Archiver
Top Veteran
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
For several years, digital photographers have been saying what a great time this is to be alive. New cameras are coming out all the time, promising more of this and bigger that. It's easy to be caught up in the excitement of new announcements: current cases in point being the Fuji X20, X100s, the Sony RX1 and the just-announced Nikon Coolpix A. The new Fujis offer upgrades from their still-impressive predecessors, and the RX1 and Coolpix A are the smallest full frame and aps-c cameras, respectively.
In the past, I've succumbed to GAS just as much as anyone else. You only need to glance at my flickr sets to see how many cameras I've got, and a few aren't even in there! Leaps of courage like the Sigma DP1 and DP2 are in my collection, along with proven stalwarts like the Ricoh GRD III. I'm running three or four lens systems, including Canon, Leica, Micro Four Thirds and Ricoh GXR. Frankly, I've reached a saturation point where almost anything new is a rationalization, not a direct need.
Sigma DP1:
Ricoh GRD III:
This morning I awoke and reflexively scanned through the forums on my phone to see if any more updates about the Coolpix A had been noted. Any tests from Japanese camera blogs or YouTube videos showing its operation? And then it struck me. I've got a Ricoh GXR with 28mm module. The 28mm aps-c niche has been sorted for well over a year, and by a really wonderful camera.
Ricoh GXR 28:
Not fast enough, or movies not good enough? I have the Panasonic 14/2.5, which gives me a 28mm FoV on my OM-D. And if I take off the grip, the camera is like a nice, ergonomic compact that can fit in a large coat pocket. Operation is lightning fast and silent, face detection is accurate, the shutter is muted and video are great.
Olympus OM-D EM-5:
New Leica M 240? All of the upgrades like weather sealing, manual video mode, good high ISO performance and live view are all very nice, but my M9 is still an absolute machine of image quality. Yes, I want it, but not enough to put down the cash right now. I'll let the new users figure it all out first, like I did with the Fuji X100. By then, firmware updates had been issued and quirks had workarounds.
Leica M9:
Fuji X100:
The GAS explosion that has wracked my brain for the last month or two is abating. The reality is that I own an almost ludicrous amount of gear, cameras that represent the pinnacle of achievement for their times. They all take great photos and they all have their unique charms. I'm not saying that I won't buy any more gear for a while; my needs at work are nudging me to flesh out the Canon and Olympus lens lines a bit more. But for the 'ooh, isn't this nice?' cameras, I can wait for a while. I'm sitting pretty right as I am, and I'm very thankful to be in this position.
In the past, I've succumbed to GAS just as much as anyone else. You only need to glance at my flickr sets to see how many cameras I've got, and a few aren't even in there! Leaps of courage like the Sigma DP1 and DP2 are in my collection, along with proven stalwarts like the Ricoh GRD III. I'm running three or four lens systems, including Canon, Leica, Micro Four Thirds and Ricoh GXR. Frankly, I've reached a saturation point where almost anything new is a rationalization, not a direct need.
Sigma DP1:
Ricoh GRD III:
This morning I awoke and reflexively scanned through the forums on my phone to see if any more updates about the Coolpix A had been noted. Any tests from Japanese camera blogs or YouTube videos showing its operation? And then it struck me. I've got a Ricoh GXR with 28mm module. The 28mm aps-c niche has been sorted for well over a year, and by a really wonderful camera.
Ricoh GXR 28:
Not fast enough, or movies not good enough? I have the Panasonic 14/2.5, which gives me a 28mm FoV on my OM-D. And if I take off the grip, the camera is like a nice, ergonomic compact that can fit in a large coat pocket. Operation is lightning fast and silent, face detection is accurate, the shutter is muted and video are great.
Olympus OM-D EM-5:
New Leica M 240? All of the upgrades like weather sealing, manual video mode, good high ISO performance and live view are all very nice, but my M9 is still an absolute machine of image quality. Yes, I want it, but not enough to put down the cash right now. I'll let the new users figure it all out first, like I did with the Fuji X100. By then, firmware updates had been issued and quirks had workarounds.
Leica M9:
Fuji X100:
The GAS explosion that has wracked my brain for the last month or two is abating. The reality is that I own an almost ludicrous amount of gear, cameras that represent the pinnacle of achievement for their times. They all take great photos and they all have their unique charms. I'm not saying that I won't buy any more gear for a while; my needs at work are nudging me to flesh out the Canon and Olympus lens lines a bit more. But for the 'ooh, isn't this nice?' cameras, I can wait for a while. I'm sitting pretty right as I am, and I'm very thankful to be in this position.