Cameras and Introductions

All the photos I’ve put up on this website are from a Nikon Coolpix 8700 (550g) but it’s recently died (it didn't appreciate being dropped :( So, (similar to boardmanl) I bought a Nikon AW100 – waterproof, 28-140mm, 16MP, GPS-tagging. I’m reasonably happy with it although pics are not as sharp as the 8700. The AW100 weighs 180g (certainly happy with that!)

The G1X does not sound that flash compared with the competition, while it takes good photo's it is rather slow at taking them, plus you are stuck with a not overly great lens and it struggles at taking macros. I personally would be much more tempted to get a micro 4/3 such as the Olympus E-M5 (There are many cheaper options). I like the E-M5 because it offers good image quality but most importantly its fully weather sealed so more robust for the tramping environment. If you want to stick with a compact rather then a ILC camera then the Olympus ZX-1, Fuji X10 and the Panasonic LX5 offers a much faster lens in a much smaller packet then the G1X.. the faster means the ISO can be kept lower then longer which goes part way to making up for the smaller sensor. One last thing, Nokia has recently announced a phone/camera with a sensor larger then most compact cameras, and it uses quite interesting processing technology. Search for Nokia 808 pureview for more information. But early indications seems to hint that its photo quality would be up with the best compacts on the market.

speed and macros werent issues, general image quality is great, i take a lot of panoramic shots , i like canons syste for panoramic shots, easy and have a lot of control over it..

There are many cameras which can take good still photographs, what separates the best cameras from the rest is how the perform in more tricky situations like capturing action or photographing in lower light levels. The Canon G1X fails heavily in one of these areas so I would not consider one. While its not a bad camera, I feel there are better options in its market segment. For similar money (maybe $100 more), its possible to get a Panasonic GX1 which offers better performance, comparable image quality plus the ability to change lenses. The GX1 with its powerzoom lens is lighter then the Canon G1X. When they get a decent power zoom, the Sony mirroless cameras would also be a serious competitor. They use APS size sensors and weigh 269g without a lens.

as i stated i boght th camera as much for its ability for panoramic shots.... i'm happy with it and thats what counts.... i didnt buy it to be good at everything, it hasnt failed e for what i need it for, be objective rather than hyper critical.. i've got a fast camera that does macros well. a nikon d300s,, i prefer the canon....

waynowski, this entire thread is not about you. You have specific needs and the G1X might full them, but its not the exceptional camera which many Canon fanboys like to promote it as. There are other good cameras which equally deserve a mention.

The Nikon AW100 and the Panasonic Lumix FT2 look built for the job! waterproof, shockproof, freezer proof, dust proof. The Lumix FT3 (which probably replaced your FT2 about 15 minutes after it was released), also has GPS Function + Compass + Altimeter + Depth Indicator + Barometric Sensor for Outdoor Use...... both are about $500. I haven't really given any thought to compact cameras in a while and as I said, my previous experience with someone else's didn't leave me too excited, but they've definitely come along since then. Seeing the Lumix and the Nikon AW100, buying a camera now it makes sense to get something that's ruggedised for the job. I once carried a DSLR, 2 lenses and a full-grown manfrotto tripod through the Pyrenees for a few days. Emphasis there is on the word once.

For speed I quite like the Ricoh Caplio 500SE a great little compact camera with lightning fast shutter speed. Has lots of extras which I don't pretend to fully understand....but takes great shots nonetheless.

@ militaris The Olympus ZX-1 looks great. F1.8... can't argue with that. @ normclimb The first camera I ever owned was a Ricoh - I have a soft spot for them :-)

@Triggerfish: they came out with the FT3 about 6 months after I bought the FT2, still gutted as it is about the same price point as the FT2 and has the geo-tagging feature that I would have loved to have had. Like everything cameras are a series of compromises. The FT2, while great for weather proofing does not take as good low light photos as our old camera but, it is a price I was willing to pay to happily snap away on trips without a care. The olympus EM-5 mentioned above looks like the business, no doubt leaves my poor FT2 in the dust for performance AND is weatherproof to boot. If I had the kind of money to get one I'd get one (or something very similar). There are many moments you only get one shot at recording on 'film' and I have already recorded a few as a series of dull blurs on my camera :-( Leslie