New Lumix GF1 - the future today

HoppyUK

HoppyUK

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Panasonic Lumix GF1 - like the Olympus FP1, but better.

It's a 4/3rds format camera, with interchangeable lenses but without a mirror and reflex viewfinder. I think this concept has the potential to sweep the marekt.

Conceptually, it's just like the Olympus but has better AF, optional electronic viewfinder, built-in flash and a better LCD. And an f/1.7 pancake lens :) It does not have the Olympus retro marketing hype though ;)

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicGF1/
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090204panasonicdmcgf1.asp

I reckon this style of camera is going to take over the low end DSLR market and in a few years we'll all be wanting one. I can't wait to see what Canon and Sony come up with, and I reckon it will be sooner rather than later :)
 
Nor does it have in-body IS either, or compatibility with legacy Olympus lenses.

And of course the pancake lens will fit any micro 4/3 lens.

Better? Arguable. Different. Yes.
 
HoppyUK said:
Panasonic Lumix GF1 - like the Olympus FP1, but better.
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I can't wait to see what Canon and Sony come up with, and I reckon it will be sooner rather than later :)
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Been thinking about this one. I think that APS-C is still a little big for this tyle of camera due to the lens sizes etc (the 4/3 is still a little large), which makes me wonder whether Canon, Nikon, Sony etc will do. Will they use the 4/3 format?
 
Radiohead said:
Nor does it have in-body IS either, or compatibility with legacy Olympus lenses.

And of course the pancake lens will fit any micro 4/3 lens.

Better? Arguable. Different. Yes.
Click to expand...

From the DPReview article linked above:
"The DMW-MA1APP adapter allows existing Four Thirds lenses to be used with the Micro Four Thirds mount. The adapter is not designed to work with other accessories, such as tele-converters and extension tubes. You'll also be able to use the Olympus OM adapter on the GF1,as well as the recently announced Leica M and R adapters."

But what I think is far more interesting is what can (potentially) be done with a digital interchangeable lens camera, designed from the ground up and not just a film SLR with a digital sensor put in where the film used to go.

It pypasses some of the big SLR drawbacks, eg optical viewfinder, and is able to do a lot of things differently, and better. It can't be long before efficient sensor switching does way with the mechanical shutter to produce a solid state camera :)

Canon will not be best pleased with this new style of camera, as they have such enormous vested interest in current technology, but I think they will be forced to compete or lose out.

FWIW, I think this hybrid style will take a big chunk of the middle ground quite quickly - entry-level DSLRs and top end compacts. I also believe it has the potential to expand upwards into DSLR heartland, given a few years development. Meanwhile, I reckon the compact market will get swept aside by phone-cameras pretty soon.
 
HoppyUK said:
It pypasses some of the big SLR drawbacks, eg optical viewfinder, and is able to do a lot of things differently, and better. It can't be long before efficient sensor switching does way with the mechanical shutter to produce a solid state camera :)
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I don't think an optical viewfinder is a draw back - quite the opposite a big bright view finder works for me.

Your description ounds like a bridge camera with interchangeable lenses to me


Hugh
 
HoppyUK said:
From the DPReview article linked above:
"The DMW-MA1APP adapter allows existing Four Thirds lenses to be used with the Micro Four Thirds mount. The adapter is not designed to work with other accessories, such as tele-converters and extension tubes. You'll also be able to use the Olympus OM adapter on the GF1,as well as the recently announced Leica M and R adapters."
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Not if you want to AF on them....
 
boyfalldown said:
I don't think an optical viewfinder is a draw back - quite the opposite a big bright view finder works for me.
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Occasionally it's a draw back, especially shooting into the sun or on a beach when it's so bright outdoors that it's difficult to see the screen, i had to put my T shirt over my head on holiday doing some landscapes in France this year for that very reason
 
chivers67 said:
Occasionally it's a draw back, especially shooting into the sun or on a beach when it's so bright outdoors that it's difficult to see the screen, i had to put my T shirt over my head on holiday doing some landscapes in France this year for that very reason
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You're talking about an LCD screen here, not an optical viewfinder.
 
It's certainly interesting....and has me advertising my E-P1. However my main criticism of the E-P1, namely the poor low-light AF performance, may well be rectified by the 20mm f1.7 lens giving it a helping hand.

The panny loses in-body IS, and doesn't have the high-ISO performance of the E-P1.....so I'm not really sure what to do.

It's going to depend on whether it's cheaper to just buy the 20mm f1.7 lens, or sell the E-P1 and buy the GF-1 kit. Tricky one.....
 
I've been hearing rumours....but nothing official? There was an update that came out soon after launch that addressed some lens compatibility issues but not seen anything since. It'll be interested to see if the contrast detection actually improves, or if it's simply a bit smarter about looking for focus rather than just hunting back and forth.
 
So... what's the damage going to be? I've been very interested in an EP-1 but this looks a little more interesting/useful to me. How much then??
 
for a travel camera the pancake lens looks fantastic.
anything wider then you'd look at the lx3
if you were a big lumix fan but didn't want to take an SLR without, these two units would do most things the keen amateur might want.
would like to see this in action

edit: had a look through the gallery, these 20mm f1.7 pictures look excellent
 
postcardcv said:
I have a real hankering for a micro 4/3rds too...
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You're not the only one :D

...but I'm holding off just for now. While I wouldn't normally worry about what's just round the corner (you can be waiting a long time), it can't be long before the other companies respond. They'd be crazy to let too much momentum build up behind this format.
 
Lol to all those that thought 4/3 was dead, and wouldn't last much longer.

Both Olympus & Panasonic have really impressed this year.

The new Live MOS sensor they using is pretty dam good even at ISO 1600 something 4/3 camera's were slated for in the past.

DR has improved greatly aswell, again something Olympus was slated for in the past.

And next year Panasonic have a Backlit 4/3 sensor that be used in future 4/3 DSLR's
& Micro 4/3,which "maybe" end up on a level playing field with APS-C sensors on both DR & high ISO.

Problem for Canon & Nikon is if M4/3 really takes off, how long can they stay out of this market for?

They can either adopt the M4/3, and make a new line a camera's or try and find a way of making APS-C
sensor fit into a small body with small lenses.
 
boyfalldown said:
I don't think an optical viewfinder is a draw back - quite the opposite a big bright view finder works for me.
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The problem with an optical reflex viewfinder is that the mirror forces the lens mount forward - about 45mm from the sensor on most DSLRs. This makes cameras and lenses artificially bigger, and optical compromises have to be made with short focal lengths, eg retrofocus/inverted-telephoto wide angles and wide zooms.

This impacts hard on any lens with a focal length less than about 50mm (very roughly) which is quite a long lens on smaller format like APS-C and 4/3rds. Getting rid of the mirror opens the way to new optical solutions.

Your description ounds like a bridge camera with interchangeable lenses to me

Hugh
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If you want to put it like that, it's a bridge camera with interchangeable lenses, and also a much bigger sensor. I think that makes it a new classs of camera.

There are a lot more benefits to be had with this design which in theory should give improved performance and reduced cost. There's a long way to go yet ;)
 
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