A new (used) camera: Panasonic Lumix GF-1

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A while back I was unsure of where to go with my camera collecting hobby. So far I’d focused on film cameras and I had most of what I wanted. Others that I wanted were more than I was willing to pay (e.g. most Leicas). So what to do? Then it occurred to me that I hadn’t explored the world of vintage digital cameras. I can see the look on your face: how can digital cameras be vintage? Well, it appears they are. A “Vintage Digital Camera” Facebook group, to which I belong, defines them as “Vintage Digital Camera issued 2015 or before”. In fact I now realize to my horror that this definition includes ALL of the digital cameras (Panasonic Lumix LX-3, Sony Nex 5n, Konica Minolta Maxxum 5d, Sony A500, Sony A6000, Sony A77II, Sony RX-100 II) that I own. Clearly I don’t change cameras very often.

But this was good enough for me to start looking for others. Before long I had a Canon EOS 5d (my first and so far only full frame camera, which I love and which would be my go to camera if it wasn’t so heavy); a Nikon D80 (I’d never used a Nikon digital camera); and an HP Photosmart 433 (given to me by a friend. Even I probably wouldn’t have bought this one.

Then it occurred to me that I’d never tried a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera. So I searched around and found this one at a good price. At first I thought I’d just use it with an MFT-LTM adapter, but I found that it didn’t work well since the camera doesn’t have the focus peaking feature I’d become used to with the Sony cameras. So I picked up the two lenses you see above: Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42 f3.5-4.6 II and Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm F4.0-5.6 ASPH. Since I also prefer a viewfinder rather than using the LCD I also picked up the auxiliary electronic viewfinder seen above.

So how do I like it? Very much. I love the size (small) and the weight (light). The applies to both the camera body and the lenses. Compare this to my Sony NEX 5n which has an equally small body, but very large lenses. I’m also pleased with the performance of the lenses, particularly the 14-42mm, which I use all the time. The viewfinder is adequate if not great, and I find the autofocus to be quick and accurate. The build quality of the camera body is very good, while the lenses feel quite “plasticky”, a compromise I’m willing to make to get a kit which is small and light. I’m more than pleased with the quality of the images produced.

For a more thorough review made when the camera first came out see here.

Taken with a Sony A6000. Can’t remember which lens.

First Major Snow of the Season

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It had been a fairly mild Winter until today when we had our first major snow storm of the season. Actually one of the heaviest snowfalls in quite a few years. Seems to be somewhere between one and two feet. Thankfully the power stayed on. Can’t get out until the driveway is cleared so these are all taken from the house.

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Taken with an Olympus OM-D EM-10 and Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-42 f3.5-4.6 II

A Walk Around Sleepy Hollow Cemetery – Washington Irving Grave Site

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Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820), both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad and George Washington, as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain that deal with subjects such as Alhambra, Christopher Columbus and the Moors.

Irving served as ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. He moved to England for the family business in 1815 where he achieved fame with the publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., serialized from 1819–20. He continued to publish regularly throughout his life, and he completed a five-volume biography of George Washington just eight months before his death at age 76 in Tarrytown, New York.

Irving was one of the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and he encouraged other American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe. He was also admired by some British writers, including Lord Byron, Thomas Campbell, Charles Dickens, Francis Jeffrey and Walter Scott. He advocated for writing as a legitimate profession and argued for stronger laws to protect American writers from copyright infringement. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.