Compact camera users - advice needed please?

[Nemo]

Let us know your thoughts Helen. I am at the same point where I need to purchase one, but have struggled with the option of either no viewfinder or no built in flash, when I think I need both. The G3 seems to fill those criteria.

[Hells Bells]

It's just arrived, and I've unpacked it . Nice neat compact size, and not too heavy. Built in flash is so well hidden I thought it didn't have one after all

[Nemo]

That's a great design then.

[Hells Bells]

Battery is charging. Will be playing with it soon.

[Jimbo]

Camera should arrive this morning. I chose the G3 as I think the built-in viewfinder would be worth it. Has a standard 14-42 lens, no doubt at some point I will have to increase the lens collection. What do you suggest Jim?

Wow, Helen! 16MP, built-in electronic viewfinder, smaller and lighter than an equivalent DSLR, Panasonic quality, modest price - what's there not to like? The greatest advantage of any interchangeable lens camera is that it can grow with you as your needs change.

My only reservation - as you've already indicated - is the bundled 14-42mm lens which, although adequate as a walkabout lens, doesn't offer much excitement at the wide or telephoto end. The obvious wide partner (particularly for you as the camera needs to sing for its supper by shooting gite interiors) is the already available four-thirds Panasonic 7-14mm lens. The only drawback is the price - about the same as you've paid for the camera. There are cheaper Olympus wide zooms which (I think) will fit your G3:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/pan ... /page2.asp

I would be most interested to hear about your camera in use and how you find the electronic viewfinder in practice?

Jim

[Hells Bells]

yes, the only drawback with the lenses is the price of them, and being relatively new to the market, there aren't a lot of second hand ones around either.

[Hells Bells]

I suppose I should give it a try out this morning. Maybe capture some of the beauty of Palace Green, Cathedral etc.

[Giddy Goat]

If the weather is as gorgeous there as it is down south Helen, go for it! Have fun!

[Nemo]

I see Panasonic are offering cashback on the Lumix models at present, so you can get at least an extra £40 back for buying the kit and more if you get extra lenses at the same time. Looking increasingly like the one I'm going to plump for as well.

[Hells Bells]

Yes, I must get round to claiming it.
Jim, so far I'm quite impressed with the viewfinder. I've never understood getting rid of them and having only an LCD screen, so find it intuitive to put it up to my eye. I've occasionally been spotted doing this with our little camera without viewfinder .
You do need to manually switch between screen and viewfinder though, and I'm told you didn't need to with the previous G2.
Still not really taken anything much, just playing around with the menus, and I've downloaded a guide to the G2 onto my Kindle, which is giving me some help with the various functions. Not exactly the same. Familiarity with a previous Panasonic camera helps though.
If it is nice tomorrow we may go to the local Wetlands park and take it with us. Birds are avoiding the feeders in the garden today.

[Jimbo]

Has anybody been looking at (or own?) one of the new Nikon 1 cameras. 10MP, interchangeable lenses, electronic viewfinder (on the upmarket V1) and RAW capacity (even comes in pink). Unfortunately, the launch lenses are modest at the wide angle end (don't Nikon ever read this forum!) but, here's the exciting thing, the camera has an adaptor which makes it compatible with Nikon's existing range of excellent DSLR lenses:

ePhotozine wrote:
The mount adapter FT-1 lets anyone use any NIKKOR D-SLR lens with a Nikon 1 camera. Compatible with both the Nikon 1 V1 and the Nikon 1 J1, it offers limitless possibilities to match a lens to the shooting situation and all AF-S and AF-I NIKKOR lenses are compatible with the Nikon 1 autofocus system.

Well done to Nikon for looking back as well as forward. Loads of redundant Nikkor lenses around as owners upgrade. If it checks out, could this be all the camera that a rental owner needs?

Jim