UKC

Looking to upgrade my current compact in preparation for a trip to New Zealand. I have been reading around online as much as possible and stalking a few forums, and I currently have it down to either the Panasonic LUMIX DMC G1 (£249) or the Sony A5000 (£239)

I would appreciate the thoughts of the UKC hive mind on either of these choices, or should I be considering something else entirely?

Thanks in advance

TN

In reply to Totally-Normal:

both seem good value. i'd go for the a5000 with larger sensor/better noise reduction
have you seen the cashback offers on sony (eg a6000 -£100) DSC-RX100 -£60) and panasonics (eg DMC-TZ60 for <£180- shoots raw, 30x zoom) ending today/tomorrow?
do you need interchangable lens option?

In reply to Totally-Normal:

i recently swapped a canon 600d for a sony a6000 because i was fed up with the noise (shutter release) and bulk of my DSLR. wasn't taking my camera because it was too much fuss.

nearly bought a sony rx-100 m3 but in the end went for the a6000 as it was about teh same price, but with interchangeable lenses. i did consider the a5000 but i have to say the viewfinder on the a6000 was the deciding factor for me and I'm glad i realised that before i bought it. other people may disagree, but for anything outside with a little sunshine, a screen is a poor choice for viewfinder... YMMV

In reply to Totally-Normal:
I just bought a LUMIX GM1 which has a 4/3 sensor, couldn't face dragging the Pentax SLR up to 4000 odd metres. Still figuring how it works (autofocus seems complicated as it has failed to take close ups in its generic setting) but more general stuff is very successful and you can (just) stuff it in the pocket of your goretex
Only thing is, you can't read the screen in bright sunlight, e.g. to adjust ISO or exposure compensation. I prefer having viewfinder information that you can still see in the sun.

In reply to Totally-Normal:

Thanks all for the replies. Think I've decided to go for the Sony. Going to go have a play, to see whether I can justify splashing a bit more on a better model.

In reply to rallymania: >" ... i did consider the a5000 but i have to say the viewfinder on the a6000 was the deciding factor for me and I'm glad i realised that before i bought it. other people may disagree, but for anything outside with a little sunshine, a screen is a poor choice for viewfinder... YMMV"<

Word Not just a screen, but having started photography with a 35mm film SLR, and owned various dSLR and mirrorless cameras along the way, I have now come to the conclusion that a pentaprism/mirror and optical viewfinder is a poor choice for a viewfinder when compared to a modern EVF.

In reply to Totally-Normal:

I've got a Panasonic G3 which is great and around the same price on Ebay. Has a higher res sensor.

One thing you should consider the cost of lenses as these will end up being far more than the cost of the cameras.

The micro four thirds lenses are listed here: http://m43photo.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/micro-four-thirds-lens-lineup.html

Not sure about Sony but I have a feeling they might be more expensive and possibly less to choose from than the M43 system (though I might be somewhat out of date so have a look around).