New M43 GF1 - Possibly

[nostatic]

I'm glad they are getting the veal out of it.

They're going to need a lot of shadow puppets to keep people occupied over a two-day "save the date" period.

 

[pellicle]

Fair enough, but my point about the lens being the determining factor on the bulk of the camera is still valid.

agreed, but then I didn't argue that one.

anyway its all psychological as it really makes little difference compared to what it weighs (to me at least)

but with a 17mm pancake it'd be my #1 choice for a side of the pack camera

 

[robertasumendi]

I was stoked about this camera until I saw there's no film mode button.

Hopefully the slot under the hotshoe will allow you to attach a film mode controller.

 

[slosync]

I was stoked about this camera until I saw there's no film mode button.

Hopefully the slot under the hotshoe will allow you to attach a film mode controller.

Hi Robert,

I believe the consensus is that the slot below the hot shoe is for a plugin EVF. At least that's my vote. I'm sure the film mode would be available as a menu option, or you can always shoot raw and change the image in appropriate software....

Cheers,
Don

 

[Godfrey]

I believe the consensus is that the slot below the hot shoe is for a plugin EVF. At least that's my vote.

Someone on another forum made the interesting comment that it might also be a sound port for a mike that sits in the hot shoe. It's an interesting idea. But I vote for a pluggable EVF too. ;-)

I'm sure the film mode would be available as a menu option, or you can always shoot raw and change the image in appropriate software....

I'm actually astonished that people use the film mode at all. But then, I am only interested in RAW capture, I have never touched the Film Mode button on my G1 ... intentionally, that is. It kinda gets in the way.

 

[Ranger 9]

Other than the MAJOR typo on unvealing it looks promising!

What typo?

 

[woodmancy]

I was stoked about this camera until I saw there's no film mode button.

Hopefully the slot under the hotshoe will allow you to attach a film mode controller.

I think you've got it, Robertasumendi - you can plug your IPhone in there and the film mode expands beyond all expectations. I bet they will allow you to download films from Itunes :clap: You will be able to do an image inspired by "Gone with the Wind", or maybe "The Wizard of Oz", but my fave would be "How to buy a Slow Cooker"

Keith

 

[Ranger 9]

Price speculation

Today the sometimes incomprehensible but interesting FourThirds Rumors blog has some Japan-sourced GF1 pictures which they concede are probably fake, plus some speculative price data which struck me as interesting:

Kit with pancake lens (presumably 20/1.7?) US$1,060.00
Same including EVF: US$1,254.00
Kit with macro lens (45/2.8?): US$1,166.00
Same including EVF: US$1,359.00
Body only: US$847.83
EVF only: US$584.34
****[this makes no sense compared to EVF/non-EVF kit prices, which are less than $200 apart]
Pancake lens only: (20/1.7?) US$316.00
****[Line forms behind me...]
Macro lens only: US$640​

The discounts on the kits vs. individual items seem odd, especially the EVF (separate body + pancake + EVF almost 40% more than the kit price?!?) Or (more likely) these numbers are completely boogie-shoogie...

 

[Terry]

I looked at those prices they do seem odd. That being said, personally, I find that site pretty lame.

 

[PeterLeyssens]

The source that 43 rumors uses, the livedoor blog, is some of the worst sources of photoshopped fakes I've ever seen. Some of the "news" on 43 rumors is accurate, but now the E-P1 is out, it seems to have degraded into a really low gossip site. Probably because, hey, there just isn't enough "news" to have even a weekly post.

Also, if they'd be able to read some Japanese, they'd notice the site doesn't "claim to know the prices of the GF1, external EVF and lenses". The 6 kanji before the price list say something like: "wild price guesses". :ROTFL:


Peter.

 

[Vivek]

Re: Price speculation

The discounts on the kits vs. individual items seem odd, especially the EVF (separate body + pancake + EVF almost 40% more than the kit price?!?)

What is more striking (to me) was the debut price (and the current price with a cash back) of a G1. Comes with an EVF and a really useful swivel TFT screen to boot!

Not only the G1 a revolutionary camera but was grossly under-priced!

 

[Brian Mosley]

Why does every new camera need to be "a major leap forward"?

Once upon a time, a camera model was introduced and over a decade or three (I'm exaggerating for effect... ;-) small improvements were made to it over and over and over again. By the middle of the product lifespan, it was very well refined and a delight to use, utterly reliable and consistent in its quality. Look at the Leica M, the Nikon FM, the Rolleiflex, the Nikon F3, the Hasselblad 500, the Minox subminiature. All cameras that had very long production histories that got better with every iteration, subtle and small though they might be.

I suspect the production lines of the old cameras were easier to modify 'mid-stream' - people are more flexible than highly automated production lines. Also, I read that cameras are produced in batches these days... again, not conducive to small incremental improvement tweaks.

The 'major leap forward' is just marketing twaddle - you're not falling for that are you Godfrey? there are very rarely any 'major leaps forward' - e.g. the LX2 was a small step backward imho, from the LX1 - some people saw the E-3 as a step backward from the E-1 in many respects!

