- Location
- Cheshire, England
- Name
- Martin Connolly
I went along to Birmingham on Sunday to have a good look at all the cameras I haven't been able to try out. My main aim was to find a smallish camera with a largeish sensor 
My main criteria were: clarity of viewfinder and display; build quality; ease of accessing controls; weight and comfort. I reckoned IQ and other factors can be determined via the interweb. These are my rather unordered thoughts grouped by manufacturer.
Panasonic - GX80 - loved everything about this except that the viewfinder seems exactly the same as in the LX100 (which I have just sold) - or even worse actually. So that was a no-no.
G80 - not really in the market for another SLR-type camera but I liked this one a lot. The controls were all nicely to finger/thumb and a very good EVF.
GX8 - wow, the EVF in this is fabulous! On all criteria - except, sadly, budget - this was possibly my favourite of all the cameras I looked at. I had thought it seemed like a swollen beast from reviews but I found the size was fine. Controls all in logical places and did I mention the EVF? It's superb!!
TZ100 - I only judged the EVF and it's tiny.
Canon - M10 - yuk. Plasticky and cheap.
M3 - a bit better but the front control dial seemed very stiff, focus seemed to struggle and no EVF.
G1X Mk2 - lots to like. A good zoom range and speed, logical menus, excellent build quality. (Except for the connections to the tilty screen which seemed really flimsy). However being built like a tank it weighed about the same as a tank. What do they put in there? Also the EVF (although excellent) is only the detachable and optional EVF-DC1.
G5X - nice but a bit too small even for my Trump-esque hands. Everything seemed slightly cramped.
G3X - now if this had the optional EVF built in it would have been a really handy device. Great zoom range, good build quality, nice to hold. But a 600 zoom with no VF is a non-starter.
Fuji - X100F - lovely build quality, excellent viewfinder(s), not much to dislike except the cost!
XT-20 - I couldn't get a comfortable grip on this at all. Unfortunate since I had rated this one of the front-runners based on specs and reviews. I couldn't get near the XT-2 past the leather jacket brigade, and they had neither an X70 nor X30 to look at
Sony - RX100 MkIV - since I have a mk1 I thought this was worth a look. Very nice except the EVF mechanism (press a switch, break a fingernail pulling out the display) annoyed me after just 2 goes!
A7 - thought I'd have a look for fun and it really impressed me. When the numbers come up that will probably join me along with the X100F.
A6000 - everything felt right about this for me. Nothing was outstanding but the sum of the parts was by far the most impressive and comfortable to use, it's a darned attractive price now and in fact I have since bought one!
Ricoh/Pentax - GRII - this seemed like a very skittish, sensitive beast, and weighs next to nothing. The controls did not seem to respond as I expected. Another shame as I always enjoy seeing the output from these.
Pentax KP - ooh, I think I want to upgrade my K30 to this. A much more serious feeling bit of kit, and everything a bit snappier and more modern. They had the 20-40 DA Limited lens, a lovely combo indeed. Actually this can join the A7 and X100F next week when I win the lottery. Oh and the GX8
Olympus - EM-10 mkII - still a slightly awkward shape. The grip is still not big enough and why are the dials now so much smaller? They were one of the best features of the MkI.
E-PL8 - see comments on Canon EOS M10 above.
Pen-F - I can't see what people like about this. It's an ergonomic disaster and really hard to hold comfortably. Sorry Olympus, definitely style over usability here.
So folks, a lot of trudging around and after a very dispiriting cheese and ham toastie and cuppa, I made my choice, drove home and promptly ordered the Sony A6000. I shall report on that next week!!
My main criteria were: clarity of viewfinder and display; build quality; ease of accessing controls; weight and comfort. I reckoned IQ and other factors can be determined via the interweb. These are my rather unordered thoughts grouped by manufacturer.Panasonic - GX80 - loved everything about this except that the viewfinder seems exactly the same as in the LX100 (which I have just sold) - or even worse actually. So that was a no-no.
G80 - not really in the market for another SLR-type camera but I liked this one a lot. The controls were all nicely to finger/thumb and a very good EVF.
GX8 - wow, the EVF in this is fabulous! On all criteria - except, sadly, budget - this was possibly my favourite of all the cameras I looked at. I had thought it seemed like a swollen beast from reviews but I found the size was fine. Controls all in logical places and did I mention the EVF? It's superb!!
TZ100 - I only judged the EVF and it's tiny.
Canon - M10 - yuk. Plasticky and cheap.
M3 - a bit better but the front control dial seemed very stiff, focus seemed to struggle and no EVF.
G1X Mk2 - lots to like. A good zoom range and speed, logical menus, excellent build quality. (Except for the connections to the tilty screen which seemed really flimsy). However being built like a tank it weighed about the same as a tank. What do they put in there? Also the EVF (although excellent) is only the detachable and optional EVF-DC1.
G5X - nice but a bit too small even for my Trump-esque hands. Everything seemed slightly cramped.
G3X - now if this had the optional EVF built in it would have been a really handy device. Great zoom range, good build quality, nice to hold. But a 600 zoom with no VF is a non-starter.
Fuji - X100F - lovely build quality, excellent viewfinder(s), not much to dislike except the cost!
XT-20 - I couldn't get a comfortable grip on this at all. Unfortunate since I had rated this one of the front-runners based on specs and reviews. I couldn't get near the XT-2 past the leather jacket brigade, and they had neither an X70 nor X30 to look at
Sony - RX100 MkIV - since I have a mk1 I thought this was worth a look. Very nice except the EVF mechanism (press a switch, break a fingernail pulling out the display) annoyed me after just 2 goes!
A7 - thought I'd have a look for fun and it really impressed me. When the numbers come up that will probably join me along with the X100F.
A6000 - everything felt right about this for me. Nothing was outstanding but the sum of the parts was by far the most impressive and comfortable to use, it's a darned attractive price now and in fact I have since bought one!
Ricoh/Pentax - GRII - this seemed like a very skittish, sensitive beast, and weighs next to nothing. The controls did not seem to respond as I expected. Another shame as I always enjoy seeing the output from these.
Pentax KP - ooh, I think I want to upgrade my K30 to this. A much more serious feeling bit of kit, and everything a bit snappier and more modern. They had the 20-40 DA Limited lens, a lovely combo indeed. Actually this can join the A7 and X100F next week when I win the lottery. Oh and the GX8
Olympus - EM-10 mkII - still a slightly awkward shape. The grip is still not big enough and why are the dials now so much smaller? They were one of the best features of the MkI.
E-PL8 - see comments on Canon EOS M10 above.
Pen-F - I can't see what people like about this. It's an ergonomic disaster and really hard to hold comfortably. Sorry Olympus, definitely style over usability here.
So folks, a lot of trudging around and after a very dispiriting cheese and ham toastie and cuppa, I made my choice, drove home and promptly ordered the Sony A6000. I shall report on that next week!!
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