GF2

[Brian]

I wish



Pssssssst. In fact the GF1 is like a breathe of fresh air in photographic terms. Bit like when girls burnt their bras, very liberating.


Alright, the GF1 aint bad but far too many must have "bells and whistles" for my liking. The little grey cell can't keep up. But suddenly photography has become a little more interesting.

As an aside. What happened to the Epson RD1 (?)?

[TimF]

As an aside. What happened to the Epson RD1 (?)?

Wasn't it only ever a limited run anyway? I seem to remember some people got copies that were faulty out the box - misaligned rangefinder or something - and they simply got sent back to Japan and replaced with a new camera. A rangefinder mechanism is hardly rocket science to fix, but Epson didn't know how (not being a photographic company) and Cosina (IIRC) had nothing to do with it apart from supplying the body shells. There was an update (of sorts) a couple of years back, but it was only readily available in Japan I think.

[Brian]

Despite the awful EVF the GF1 is proving to be the digital camera that many have been waiting for, manual focussing with prime lenses might even be making a comeback. Cosina/ Voigtlander lenses are already proving to be very popular. They certainly already make the best range of high quality lenses usable on the Micro 4/3 format. O.K. yes Leica, but many of us can't afford such things. So, I would have thought Cosina who have over the last few years have specialised, successfully I believe, in suppling a niche market could have got into bed with Sony for instance and given the less well heeled the pleasure of using a proper camera. They already make the lenses so why not modify a body to go with them?

[Zou]

What surprises me is that Cosina aren't doing MFT fit lenses with optional matching finders. They could hugely expand their sales that way, or perhaps the costs would be too high?

[Brian]

The problem with this is you would still have to use the LCD for focussing. OK. but in bright light the LCD is useless. I use the 40mm finder with the 20mm lens, but obviously here I can let the camera do all the twiddly bits in auto. I also have a 14-45mm and have marks at 14,18 and 45mm and use the appropriate finders for the 2x crop ( Shades of the old Tri-Elmar, roughly) Only disadvantage of course is the finder is restricted to the 3x2 ratio, whereas I use the 16x9 in landscape to match my Panasonic TV. Yes landscape mode portraiture is fine, just makes you think a bit more. Turning the camera on it's side is strictly for cissies.


In fact I think my ideal prime lens outfit would be a 10mm (15mm V/F already available). A fast 14mm ( 28mm V/F available) the 20mm ( 40mm V/F available) a fast 45mm ( 90mm V/F already available. So in fact Voigtlander already make the viewfinders, for me at least. So it's over to Panasonic to produce some primes up to the standard they have set withthe 20mm f1.7. ( Well one can only hope)

But yes making them in Micro 4/3 mounts would be a great idea.


Anything longer and I could always dust off my Viso III Just remembered I've a set of R bellows somewhere..........this GF1 is crazy, in the nicest possible way, the fun has returned.

[TimF]

I would have thought Cosina who have over the last few years have specialised, successfully I believe, in suppling a niche market could have got into bed with Sony for instance and given the less well heeled the pleasure of using a proper camera. They already make the lenses so why not modify a body to go with them?

I think Mr Kobayashi is not a fan of digital, or AF, or any of that new-fangled stuff. Maybe that has something to do with it?