Camera Gear – Panasonic DMC-GF1

I have been enjoying photography as a hobby for as long as I can remember, always using it as a component of other passions.  To keep the camera with me on my rides is just natural, an extension to share my experiences with others.  As the budget increased so did the quality and size of the gear.  My Canon kit fit OK in a top loading zoom case, and I hauled it around despite the size and weight.  Around the time I was shopping for a suitable chest harness rig for the trails the Micro 4/3 format was gaining momentum and I gave way to the siren song.  I started with the GF1 body and 14-45mm zoom kit and there was no turning back.

The new kit was less than half the physical size of my old kit while retaining most of the lens flexibility and capture quality of my older cameras.  The Micro 4/3 format cuts the height and width ratio of the standard DSLR style sensor in half and gets rid of the prism.  Thereby allowing the whole package, body and optics, to become smaller.  This camera has every thing I like about my point and shoots with the power and flexibility of my prosumer DSLR and allows me to capture RAW files.   With the addition of a 20mm prime lens and a couple of simple cases:

• Tamrac Aero Zoom 20
• Tamrac Lens Case Medium – MX5375
• LowePro 1M

I am able to easily carry part of or the entire kit in my Acorn handlebar bag . Most of the time the top of both bags are open allowing quick access to the camera while in motion or stopped.  When rain threatens, the security of the camera being double bagged has never let me down.

The proof is in the results when I get home from a back road ride in the country and have been able to capture images like this: