best compact cameras for landscape

[Praki]

Hi:

I am new to the site as well as the topic. I just got back from the mountains after a three week trip. Lugging a Nikon D200, tripod and lenses at 17,000+ feet gave me a new appreciation for the force of gravity as well as not being born a sherpa; so most pictures were taken with a Canon G9. I would appreciate the members' input on my next camera choice; I have listed a few desirables and constraints below. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions. The D200 has been a faithful companion but the weight and bulk is becoming a factor.

1. The max size I enlarge the pictures is 16x20. Rarely beyond this size.
2. Landscapes are my preferred subjects but about 5-10% are portraits of people.
3. I would like the gear to fit in a case or backpack that can be carried on i.e. not checked as baggage.
4. I would like a camera with interchangeable lenses. I would like the camera to be reliable and have good sharp lenses available. I am looking for two bodies, a macro lens, a wide angle to mid zoom and a mid to telephoto zoom.
5. Good quality video is a definite plus (I do some volunteering for NGOs on my trips and they appreciate getting videos of their activities).
6. I travel the world over and to less accessible places - it would be good if the camera runs on AAA or AA batteries.
7. The two bodies + lenses should be around $6K or less.

So is the micro4/3rds  good bet for me or are there other possibilities? I have heard that the Panasonic GH1 is made in China and has had quality problems - the Olympus but with Panasonic lenses may seem a better bet?? All suggestions to address the above are welcome.

Thanks.

[Dick Roadnight]

54 folding sheet film camera... Plenty of  res, movements, foldable therefore (relatively) compact, No need for digital, batteries...

[happyman]

Sigma DP1 + DP2

[httivals]

The Panasonic G1, or GH1, are incredible cameras, especially with the recently released lenses, 20mm f1.7 pancake, and 7-14mm super wide angle zoom.  There are no quality problems from being made in China -- I don't know where you're getting your information from.

I've had a Canon 5D for 4+ years and a 5DII for about a year, with top "L" lenses, of which I've always tested several copies and selected the best.

Guess what -- the G1, at least at base iso of 100 matches the 5D I (not 5D II) in detail.  And it's so much smaller and lighter, and the user interface of the G1 is fantastic.  Then there's the folding LCD screen.  At iso 400 to 800 the G1 is still very very good but it is already falling behind the 5DI by then.  Iso 1600 is usable but you give up a lot of quality by then.

I can't believe how good this camera is.  I thought I'd never find anything to rival the 5Ds for weight, quality, and utility.  I will definitely be traveling with the G1 from now on because it's so much lighter.

Oh, and before the 5D, I used a view camera.  At print sizes of up to about 22" in the long dimension the g1 rocks!

Check out the www.getdpi.com forum if you want  to congregate with micro 4/3 users.

So is the micro4/3rds  good bet for me or are there other possibilities? I have heard that the Panasonic GH1 is made in China and has had quality problems - the Olympus but with Panasonic lenses may seem a better bet?? All suggestions to address the above are welcome.

Thanks.

[Khun_K]

Sigma DP1 + DP2

+ 1

Regards, K

[DonWeston]

As an owner of both a 5D2, EP1 kit and Nikon D300 kits, I offer the following opinions. Horses for courses. If I was going hiking at high altitudes, there would be only one kit, and that would be the Olympus. I am 50+ and in fair health and even walking around town with my D300 kit is more then many days I want to do, despite loving this camera. The 5D2 kit with heavier lenses, is reserved for those days I am shooting from a vehicle, and most comparisons between the two real dslr's would still yeild nice indisgtinguishable prints up to 36", if I do MY PART. On short trips, I have decided that either I will purchase a D90 and take only two zooms for it, a 16-85mm and 70-300mm, or just take the EP1 kit. Even comparing those last two options, unless I plan on shooting rapidly moving subjects, the EP1 will do fine, and I have found the prints from the Oly more then acceptable to 30-36" wide. If you were a Sherpa, you would not even have posed the question, but in the real world I would rather have a camera that I still have enough energy to use when I get to a place, then carry a more comprehensive kit and not feel like using it, even if that was only a P&S....jmho...

[Chris Pollock]

I have heard that the Panasonic GH1 is made in China and has had quality problems - the Olympus but with Panasonic lenses may seem a better bet??

I don't know about the GH1, but I have the GF1, 7-14mm F4, 14-45mm F3.5-5.6, and 20mm F1.7, and they all have "Made in Japan" or 日本製 written on them. It's nice to know that at least a few electronic devices are still made in free countries.

[budjames]

I have a Panasonic Lx-3 that 'm very happy with. It shoots RAW which is one of the main reasons I selected it over a bunch of other P&S contenders. It is also slimmer than the Canon G10. It can actually fit in a pocket.

Cheers.
Bud