Trip to Beiging Which Camera to Buy ?
 

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum & would appreciate a bit of help,

Planning a backpacking trip to Beijing for 4 weeks & am looking to treat myself to a new shiny camera, I had my mind set on the Lecia D-LUX 4 then I started to reading reviews.

Below are the camera's I have looked at, but not in person. I have rated these cameras in order of wish list.

1. Panasonic DMC-GF1
2. Canon Powershot G11
3. Panasonic Lumix LX3
3. Canon S90
4. Leica D-Lux 4

D-lux4, Lumix LX3 is a cheaper alternative with grip on front
Canon S90, excellent camera, bit small, don’t like the compact look
Lumix LX3, leica lense, not pocket size, 24mm F2.0, hot shoe, excellent macro, downfall 24mm/60mm lense, O/A picture quality better on S90
G11, excellent camera, slightly superior to S90 & G11, but still no HD Video & macro better on LX3
GF1, doubled my budget but is it worth the extra bucks? Would you recommend the 20mm lense or 14-45, supposedly the 20mm doesn’t have a optical stabilizer for HD vid, would I need if not using a tripod?

Any comments would be much appreciated, sorry I went on a bit, to many reviews on the www.

Read the "sticky" at the top of this forum.

Hi Tobe and welcome to WPF

As I understand it the LX3 and the D-Lux 4 are effectively the same camera just with different branding - they have the same sensor, lens and processor, there are just a few differences on the software. Personally I don't think the Leica red dot is worth the extra money.

A while ago I tested an S90 with a view to getting it in replacement to my G9 as it is significantly smaller and more pocketable. However I was quite disappointed in the IQ, it was better than most compacts but still not upto the standard of the G series cameras. From all I've read and seen the G11 is a good deal better, I know that my G9 is capable of producing IQ on a par with a DSLR in good conditions.

The downside of all four of these cameras is that they only perform well at low ISO, so you need good light to get the best out of them. That's where the GF1 comes into it's own... it has a significantly bigger sensor, which means bigger pixels and in turn better high ISO performance. If you can put up with the larger size and higher cost then the GF1 will out perform any of the compact cameras that you are looking at, but only you can know if it's worth the extra. As for lenses the 20 f1.7 pancakes is apparently a very good (not that I've tried) and it's extremely compact which could be helpful. However having one fixed focal length may seem quite limitting so the 14-45 kit lens may be more useful. If you can get to a shop that stocks them it would be a very good idea to try the cameras in the hand and see which feels right for you.

think your main problem if backpacking is how your going to charge the batteries

Hi everyone & thanks for the input, cheers postcardcv, as you have said the GF1 has a bigger sensor, thus can process higher iso, which makes it a much more versatile camera, I have managed to track one down @ a local shop, also they have got a D-Lux 4 to do a quick comparison.

My main concern about the GF1 is the size, to be honest after reading a ton of reviews I have now got my heart set on a GF1.

I bought a Nikon F75 {film} second hand a few years ago & absolutely loved it, but over time it got used less & less due to being so clumber son & digital was getting lots of hype, so it got pushed to the back of the cupboard, which was a real shame, the market has really opened up & I am hoping the GF1 meets all my needs, I have sold two compact digi's as I want one do it all camera.

So hopefully the GF1 is Compact {we will see} Interchangeable lens, HD Vid, Macro, Hot shoe, Landscape, ok poor zoom option, but will defiantly upgrade later & the camera body looks understated which will soon me fine. 70% I will be tempted by the 20mm lense, much better for the backpack, depends if effects HD vid's, i.e. jumpy, we will see .

p.s. can charge batteries in the hostels : )

Will update you very soon.

cheers, toby

one thing i will say is that you want to look into where you stand with the warrenty. I bought a nikon in Brisbane Australia, i live in the uk. the australian warrenty isnt valid in europe.

Just something to bare in mind when purchasing abroad.

p.s. can charge batteries in the hostels : )

of course .....showing my age there lol......I do envy you as well