Panasonic Lumix GH1 Review

<p>GH1 pricing announced today $1500 with lens.</p>

<p>http://blog.photo.net/?p=6031</p>

<blockquote>The corner problem Leonardo mentioned is one of the reasons some Canon users mount certain Leica SLR lenses</blockquote>

<p>Actually the problem is more generic ðan only Canon. It happens wiþ digital ſenſor arrays in general, because each individual ſenſor (‘pixel’) actually captures light only at ðe bottom of a kind of well. Ðus, light arriving at any angle ſignificantly different from 90° will not fully reach ðe ſenſor proper, and obviouſly ðe effect is worſe at ðe corners.</p>

<p>Ðis is alſo ðe cauſe of ðe need for ‘digital-ſpecific lenſes’, and even of ðe ‘digital-ſpecific’ Four Þirds Systems. It ariſes out of a combination of lenſes, ſenſor ſize and diſtance to ðe ſenſor, ſo 24×36mm cameras need huge and expenſive lenſes, πAPS-C cameras generally need bigger, more expenſive lenſes ðan Four Þirds but not as much as 24×36mm, and Micro Four Þirds haſn’t yet been able to match reflex Four Þirds ſuperb optical performance, ðus no Leica or Zuiko Micro Four Þirds glaß yet.</p>

<p>Leonardo, I applaud your enthusiasm for 4/3. I do think Panasonic will force Oly to produce a good non/DSR micro-4/3 camera, since the existing 4/3 (except for E3) have such miserable viewfinders. </p>

<p>It'll be interesting to see the cheaper-than APS 4/3 primes that you anticipate.</p>

<p>Here is a preview of some video shot with the GH-1 on a test run by a UK videographer visiting our lovely island to the North:</p>

<p><a title="Click to open link in a new browser window" href="http://vimeo.com/groups/gh1/videos/4441911" target="_blank" title="Click to open link in a new browser window" >http://vimeo.com/groups/gh1/videos/4441911</a></p>

<p>There are a lot of consumers who will seek just to shoot a clip of Junior's first birthday party and send it flying out over the internet in HD video ( I am assuming that the compression algorithm for that is standardized, not my forte). That it also does good still work and is issued by a company that wants a piece of the market, plus with a lens mount that third party lens crafters might now want to consider adapting finally.<br>

Any polymer should have some decent dimensional stability. Usually that has been accomplished by metal in certain critical parts. My little Nikon Coolpix is hybrid plastic and metal. Sometimes it is hard to remember which part is which....I am a little bit disappointed that Panasonic could not squeeze out a little faster basic zoom lens,-- by one stop would have been so great at wide end. </p>

<p>And, to add a bit to the pudding, here is the lens adapter lineup from German supplier Novoflex, a top tier company that seems to be plunging into the micro adapter party already.Link for those interested, as if anyone with a closet of FD and other assorted lenses would not be a little curious. Price is not out of whack very much for German machine work, or so I am thinking:<br>

http://www.novoflex.com/en/products/adapters/fourthirds-bajonett/</p>