A local mall currently has a photography expo in one of its exhibition halls, so I stopped by to have a look. It’s nice to see that cameras are making a sort of comeback.

Panasonic had a nice display and it was the first time I’d seen an S1R II, of some interest because it didn’t follow Leica’s path with the hideous Sony sensor. Well, of interest as a matter of curiosity, not as a possible future purchase, I should add.

My history with Lumix S bodies is the briefest of any brand I’ve owned. I had an S1R for about a week before I ditched it. Round two was with the S5, which lasted three or four days and counts as one of the worst choices I’ve ever made.

And the S1R II? This is no joke: from the time I picked up the camera in my hands, it took me three full minutes to figure out where the on-off switch was! It’s not illogically placed; it’s just that the camera has so damned many buttons and dials. I counted twenty-one hard controls on the camera body. It was difficult to hold it without changing a setting.

As I put the camera back on its display stand I glanced down at my “dinosaur” SL2 with newfound appreciation. Even if it does have plenty of capture options, it can be easily made to control the simple stuff. Which is exactly what my simple mind needs for it to do.

SL2/28mm f2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH . . .