Panasonic's Lumix G1: world's first micro Four Thirds camera

Here you have it, the world's first micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix DMC-G1. Panasonic calls it the "world's smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera," a fancy of way of saying it's not a traditional DSLR nor is it a regular point and shoot -- it's something in between. Remember, the micro four-thirds format ditches the internal mirror and prism while maintaining a DSLR-sized sensor -- in this case, we're looking at a new flip-out, 3-inch, high resolution (1.44 million pixels!) Live viewfinder and a 12.1 megapixel Live MOS Sensor. That allows this cam to weigh in at 385-grams (0.85-pounds) and just 20-mm thick. Rounding out the specs are optical image stabilization (MEGA OIS), intelligent ISO, AF tracking, face detection, HDMI output, and intelligent scene selector with Venus Engine HD image processing and a Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system under the hood. Pricing will be announced in October. The cats over at dpreview have a preview model in house if you want a detailed first-look. Trust us, you should.

Update: In Japan, the G1 will go on sale on October 31st. The body alone is expected to cost ¥80,000 (about $750 tax inclusive) on up to ¥120,000 (about $1,200 tax inclusive) with bundled LUMIX G Vario 45-200mm F4-5.6 MEGA OIS lens.

Gallery: Panasonic's Lumix G1: world's first micro Four Thirds camera

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[Via Digital Camera resource page and 1001noisycameras and Impress]

Read -- Press Release
Read -- Preview

[Jesse S @ Sep 12th 2008 3:08AM]

It's not an SLR at all. It has no lens, no "reflex," as it were.

[Jesse S @ Sep 12th 2008 3:09AM]

Crap, I meant mirror...not lens. I r stoopid.

[Tonicboy @ Sep 12th 2008 5:49AM]

True, which is why no one is calling it an SLR. Not Panasonic (which calls it "the world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera"). Not DP Review. Not even Engadget.

[Tim @ Sep 12th 2008 3:14AM]

That hand is way to small for a 20mm back..., more like a tiny person mini-me hand...oompa loompa

[Tim @ Sep 12th 2008 4:12AM]

You changed the picture!!!
Now my comment above just looks stupid, I am so depressed!
Whatever will I do now, my life has no meaning...

[absinthe party @ Sep 12th 2008 7:47AM]

"Whatever will I do now, my life has no meaning..."

You could always blog for Engadget. Ohhhh, snap!

[Andrew @ Sep 12th 2008 1:42PM]

I had a much earlier version of the Lumix, and I frickin' love the design. They feel like a serious camera in your hand. Maybe it's because they ripped off the Leica (earlier versions even had "Leica" badged lenses), but they're super fun to use. I don't know how much value you're getting at this price, but cut it down to the $300 range, and I'd be all over one as a supplement to my DSLR.

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Sep 12th 2008 3:14AM]

There's a preview on dpreview.

Looks interesting. It's not quite as small as I had hoped, but I think the idea of a non-SLR interchangeable lens system makes sense.

The high-res viewfinder shows they realize what it'll take to compete with SLRs. And the fact that it can preview shutter speed (motion blur) shows that there are reasons to prefer an electronic image over a mirror box.

I still think it needs to be a bit smaller, like a Leica. That will draw the photojournalists in.

[Josh @ Sep 12th 2008 6:02AM]

It looks like a good option as an SLR introduction, but at that price it does seem a little silly - obviously some people don't want it, but i would rather buy a D40 or similar at that price (especially given how expensive it'll be in the UK).

Does it have in camera lens focus or does it rely on the USM/HSM/SWM type system?

[gad get @ Sep 12th 2008 3:29AM]

I like it muchly.

[solmar @ Sep 12th 2008 3:37AM]

Well, it seems like some of the concerns of not having a mirror have been addressed somewhat, according to dpreview. The contrast detect AF (vs phase detect) seems to be much quicker than normal, although it couldn't be as good as a good lens+DSLR. This is much better than the normal "a second or two" AF seen on most compacts (vs "near-instant" on DSLRs). The viewfinder is also a first, with fast refresh, and good resolution, nearly comparable to a DSLR, but still not as good, especially in low light. Both these things make you wonder why they didn't implement something similar, or at least nearly as good, before this, and kept EVFs and AF on compacts in the "abysmally inept" category. Lens choice is ok, thanks to an adapter for fourthirds lenses.

The size, as I commented before, is still not that small. Smaller than the smallest DSLR, but with a lens, it's still a monster compared to a compact. As I recall, the big gripe of many low end DSLRs was that they were *too* small, and couldn't be held comfortably, especially by men. The pinky finger would always fall short of the grip.

