Pany's new micro four thirds

Panasonic has relvealed their first macro four third systems camera - an interchangable lenses camera without mirror.

http://www.dpreview.com/Previews/PanasonicG1/

 

"September 12,2008: Panasonic today announced the release of the DMC-G1, an exciting new digital interchangeable

lens camera that is based on the new Micro Four Thirds System Standard. Combining a downsized body and advanced

camera features that realize the operational comfort even as easy as that of compact cameras, the super-mobile G1

shatters the old notion that all digital SLRs are bulky, heavy and hard to use. This, plus the superior picture

quality made possible by a 4/3-type image sensor, draws a clear line between the new-generation Lumix G1 and all

conventional digital SLR cameras."

 

The design is defintely a change from the old slr design coming through past 50 years! The camera will have full

time live view and EVF. The focus is contrast based autofocus, with high speed (panasonic mentioned some

statistics in the release)

 

Lenses are limited as of now. (only two lenses introduced - LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm/F3.5-F5.6 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. and

LUMIX G VARIO 45-200mm/F4.0-F5.6/MEGA O.I.S) Also the new lenses are not Leica badged - they are Lumix lenses. I

hope Olympus will introduce their camera with in body image stablization. Current 4/3 lenses can be used using

adaprot but only few of them can autofocus.

man they missed the boat, I love 4/3s but this camera is not going to cut it. Why put the hump on top if it doesn't need it for the prism? If the goal is size and micro 4/3s slims the camera then why not make it even smaller by shaving off the prism hump or adding an optical viewfinder? I do have faith that someone, someday will get it right.

Sorry it's not "macro four thirds" its "micro four thirds"

Moderator - can you change the subject?

Take an E4xx, add liveview A, a bright 100% 0.7x-equivalent finder (those are Nikon D3 specs!), and a big high-res articulating display. Given all that they've added, I'll cut them some slack about not shrinking it much. I'm waiting to see the price and whether Olympus introduces something, but almost certainly my Nikon D40 is headed for eBay.

As an Olympus DSLR owner, nothing about this camera/system is too exciting. None of my Olympus lenses autofocus on it. It's really hard to imagine them coming out with this system and not giving their already limited users the ability to use current lenses on it. What a screwy decision, and one that relegates this system to one that I have no interest buying into.

From a business standpoint, I can understand Panasonic's move: they have little chance of winning much ground in the DSLR fray, so start a new category and hope that it catches on.

 

From from a photographic / user standpoint, I think they are charging off in a not-too-useful direction. For me, and I suspect many more serious amateur photographers, the decision tree goes like this: today, do I want to take with me a camera that I can comfortably put in my pants pocket (or comfortably put in a belt case), or am I willing to carry something bigger on a strap around my neck? (We will leave the view camera out of the discussion for now.) If I don't particular want to need to carry a camera small enough to drop into my pocket, then a size reduction from my DSLR, but not enough of a reduction to get it into my pocket, doesn't excite me much. I can't see investing in a system camera along the lines of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1.

 

What I, and many others, really want is compact digital with a relatively large sensor and either a very fast prime or a good, modest zoom lens (35mm equivalent of 50mm f/1.7 or 28-75mm f/3.5-4.5 would be okay). Even the standard four-thirds size sensor would be a very substantial improvement over the common sensor sizes in compact digitals. The Sigma DP-1 held some promise in this regard, but has too many limitations and too high a cost.

 

But of course what I'm describing is not a system camera, so Panasonic has less chance of hooking people into future sales of more lenses, then new bodies to fit the lenses, on and on.

I am not looking for a small-sensor camera to replace my DSLR...

 

However, I would be very interested in a digital camera that:

 

- produces much better image quality than higher-end digi-cams (like the G9, DP1, Ricoh);

 

- easily fits in my jacket pocket;

 

- has robust build;

 

- has exposure control (including WB and ISO) directly available (no menu fishing);

 

- has a BBVF (big bright viewfinder - electronic or optical);

 

- mounts a decent range of relatively fast (f2.8 > f4.0), compact primes - at the wide, standard and short

telephoto focal lengths; and

 

- is priced more like an entry-level or mid-level DSLR system than a Leica.

 

That is the direction I would like to see micro 4/3rds take - a rugged, compact, good quality, go everywhere,

digital camera system.

 

Looks like Panasonic could be on that track.

 

Cheers! Jay

This is a camera worth keeping an eye on. I am very interested to see how this system evolves. I wish Panasonic would have copied the classic rangefinder styling rather than sticking to the SLR format. I feel there is a great deal of potential for a resurgence of the classic range finder camera.

While I would preferred to see this camera to be even smaller and lighter, I think the G-1 is great for the first

generation micro 4/3. I want a quality camera which is small, light and mobile with better IQ than my P&S. I

feel that current offerings of DSLR's are too heavy and bulky for me. At the current size and weight, there is no

FF DSLR in my future. I will wait to see reviews of the the G-1 and any micro 4/3 introduced by Olympus, before

making a decision.

 

If this camera performs well, is well priced and the lens offerings are broaden, I think this camera will be a

great success.

I agree with you John. It would be great to see this technology lead to some rangefinder type cameras. I'm looking at the Lumix LX3, but there are few options at this time.

There's a photo floating around of the 20mm f/1.7 on a G1, and it's a tiny little pancake. I'm in heaven!

