Don't take this wrong. This is to no one in particular. Every time I pick up one of these tiny little cameras, they seem cool in the beginning, but then you go to actually use them, and the controls are very hard to master, (way too many), and the viewfinder experience is beyond horrible. In short, has anyone on the planet ever shot a memorable photograph with one of these cameras? Or are they relegated to simply grip and grin snapshots, or drunk party shots? The shutter delay on this little location-scouting camera that I have is horrid; i think it's called a Fuji f100 or something. Great quality files, but the experience of actually making a photograph is so bad.
Can anyone speak to this? I'd love a great small pocket camera, but the ones people rave about, I just never seem to ever connect with. Thoughts?
I have the panasonic gf1 (I think that's what it's called) the thing that looks like a rangefinder and you use the lcd.
I used it on a project, along with a Leica M-8 and the files are good, equal to the Leicas, almost dead equal.
The things it does well are somewhat astonishing, face recognition, change the view to 4:3 etc, different picture looks.
The things it does bad, or as you would say the experience is just miserable. The menu on the camera takes a full day to learn and it's not intuitive.
The view of what you see vs. what you get can be variable and overall it's so damn small it takes nothing to hit the wrong button or switch.
I really believe it would take a full week of shooting to get to the point where it doesn't require a moment's hesitation to decide what you want to do with it.
It also has one of those dreaded zoom lenses that when you change the focal length the f stop changes. I bought the 40mm pancake lens, but don't really use it, though it does go to 1.7
Now on the other hand the Leica M8 I have is just the opposite. It's dead ass simple, move an f stop, move a shutter focus and take a picture.
Trying to figure out the crop lines on the leica is not easy, longer lenses make the view tiny, but overall as far as the taking/making a photograph the leica is a real camera.
I'd get an M9 if I thought i would use it more.
But as far as pocket cameras there is nothing out there that matches the Terry Richardson Yashica, at least nothing I know about.
BC
P.S. I also looked at the Olympus EP something camera and though the focus was awful, the camera is beautiful. Didn't buy it though, but now kind of wish I did.