I thought long and hard about the aquisition of the Sony A7s. I've been looking at images and reading reviews for some time now. It's not something you can purchase every day unless you have money to spare that is. Some might ask why I was thinking about the the A7s when I already have the A7r and it boils down to this; my Voigtländer wide-angle lenses. I just miss using them.

I've been using them on the Nex-5N, m4/3 and my Fuji systems but it's just not the same. The m4/3 system has a 2x crop factor, the Fuji and the Nex have a 1.5x crop factor so the lenses don't really behave the way they were designed. I was very impressed with the specs of the A7r and and purchased that camera to replace my Sony A900 which delivers excellent images at base ISO, but it is big and heavy especially when using the f2.8 zooms on it.

I also had great hopes for the Nex-7 with it's excellent sensor and great ergonomics but those wide angle rangefinder lenses just didn't want to play. That purple colour cast was everywhere. So, two of my favourite cameras, the Nex-7 and the Alpha A7r both rule out the use of lenses at 35mm or wider. Some might say just purchase SLR lenses and avoid the rangefinder lenses. Well yes, I could do that but I believe the rangefinder lenses are some of the best lenses ever made and I want to use those. Hence the predicament about the A7s. With the reviews and posts at soundimageplus and stevehuffphoto and the fact that I could either keep using my rangefinder lenses with cropped sensors or sell them. I really didn't want to sell them so I aquired the A7s recently. No purple cast, full frame sensor and a low light shooting that we could only have dreamed of a couple of years ago.

Some complain it's only 12MP but you'd be surprised what you can do with those 12MP files. Plenty for me and I'm sure 12MP is enough for most people. The image above shows the A7s mounting the 15 f4.5, the 21 f4 and the 35 f2.5 lenses. Just compare these to the SLR lenses. They are positively minute. I'll let you know how I get along but I have a feeling this is all the camera I need for some years to come.

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I haven't used the G1X much I must admit. I planned on using it as my go anywhere camera but it's proving to be a little too big for that. I then went for the Panasonic GM1 which proved to be a perect size. I have two main problems with the GM1; the lack of a viewfinder which meand I have to put my glasses on to see what I'm framing on the viewfinder. My eyes aren't what they used to be . Secondly, and this was the killer point for me, that damn small wheel on the back. I use EC a lot and using that little wheel is just impossible. Everytime I want to adjust it some other function comes up because the pressure pad is just too soft.

Later I'll post some images that I managed to make with the GM1 using the minute 12-32 lens. Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed with what this camera can produce because it has the same sensor as in the GX7 and there's nothing wrong with the images I get from that camera. I've decided that I just can't get used to using the GM1 and since Panasonic have just announced the GM5 which, for me, solves both problems I have with the GM1 I'm going to upgrade to the GM5. I just need a viewfinder and the GM1 will be the last camera I purchase without an EVF.

I believe I digressed a little there because this post is actually about the Canon G1X (original version). The images I get are actually very good indeed. The sensor is first class and colours and contrast are top. Shame about the mini OVF which doesn't always work for me. Because of the OVF problem I looked hard at the second version Canon has brought onto the market but they've changed some things that I'm not really too happy about. Firstly they've taken the EC wheel away and put it on one of the buttons on the back of the camera. Secondly, they've put a dmn wheel on the back to change the EC value. This is why I'm going away from the Panasonic GM1. The Mark II is therefore not an option but I will hang on to the original G1X because of image quality.

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Wanting a smaller take everywhere camera I decided to try out the Panasonic GM1. After using it on a couple of occasions I was quite pleased with the image quality. The lens is actually a marvel and can of course be used on any other m43 camera.

What spoils the camera for me is the little wheel you have on the back. Every time I use the EV comp button and turn the wheel I tend to change some other function so this, for me, is really a deal breaker. I'll keep it for those rare occasions where a little camera can be of use but it will be used in a more or less P&S role. Another dealbreaker is of course the lack of an EVF. I hate having to put my reading glasses on for these things. This is indeed the last camera I will buy without an EVF. I've now started to look at the RX100 III. That looks like an interesting camera with a built-in EVF. I think I'll wait for awhile for some others to come on the market. It seems to be the new thing, this pop-up EVF. 

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