The G1.. finally getting appreciated?

danbroad

danbroad

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As something of a companion thread to the GF1 monster currently over 2000 posts, it strikes me that just as Panasonic is phasing out the G1, it's finally getting the love and attention it deserves. I just wanted to say a belated thankyou to Panasonic for bringing this out and sticking with it although initial sales appeared slow....

IMHO, here's why it's so great...

1. It's now at bargain basement prices [and I think that price is likely to go back up once saleroom stocks run dry]
2. It's spurred on by the general success of the GF1 sibling
3. It's boosted by the accelerating popularity of micro 4/3rds, which [this being the first of its type] meant that folks were initially suspicious.
4. The included viewfinder means that some who looked at the GF1 with an intent to add the EVF started looking at this instead
5. Aside from the EP-2 quality viewfinder, the tilting LCD screen adds some very interesting angles to our armoury, and also acts like a mini-tethered view whilst shooting statics
6. Micro 4/3rds means legacy lenses can operate at full aperture without the inherent miniscule DoF considerations...
7. We're all realising that those old rusting primes in the loft/on eBay/in charity shops/at yer dad's could be made fun again with cheapie adapters...

So, instead of a GF1 with a grip and an EVF - my initial thoughts - I saw that the G1 was £250 cheaper, had a better EVF included for free, had a great tilting LCD screen, and brought with it all the micro 4/3rd advantages. The biggest mistake panasonic made was to make it look lie the EOS 350D rather than the DMC-L1... but I realised I look through a camera, not at it.

Now that the system, the mount, and the idea is established... panasonic is phasing it out for the G2, which is only evolution not revolution. Isn't it about time that the G1 started getting some love here, too?:clap:
 
Had a play with a G1 t'other week and although my ham-fistedness prevented me from getting really intimate with the controls, I couldn't help having a big grin on me face while using it because it's A) so dinky and cute, and B) produces mighty fine images. I like :)
 
I totally agree with the OP

I've had a GF-1 for a while and use it with the 20mm lens as my pocket camera. A couple of weeks ago I grabbed a G1 with the kit lens for the business, and what happened, I popped the 20mm on the front and hey presto I have an almost as pocketable camera with a superb EV on which I can also review images as well.

It doesn't look anything like as cool and Leica-like as the GF-1 but it's almost as small and is much better to use especially with the 45-200 which is useless on the GF-1.

John
 
Very tempted to pick up one of these instead of an EVF for the GF1 - will def keep the GF1 cos it's just so sexy (and has video) but the G1 seems more practical for some things and is an amazing bargain at current prices.
 
I looked at a G1 when it first came out and was impressed with it but wasn't sure how it would fit in for me. I was looking for a small camera to use when taking the DSLR wasn't convenient, in the end I went for a Canon G9 instead... but the thought of a G1 kept nagging away at me, until just before Christmas when I cracked and bought one. It's great fun to use and the image quality is very good, my only problem with it is that my G9 has almost become redundant.
 
recently sold my D200/D40 kit and bought a G1. i was looking at the GF1 but was concerned about the lack of viewfinder. chose the G1 and so far i have not regretted the change in any way. the compact nature of the kit means it is always with me. i will post a few pics in this thread later...
 
good news today, my 20mm lens has arrived. it got delayed by the volcano apparently!

a few shots with the 14-45mm kit lens...

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I think this thread has just saved me £300... I had ordered a GF-1 with 20mm prime, but have changed it for the G1 and 14-45. It's only a little bigger and I like the hand grip over the squareness of the GF-1. And I still have £300 to buy the 20mm anyway !

:D
 
I'm very tempted to buy one of these! It's a great tool for street photography. :)
 
amnesia said:
I think this thread has just saved me £300... I had ordered a GF-1 with 20mm prime, but have changed it for the G1 and 14-45. It's only a little bigger and I like the hand grip over the squareness of the GF-1. And I still have £300 to buy the 20mm anyway !

:D
Click to expand...

yay! Let's get this one to over 2000 posts! Hey, why not 3000? Teach those GF1-monkeys a thing or two....:LOL:
 
danbroad said:
yay! Let's get this one to over 2000 posts! Hey, why not 3000? Teach those GF1-monkeys a thing or two....:LOL:
Click to expand...

Pics coming up at the weekend (y)
 
nice...
 
I am kicking myself not picking up one with the 20mm for £550 VAT free at Heathrow last month !
 
All in all, I think that anybody hovering around the move to m43rds should take advantage of the G1 blowout prices... I can't see there being much loss at all in case of resale. Once the £400 stocks are gone, it's business as before...

I really wanted the GF1, but when I picked it up for the first time, I put it to my eye. It's just how I feel more natural when taking images - the shot's coming from my eyes, not my hands.. I realised I either needed the EVF on the GF1, which meant accepting compromises, or go for either the G1 or the EP2. Given the £400 price difference, it was a no brainer. Plus, the G1 is prettier in real life than the photos suggest.

if the G1 had looked like the L1 - boxier, more M8-like [boy, the L1 might have sold a ton if it wasn't so damned expensive..] then we'd have a new champion. There's no reason to put an EVF over the top of a lens mount....
 