I think it is a shame that Panasonic are ape-ing the DSLR style instead of making a better quality 'pro-sumer' camera, a big but smaller brother to the FZ50. There is little need for interchangeable lens when you have a good range of focal lengths in a compact zoom. I have not changed a lens for years ... that is not quite true but relatively speaking is accurate.

This is a great leap forward. The EVF needs to be very good but apart from that it is my camera. The new Olympus lenses work AF. I feel the digital camera may have come of age. Olympus tried range-finder styling with the E-300 and E-330 they were both criticised for not looking like a DSLR. Stupid I know but it killed the E-330.

I think it looks promising. I agree that the false mirror hump is unfortunate, but if the electronic viewfinder is usable, I'd strongly consider buying this camera to replace my Canon G9, especially if the lens has a close-focusing capability. The 1/160th flash sync is disappointing: I'm used to the electronic shutter of my G9 with its incredibly high sync speed. But I can probably live with it.

It weighs 22 ounces with the kit lens. An Olympus E-420 with a f/2.8 25mm pancake lens and the same sensor size weighs 19 ounces and it has a mirror and pentaprism. This thing is not a lightweight compact.

I was really excited about the micro 4/3 announcement, but this camera sounds like the wrong implementation. It's not apparent that there's much to differentiate it from any of the smaller form factor DSLR.

 

Hopefully Olympus announces more interesting cameras, along the lines of a modern and updated 35RC or even the other G1, the Contax RF of a decade ago. What would really appeal is something like a well executed Sigma DP-1, or a Canon G9 with a big sensor.

Dave, that is not a fair comparison. An Olympus E-420 with

similar lens (14-42/3.5-5.6 instead of 14-45/3.5-5.6) weighs

635 versus 630 grams for the new Pany.

 

I believe DSLR cameras are doomed, due to the minimal

quality advantage they currently have over pocket-size

digicams. However I'm not sure this is the camera that

spells their doom. Personally I prefer constant-aperture

lenses like Pentax makes; f/5.6 seems pathetic.

Interesting thread. Two observations, though: 1. This camera seems to have polarized opinion more than any other I've seen. A new design, new lenses, and the newest format all rolled into one. 2. If this is the first attempt at m4/3, I can't wait to see what comes next. This looks like a damned nice unit.

 

I'm not sure the mirror hump is totally fake since the EVF is large and the supporting electronics might require the room. the hump doesn't bother me at all. Size-wise, it's only .5" wider and taller than my G9, with a much larger sensor. Not bad. I'll wait to see the full review, but this could send my G9 to eBay. That camera with those two lenses look like an excellent travel kit.

@Bill: Good point and your comparison is fairer. But only five grams gained in going from "full" 4/3rds to micro 4/3rds? Seems like a trivial difference to me.

<I>I believe DSLR cameras are doomed, due to the minimal quality advantage they currently have over pocket-size

digicams.</I><P>

 

[Cough, sputter, blink.] Oh I get it, you are joking. You are being facetious. Ahahahahaha. The statement is so

clearly nonsense that you are of course joking. (Of course you know that noise at higher sensitivities, ability to

control depth of field, and other image quality issues allow any current DSLR to wipe any current compact digital for

many pictures.)<P>

 

And Bill, as Dave Kee pointed out, lose the mirror and prism for a <I>less than one percent</I> weight savings?!<P>

 

I really like the idea of a camera a lot smaller than any current DSLR, with a relatively large sensor, and reasonably

sharp, fast lenses. But this does not appear to get small enough. Not even close, from what I can see.

Sorry, I'm not joking. I have seen a Pentax W30 produce better results

than a Canon 20D with pro 28-80/2.8 lens. Not always, but sometimes.

The Canon G9 produces consistently better results than a Rebel

with 18-55 kit lens. A bit of corner softness is not a terrible tradeoff

considering cost and portability advantages of a digicam.

DSLR results are often fuzzied by mirror slap, a well-documented

phenomenon from the film days.

 

The Panasonic G1 was not designed primarily for low weight,

but rather for appeal to the traditional buyer who thinks cameras

should look like this. It is noticeably smaller than the E420.

 

The recent "live view" craze is more evidence that camera buyers

don't care about viewfinders. It's only us old-timers born in the 1800s.

Both that comment and the one about the lenses. NO ONE makes constant aperture consumer lenses, i.e. the Pentax 50-200 f4-5.6, 18-55 f3.5-5.6 and 55-300 f4-5.8. Those are consumer lenses. Pentax does makes some truly outstanding, fast primes and constant aperture zooms. So does Olympus...constant f2 zooms in fact, but they and the Pentax constant aperture lenses are not amatuer lenses.

I've seen many excellent images from digicams...have a few myself that were taken in conditions where they COULD do a good job, but the fact is compacts are flat inferior for way too many subjects to make any wide-sweeping comments about their ability being any where near equal to a DSLR.

Kind of reminds me of the old Pentax 110 SLR, neat little toy if you need a neat little toy, but not very good for serious photography. Simply put, the laws of physics mean it will make worse pictures than a DSLR, which has a larger sensor. Less DOF control. Smaller photosites. Lenses that need to resolve to a higher resolution to make the same quality picture. Make it cheap enough (really cheap) and I might get one just to put in my glovebox... maybe it would be ok for backpacking...

The comparison to film-based APS about says it all. I see no advantage to the G1 over my E-420.

 

Michael J Hoffman