L1 begats G1

[dee]

Thanks to mindblowing sales of Dinky Toys on e-bay , an ex-dem Panasonic G1 has joined my 4/3rds G1 - with a mind blowing difference of scale from one black brick , to mini-DSLR styling .

Far from relegating the L1 to history , I have also invested the princely sum of £70 for a clean used Olympus 14-42 zoom - much more useable than the monster Leica f2.8 zoom which is jammed anyway .

It will now be on par with the weight of a Nikon D90 , if not in quality LOL - but the D90 cannot ' adopt / adapt ' my trusty Rokkors , which is why I bought it initially .

It's somehow a modern dinosaur of DSLRs - Leica / Pansonic's OOPs moment - trying to maintain traditional operation , when all around , the new interface had taken hold . I am just delighted at their faux pas .

The G1 , however has a ' waist level ' cross screen ' finder ' and can be coaxed to adopt my lovely CV 35mm f 2.5 Color Scopar and a vintage Summitar .
Too much of a temptation !

[nikkortorokkor]

Congratulations on turning toy cars into a camera Dee!

I'm interested in both your choices (L1 & G1) for a number of reasons.

1) I have a clutch of Rokkor lenses which impress me greatly, and which I'm loath to give up.
2) After struggling for years with a elderly upper-end Olympus compact digital (it is too competent to be called a P&S) I "need" a new digital.
3) I'm now officially an iconoclast (one of my examiners even wrote as much in a report) so I like "traditional operation".
4) I have a philosophical admiration for Panasonic. I know they are now a giant corporation, but their founder, Mr Matsunutsa, was a pioneer of "caring capitalism" and wrote influential books on company responsibility. Also, like me, he had humble beginnings as a bicycle mechanic.

So, a couple of questions.

How do you find the L1's porro finder in operation? It is reputably dim, which, on paper, detracts from its Leica-ish ergonomic pretentions. Have you found this a drawback?

Would you like to give us a quick rundown on the pros and cons of your new G1 body?

Cheers,

Michael.