I have two mFT cameras at present: the Olympus E-M1 (purchased in 2013, just when it came out) and the Panasonic GX9 (purchased a couple of months ago). I had an E-PL1 in the past, a cheapo that I got from Ebay at under $75, but it eventually locked up the IBIS and wasn't worth repairing.
I wanted a camera that was small and light for my cycling, and that was reasonably inexpensive in case I dropped the bike or otherwise lost my pack. The GX9 fit the bill: nice size, nice controls, great features, and I found one offered on Ebay for $500 or so. I had both Olympus Body Cap Lenses (15/8 and 9/8 Fisheye) already, as well as the Lumix 14/2.8 along with its wide converter. The controls are pretty easy to work with, the IBIS is excellent, the sensor is very very good. The EVF is "good" (not quite as good as the Leica CL) and has a tilting feature to allow easy low angle shooting or copy stand shooting. The LCD is a good size and also swivels in the vertical direction. The top deck includes a discrete mode selector, EV Compensation selector, and both thumb and index finger dials that allow discrete operation of shutter and aperture control. The whole package with the OBCL 15mm is very trim and light. GX9 with two body cap lenses: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50428294896_388818a40b_b.jpg Still life with OBCL 15mm: https://flic.kr/p/2k1dfkw Fitted with the Summilux-DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH (another Ebay acquisition at <$400), superb image quality and fast speed net lots of DoF control and very fast operation. GX9 next to Leica CL, both with Summilux normal lenses (a 1972 'Lux 35 on the CL): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50598493478_4aa4635881_b.jpg Three quickie snaps with the Summilux-DG 25 ... Persimmons: https://flic.kr/p/2k67mTd Panic Button: https://flic.kr/p/2k8xTuL Morning Espresso: https://flic.kr/p/2k8xTuk (The huge lens hood on the Summilux-DG makes a little bulky, but is mostly unnecessary. I keep it on most of the time, though, as it helps protect the lens from my clumsiness.) Given that you can find the GX9 (or the previous GX85 model) for between $300 and $500 on Ebay, and Olympus body cap lens 15mm for between $60 and $140 (used or new) as well, it's a very approachable and modestly priced camera that produces excellent results. It has pretty easy to get along with controls and ergonomics too, much better than the E-PL1's push button control interface. (Oh yes, and never mind that you can adapt other lenses to it.) And it fits very nicely with cycling for size and weight. G > On Nov 21, 2020, at 6:33 PM, Larry Colen <[email protected]> wrote: > > Today the friend I had loaned my u4/3 camera to returned it. There are a lot > of things to like about micro 4/3, but using that camera is pretty miserable. > It’s an oly E PL1, doesn’t have a viewfinder and trying to make adjustments > on it is terribly awkward. However, I can see a lot of advantages to u43 > over even my K3 when I’m going for a bike ride. > > I know that there are a few folks on this list that also have u4/3 systems > I’m curious about the most cost effective u4/3 body that handles like a real > camera, and how much it would set me back. I expect that it would be > something used to keep an eye out for in the usual places. It’s not that I > have the money for one, but it’s generally better to start looking sooner > rather than later. > > My impression is that the OMDs are some of the nicer ones to use. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
