A few weeks ago as the academic summer holiday was getting closer I began to think about things I would like to do over the holiday. (Of course in the fine tradition of academic work I will also be writing a new module and carrying out research.) A previous hobby of mine, which unintentionally became quite serious, was photography and I decided that I would like to once again take it up.

When I was reflecting on the reasons why I had stopped taking so many photographs it became clear to me that the main reason was the actual size of the camera I currently owned; a Nikon D300 with 17-55 2.8 AFS and a 24mm 2.8 AFD. This camera setup had proven to be versatile but it was big and heavy and consequently burdensome to carry around. Time for a change.

Having not bought a camera recently I was keen to acquire the ability to shoot video while also minimizing the size of any new setup. I was also keen to be able get a piece of glass similar to the 24mm 2.8.

The requirement to have a small system meant that the compact camera systems were the most obvious place to look. Due to the wide range of glass available I decided to focus in on the micro 4/3 system. When purchasing cameras I always like to think of the glass I would like to own from the very start even if I do not intend to initially purchase it. The glass I intended to purchase is the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 (already bought) and the Olympus 45mm 1:1.8.

With this decision made it was time to find a camera!

At this point things strayed a little from my typical strategy. While I had planned to carefully choose between a number of different Olympus and Panasonic bodies I found a Lumix GX80 box opened in John Lewis and just bought it. Its great.

And that is the story of getting a new camera!