I am very tempted. Lugging a dSLR around is an overkill 90% of the time.

Looks good grum.
I'm a fan of the micro 4/3 format. Wish the entry price point were cheaper tho.

w/r to using Olympus m4/3 on panasonic I believe you lose the continuous AF. But refer to the panasonic site for compatable lens list.

Yeah it's not cheap. I guess with the EP2 coming out you might get some better deals on the EP1 around soon.

Although why would you go for the pen1 rather than the GF1?

I dunno, maybe if you were a cheapskate or something? 🙂

Personally waiting for the PMA … if nothing interesting comes out then I think there might be a third camera for my very near future 🙂

pricewsise the ep1 and gf1 are very similar.
the olympus' noise reduction system is allegedly very good.

There's talk of an update to the G1, and I heard a rumour of a Canon 'Micro Four Thirds killer'.

The Olympus is supposedly a little better at high ISOs, and has IBIS – no flash though and personally I don't like the faux retro styling of it.

I think the killer thing though is that the GF1 comes bundled with the superb 20mm pancake.

I am praying and hoping for an LX4 with a micro 4/3 sensor – yes I know someone has to wake me up

And yes between the EP-1/2 and GF-1 I'd go for the GF1 every time.

I am praying and hoping for an LX4 with a micro 4/3 sensor – yes I know someone has to wake me up

How would that differ from the GF1 ?

micro 4/3 sensor

afaik the micro refers to the lens mount and not the sensor size.
ie. micro 4/3 and standard 4/3 use the same sensor size.

the reviews i have read of the noise reduction in the EP1 have it performing well at much higher ISOs than previously seen on the earlier 4/3 sensors.

How would that differ from the GF1 ?

Will keep the size of the LX3 while obtaining the image qualities of the 4/3s (as very correctly spotted by HTTP404). Lower noise, better dynamic range on a pocketable 350£ camera. Dunno about you but I am sold 🙂

I think the closest you'll get is the Sigma DP1 or DP2. A nice big foveon sensor in a small compact. But that's not without its flaws.
Ricoh have done something different in the Ricoh GXR system. They've got an interchangeable lens system on a compact camera but the sensor is fixed with the lens… and its not cheap.

I know about both those cameras HTTP404 and I don't like the drawbacks of either. So unless an LX4 with significantly better high ISO noise capabilities, better image quality and faster response comes out then a GF-1 will be my third camera 🙂

samsung nx10?

EDIT – although looks a little bigger than the ep1's and gf1's of this world

Exactly, NX10 looks bigger than the GF-1 and I think for a very portable camera the GF-1 with the pancake lens is already too big for me.

So unless an awesome surprise in the form of a Canon m4/3 killer comes out or the LX4 then I am after the GF-1. Looks like an amazing little camera anyway!

You've changed your tune since earlier in the thread! 😛

What can I say you all did a good work persuading me that, it is portable enough, the 20mm is good lens for bit of everything and the quality of the images is fine – actually more than fine I think they have an unexplainable quality about them that I really like. So pat yourselves on the back and ask for commission from Panasonic :p

Having said that I am getting it as my 3rd camera not first not even second and I wouldn't choose it among others if I could only have one camera and would think very hard for it as a second camera. I guess as a third nothing much to go wrong other than some money blown away :p

What would you have if you could have only one camera?

Oh come on grum lol I've been singing its praises all over STW 🙂 . LX3 no doubt in my mind at all. Miles better than any other compact camera including the S90 yet extremely portable. That's why I bought it.

Even when I bought my D40 I gave myself a week to think it through, for the LX3 I just bought it on the spot 🙂

small is beautiful. 🙂
GF1.

I like to think its not all about megapixels and sensor size.
And if you read up – it isn't.

EDIT – and that's coming from a Ricoh GX100 / Olympus 420 w/pancake background

Just took some pics for a valentine's day gig flyer I'm doing for work. 🙂

Just read a post on dpreview that somebody had a recent receipt dated 1/2/10 so they could claim £50 – seems Panasonic might be doing a cashback deal next month.

New m4/3 from Olympus?

Yeap that is me waiting for the PMA for sure.

What are peoples thoughts on AF-tracking or face detection for taking mountain bike pictures? Do they work are are just too slow?

Don't know about the cashback thing but there is a 3 year warranty available in store if you buy before the end of January. Think they are doing cashback on the G1 at the moment.

dub – not tried mine for action shots yet but I will report back when I do.

Found a couple of bikey action shots on flickr taken with the GF1

Face detection is pretty good. Was taking some pics of my "Mr Potato Head" gang and it was picking up some of them with the face detection.
It will even do face recognition. Havent played with that yet.
The fact that this little beastie has got me back interested in photography again is the best bit.

The bigger one looks better.

The bigger one looks better.

IMO it enables one to see the out-of-focus foreground, which I'd have cropped out 🙂

What are peoples thoughts on AF-tracking or face detection for taking mountain bike pictures? Do they work are are just too slow?

Pre focus by half pressing the shutter.

Panning at 1/50

Nice – really like the way the background is blurred but the subject is pretty clear.

Missed this post earlier, but would also add that the GF1 is an awesome camera, and has meant the D90 has largely been unused since I got it. Also worth bearing in mind the video quality is pretty stunning too – this was shot on a pair of GF1's…..

nice video – what lenses were you using?

what lenses were you using?

damning with faint praise 🙂

damning with faint praise

Huh?

Just got my adaptor so I could use the old MF Canon FD 50mm 1.8 lens I got off ebay – quite pleased with the results

Also got the Panasonic 14-45

Anyone remember me saying I wasn't going to need any new lenses any time soon? 😆

nice video – what lenses were you using?

All shot with 20mm.

Very nice video quality I am almost sold though I will wait to see what prices will go after the EPL is on sale and PMA ends 🙂

damning with faint praise – Huh?

"Tell me Vincent, what paint brush did you use on these sunflowers ?"

"Tell me Vincent, what paint brush did you use on these sunflowers ?"

Stop being so bloody precious! 😛

Just interested as I would like to try and make a bikey video at some point, and I was wondering how well it would work with the 20mm lens as the autofocus seems to be a bit jumpy in video mode.