I ventured to The Front last night to see Jordie Lane (supported by Mike Noga of The Drones) with Alex and Jason, I had the new 20mm f1.7 Pany lens attached to the GF2 and was looking forward to getting some low light shots with it. I also had the M6 with me and pulled it out to get some shots. The battery was flat AGAIN. You see, it doesn't have an OFF switch, so if you leave it cocked and place it in a bag, with pressure on the shutter release, the meter functions until the battery is flat. This happened to me in Sapporo as well, and once before in Canberra. Not a big issue as it's a mechanical camera so still works, just without the meter. Even so, this triggered my mind to something I had seen on the M6 TTL and the M7, that's right, an OFF switch.
 
I researched more about the M7, a camera I had never before considered buying. Mostly because of its ludicrous price, but also because I had thought I had no need for aperture priority AE. Little did I know, that AE is but one advance of the many that the M7 has over the M6. Quieter shutter, exposures up to 32 seconds and a dial that is bigger and functions in the 'right' direction to name but a few. This was going to hurt the wallet.
 
Within 12 hrs of making the decision to seriously investigate purchase of an M7, I had a 'loaner' in my hand. Just between you and me, the owner of the 'loaner' is not getting it back; luckily I have his bank account details on speed dial.
 
So now the question is whether or not I can bear to part with the M6. Some day, 20 years from now will I wish I still had my first Leica, the baby that introduced me to the intricacies and beauty of the M? I dare say, yes; much like I would love to still own my first car and my first bike.
 
Maybe two bodies will be handy. I could simultaneously have two lenses fitted and different film loaded........overkill?

And by the way, the 20mm f1.7 works!!

Sydney was my playground over the weekend, certainly a very different place to Melbourne, my usual photographic haunt. Hectic, confusing, angry and gritty; it hold its charm, but give me the relative calm and straight streets of Melbourne any day!!

With the GF2 over one shoulder and the M6 over the other I spent Saturday roaming from the city to the rocks, the bridge and back again. Here's what I found.

A good day was topped off with the realisation, as I rode home from work, that this winter is coming to an end!

.....and while I'm at it, more pics of Amelia in her prison, ahem, play-pen!!

Work was getting too much for me on Friday so I canvassed the usual suspects for any interest in a few quiet ones on Saturday arvo. Ben, Jon and I met at Wilburs, then it was Edgars, Debacle, the Wig & Pen, All Bar Nun , The Front for some great live music and last drinks at Tilley's. The ride home was a great top off to the night, with Sparkadia in my ears and lights shining through the fog the whole way.......felt like I was in another world.

It's been a long process, which probably began right when I bought my first vintage film SLR last year, but I am getting rid of my Nikon D90. I suppose the long process ended when I returned from Japan with only a handful of images captured with the huge D90 kit, the kit that took up a significant portion of my pannier and weighed over 2 kg! After processing the images that came from the DMC-LX3 I realised that for what I was shooting, the DSLR just wasn't required, outside of the interchangeable lens capabilities. My lifestyle and interests have outgrown that of fiddling with images on a computer screen to achieve a certain result, I need a go everywhere camera that records life as it happens.
 
So I bought a camera that sits smack in between the two, a compact camera, with a large-ish sensor and interchangeable lenses. The Panasonic GF2.
 
I wont bore anyone with the details, that's what Google is for, needless to say the images below show exactly why this camera will go a lot more places than my D90 ever did. (1.380kg vs 2.150kg!!!)

So I've spent the last couple of weeks playing with it, as I became more impressed by its performance I was able to justify the purchase of  replacement lenses, so that now I have the exact same range that I had with the Nikon; that is 20mm f2.5 (20mm replacement), 14-140mm zoom (18-250mm replacement) and 7-14mm (10-20mm replacement) (the GF2 has a x2 crop factor so these lenses match the Nikon with its x1.5 crop). The other good news is that I purchased an adapter that allows me to use my M-mount and FD lenses, with the 35mm f1.4 (50mm replacement) providing outstanding results in low light and as a portrait lens (manual focus only, but super easy with the GF2).
 
Here's some proof.

...and some of Amelia getting bigger!!

P.S. Although this is a great camera, I made the mistake of leaving all film paraphernalia at home when I went to Melbourne, big mistake, street camera it is NOT. Digital just doesn't cut the mustard on the harsh and happening streets of Melbourne city!! (On/off switches, battery usage worries, brightly lit LCD screen and electronic focus problems, blerg.........) Luckily, I did not buy it as a street machine.