I had a dilema recently. I needed to get a digital camera, something to use for arbitrary shots, to use on workshops to illustrate things and something that had video capability so I could make some videos while I was away on photographic trips - like my upcoming trip to Norway soon.

But being the photographer I am, I knew I wouldn't be happy with something that was a compact camera. I didn't like the Canon G9. I also wanted something that was small, light, but had the option of taking different lenses. So last week, spurred on by a friend's emails about the Micro four thirds format, I got myself a Lumix GF1 and I've not been able to stop playing with it.

The thing is like a tiny SLR! It's amazingly beautiful, light and the lenses I've bought so far - the 14-49, 49-200 and 20mm pancake lenses are superb. I don't see much (if any) barrel distortion in them and the image quality is somewhere in between compact and DSLR standards.

I'm pretty taken with the micro four thirds format. Why should cameras be limited to an historic format such 3:2 ratio anyway?

So tonight I was at the pap of Glencoe with a group conducting a workshop and just as we were leaving the location, I made the image above, hand held at the scene. It's just so much fun having a camera like this. I can see myself taking it with me everywhere.