A couple of years back I found a camera in an technology exchange shop – a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 with a 14-42mm zoom lens. I had always wanted a decent camera, but had been resisting just trading up from my ancient Canon Powershot just for the sake of megapixels. I wanted a DSLR but couldn’t afford one; the G2 was inexpensive and seemed to fit the bill, so I bought it. I did my due diligence after the fact and was wrong – in that it wasn’t strictly a DSLR but a new mirrorless system using a smallish sensor – Micro Four Thirds – and a range of specifically designed lenses. It did, however, rekindle a latent passion for photography that I’d been harbouring since my teens when I did a bit with a real film camera (A Zeis Ikon Contaflex Prima MkII, no less!) in a real darkroom (my friend Saskia’s bathroom).
With a bit of judicious eBaying I managed to get a couple of longer and wider lenses, and a bag, and a flash, and then a reasonably priced G5 making my G2 redundant and then that month – coinciding with the fortuitous sale of a saxophone – I found a DMC-GH3 in a similar shop for a snip (well comparatively), which is Panasonic’s Pro camera from November 2012 (when it cost $1200 just for the body!). So that’s what I have now, complete with a H-F007014 14-140mm lens, augmented by the G5, which I should sell were it not for the fact that a couple of useful lenses only fit on that. Photography is proving a surprisingly expensive hobby!
The update as at February 2016 that things have moved on. I have sold the G2 (for very little), bought a DMC-GH4 second hand, and am planning to sell my GH3 – hopefully for a profit. I’ve added the Panasonic H-FS100300E Lumix G Telezoom Lens (100-300 mm, F4-5.6 O.I.S), with which I am snapping a lot of wildlife, and the Panasonic H-HS12035E Lumix G X VARIO 12-35mm Lens. I got the 12-35 for several reasons; it was remarkably cheap on eBay, and is fast for a M 4/3. It also has a good wide angle and is a good portraiture lens. In all honesty I haven’t been using it much yet, but give it time.
In addition I’ve ended up with two charity shop film cameras for £20 each. A Canon FTb from the 70’s and a Canon EOS 1n which was Canon’s flagship pro camera 20 years ago. It remains to be seen whether I use them…
Hi Jason,
Well done on setting up your own web site, looks good, it’s something I’ve thought of doing, but never had the get up and go to actually do it. Glad to hear it’s produced some paid work, that’s a bonus.
Keep it going, best regards,
Gerry
(Gerryatrickgolf) on the Lumix site.