http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 3:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 4th 2009 1:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
That said, this is still a heir of Leicas for the rest of us - small, interchangable lens but with a EVF and autofocus. And you can even put tele lens on it. What's not to like? ]]>Sep 21st 2009 7:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 8:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Anyway, I hope that was more useful for you than Gad Get's comment but this may all sound like a load of waffle. I suspect the most important differentiating point of the Micro FourThirds format is that the cameras are physically quite small so they are nice and portable.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 8:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
I just made that up, but you know its true.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Let-me-google-that-for-you:

The Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) design and development.[1]

The system provides a standard that, with digital cameras and lenses available from multiple manufacturers, allows for the interchange of lenses and bodies from different manufacturers. U.S. Patent 6,910,814 seems to cover the standard. This is claimed to be an open standard; it is however only accessible to companies and under a non-disclosure agreement.[2]

Unlike older SLR systems, Four Thirds has been designed from the ground up to be entirely digital. Many lenses are extensively computerized, to the point that Olympus offers firmware updates for many of them. Lens design has been tailored to the requirements of digital sensors, most notably through telecentric designs. The size of the sensor is slightly smaller than for most DSLRs and this implies that lenses, especially telephoto lenses, can be smaller. For example, a Four Thirds lens with a 300 mm focal length would cover about the same angle of view as a 600 mm focal length lens for the 35 mm film standard, and is correspondingly more compact. That is, the Four Thirds System is said to have a crop factor (focal length multiplier) of about 2.

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

- - -


The Micro Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Panasonic for compact digital camera design and development, announced August 5, 2008.[1] The system provides a standard for design of compatible interchangeable lenses and compact cameras by different manufacturers adhering to the system. Micro Four Thirds shares the image sensor size and specification with the established Four Thirds system, designed for digital single-lens reflex cameras. Unlike Four Thirds, Micro Four Thirds does not provide space for a mirror and a pentaprism, allowing smaller bodies to be designed (including a smaller lens mount, incompatible with Four Third lens mount). The standard supports use of Four Thirds lenses on Micro Four Thirds camera bodies using an adapter, but Micro Four Thirds lenses cannot be used on Four Thirds bodies.

In late 2008, Panasonic announced a Micro Four Thirds camera and lenses, the Lumix G1[2]. Olympus also announced the development of a camera based on the Micro Four Thirds systems known as the Olympus PEN E-P1 Camera on June 16, 2009. Unlike its predecessor, the Micro Four Thirds system is not promoted as an open standard.[3]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Four_Thirds_system]]>Sep 3rd 2009 8:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 4th 2009 12:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/]]>Sep 3rd 2009 9:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 7th 2009 5:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 8:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 7:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 11:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/"The downsides of no line-in and a higher pricetag than the comparable E-P1 aren't insignificant, but the GF1 will certainly put up a fight."

The E-P1 doesn't have a line-in mic, either (I have it), but it does pick up audio in stereo.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 7:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
My wallet says no, but my head says YES YES YES.

Guess I'll be putting my credit card back to work after a mild hibernation...]]>Sep 3rd 2009 8:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 11:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 4th 2009 12:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Oct 2nd 2009 2:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 8:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 8:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
i'd hit that in an instant....]]>Sep 3rd 2009 8:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Same with 4/3, actually. Once you have a decent zoom lens on the thing, it's not exactly a compact camera anymore. ]]>Sep 3rd 2009 9:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Why would you want to do that actually? Would you want an F1 engine in your VW Golf?
Great quality pictures are influenced by lots of factors, one of them being sensor size.
Right now APS-C size sensors are already very very very good, so are the 4/3's.
]]>Sep 3rd 2009 9:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
But back to the point.

I think the Micro 4/3rds line is a good compromise. You get very good sensors with pretty good lenses in a smaller than SLR frame. You take a hit to quality but it's still better than most P&S camera's.

I think, however, the standard will end up as a niche market because you have some pretty high end P&S cams like the Canon G10/G11 for roughly half the price. The current price point might just encourage some step up to an SLR if you have to buy lenses and stuff anyways. (It may take longer but might as well go big or go home type mentality)]]>Sep 4th 2009 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Full frame sensor, compact lenses, and about the same size.

Tiny drawback: 10x the price.]]>Nov 24th 2009 9:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 9:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 9:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Huh? Last time I checked, aperture can easily be adjusted. Having a maximum at 1.7 seems like a good thing to me, not a disturbing thing.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 9:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
True gearheads will rave about the DOF/bokeh possibilities here.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Regardless, it's nothing to do with the camera. It's the awesome fast f1.7 (max) lens. Either stop it down, or throw a different (cheaper) lens on if you just want really deep depth of field like a point and shoot. Either way, it's photography 101. You should know this if you are posting camera reviews.]]>Sep 4th 2009 3:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Samsung takes a much better approach with their 720 HD point and shoot camera's.

Why is so much of the video sample out of focus?

I think I'll wait to see what Samsung does.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 10:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
In addition, AVCHD is a pretty widely accepted standard for HD video. Copy the file structure to a DVD or a USB key and plug it into a PS3 or many Blu-ray players and it'll play with a single click.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 11:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
regarding the shallow depth of field (DOF), this is a product of a larger sensor and generally considered a good thing by photographers. this is one of the reasons the Canon 5DII is so appealing, the full-frame sensor gives a very shallow DOF. you can always deepen the DOF by stopping down the aperture.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Oct 3rd 2009 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 4th 2009 9:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
You are not serious are you?

Bad bad rolling shutter, obvious as hell!
Look at the 0:25 mark of second video, as the camera sweeps all the straight vertical lines skew badly.
]]>Sep 3rd 2009 11:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/Sep 3rd 2009 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
For a better example of it, follow the link on Tech Thoughts to The Foundry to see their software that corrects for rolling shutter- and not just for when the camera pans. ]]>Oct 3rd 2009 12:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Please learn something about photography before posting "first looks" at camera equipment.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 12:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
The More You Know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture]]>Sep 3rd 2009 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1-hands-on/
Don't abuse the bokeh.]]>Sep 3rd 2009 1:47PM