Until recently I kept away from DSLRs, they were just to big for me to lug around and as such my last 4 cameras have been point and shoots. This meant missing out on a lot of manual settings and flexibility , but better to have a camera with you rather than not having one because it’s too inconvenient to carry. Recently however I bought a Panasonic G2 Micro Four Third kit. I’ve found this a nice compromise with the smaller size. Normally I use the standard 14-42 so it’s not too big to lug around and most of my pics are around the 14-30 mark anyway. The 45-200 is only used for kids sports, dancing and plays, so don’t have to carry it all the time.
Panasonic has just released their X series lens for Micro Four Thirds. As you can see from the picture above the 14-42 /F3.5-5.6 while set at 14mm looks almost like a pancake prime lense. Hidden inside though is a fully electronically controlled zoom lens. At 26.8mm in length and weighing approximately 3.5oz ( 99 grams ), this makes their Four Third range ( like their new GF3 ) even more portable and perhaps more competitive against the crop of portable point and shoots.
Available for SRP of $399US from Panasonic