LX3 gone, replaced by GF1

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Andy
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And what a lovely piece of kit it is.

I've been considering it for some time now. I really wanted a camera that I could use for landscapes and seascapes whilst walking/cycling without having to cart my big 1D & L lenses around with me. But I hadn't seen any reviews from serious landscape photographers using the GF1, until this morning when I read this excellent and impressive review.

Also, I was unsure which lens to get. I wanted the 20mm for compactness and speed, but also the 14-45 to get the flexibility and wider angle. I also want to use some Leica/Voigtlander lenses and am keen on 35mm and 50mm 1.4 primes. The 7-14 is wayyyy to expensive for now.

So, I figured I might as well get the 14-45 now, then build up the fast prime lens collection. Also, it'll let me wait a bit whilst we see which new lenses Panasonic bring out in the next few months. The camera and 14-45 is small enough to go in a jacket pocket so will be totally cool for now.

All I need now is a few step-up rings to go up to 77mm so I can use me Lee filters.

Overall, before taking any pics, it seems like a beautifully made, solid and rather excellent piece of kit. I'm off skiing tonight so am pondering leaving the 1D and a few L lenses at home and travelling light.
 
I'm out skiing this week, and decided to leave all the 1D's and L glass at home and just take the GF1 and 14-45 lens. So far so good. A very nice little package - easy to carry in a v.small bag attached to my rucksack straps. Hi-def video is very crispy - used a few times now whilst skiing.

Image quality from fine res jpegs is really excellent. The 14-45 lens seems very sharp indeed.

And lots of functions on the menus - far more than I think I'll ever use or work out what they do, but the focus tracking is quite a hoot.

I'm looking for a manual focus 50mm 1.5 Voigtlander next - should be rather super.
 
Soon all photographers will be assimilated into the GF1 collective. Resistance is futile.
 
I'm looking for a manual focus 50mm 1.5 Voigtlander next - should be rather super.

Excellent - I'll wait for you to get one and test it out before I plump for the 45mm Noktor I've been hankering after! :D
 
I like the look and feel of the GF1 - but at the moment, I'm holding out for some wideangles that aren't £1000. The 7-14 may be a great lens, but the Nikkor 14-24 is only £200 more, and they're not in the same league... I'm hoping that a 10 or 12mm prime is on the roadmap somewhere.
 
There will probably be better things in the future, like a GF2 and wide angle primes. But...life is short and I'm pretty convinced that the GF1 with 20mm f1.7 is the camera that lots of us have been waiting for and if it isn't quite that it's a good long way along the road to being so.

So why wait for something that might come along in the future when you can have a GF1 + 20mm f1.7 and enjoy it now and in the meantime.
 
I have to admit i was worrying about just having the 20mm, having sold a D80 with 18-70, 30mm F/1.4 & siggy 70-200 f/2.8, but the GF1 is a delight to use. Its not as in your face when taking pics of people. Used to feel like i was intruding on people when i pointed the D80 at them, same with sports day/christmas plays at school.

Im enjoying my 365 challenge with the GF1, making me think about what im shooting.
 
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