 800 and usable at 1600 and I guess I'd limit myself to 800 and under. For me I think the lens choice swings it, especially the 20mm.

I know where you 're coming from with the D90, I try juggling a D90, pram, 2 toddlers and a clothes/food bag everytime we go anywhere and there's been moments where it's almost been binned through frustration and overburden. I'm sure I can forgive a little high ISO noise for the ease of carrying a G2 and a pancake!
 
plymman said:
I'd be interested to know where you found that pen deal. I agree the APS-C sensor is the ideal but I always keep iso low anyway,the lumix G's are fine up to 800 and usable at 1600 and I guess I'd limit myself to 800 and under. For me I think the lens choice swings it, especially the 20mm.

I know where you 're coming from with the D90, I try juggling a D90, pram, 2 toddlers and a clothes/food bag everytime we go anywhere and there's been moments where it's almost been binned through frustration and overburden. I'm sure I can forgive a little high ISO noise for the ease of carrying a G2 and a pancake!
Click to expand...

Sorry I was meaning to link to it: http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=53968

It is a bloody good deal... now if they'd offer it with the 20mm...

I'll have a google for those lumix hacks - that might swing the vote again (the Sony has 1080i AVCHD)
 
ripclaw said:
Yes but that's the voice of reason and that has no place in this kind of decision! :D
Click to expand...

Shoes then ;)

You're trying to use some kind of logic to distinguish between different cameras and justify what you freely admit to be gadget lust.

One minute it's a D700, presumably for some good reason, and now it is far as you can go in the opposite direction :eek:

Trying to be more helpful, I have a DSLR outfit for when I want to take serious pictures, and a compact for easy carrying. I think a lot of folks do it that way.
 
HoppyUK said:
Shoes then ;)
Trying to be more helpful, I have a DSLR outfit for when I want to take serious pictures, and a compact for easy carrying. I think a lot of folks do it that way.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's what I'm looking for as well. I'm not planning to sell the D90 and I only pushed the D700 back until it's eventual replacement (I'm eager for fullframe as I want to use it mainly for portraits then).

Just noticed that apparently Sony's RAW is not yet supported by Lightroom, so that gives me some more time to think about it I guess ;)
 
So, just to bring this story to an end: I bought a Panasonic GF1 and so far I must say: brilliant! It has a lot more heft to it than I would have thought, the menu system is alright actually, despite of what I read on some reviews. And the 20mm/1.7 lens is a dream, it really is.
Now I'm waiting for that Nikon>4/3 Adapter... :)
 
ripclaw said:
So, just to bring this story to an end: I bought a Panasonic GF1 and so far I must say: brilliant! It has a lot more heft to it than I would have thought, the menu system is alright actually, despite of what I read on some reviews. And the 20mm/1.7 lens is a dream, it really is.
Now I'm waiting for that Nikon>4/3 Adapter... :)
Click to expand...

Congrats good choice :thumbs:
 
Good choice there! GF1 and 20mm f1.7 is hard to beat. :thumbs:
 
I'm a bit mystified as to where Sony is going with the NEX series cameras. The whole point of making a mirrorless camera is to make it compact. But by sticking an APS-C sensor on it the lenses are going to be almost as big as Sony's Alpha DT lenses and there doesn't appear to be much advantage over an A2xx kit. The Panasonic seems much better designed around the smaller micro 4/3 format.
 
eccles said:
I'm a bit mystified as to where Sony is going with the NEX series cameras. The whole point of making a mirrorless camera is to make it compact. But by sticking an APS-C sensor on it the lenses are going to be almost as big as Sony's Alpha DT lenses and there doesn't appear to be much advantage over an A2xx kit. The Panasonic seems much better designed around the smaller micro 4/3 format.
Click to expand...

It's a bit of a dilemma for all those manufacturers who are taking it down the smaller route, as they're never going to compete with compacts on that score, but I think it's more of a marketing angle than a fundemental benefit of the new design.

The main advantages are that in removing the reflex viewing system a big chunk of cost has completely gone, and at the same time this clears the light path with substanial optical benefits. So basically, cheaper for them and better for us.

I'm not sure when we'll see the price benefit filter through to consumers, certainly not while early adopters are willing to pay a premium ;)
 
eccles said:
I'm a bit mystified as to where Sony is going with the NEX series cameras. The whole point of making a mirrorless camera is to make it compact. But by sticking an APS-C sensor on it the lenses are going to be almost as big as Sony's Alpha DT lenses and there doesn't appear to be much advantage over an A2xx kit. The Panasonic seems much better designed around the smaller micro 4/3 format.
Click to expand...

Well in their defense, the 16mm pancake is really quite small. What was bugging me more about the Sony was the oversimplified interface and the simply bad quality of the lenses. The APS-C sensor almost had me convinced to buy one anyway - it is a definitive bonus in low light. Plus the Sony does have some nice features, like the panorama function. But having to dig through menu structures is just annoying, and in comparison I really like Panasonics Quick Menu.

Btw, the Sony may look a bit weird on pictures, but ergonomically it has a definitve edge over both the Pana and Olympus, I found.
 
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