Marten Holmes , Sep 06, 2010; 07:50 a.m.
When I'm shooting weddings I use a D700 with a D200 as backup, when I'm skiing I stuff a point and shoot in my pocket; however there are loads of times when I don't want the bulk of a DSLR but want better quality that my PaS offers. What do you use when you're on holiday or just getting on with the rest of your life?
I'd love something that fits into my pocket relatively easily, that gives my plenty of control, that produces sufficient quality that I could fall back on at an event in an emergency and I don't want to pay huge ammounts of money either.
Yes, I know that it's not possible, so where does the compromise lie?
Many thanks
Stephen Lewis 
, Sep 06, 2010; 08:59 a.m.
You might take a look at the Micro 4/3 cameras by Olympus & Panasonic or the NEX by Sony. I've been watching their development with interest, especially because they offer the opportunity to use legacy lenses from almost any camera including my Leica RF, if I desire. From what I've seen you'd be hard pressed to enlarge much beyond 8x10, but it might fit your bill.
Andrew Graham 
, Sep 06, 2010; 09:15 a.m.
"From what I've seen you'd be hard pressed to enlarge much beyond 8x10..."
Seriously? What have you seen?
William Porter , Sep 06, 2010; 09:16 a.m.
Marten,
At the start of the summer I bought my first non-DSLR cameras in a long time, for personal use. I bought a Panasonic LX3 and also a Panasonic FZ35. The latter was really for vacation: the zoom is amazing. The camera I carry with me all the time now is the LX3.
Will
Sanford Edelstein 
, Sep 06, 2010; 10:14 a.m.
I've been using a Panasonic GF1 lately. When I switched back to my D300 and two zooms for some "serious" work it felt monstrous! Really made me miss the days of the Nikon FM, a professional, lightweight camera not compromised by plastic construction.
Marten Holmes , Sep 06, 2010; 10:32 a.m.
Thanks for answers - I'm assuming these are all 4/3 cameras? Are they much smaller and lighter than one of the cheaper DSLR's?
Sanford Edelstein , Sep 06, 2010; 10:39 a.m.
Even my little Nikon D50 feels bulky compared to a 4/3 GF1 with 14-45mm zoom.
ross b , Sep 06, 2010; 11:58 a.m.
I just have 2 camera's. A D200 and a N80. Since I prefer the image quality of film I just shoot the N80 for almost everything. It will not fit in my pocket but it is pretty small and light. Replacement cost is about $100.00. Perfect for me.
Brett Cole , Sep 06, 2010; 02:41 p.m.
Since I prefer the image quality of film I just shoot the N80 for almost everything.... Replacement cost is about $100.00.
Plus thousands of dollars per year for film. Don't get me wrong, I love film, but you can't leave that out of cost statements. It was about $6k per year for me.
Dan South 
, Sep 06, 2010; 03:48 p.m.
>> What do you use when you're on holiday or just getting on with the rest of your life?
An Ebony 4x5 field camera. At 2.8 kg it doesn't exactly fit in my pocket.
