The whole GR-D kit (without tripod or monopod) weighs just about a kilo and (except for the flash) fits into the pouch on the left.
Rumors do exist on a Nikon rangefinder (S or SP) with a D3 sort of sensor, as one of the heads of Nikon is a rangefinder groupie :-) If Nikon brings out a D300 sized FX camera they'll kill the full DX range... Even if they have it they might keep it a few years ! There is also, in blueprints, a modular Nikon (think F3) for space, scientists, military... And maybe some photographers !!
I expected a M9 but Leica started a coslty upgrade system with the M8. And it ain't cheap either ! "What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman
A prosumer FX will mostly kill the high-end DX ones, but not the likes of the D40 - D50 type. I want my 20mm 2.8 to work as a bloody 20mm again, not a 35mm. I don't like 35mm on an SLR. I don't know why.
A great, unbreakable, multi-purpose camera would be the FM2n. You can find them used in a good pristine condition. Purely mechanical (1/4000th), the small battery is just for the metering, and if you're used to the sunny 16 you don't need it !
I've got two of them I keep from my film days and won't sell them as they work "at once" (just load film)! Factory spare parts are still there for 10 years ! "What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman
Saw one of these recently in a camera shop here in DE, it had me drooling...
That's all I have. I'm bringing this on a year long trip, so there is no room for extra goodies anyway beyond a few extra batteries.
you are the media you consume.
That's a neat kit though. How's the lens?
The GR-D is an interesting little camera. There are two adaptors in that photo, one which gives me a 21mm FOV and one 40mm. The filters are a circular polariser (for reducing reflections from haze and water) and two ND filters which are to allow me use lower shutter speeds with wide apertures - one of the constraints on small sensor cameras is that diffraction starts reducing the sharpness of the lens at small apertures, so the GR-D is limited to f9. There's also an IR filter in there that I bought during the week and haven't had a chance to experiment with yet.
The quality of the lens is very, very good and the sensor isn't bad for what it is: I can get usable B&W shots from ISO800 in a camera that will fit in a jeans pocket.
The controls are nice too - there's a dial on the front for aperture control and a rocker on the back that can be used for shutter speed, manual focus that's usable, instant access to exposure compensation and quick access to things like changing ISO or focus mode. There's a nice macro mode too.
The hotshoe on top means that you can use optical viewfinders to frame the shots, which means, when combined with snap focus mode (preset to about 2.5m with huge depth of field), you can frame and shoot pictures very quickly for street or informal photography.
It also does some nice landscape work.
Lot's of constraints on it, of course, but I like constraints - they make it easier for me to get good results because they impose a discipline upon what I'm doing.
Why am I out of phase with most here ? Each time I come in there's almost nobody and when I go elsewhere for a while there seems to have been a meeting in between... :-) "What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman
