Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/01/11

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Subject: [Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist
From: r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard Taylor)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:15:44 -0500
References: <9F07836ED74F1C42AA69DFBAF8A1E2F137850B2540@MBX1.asc.local> <416D29F0-B9C1-4A0D-9A8A-C6113682D23D@frozenlight.eu> <93D7E0DE-A562-4DA0-9017-2631D3F0B9F0@gmail.com> <p06230922c76e948087de@[10.0.1.7]> <717297.5435.qm@web45202.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <A9190637-E41D-4A69-97E7-0FE9FD6AA2B8@comcast.net> <p06230924c7710c4a64fd@[10.0.1.7]>

Oh, yes the articulated screen on the G-1...  I'd forgotten that for the 
moment.  I used it over and over during my recent trip to England.  I would 
be nice if the G-1 had one, but It would make the camera a bit thicker and 
that's not a good thing. 
 
Regards, 

Dick



On Jan 11, 2010, at 1:43 PM, Henning Wulff wrote:

> I agree, Dick. The differences are indeed there, and I use both. The G1 is 
> more versatile, and has that great EVF. The GF1's EVF is not nearly as 
> good, is slightly more awkward in use and appearance, and I don't use it 
> with the camera more than 10% of the time. Mostly I use the C/V 
> minifinder, which is tiny and works great with the 20mm lens. You still 
> have the option of using the back LCD at any time when you want to check 
> data before a shot, but I don't have any problem ignoring the LCD and just 
> looking through the viewfinder.
> 
> I don't think I'd want to forego the G1 if I intend to use zooms at all. 
> Also for macro the articulated screen is great. On the other hand, the GF1 
> with the 20 and a viewfinder is a very nice package in itself.
> 
> 
> 
>> Joe - I know you were asking Henning, but since I have both, I thought 
>> I'd comment as well.  I got the GF-1 specifically so I could use an 
>> optical finder with the Lumix 20mm pancake lens. It's a great 
>> combination.  You can't easily use an optical finder on the G-1.  I use 
>> the G-1 with my Leica lenses, use the EVF for focus and framing, and open 
>> my left eye to decide the moment of exposure.
>> 
>> They're both great cameras but enough different in use to have both.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Dick
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Jan 11, 2010, at 7:15 AM, joe leung wrote:
>> 
>>> Dear Henning,
>>> 
>>> I have the G1 and love it's EVF. Is GF1 so much better than the G1 as to 
>>> warrant trading up?
>>> 
>>> Best Regards,
>>> Joe Leung
>>> (Still in Hong Kong)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Henning Wulff <henningw at archiphoto.com>
>>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
>>> Sent: Sun, January 10, 2010 4:38:55 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an 
>>> artist
>>> 
>>> It's quite easy to focus manually. With the latest software you can set 
>>> it to magnify the image with one press of the multifunction wheel, so 
>>> you do that when you focus and then touch the shutter button lightly to 
>>> get back to composing. It's really quite quick and smooth. You can do it 
>>> fairly decently with the back screen as well as the electronic 
>>> viewfinder. The EV is fairly coarse, so while focussing is actuall quite 
>>> easy and possible, it doesn't give you the confidence a higher 
>>> resolution screen would give. The coarseness of the screen might be 
>>> related to the size of the viewfinder, since the better viewfinder of 
>>> the Olympus EP-2 is a lot bigger, making the camera fairly clumsy in my 
>>> opinion. Neither are as good as the electronic viewfinder in the G1, so 
>>> if you're mainly interested in using an electronic viewfinder you're 
>>> probably best off getting the G1, which with lens isn't any bigger than 
>>> the GF-1 with electronic viewfinder in every dimension, and
>>> you get a better and integrated viewfinder and a swiveling LCD.
>>> 
>>> I use the 20/1.7 (since October) mostly with the GF-1 with the VC 
>>> mini-28-35 finder, and sometimes Leica lenses from 35 on up. The shorter 
>>> lenses haven't produced satisfactory results, and now that I have the 20 
>>> haven't been as important.
>>> 
>>> I especially like the 50 ASPH; easy to focus, high speed and a good 
>>> portrait length without being too big. The 75/1.4 is also excellent, but 
>>> starts being a bit of a handful. The interesting thing is that as you 
>>> stop down, the view through the viewfinder doesn't get darker but the 
>>> dof increases.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Jan 9, 2010, at 10:20 AM, Nathan Wajsman wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>>   Wonderful, Kyle. By coincidence, I received my GF-1 today and have 
>>>>> tested it a bit this afternoon, inside a bar and on the street. Very 
>>>>> pleasant indeed. I got it with the 1.7/20mm lens too, but I also have 
>>>>> the M-MFT adapter, so tomorrow I will test it with my M lenses.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> this all sounds like a very attractive combination, especially with the 
