4/3 camera systems?

[Davidf61]

I'll take a punt and guess there'll be a few photographers[ with more skill than I ] on this site.

Recently did a bike/hike trip out to the lower southeast of WA. Long story short, fell off and the usually most secure spot of the bike [top of tank] took a hard hit resulting in a thoroughly destroyed Sony DSLR. It was no big dollar item, but still annoying. Anyway I'm staring vacantly at magazines and websites and just getting
more and more confused about the latest trends, so I've narrowed it down to 2 types

One, a "ruggedized" point and shoot type thing

Or a 4/3 system, held a Sony Nexus3, quite like the size/lens setup, but seems a little fragile.

Until I get to my desination[on the bike that is], it's useful to be able to whip a camera out of a tank bag, with gloves/helmet on, and just point and shoot at whatever is interesting, so are point and shoot camera quality up there? Or I try and slow it down a little and go for REALLY compact DSLR or 4/3 system?

What are people using out there these days?

Thanks in advance

[Nick S]

Dave, it depends what's important to you. Size, ease of use, image quality, cost.. A good point and shoot like the canon G12/13 can do a lot of things these days.

Regarding size, the Oly OMD or Sony nex-6 isn't much bigger than a compact and will get you better quality shots with more control of depth of field, etc. They aren't really more flimsy than a P&S and will actually take shots a lot faster.
If you're on a bike, maybe a mounted go pro and you got videos sorted

Compare examples of pics from either and see what you reckon. If you plan to leave it on automatic mode anyway and aren't interested in changing settings than stick to the compacts.

Forgot to add. Myself I use a Sony nex-7, its a nice size and can do just as much as my previous canon 500d in a smaller size. But I don't mind stuffing around with the settings occasionally.

[wayno]

i use a canon g1-x, one inch sensor. one inch sensor... great camera
also a sony rx100, another great camera, not so good in low light, fantastic video.

depends how fussy you are in image quality, the 4/3's are pretty good on quality if you get a good one, you could nit pick the photos though against a decent slr and spot the differences, but depends what you're doing with the photos. when you blow them up then the imperfections will show.
theres so many aps-c slr sized sensor cameras out now to choose from like Nic's nex-7 that are giving really good quality photos.
not sure on the 7 i've got an nex-5 thats got an alloy body. has a crap battery life and more bulky than my canon.
or you could get a sony RX1 compact full frame camera

comes down to how fussy you are on your images and how much you prefer smaller cameras...

[wayno]

if you search the forums you'll see this has been debated at extreme length before as well. there a a few people who will have to agree to disagree as to what cameras are best....
i used to have a nikon D300s SLR. took fantastic photos. D300's have been used by nat geo photographers, but i didnt want the bulk and weight and the more compact cameras were close enough in quality for my needs, but for some "close enough" isnt good enough, it has to be a high end camera

[Aushiker]

I have just ordered from http://ryda.com.au a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT4 to get the ease of use and some degree of toughness/waterproofness/dustproofness for bicycle touring and bushwalking. I went with the FT4 based on the experiences of DCRainmaker. He uses an early model for the photography on his runs etc. You can see the sort of outcome from his visit to Rottenest Island visit.



I am keeping my slightly better camera and more fiddely one for at home and those trips where being able to fiddle is okay.

Andrew

[photonaturally]

When I am at the snow or water, I use a water proof camera. Pentax WG-1 with GPS.
I have various camera systems and I used to always bring a DSLR, but I now favour compact camera system with a large sensor. I use a Sigma DP-1 Merrill (abysmal battery life) or the Ricoh GXR with the 28mm lens module.

[Davo1]

For what it's worth I used to lug around a whole heap of Canon gear, about 10kgs worth.
Anyway to cut a long story short I was offered a Sony Nex-5 at the right price, too good to refuse.
I said there was no way this thing is going to do what I want, anyway back to cutting it short, I put a better quality 18-200mm lens on it and to put it bluntly, it has surprised the heck out of me.
No longer carry around the heavy gear, yes it is a pain in the derrière to figure your way around all the menus and I miss the viewfinder but I'm getting there and I sure appreciate the lighter load.
Still learning to use it but I'm not going back.
Good luck, it is a minefield out there so I hope you find what you want.

[kjbeath]

Use a Panasonic Lumix GF2, a 4/3 camera, for bushwalking, will be upgrading to GX2 when it arrives. It is fairly small and light. Macro isn't near as high as with the point and shoots, so I use a macro attachment. Advantage of the 4/3 over point and shoot is that I can easily use a polariser. Have the external viewfinder so I can see what is happening, essential when using a polariser. Doesn't quite have the quality of a recent DSLR, especially with regards to low light, or if the exposure is off don't have as much hidden depth in the RAW images. Expect this will be better with the next version. As to detail in the images, A4 prints are fine. This is a selection of photos from a New Zealand trip http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjbeath/se ... 73/detail/

[Mark F]

I suppose I consider I am a photographic advanced amateur. After years of film with lower end Nikons (FT2, FE etc) I started in digital with a Nikon 995 which produced good pictures (3mp) and had the ability to add filters. I later moved to a simple point and shoot - mainly for weight - but decided I wanted a better setup. I opted for Panasonic GX-1 which is very nice but I just find the whole thing a little complex for what I want and if I take both lenses it is too heavy. I am now waiting for Panasonic LX7 to turn up I hope will give me what I want - a very fast (F1.4 - 2.7) wide angle zoom going from 24 -90, ability to take filters and good macro capability (I haven't read anything on this but the specs seem good). It is only 10mp but I find that for most of the time I am wanting images for screens rather than A3 prints so the fewer pixels is not an issue. A side issue is charging the battery and the LX7 has a 3.7v battery compared to 7.4v for most of the G series and I expect most more advanced cameras. This is compatible with my solar power system I am just finishing off at the moment.