If we buyers of photographic equipment want a*revolutionary new breakthrough with every new model release, we will never again see the kind of subtle, sustained development and refinement that brought these brilliant cameras of the past to legendary status.

Trying to seperate fact from marketing hype, in the search for these *revolutionary new breakthroughs is a risky exercise...
It probably makes a lot of sense to surf the lagging edge - in terms of finding great value for money and proven cameras that work well, with the firmware fixes out of the way.

I see the GF1 as an incremental development of the G1 concept, exploiting the micro-FourThirds concept with a smaller form factor with subtly different ergonomic and use options. Yes, it's competition for the E-P1 ... but this is 'a bad thing'? Why? Competition is supposed to improve the breed, not kill it.

I look forward to seeing the GF1. It is actually closer to the camera that I envisaged in 2003 than the G1 and could well appeal to me even more. But if it doesn't, I'm really quite happy with my G1, and L1, and E-1 that I own already.

There's a whole culture of pre-release buzz and early adopter posting through the forums... the G1 was so different in design outlook that it took a while for people to realise it was a great solution for legacy lens use (the reason I bought mine the moment I could get my hands on one)... but there's been a steady build from photographers who have the old lenses lying around, as they've read the early adopter enthusiasm.

The E-P1 was an inspired, coherent design which took the initial interest gained by the functionally excellent G1, and magnified it by making it beautiful - losing the faux DSLR hump and grip, making a good approximation to a digital PEN.

The GF1 is not a better G1 - it's an E-P1alike with fast CDAF and styled similarly to the LX3 (Perhaps Panasonic should have called it the GX1)...

I wonder now, whether there will ever be a G2? the GH1 seems like a more logical line to follow for those of us who want a camera which is coherently designed to include an EVF - and you get the excellent articulating screen included!

Of course, we haven't seen the EVF leaked for the GF1 - it could be extraordinary in some way...

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[Vivek]

I, for one, am looking forward to a G2.

I never liked this incremental piecemeal offerings to please different customer segments based on market research that camera companies do.

Any improvement in AF speed is likely unnoticeable and insignificant. I do not like the way the AF is implemented and the AF lenses operate. Lack of a real aperture control (manual) and a real focus (scale) do nothing to make them appealing or useful for me.

I just hope they (Oly/Pana, etc) would release black painted plastic versions (saves me the trouble of of using marker pens on them) in addition to any other ridiculous colors they want.

 

[m3photo]

Re: Price speculation

Not only the G1 a revolutionary camera but was grossly under-priced!

Shhh ... (Remember we have new members here, one of them aptly named Panasonic Australia)

 

[Brian Mosley]

Ah, in that case... where's our firmware update to improve MF assist functionality? Other than that, the G1 is perfect!

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[pellicle]

Ah, in that case... where's our firmware update to improve MF assist functionality?

what was it you were after? With the exception of Eye Controlled picking of where I'm looking at on the EVF for the MF assist I can't think of anything I'd like to add

 

[Vivek]

Oh, I have list for the "G2".

The white paint on the flimsy buttons on the rear of my first G1 is now gone while LUMIX (engraved and painted BRIGHT white) would have stayed clear and bright had I not rubbed it off with a black marker.

The golden L square (what purpose it serves I have no clue. ) can go in terms of cost cutting and to improve the ergonomics. :ROTFL:

The handgrip is cracked. I epoxied it and plastered it so, it is OK.

A better paint job on the bodice would be greatly appreciated.

Noise levels have to go down. High ISO image quality (noise and DR) could use an improvement.

Though I bought my first G1 within days of it appearing, I never filled out the warranty (2 year one since I bought it in Germany) and I never needed to.

Now, that is reliability and quality. Keep it up Pana!

 

[woodmancy]

what was it you were after? With the exception of Eye Controlled picking of where I'm looking at on the EVF for the MF assist I can't think of anything I'd like to add

Yes, what else do we need, The "double button in one move" trick works really well

Keith

 

[Brian Mosley]

what was it you were after? With the exception of Eye Controlled picking of where I'm looking at on the EVF for the MF assist I can't think of anything I'd like to add

I've come to realise that suggesting specific engineering solutions could be counter productive (not invented here syndrome) - better to just ask for an improvement... which for me wouldn't require having to press Left Arrow, OK every time I want the MF assist zoom.

We had a long discussion thread about this months ago, shortly after we first got the G1... Panasonic got the message then, but haven't responded - maybe they've put a better solution into the GF1 to entice us to 'upgrade'

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[pellicle]

which for me wouldn't require having to press Left Arrow, OK every time I want the MF assist zoom.

ok ... what about:

pull in and hold the front dial, then rotate one click to activate zoom

it would be nice if we could move the zoom area around with the dial too ... muchos faster ... I liked the way I could do that on my 10D's rear dial

people are discovering 'gestures' on input devices ...