>>>> Pana 20mm 1.7 lens. If you use it with the electronic viewfinder, 
>>>> adapter, and manual focus M lenses, how easy is focussing through the 
>>>> viewfinder? compared to the LCD screen ? Is focussing easy enough to 
>>>> attract people who care to frequently use their leica M lenses with 
>>>> manual focus?
>>>> 
>>>> thanks,
>>>> 
>>>> Steve
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>   Cheers,
>>>>>   Nathan
>>>>> 
>>>>>   Nathan Wajsman
>>>>>   Alicante, Spain
>>>>>   http://www.frozenlight.eu
>>>>>   http://www.greatpix.eu
>>>>>   http://www.nathanfoto.com
>>>>> 
>>>>>   Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0
>>>>>   PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>>>>>   Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>   On Jan 9, 2010, at 5:44 PM, Kyle Cassidy wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   I'm finding the GF-1 with the 20mm f 1.7 an awesome ... really, 
>>>>>> substitute for what I used to use my Leica for. Though it gets noisy 
>>>>>> at 400 asa, the lens is fast enough and sharp enough that I'm finding 
>>>>>> it not difficult to shoot in relatively low light situations at 100 
>>>>>> or 200 ASA and for on-the-fly portraits, it's been fabulous -- two 
>>>>>> photos of the painter John Ennis (www.johnennis.com)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2010/john-ennis-1.jpg
>>>>>>   http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2010/john-ennis-2.jpg
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   I really like having JUST A CAMERA in my _pocket_. It seems when I 
>>>>>> leave the house with the Leica d700 I'm always thinking "well, I need 
>>>>>> to take the 85 1.8 because it's an awesome lens. but it's too 
>>>>>> telephoto for a lot of stuff, so i'd better take a mid range zoom. 
>>>>>> Oh, and heck, the room might be crowded, so I'd better bring the 
>>>>>> fisheye, cause it's small and all. Heck, if I'm bringing that I 
>>>>>> should bring a flash, and I can't bring the flash without the cable, 
>>>>>> because on camera flash blows......" and now my back hurts.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   The electronic viewfinder (i wanted to do a macro through the lens 
>>>>>> but it's not in the cards) isn't a gimic -- its really useful. I MUCH 
>>>>>> MUCH MUCH prefer shooting through a viewfinder to using the screen on 
>>>>>> the back of the camera, i'd consider the finder part of the camera 
>>>>>> (i.e. don't get one without the other). it's a low resolution LCD but 
>>>>>> it's fine for composing, you know what the scene looks like (if you 
>>>>>> forget, just open your other eye). i don't think an optical finder 
>>>>>> will work nearly as well, because you have your exposure and FOCUS 
>>>>>> info in the electronic finder as well and you needs that. you can 
>>>>>> also change the angle of the finder and look straight down into it if 
>>>>>> you'd like, useful for shooting straight up or around corners (you 
>>>>>> can totally hold the camera around a corner and look through the 
>>>>>> finder -- i don't know why you would, but you can).
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   it's surprisingly loud. the shutter goes off with a "CLICK" you can 
>>>>>> feel, seriously, it's like a tiny mousetrap went off inside the 
>>>>>> camera. by default focus is also acknowledged by a chirp (you can 
>>>>>> turn off sounds).
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   and it's FAST, like a lot faster than i can wind and shoot a leica 
>>>>>> (you can probably kick it's butt with a rapidwinder, but you won't 
>>>>>> accidentally stab yourself in the leg with this one. This really is 
>>>>>> the digital LikaLeica I've been waiting for.  It just needs a couple 
>>>>>> of stickers.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   I am totally listening to Led Zeppelin IV right now.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   kc
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   _______________________________________________
>>>>>>   Leica Users Group.
>>>>>>   See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>   _______________________________________________
>>>>>   Leica Users Group.
>>>>>   See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>> 
>>> --
>>>   *            Henning J. Wulff
>>>   /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
>>> /###\  mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com
>>> |[ ]|    http://www.archiphoto.com
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
> -- 
> 
>   *            Henning J. Wulff
>  /|\      Wulff Photography & Design
> /###\   mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com
> |[ ]|     http://www.archiphoto.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



In reply to: Message from kcassidy at asc.upenn.edu (Kyle Cassidy) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from olivegm3 at yahoo.ca (joe leung) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard Taylor) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)
Message from henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff) ([Leica] more on the GF-1, the finder, and a portrait of an artist)