I have been reading a lot about G1, your experiences of using it are very interesting and shifts me more on to the point of buying it, but what still makes me uncertain is the image quality, which appears to be something coming from tiny censored point and shoots, even though pictures in dpreview showed excellent image quality no worse than in common DSLRs. Auto focus responsibility is another matter bringing plenty of uncertainty, yet it is said to be about similar with common DSLRs. And what about the future? I want G1 and that 17mm 1.7 prime lense from Panasonic, and I want to freaking use that lense for years and not see Panasonic calling it quits with MFT cameras. So, dunno. Life feels so hard at times for a man who lives in consumerists world.

Wahyu: I’m very glad to see another Micro Four Thirds camera appear on the market. More cameras = more development = better cameras = better lens support. That said, the form factor of the E-P1 doesn’t appeal to me, personally. Aesthetically, I very much like the appearance of the Olympus (much more than the G1) but, functionally, the G1 does more of what I need. Specifically, I need a street camera that can be zone focused, and I need a viewfinder. Zone focusing with the E-P1, like the G1, can be accomplished by mounting M-mount lenses. Viewfinders are another story. The G1 has one. The E-P1 doesn’t. I find I simply cannot use a camera that has only a non-articulating LCD on its back panel. It’s a fine form factor for the under-40 crowd. But, if you’re over 40, it can be difficult to see the rear panel LCD well enough — particularly if you’re using it to focus manual, M-mount lenses. I could, of course, mount an optical viewfinder on the E-P1, but external viewfinders only let you frame a shot, not focus it. To focus I would need to use the rear-panel LCD. That means I would need to hold the camera at arm’s length to focus. Once focused, I couldn’t move the camera back to my eye because that would change the focus. That would necessitate moving my body toward the camera, so I could frame the shot through the external viewfinder. I’d look like a guy that was dancing on the street with his camera. Inevitably, the cops would haul me in, and send me to the psych ward. Like I said, I hope the Olympus does very well, and that it entices more people into Micro Four Thirds. Different people need and want different types of cameras, and the E-P1 is certainly different from the G1 — it’s just not right for me, my eyes, or my methodologies.

thanks for your great article
Wahuy