[Leica] G7

[vroger at gmail.com (Victor Rubin)]

Hi All:
I saw that someone wanted a comment on the G7. I bought one the first week
it was out and have used it for about 2 weeks. Size wise the camera is like
using a Minolta CLE. The zoom ratio is good although it could be a bit wider
and the lens could have a bit more speed. The Stabilization is not as good
as the Lumix FZ series. I use only the viewfinder and never the LCD and the
finder is at best "adequate" or less.
The selling point to me was the ISO speed. 800/1600/3200. I have yet to put
the camera through its paces. I find the 800 speed good. There is no
excessive noise. As a B/W Tri-X photographer from the Accufine days,  grain
is something I actually like- and noise is rarely a complaint. The worst
noise I encountered is ISO 400 on a Digilux 1. THAT is unusable without some
kind of noise reduction intervention. So I am going to see- I will shoot
available light this weekend if possible and post results as soon as I can.
http://www.vroger.smugmug.com/gallery/1837739/10/107628521 is an image taken
at Photoexpo with the G7, probably at ISO 800- It is not indicative
necvessarily of what the camera can or cannot do. My greatest complaint
about the G7 I leave for last. Notwithstanding the specs, in actual use, the
shutter lag is a problem. It is better than the old G3 which I own, but
that's not saying much. I guess it must be rather like an autofocus
rangefinder- I remember using one of the old Contax Autofocus cameras- . The
pause is just too much for me. I hope to correct this by technique. I will
report later. All in all- convenient- but no replacement for the M7. vroger