Micro 4/3rds or G11?

Jasvox · 04-28-2010, 10:43 AM

Here's one I was thinking of earlier and could see myself being halfway interested in either.

I have a friend who has brought his Panasonic GF1 around a couple of times in the last couple of months when we have been out as a group of friends. I like some of the features of that little body and couple with the 20mm lens, make a nice tight little unit. The one thing though I don't particularly like is the noise level at or above iso 800. I prefer the noise characteristics of my K-7 at 800-1600 over the Lumix. Other than that, it's a very cool little camera lens combo and other lenses in that lineup are even more useful to my style of shooting. Back to my original question, both being smallish, which would you prefer or would you consider the best overall performer for a better than P&S and not quite a full ASP-C-like DSLR quality, the Micro 4/3rds such as the GF1/EP1 or 2 or that of a higher end all in one such as the Canon G11 or Panasonic LX3 specifically. Your thoughts?

(this being a "almost" pocketable alternative to when I cant carry my K-7 along in my bag when working)

Jason

tybeck · 04-28-2010, 02:51 PM

You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode.

pxpaulx · 04-28-2010, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by tybeck

You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode.

It isn't really a pass through; it has a lever built-in that approximates movement of the aperture by physically moving the aperture pin on the lens. This is only useful for newer lenses that dont have aperture rings; if you have older lenses with aperture rings, any of the ebay adapters would do just fine.

My vote would be the GF1, or e-pl1 from olympus. Some people complain about the build quality, but having given one a brief trial in-store, I came away pretty impressed given the price-point (not sure what the difference is in your neck of the woods). You are right about noise above 800 on the m4/3 cameras (perhaps the oly does well with 1600, from what I have read the GF1 seems to be the worst of m4/3 at high iso). If you can live with staying under 800, the GF1 is a very nice compliment to a dslr.

audiobomber · 04-28-2010, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by Jasvox

Back to my original question, both being smallish, which would you prefer or would you consider the best overall performer for a better than P&S and not quite a full ASP-C-like DSLR quality, the Micro 4/3rds such as the GF1/EP1 or 2 or that of a higher end all in one such as the Canon G11 or Panasonic LX3 specifically. Your thoughts?

This isn't even a horse race. There's a huge size difference between a 4/3 sensor and the 1/1.7" sensor in the G11. The G11 is a nice compact camera, but its sensor size means very little control over dof, lower dynamic range and poorer ISO performance. The LX3 has a 1/1.6" sensor, about 1/5 the size of the M4/3 sensor.

Last edited by audiobomber; 04-28-2010 at 07:41 PM.

Jasvox · 04-28-2010, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by tybeck

You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode.

Interesting, but at another 170 euros to buy...that little second body/system is becoming quite expensive.

Jason

johnmflores · 04-28-2010, 09:12 PM

If low light/high ISO is a concern, than the G11 is not a serious contender. In good light it's great. In low light, not so much.

If size is a concern as well, then you've got to compromise...

Low profile of an M43 body like the E-P1 with Panasonic 20/F1.7 (left)
Low light of a Pentax K-x with DA40/2.8 (right)

Other possible alternatives are the Leica X1 and the Ricoh GRX with a recently announced but not yet on the market APS-C/Pancake module.

04-28-2010, 10:43 AM	#1
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Micro 4/3rds or G11? Here's one I was thinking of earlier and could see myself being halfway interested in either. I have a friend who has brought his Panasonic GF1 around a couple of times in the last couple of months when we have been out as a group of friends. I like some of the features of that little body and couple with the 20mm lens, make a nice tight little unit. The one thing though I don't particularly like is the noise level at or above iso 800. I prefer the noise characteristics of my K-7 at 800-1600 over the Lumix. Other than that, it's a very cool little camera lens combo and other lenses in that lineup are even more useful to my style of shooting. Back to my original question, both being smallish, which would you prefer or would you consider the best overall performer for a better than P&S and not quite a full ASP-C-like DSLR quality, the Micro 4/3rds such as the GF1/EP1 or 2 or that of a higher end all in one such as the Canon G11 or Panasonic LX3 specifically. Your thoughts? (this being a "almost" pocketable alternative to when I cant carry my K-7 along in my bag when working) Jason

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04-28-2010, 02:51 PM	#2
tybeck Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 452	You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode.

04-28-2010, 06:08 PM	#3
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by tybeck You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode. It isn't really a pass through; it has a lever built-in that approximates movement of the aperture by physically moving the aperture pin on the lens. This is only useful for newer lenses that dont have aperture rings; if you have older lenses with aperture rings, any of the ebay adapters would do just fine. My vote would be the GF1, or e-pl1 from olympus. Some people complain about the build quality, but having given one a brief trial in-store, I came away pretty impressed given the price-point (not sure what the difference is in your neck of the woods). You are right about noise above 800 on the m4/3 cameras (perhaps the oly does well with 1600, from what I have read the GF1 seems to be the worst of m4/3 at high iso). If you can live with staying under 800, the GF1 is a very nice compliment to a dslr.

04-28-2010, 07:03 PM	#4
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by Jasvox Back to my original question, both being smallish, which would you prefer or would you consider the best overall performer for a better than P&S and not quite a full ASP-C-like DSLR quality, the Micro 4/3rds such as the GF1/EP1 or 2 or that of a higher end all in one such as the Canon G11 or Panasonic LX3 specifically. Your thoughts? This isn't even a horse race. There's a huge size difference between a 4/3 sensor and the 1/1.7" sensor in the G11. The G11 is a nice compact camera, but its sensor size means very little control over dof, lower dynamic range and poorer ISO performance. The LX3 has a 1/1.6" sensor, about 1/5 the size of the M4/3 sensor. Last edited by audiobomber; 04-28-2010 at 07:41 PM.

04-28-2010, 08:46 PM	#5
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107 Original Poster	Originally posted by tybeck You could use your K-mount lenses on a micro 4/3 camera. NovaFlex apparently makes a K mount adapter with an aperture pass though. So you could at least use it in manual and aperture priority mode. Interesting, but at another 170 euros to buy...that little second body/system is becoming quite expensive. Jason

04-28-2010, 09:12 PM	#6
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	If low light/high ISO is a concern, than the G11 is not a serious contender. In good light it's great. In low light, not so much. If size is a concern as well, then you've got to compromise... Low profile of an M43 body like the E-P1 with Panasonic 20/F1.7 (left) Low light of a Pentax K-x with DA40/2.8 (right) Other possible alternatives are the Leica X1 and the Ricoh GRX with a recently announced but not yet on the market APS-C/Pancake module.