How many DSLR users here?

[haf]

oooh hello! 7D rumour!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=32722570

[SQflyergirl]

oooh hello! 7D rumour!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=32722570

Oh gosh, it's a bloody expensive hobby to keep up with

[phaleesy]

oooh hello! 7D rumour!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=32722570

No SLR and lenses announced today. 1 Sept they say now. Is that another rumour? I want more new toys! I'm hoping they'd be available in B&H by mid Dec if they're announced in Sept.

I'm guessing the 7D would be below the 5D in specs, if it really exists.

Oh gosh, it's a bloody expensive hobby to keep up with

Still cheaper than flying SQ F or J.

[phaleesy]

No chance of that I'm afraid! I believe phaleesy is waiting to see whether the 1DS mk IV will be announced today. All this for a few snaps of plane interiors and airline food!

She started with Canon because she "borrowed" my film 5QD many years ago.

Don't be silly. I use the Ixus for plane and food pics. The SLRs are used for animals, bugs, buildings and landscapes.

Minolta 35mm when I was 12. First SLR was a Pentax in the early 1990s.

[haf]

Still cheaper than flying SQ F or J.

So true! Just one round trip to LAX on the A345 could net me 2 5DMk II bodies!

[SQflyergirl]

So true! Just one round trip to LAX on the A345 could net me 2 5DMk II bodies!

But you can only use one 5D2 at a time

Still cheaper than flying SQ F or J.

noo! KUL-SIN-KUL is much less than one 5D2. In fact, for that kind of money, you get the shutter and the lcd screen only.

[haf]

But you can only use one 5D2 at a time

I'll give you that!

[N_Architect]

Went to B&H y'day here in NYC, tried out the Nikon D3, fantastic viewfinder, lovely shutter sound... I can now see why phaleesy is tempted. More soon.

[SQflyergirl]

I'll give you that!

I'd rather you give me a 5D2

[phaleesy]

tried out the Nikon D3, fantastic viewfinder, lovely shutter sound...

I think the shutter sound is rather sexy! I've been hearing it all over the place when sight-seeing. I'd turn around and it's a Nikon! *sigh*

[jhm]

Any thoughts on the Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera which should be out in the shops in a week or so ?

It doesn't look as desirable as the Olympus EP1 but also doesn't have some of the deficiencies of the Olympus, e.g. slow autofocus, no built-in flash etc.

stargold - leaving aside the question of the steep price of the GF1 (£820 w/20mm lens in the UK), would you swap your LX3 for one ? I'm looking for something to slip in my hand luggage rather than the mobile phone camera which I'm using at the moment (albeit I've been pretty happy with the quality of the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens in my dated Nokia N95).

[N_Architect]

The micro 4/3 technology is certainly interesting, but I think we should give it a bit more time to unravel its capabilities & models. Never forget that Canon, Nikon, Sony (Minolta), Pentax etc. will surely introduce new models in the coming future and these may be quite advanced as well.

Size is a big advantage of the 4/3 patent, and this should be one of the deciding factors for anyone who is new to the digital game but of course also for anyone who has accumulated equipment (lens, bodies) of one 'group'.

Personally, if I had to switch, I'd only consider it seriously in three cases:

(a) New format (e.g. switching from Canon EF to Micro 4/3) offers me roughly same capabilities (wides, tele) at same dynamic range, image quality and better noise performance, or

(b) Switching to the new Leica M9 (announced y'day), or

(c) Switching back to film, medium format, with an appropriate scanner. But this last option requires I take a film development course, as it'd preferable to print the work on my own.

[stargold]

stargold - leaving aside the question of the steep price of the GF1 (£820 w/20mm lens in the UK), would you swap your LX3 for one ? I'm looking for something to slip in my hand luggage rather than the mobile phone camera which I'm using at the moment (albeit I've been pretty happy with the quality of the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens in my dated Nokia N95).

Well, I would personally be very interested in the GF1 if I was in the market for a new camera right now.

I am definitely liking the LX3 a lot, but it still suffers exactly the same Achilles' Heel as far as low-light performance is concerned - anything over ISO200 is a noisy mess. It's invariably a choice between smoother but detail-free image, or a kaleidoscope of multi-coloured noise specks. It's when I really, really miss having a large sensor.

So long as the GF1 is not significantly bigger than the LX3, and the lenses perform well, I would be very happy. The low-light performance, the dynamic range and per-pixel sharpness of the larger sensor would be significantly better than the LX3 if the E-P1 is any hint at all.

[stargold]

The micro 4/3 technology is certainly interesting, but I think we should give it a bit more time to unravel its capabilities & models. Never forget that Canon, Nikon, Sony (Minolta), Pentax etc. will surely introduce new models in the coming future and these may be quite advanced as well.

Since 4/3 and m4/3 are Olympus/Panasonic formats, I wouldn't expect to see Canon, Nikon etc announcing m4/3 anytime soon.

Personally, if I had to switch, I'd only consider it seriously in three cases:

(a) New format (e.g. switching from Canon EF to Micro 4/3) offers me roughly same capabilities (wides, tele) at same dynamic range, image quality and better noise performance, or

(b) Switching to the new Leica M9 (announced y'day), or

(c) Switching back to film, medium format, with an appropriate scanner. But this last option requires I take a film development course, as it'd preferable to print the work on my own.

I don't think jhm meant he wanted to switch over completely - but rather, he just wants a second camera for travel purposes when he can't bring himself to carry around all the DSLR kit.

Even if I had a full Nikon kit right now, I would still be looking at the GF1 simply because it is a very decent proposition for travel photography. It doesn't mean that I'll sell all the Nikon gear and buy all new lenses on m4/3 - different tools for different jobs, and sometimes the different tools might have to be on different systems...

[jhm]

So long as the GF1 is not significantly bigger than the LX3

You can see the GF1 side by side with the LX3 here, i.e. without a lens, it's only about 15% bigger than the LX3.

I don't think jhm meant he wanted to switch over completely - but rather, he just wants a second camera for travel purposes when he can't bring himself to carry around all the DSLR kit.

Exactly (except that I don't own a single DSLR - I only have a film Canon 5QD)! A DSLR is overkill for my purposes (holiday/airport/lounge snaps!) but I like the sound of (apparently) entry-level DSLR quality from a Micro Four Thirds camera compared to the poorer camera performance of a Canon G10 (soon to be G11) or Panasonic LX3.