There is a downer, in that the sensor is always exposed, vs being only exposed during exposures on a DSLR, and I don't see any dust removal feature. There is also the question of battery life. DSLRs have always been the king of battery life because their sensors are only activated during exposures, vs compacts which have their sensors on all the time. Also strange is that there's no in-body IS.

All in all, it looks like a lot of compromises, although they did seem to achieve some good breakthroughs in AF and EVFs. People will buy it (people will buy anything), but I doubt that it will have a significant market share.

[Crayola @ Sep 12th 2008 4:38AM]

It is a new format that offer more flexibility... The idea is for the swapping of lens, I for one carry a super-zoom and a wide-angle compact, it would be great to combine these into one single decent compact.

The size for lacking of a hand model is hard to judge, but see the copycat design from Sony-DSC-H1 down to the hand grip jog dial (very useful feature I must add), high resolution LCD, decent pixel count, HDMI output... San the garish red edition, Looks pretty good so far.

[Cunthor @ Sep 12th 2008 5:27AM]

All good points, they should make a rangefinder or something close to Sigma DP9 using this technology. This is where it will be in the end - the compacts - and not so much in smaller dSLRs. Looking at Nikon D60 and Canon 1000D, both are as small and as usable SLRs can get, without crippling it with EVF/Contast Detect AF.

Another problem is the market for this Panasonic - who is this for? People with super zooms, compacts digicams or SLRs users wanting a smaller backup? Super zoom users already have live view, are smaller with a greater zoom range then micro 4/3, and cheaper. SLR owners who want smaller back ups? Back up to what - Panasonic SLRs? How many users is that? Now we finally have compact digicam users, and first time digital buyers. This is probably the target market, but debatable how many mom/dad types would walk into the store and come away with a micro 4/3... I can just see the sales person going "well actually this is like a digital SLR but without a mirror box and uses contrast detect focus as opposed to phase detect, minus the optical viewfinder which is replaced with an EVF..." ugh...

[Shaun @ Sep 12th 2008 6:27AM]

I think they said it had the same SSWF system in the current Olympuses and Panasonics

[paultakeda @ Sep 12th 2008 12:23PM]

Correct, Shaun. The Micro Four Thirds standard specifies SSWF.

[Luke @ Sep 12th 2008 3:47AM]

I love the way the internet is eroding the old US units of measure.
Yes, inch-by-inch the un-fathom-able US system moves over to the miles better metric units. Tally-ho!

[Jesse S @ Sep 12th 2008 3:56AM]

Are our units not from Britain anyway?

And all we use anymore is really miles, gallons, and feet/inches when measuring people. Maybe cups.

But really, in most applications the US is metric. Then again, I'm mostly involved with the science and art world (Europe is hip, dog).

[gad get @ Sep 12th 2008 4:11AM]

The "U.S. system," if you wanna call it that, is very counter-intuitive, and in many ways, impractical. I think Americans just don't want to use a "French" system, like the Systeme Internationale (the metric system, as it's often called). ;)

BTW, just three countries in the world have not yet officially adopted the SI: the good ol' US of A, Liberia, and Myanmar (Burma). Now THAT'S exclusive (if not exactly elite) company!

[gad get @ Sep 12th 2008 4:19AM]

"And all we use anymore is really miles, gallons, and feet/inches when measuring people. Maybe cups."

Most of those units never used to be used when measuring people!

[johnzilla @ Sep 13th 2008 12:01PM]

I don't understand what the fuss is all about. Converting to metric is easy, just double it and add thirty.

[loosely_coupled @ Sep 12th 2008 5:45PM]

@johnzilla

That's a joke, right?

[johnzilla @ Sep 13th 2008 12:07PM]

@loosely_coupled

Yes, circa 1980. Famous SNL skit by Rick Moranis and Doug Thomas as "Bob and Doug McKenzie in The Great White North". At least, I thought it was famous.

As in, "there are 42 metric beers in a six pack".

Maybe I'm just old. They even had an album featuring Geddy Lee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_and_Doug_McKenzie

[Luke @ Sep 12th 2008 3:50AM]

But back on topic ... this is big news in the digicam world, a proper step-change in functionality rather than the usual incremental improvements.
Well done Panny!

[Cunthor @ Sep 12th 2008 4:13AM]

Pity this is a Panasonic, can't wait for Micro APS-C from Nikon or Canon.

[Colin Jones @ Sep 12th 2008 4:22AM]

Why the pity? It's a step forward, especially for the market and this will make, if Nikon/Canon have any intention, to branch out into the micro 4/3rd market with sensible pricing to functionality. Just because it's not the big 2 brand don't mean it's pants.

[Cunthor @ Sep 12th 2008 4:44AM]

@ Colin

It's a pity because 4/3 sensor has a smaller dynamic range, opposed to say APS-C. Secondly, I like Nikon lenses (and Canon ones aren't too shabby :)), especially wide angles and primes. But I am not knocking this in any way, it is revolutionary in its own right.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 12th 2008 8:53AM]

> Secondly, I like Nikon lenses (and Canon ones aren't too shabby :))

If you have collection of lens, then the (imaginary uAPS-C) product is likely not for your.

