The P7000 vs LX5 vs G12 vs S100 vs XZ-1 question - perhaps the answer is OM-D E-M5

Shoes

Nymphalis antiopa

Swamp

Twigs

House

We went for a walk in the Pirttimäki forests today, and had a little bit to eat at the cafe. The north wind was cold, but otherwise the day was perfect for being outdoors. However, I broke today my pledge to not drink coffee, and had a (large) cup in the cafe. It tasted very, very good.

But maybe I'll take the opporturnity to make a new tradition: drink coffee on May 1st each year, and tea the rest of the time.

I do like tea, but not all kinds of tea. After studying the matter for three months I know something about the different types of tea. Loose leaf green tea is mostly good, as is white (at least some types of white). But tea to which (artificial) flavors have been added is mostly bad.

The photographs were taken in the harsh sunlight at noon, which is not really good for photography, even though it is good for the photographer.

But lets take about camera gear. I have avoided this topic, but I decided to write a bit about my current thoughts.

PB asked yesterday a question about the Panasonic LX5:

If you could, what camera would you buy now? And why?

I presently use a Nikon P7000, I'm thinking of moving to a camera that (1) is a bit smaller and (2) opens a stop or more wider than the f/2.8 the P7000 does. The LX5 is an obvious option. Would you continue to recommend it?

I haven't followed the recent developments in advanced compact cameras closely, but maybe I can provide some insight into the question of which camera to buy.

Personally I don't have experience of other cameras than Panasonic LX3 and LX5, both of which are certainly worthwhile cameras, or at least were when they were introduced. And they still are very usable cameras.

As I wrote in the posting in which PB posed the question, I think the LX3 build quality is better than with the LX5. But the LX5 works still rather well, with over 68,000 photographs taken so far, even though the jog wheel and the zoom switch cause occasional hiccups. And the handgrip isn't as firmly attached to the camera body as with the LX3.

I do like the f/2.0 max aperture of the LX5, and also the fact that I have been able to use ISO 500 during the dark winter months without too much problems with image quality with jpeg files from the camera. However, I'm not a pixel-peeper, and I don't pay much attention to noise. You might not want to go up to ISO 500, or maybe use RAW instead of jpeg.

Another thing is that I like the wide (24 mm equiv.) lens of the LX5. This may be another showstopper with other cameras, but if you are satisfied with 28 mm equiv. then there are alternatives to the LX5.

Also, as a third important factor for me, is the aspect ratio switch of the LX5. I like to use the square aspect ratio, occasionally using others as well, and the physical switch is really good to have.

So, returning to the "P7000 vs LX5 vs G12 vs S100 vs XZ-1 question", I think all of these cameras have their strengths, and some weaknesses. The Canon S100 is the most pocketable, which may be what you want. And the Olympus XZ-1 has a larger max aperture than the LX5. Any one of these cameras is a great tool.

But... what I'm most interested about these days are the mirrorless cameras, also known as compact system cameras (CSC). And especially interesting is the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Dpreview have just published their detailed review, which is interesting reading indeed.

The only showstopper for me is the fact that to be able to do the same things as with the LX5, I would need to carry three or more lenses with the camera, pushing the size of the system quite a lot. The LX5 is easily carried in a coat pocket, which is what I want in a camera.

On the other hand, putting a prime on the E-M5 would be an interesting combo to use, to develop an intuitive approach to photography: a simple tool for a simple purpose. Who needs a zoom lens anyway?