Struggling with G15 decision

I'm looking for a camera that I can shoot skiing with while skiing so light and portable is a big deal.

I have a G9 but the IQ doesn't do it for me - I shoot sports otherwise with a 1Dmk3 and a 40D as backup. I've considered carrying the 40D, but that means a backpack that I don't want to use.

THis would be used in a very narrow application - almost 100% outdoors and in good light. So ISO would be low.

I'm interested in the utility of the high speed burst mode and how well that would work.

From what I can tell, if I shoot with this at low ISO and in good light, the it might be hard to tell the images from DSLR. But I'm still worried about the small sensor and IQ.

Thoughts? Do it? Don't do it?

J.

skiing photos

I taught skiing for 35 years, so skiing photography is an interest of mine too. I enjoyed my G9. Liked the optical viewfinder for those days when I might have trouble seeing images on the screen.

Another camera had real issues. I took a Pany ZS3 skiing and couldn't see the screen to save my life!

So my question of using the G15--Can you see the screen on a bright, sunny, perfect skiing day?

Alternatives
Ben Jacobsen has used a Think Tank Urban Disguise 30, and a Mountainsmith as chest packs while skiing to hold a large dslr. He is a ski patrol. Probably skis faster than this old guy.
I have used a LowePro Top Loader large enough to carry my chosen gear, as a chest pod.

Spent my money poorly
I bought an LX5 and electronic viewfinder that I hated using while skiing... I would take the LX5 out, find and mount the EVF, take a picture, then take the EVF off and put it away, then put the camera away...I didn't take many photos using this camera skiing after making this choice.

So--I find the optical viewfinder helpful on cameras that I select to take skiing with me.

Hope this helps

DaveL

I'm also a ski patroller. I've tried skiing with dslr and associated gear - that's fun when I'm there to shoot but it gets in the way of the enjoyment of skiing. I want something small and pocketable. The G15 looks like it might be interesting.

J.

The G15 IQ is very good at lower ISO and it has a decent max shutter of 1/4000 for very bright conditions and using the fast lens. The hi speed burst mode shoots 10 frames/sec for one sec. It is a scene mode, though, so you can't adjust all of the settings. I have only used it on one occassion and found it to work well for taking a quick 4-6 shots, release, then shoot another 4-6, etc. You might also consider a Nikon 1 V1 - they are selling for less than $400 now with the kit lens.

I had thought about the V1. Have you used one? It's got the speed that I need and the two lens would be just about perfect.

It's hard to get an idea of the size from pictures. Pocketable?

J.

I would get the Sony RX100 in a heart beat over the G15. G1X vs RX100 is debatable. RX100 is everything the G15 wants to be in a smaller package with a better sensor and low light capability.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #15246756
I had thought about the V1. Have you used one? It's got the speed that I need and the two lens would be just about perfect.

It's hard to get an idea of the size from pictures. Pocketable?

J.

Here's a way to compare sizes;

http://camerasize.com/​compare/#123,383 (you can modify camera choices using the drop down lists.)

The V1 would not be as pocketable as a G15, even with a pancake lens on the V1.

http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/nikonv1j1/ (shows V1 size with small zoom as well as pancake 10mm lens on page 2)

Dennis

No viewfinder. That won't work. Too bright on a sunny day over snow. Sorry - forget to mention that.

The Nikon V1 is really interesting to me. Since I'd be shooting at low ISO, the IQ ought to be ok and I'd be near max resolution and probably close to DSLR resolution in bright light. The thing is fast and AF is fast. I'm wondering how well it fits into a large pocket.

Question on the Sony - in burst mode (continuous shooting) does it AF each time or only once at the start of the burst? If not continuous AF, then that wouldn't work either.

J.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #15247228
No viewfinder. That won't work. Too bright on a sunny day over snow. Sorry - forget to mention that.

The Nikon V1 is really interesting to me. Since I'd be shooting at low ISO, the IQ ought to be ok and I'd be near max resolution and probably close to DSLR resolution in bright light. The thing is fast and AF is fast. I'm wondering how well it fits into a large pocket.

Question on the Sony - in burst mode (continuous shooting) does it AF each time or only once at the start of the burst? If not continuous AF, then that wouldn't work either.

J.

I believe I made a mistake. Think the G15 has an optical viewfinder. I have also read the review of the Nikon P7700. It lost the OVF. Sorry for confusing others.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #15246124
I'm also a ski patroller. I've tried skiing with dslr and associated gear - that's fun when I'm there to shoot but it gets in the way of the enjoyment of skiing. I want something small and pocketable. The G15 looks like it might be interesting.

J.

You should have seen what I trucked to Vail. Disgusting! You're right. There to ski? P&S. Photography? Lots of choices.

My Brother in Law clued me in. He has been published in National Geographic. P&S. when skiing.

I do shoot alpine ski racing a lot. In that case, I use a cotton carrier and I carry an ice screw. When I get to where I'm going to shoot, my pack (Fstop Loka - excellent) goes on the snow anchored with a carabiner to the ice screw. I can then shoot and the CC works great to hold the camera in place if I have to reposition myself. But, skiing with all that is not skiing. It's just a way to schlep the camera gear to where I'm going to shoot.