I have a GF1 + 20mm, but I'm very tempted to get a G1 + 14-45 kit as well seeing as Currys have them for £375 and then the £50 cashback on top of that.

I really hope the m4/3s format gets some cheaper lenses, the current range covers pretty much everything, but £1k for a wide angle zoom is just :bonk:!
 
Yeah I'm very tempted to get a G1 kit and sell the 14-45 - it seems like a better idea than buying the EVF and wouldn't cost much more.
 
Agreed on the wide angle zoom - although, looking at the quality images, the constant aperture, and the really rather good build quality, it seems more reasonable by the day. Not £900 reasonable, but at £700 I'd bite.

Still, there's the 9-18 Olympus which seems more plasticky but fine, image wise. BTW, I think that the kit 14-45 is a really well-made lens - feels just as solid as my Nikkor 70-300 did, and moreso than the 18-200.

Anyway, the most interesting thing for me will be the 8mm fisheye. Especially if Panasonic see a huge interest in rectilinear correction - either in camera, or using Silkypix/DXO etc..

Imagine an 8mm fisheye 'pancake' with the ability in-camera to convert to a 10mm rectilinear wideangle..... I'd pay for that, alright...
 
finally got my hands on the 20mm f1.7 today. i think it is worth the wait...

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lol, i want a GF1 as well...
 
119/365 two bicycles, three bins, one man and two pigeons on a window ledge...

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just bought a 50mm zuiko lens, om fitting from ebay. any recommendations as to keenly priced adaptors?
 
Got one this evening... but waiting for the battery to charge before I can take any pics :bang:

Oh well, at least it gives me time to read the manual :thinking:


Pics tomorrow :nuts:
 
I have a G1 and i love it.
I like the fact not many people have one or use them, makes it different.
Although the lenses are so expensive
 
Been intrigued with the m43 format since the G1 came out in late 2008 and all the subsequent m43 models that followed, finally with the current low price £329 after voucher code and £50 cash back made me 'pulled the trigger' for one at Jessops today. First impression is how small it is haha compared to my Sony A700:LOL: but felt right holding it with one hand. Also build quality very good considering its all plastic, surprised also that the kit lens is solidly built too. Hope to get out over the long weekend and test this little;) and post some pics soon. Cheers.
 
OK, if I was to buy the G1 and 14-45 on the classifieds, would anyone be interested in the 14-45, or did you all get one as your kit lens?

Was hoping to get a second hand EVF for my GF1 but it fell through - If I could get £150 for the 14-45 it wouldn't be much more to get a G1 as a second body.
 
I suspect most of us got the 14-45 with the camera... I haven't seen the body for sale on its own anywhere other than on the 'net.

You would easily be able to sell it to peeps with the GF-1 and 20mm prime though - the lens got an excellent review in one of the mags this month ;)

For £150 you'd be mad not to.

Daniel.
 
Don't underrate the 14-45mm kit lens. it's very sharp, very fast AF and exhibits very low flare and currently (though not for long) has a metal mount.

The max aperture is a little limited but autofocus in good light is much faster than the 20mm f1.7 which I've used on the gf-1 as well.

We've also got Canon and Nikon kit lenses (18-55) but Panasonic has really got a far superior product. John
 
phototuition said:
Don't underrate the 14-45mm kit lens. it's very sharp, very fast AF and exhibits very low flare and currently (though not for long) has a metal mount.
Click to expand...

Are Panasonic changing this ? Or replacing the standard kit lens with something else ? Not that I'm bothered... I bought mine last night :)
 
barn owl, taken with the 14-45mm kit lens...

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Ah - cheers !

I guess they've done it for a reason... price presumably. I can't see it being better than the current 14-45 IMHO.
 
eagle owl, 14-45mm lens...

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Prefer the barn owl... I would be tempted to clone out the foliage on the eagle owl.

Incredibly sharp images though - looking forwards to using mine :D
 
relaxing after rugby training...

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with the 20mm lens...
 
nice light! I'm looking forward to the 20mm arriving.

In the meantime, I've just picked up a minty Olympus OM 300mm f/4.5 prime, and I'm waiting for an OM adapter. The 300/4.5 is one of those 'sharp wide open' legends that's still available new to buy [check out bhphotovideo.com if you fancy a new one!]

Manual focus, but a 600mm f/4.5 should be very cool indeed. And, all in, it's cost £170! The beauty of the system is the legacy glass choice - and the increased depth of field means that you can shoot wide open and still get acceptable depth of field. For me, this is a huge advantage... f/4.5 light levels, and just under f/9 depth of field...

I'm even looking at swarovski scopes and wondering about 1200mm - 1500mm digiscoping, but that's for another day!
 
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