The whole point is that not only body is smaller, but also new lenses for the format are smaller too.

And thanks to proper branding and consistent feature set, consumers would not get confused over what lens on what camera has what feature - what is pretty much state of affairs on Nikon/Canon side. As newcomer to DSLR, I choose Oly & FourThirds solely because I got tired reading all the FAQs about D40 and lenses you can/cannot use on it (and D40 still remains better choice for DSLR newcomers due to price/performance ratio).

To people who want to get a taste of DSLR quality - but do not want to carry around a heavy bag full of equipment - the compacts are pretty perfect start to learn photography. Though the price at the moment is really ugly ($750) and would hardly appeal to anybody, except professionals who often like to buy /interesting/ stuff.

[homm @ Sep 14th 2008 10:42PM]

@Ihar, without derailing too much, this is why I'm still giving money to Pentax... All of my lenses that I've collected from years and years of shooting on a wide variety of Pentax 35mm cameras are supported on all of their DSLRs... Even the ancient screw-mount lenses are compatible with the same K adaptor I've been using forever. I haven't felt a need to switch to any other system because they've always stayed compatible.

That said, the micro four thirds system is the first thing in a while that's given me even the slightest desire to switch...

[Gary Barnes @ Sep 12th 2008 4:16AM]

If they made an adapter to allow M39 lenses to be mounted on the body, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I love the classic Leica/FED image look, and would kill for a digital rangefinder, but the only two ones on the market (Leica M8 and Epson R-D1) are both out of my price range.

[bebop @ Sep 12th 2008 4:37AM]

Nice thought, but the trick is the light from wide angle rangefinder lenses make a very oblique angle with the sensor, more so than old SLR lenses. This is a real problem, causing falloff (remember the M8s microlenses). The u3/4 system wont have the problem because the lenses are specifically designed for it, rather than for 35mm film.

[alvaro barroso @ Sep 12th 2008 5:20AM]

Great Looking camera (in Black, not sure about the red one), great niche?

[Shinigami @ Sep 12th 2008 6:42AM]

I'm afraid they lost the whole idea of being "micro" after making the name...
I always thought it would fit into a pocket. But I don't have industry-sized pockets, do you?

[rcappo @ Sep 12th 2008 8:37AM]

I thought it was going to be in a compact camera as well. I just got the TZ5 two weeks ago and thought I would have to return it quick to get this great new camera that was the same size as that, but with a huge sensor.

I like this camera though and will have to break down and buy a full size camera one day for use when I don't need to hide the fact I have a camera or when walking/hiking/kayaking/biking and don't want to have to take a huge camera (even the G1 is too big).

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 12th 2008 9:03AM]

I'd wait for Zuiko's Pancake (25mm (= 50mm)) being remade for u4/3 :)

Pancake got its name for being very slim lens - only 20mm deep.

Though I know from my own experience how fast people get addicted to zooms and Pancake is so slim in part because it is not zoom lens.

The point is that you can have a pancake mounted for all the casual photos - and it would fit any (large) pocket perfectly. And for cases of something more complicated you can always carry in a bag one/more extra zoom lens.

[substance90 @ Sep 12th 2008 7:07AM]

Wow, who would get this one?! It`s the size of an Olympus E420, but it`s still a crappy digital camera and not an SLR.

[avester @ Sep 12th 2008 7:10AM]

Yeah, you are right, apart from the fact that it's smaller, it's good, and it was designed not to be a SLR.

[substance90 @ Sep 12th 2008 8:59AM]

It may have been designed to make pizza, I don`t care. Fact is, the external lens is useless with a crappy digital camera CCD chip.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 12th 2008 9:10AM]

> ... crappy digital camera CCD chip.

From RTFA: "a 12.1 megapixel Live MOS Sensor" - pretty much the same sensor as in Oly E-3.

The point of u4/3 was to reuse the sensor. That's why in the name "Four Thirds" remained.

Compared to normal compacts - 1/1.8" or 1/2.5" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge-coupled_device#Sensor_sizes ) - the camera is really high-end.

[jorvay @ Sep 12th 2008 12:15PM]

I grew up around photography. I even had a dark room in my family's basement. My old man did months of research before getting a nice digi, and he went with a Panasonic FZ-30. Why? Because the worst part about a DSLR is the SLR. If you have the technology to make the mechanical obsolete, or at least less appealing, why use mechanical systems. It'd be like choosing a 64gig mechanical hard drive for your laptop when a 64gig SSD is on sale for the same price.