The Nikon V1 is fascinating. It's got 2X the sensor size of the G15 and it's AF and drive are optimized for burst shooting. It ought to have better IQ than the G15. That said, I think with a lens on it, it won't fit in a pocket comfortably. Close, but not quite.

With many of these mirrorless cameras there is little benefit over a small SLR like the Canon Rebel series with a small lens or the pancake 40mm.

How well does the G15 IQ compare to an APS-C SLR from, say, several years ago if the G15 is used at base ISO in bright light (outdoors, daylight)?

J.

You might find these links useful;

http://forums.dpreview​.com/forums/post/42390​425

http://www.svdwfotogra​fie.nl …dcb23610105ed5a​e-134.html

Dennis

JohnJ80 wrote in post #15247299
I do shoot alpine ski racing a lot. In that case, I use a cotton carrier and I carry an ice screw. When I get to where I'm going to shoot, my pack (Fstop Loka - excellent) goes on the snow anchored with a carabiner to the ice screw. I can then shoot and the CC works great to hold the camera in place if I have to reposition myself. But, skiing with all that is not skiing. It's just a way to schlep the camera gear to where I'm going to shoot.

The Nikon V1 is fascinating. It's got 2X the sensor size of the G15 and it's AF and drive are optimized for burst shooting. It ought to have better IQ than the G15. That said, I think with a lens on it, it won't fit in a pocket comfortably. Close, but not quite.

With many of these mirrorless cameras there is little benefit over a small SLR like the Canon Rebel series with a small lens or the pancake 40mm.

How well does the G15 IQ compare to an APS-C SLR from, say, several years ago if the G15 is used at base ISO in bright light (outdoors, daylight)?

J.

I've made 2 purchases. The first I regret.

That was my Sony NEX5. 2 lenses. I got good images, but seldom carried it because the lenses were quite large. Reasoned...should have bought the smallest Nikon body, to use instead of my d300s.

Second seems fine...Oly m5. However, I only have the kit zoom lens. Regret? I haven't worked out a lot of details. Bag? Strap? hood? telephoto zoom?

I have added a grip. Still shaking my head about the cost. And it is counterintuitive...why add a large grip to a small camera, that I bought because it is small?

I believe the high ISO performance of both cameras is better than my d300s. And a NEX5N or NEX7 would have been better yet. That performance has me re-thinking future lens purchases. I hope to simplify my life and lighten my load.

If you want action video while skiing, you really can't beat the GoPro Hero. The new Hero 3 black version seems like it is very interesting and I just recently ordered one for videos of spearfishing.

What I decided to do was get the Nikon V1 and give that a try on a 30 day return guarantee. The camera will only be used for serious photography when outdoors in good light (skiing, biking, etc...) where space is a premium. I got it with the 10-30 (27-80mm equiv), 30-110 (80-300 equiv) and a 10mm f/2.8 (27mm) pancake lens. Nikon is releasing an 18.5mm f/1.8 (50mm) here this month plus a higher power flash (50' at ISO100) around the first of the year. That all should be great additions.

This camera will shoot at 10fps with full AF and will be excellent for sports. At ISO <400 and maybe even 800 test shots and reviews seem to say that performance is equivalent to m43 cameras (give or take). I likely would not use it at higher ISO unless for a non serious snapshot and will likely be using it at the lowest ISO 90% of the time. This will be the first uber portable camera that I have had that will permit me to shoot action sports in remote locations at this frame rate. This could be exciting.

With the 10mm lens, it very close to a G series in pocketability. That means no case or other junk to haul skiing. I can carry another lens in another pocket since they are small.

I looked hard at the OMD EM-5 and it's a cool camera but it's just larger than I wanted. Also - major issues for me - at the 10fps burst rate it only does the AF at the first frame. I tested that in the camera store. With no lens would it be pocketable for me and it would necessitate a backpack or fanny pack. I wanted to have the option to not use it that way and not be forced to do the backpack route. I think the next version of the OMD (EM-6?) ought to be awesome.

This camera (V1) is supposed to be somewhere between P&S (i.e. G series) and DSLR for me. If i want to do low light, have uber image quality, I have a number of bodies from which to select. What I needed in this was very good IQ and as portable as I could make it. Looks like this will do it.

So we'll see how well this works. The price on these is crazy as they prep for the V2 release this month. The V2 is going to go for about $900 with a 10-30 kit lens and the body is about $800. I bought all three lenses and the V1 body for considerably less than that. In fact, if you look at pricing, I got the body for free so upgrading to the V2 at some point is fine or selling the whole thing is probably even money for the next 6 months.

I'll try and update here. I'm off on a skiing/fun trip with kids to a ski camp over the holiday where I"ll give it a try. Not an official shoot or anything but it will be a good test of the system. I'm planning on pretty much using the 10mm and the tele. The 10mm will go in the pocket for snapshots and the tele will be used for shooting skiing action.

J.