So, back from Vietnam and ready to report on the Olympus ZX-1 and my first experience of using a compact camera. I decided to only take a compact as I had had so many experiences on holiday of taking my larger SLR and then not having it with me all the time and missing photo opportunities.

First of all it was a great decision to get the VF-1 viewfinder. Sure it increases the size of the camera a bit but considering how small the camera is , this was not a problem. It will fit into a large pocket or a small bag which is what I used as I didn’t always have large pockets available! I quickly realised that I was limiting myself when taking landscapes because of the maximum 112mm lens range. But overall the 28-112mm (35mm equivalent) covered all my needs and because I shoot in RAW, I don’t worry about the image quality when cropping and enlarging.

I ended up concentrating on people images which is not something that I have done before. The faces that attracted me from among this warm and friendly people were of the young and old. In these situations where I often had to react quickly, the viewfinder was a real boon. If I had had to put my glasses on then hold the camera out in front of me instead of straight up to my eye, then I would certainly have missed many of the shots I got. If you have time please have a look at some images I have put in a gallery on my website called ‘Vietnam Portraits‘.

Overall then I would heartily endorse the Olympus the ZX-1 and the policy of always carrying a camera with you. It certainly was the right decision for a general holiday when you are are travelling with someone who doesn’t want to stop at every photo opportunity or be left on their own whilst you frequently dissapear (ring any bells?). If I was going on a more photo orientated holiday then I would advocate taking along a larger camera / more equipment but otherwise I’m converted to the compact.