Based on the reviews I've read for the FZ-30 and FZ-50 on sites such as DPReview, I expect really big things from this camera.

[majortom1981 @ Sep 12th 2008 7:29AM]

If its going to be $750 for just the body why not buy a dslr? You can get dslr bodies for cheaper then this.

[paultakeda @ Sep 12th 2008 12:28PM]

For $750 you get:

The smallest and lightest body that supports interchangeable lenses.
Yet, with a viewfinder as large as a 35mm camera (or a "Full Frame" DSLR), and brighter than in normal situations due to its ability to gain.
A flip and tilt back display.
Quiet operation (no noisy mirror swing).

If none of this is important to you, then by all means, get a DSLR.

[invincible @ Sep 12th 2008 8:38AM]

The lack of SLR functionality is not a feature - in 99% of situations, no one would use a digital viewfinder if an optical one was present.

It looks like it would compete with the prosumer compacts but really there isn't much point with that entire product line. They're still too large to fit into something like a jacket pocket and there isn't much of a price gap with entry level DSLRs which provide much better functionality. And today's DSLRs are so idiot proof that anyone could operate one without knowing a single thing about photography.

I also like the buzzwords... "intelligent ISO"? Cameras started having built in exposure meters in the 1970s... the effect of ISO, shutter speed and aperture on exposure is trivially easy to calculate. The only way it can live up to this and still have some meaning is if it can accurately identify scenes dominated by bright objects such as snow and compensate accordingly - although normally you'd change the shutter speed before messing with the ISO speed. ISO speed logic is simple, keep it as low as possible because high ISO = high noise.

[Rehan @ Sep 12th 2008 12:18PM]

@invincible

While the optical viewfinder right now is preferable to EVF, there is no reason to believe that this would remian the case in a few years from now. Already we see atleast two advantages of EVF on this camera:

1) it has a magnification of 1.4x (or 0.7x in terms of FF) making it almost as big as a 5D viewfinder. This is not something which would not have been feasible using an optical viewfinder with a 4/3rds sensor (E-420 or D40 etc are no competition here)

2) Display does not go dark when you use Depth of Field preview

3) Viewfinder magnification linked to focus ring - i.e when you turn the manual focus ring, the area around the selected focus point would automatically become magnified, making critical focusing much easier. Again optical viewfinders dont have an answer to this

Plus you have the "shutter speed preview" - not esential but just an indication of new possibilities which open up once you move things into digital. And things move rapidly in digital land so the EVFs could soon reach a lvel of resoltion and clarity which surpasses the optical viewfinders.

Other great advantage of this camera over competing SLRs:

21 focus points covering almost the whole screen or 1 focus point which can be placed anywhere on the screen!! - I use a Canon 30D and those 9 points packed closely in the center are pathetic in comparison

So whether this particular camera is earth-shattering or not, it is starting in a direction which would likely be the future of this industry

[xValentine @ Sep 12th 2008 8:44AM]

I actually love the design and the color.

[jupiterthunder @ Sep 12th 2008 12:48PM]

Are they allowed to use RED?

[xValentine @ Sep 12th 2008 3:02PM]

Why not ?

Did RED patented red? :)

[mocax @ Sep 12th 2008 10:03AM]

DSLRs get better quality pictures because of the sensor technology, not the prism and mirror.
Companies can afford to cram the latest digital tech into DSLRs because they know their target demographics are willing to spend the money, no compromises.
Apparently nobody thought of putting DSLR sensors into a regular digital camera box, until now.

[solmar @ Sep 12th 2008 10:36AM]

Actually, no, there is a large DSLR-ish sensor in the Sigma DP1, released last year. It's also actually compact, and not DSLR-like size like superzooms or this Panasonic. Too bad it didn't get very far, as the results weren't very good.

Panasonic is doing something pretty strange with this camera, so I'm not surprised at the unconventional color. However, it does clash with the fact that they did marketing research which led to them keeping the SLR-ish form, because people wanted something they could recognize.

People seem to get stuck on the "WYSIWYG" mentality of the EVF, as in they want to see blur, rather than actually seeing what's happening in order to properly frame the picture and push the shutter at the right time. It's pretty easy to judge if you're going to get image blur, just look at the shutter speed and focal length.

But one thing that I like about this camera is the leap in advancement of EVFs and contrast detect AF. If Panasonic can do it, then I have do doubt that this or similar tech will make its way into other compacts, and that will make using compacts *much* more enjoyable.

[ehisforadam @ Sep 12th 2008 11:43AM]

It's the sensor tech and sensor size, but also the fact that the sensor is not always exposed to light and turned on all the time. SLRs only expose the sensor for a short time, this prevents heat from building up. Heat = noise.

[Alex R @ Sep 12th 2008 10:27AM]

Yet another horrible Panasonic camera.