[Zebooka]

Good to know Micro4/3 mount is not an open standard like 4/3 is.

4/3 is also not quite "open".

[Ratmagiclady]

It's an interesting concept, putting my FD lenses on a little digital body... Only issue is that with the 2x crop factor, they wouldn't, generally, be turning into anything very *useful* to me. Could make a nice companion to a rangefinder, though. Maybe if Samsung tries it, they should stick with APS-C.

[Samsungian]

Of the few FD lenses I still own I think my 200mm 2.8 & 400mm 4.5 would be most intersting on a 2x crop camera. I've got wides and superwides covered via my other camera system so G-1 is of some interest to me. Then again its kinda easy to locate 50mm 0.95 canon lenses that were made with removable tv camera mounts. I have an original tv camera to canon rangefingder lens adapter so I may look for one of these overlooked classics to add to the bag. A cropped to be 100mm f0.95 might be pretty sweet option?

It's an interesting concept, putting my FD lenses on a little digital body... Only issue is that with the 2x crop factor, they wouldn't, generally, be turning into anything very *useful* to me. Could make a nice companion to a rangefinder, though. Maybe if Samsung tries it, they should stick with APS-C.

[247nino]

247nino>nice tip,but you have already red af-help in the flash on top?

its not enough, and its too slow for nightclubs, for casual parties it works well but when people are dancing, moving.... not fast enough

[GaryM]

I will agree with the assessment that the G-1 generates a lot of buzz. It'll have to drop in price to gain much following, though (well, at least that's what I think). I'd prefer to wait for Olympus' approach for the in-body stabilization that Panasonic continues to put in lenses. I'm okay with the 50's style viewfinder attachment, as long as that VF is zoom-able, as opposed to the different VFs for specific focal lengths (or a bulky universal turret) with old rangefinders.

Amazing how Panasonic has gotten itself front and center in the industry spotlight with a few well-planned moves (G-1 and LX3). Just shows that you only have to bring good, innovative stuff to the table to get people to notice you. I remember only a few months prior to the micro-4/3 announcement, people in Olympus forums were expecting Panasonic to drop out of the 4/3 consortium altogether.

Micro 4/3rds is really a *new* mount, leaving the old 4/3rds pretty much for dead. Sure, you can adapt some of the 4/3 lenses, but except for the 25mm pancake it seems rather pointless, for example using a big lens like the 12-60 on a tiny Micro 4/3rds body. This new standard is all about 'small', and people are anticipating small rangefinder-like lenses for the system. Only the branding is really moving forward, which is strangely comforting to the Oly folks. The much-lamented Minolta users actually had a much better fate, since Sony has actually moved the Minolta mount forward. People have strange allegiances to brand names!

[Conan]

Here's what samsungs up to in 2010:

New interchangeable lens system compact digital camera system on the way news - Amateur Photographer - news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums


G-1 is HOT. I've been to a forum and its filled with misfit lens owners. All those mounts mostly abandoned in the digital world. Theres going to many different lenses adapted to G-1 and from what i read panosonic is happy about being this platform for lens owners. And remember even though its listed as a "dslr" it isn't. It has no pentaprism viewfinder. I lurk on a G-1 forum because I own misfit lenses too. When adapters for my old canon fd lenses gets made for a fair price I'll likely add a G-1 to see how my old and exceptional 400mm f4.5 stands up on a 2x crop sensor.

Here's G-1 Site I've been lurking on:

The GetDPI Workshop Forums - Powered by vBulletin



G-1 Is HOT. Don't let the $800 price tag scare you. They sell for $500ish out of prodigital2000 in canada at ebay usa. I won't get mine till adapters sell for far less than "$175", so maybe 6 months or so.

And their forum filled with owners of misfit lenses:

4/3rds Cameras - The GetDPI Workshop Forums

Here's the interview where a Samsung executive criticizes the 4/3 system:

Photokina Interview Series: Samsung: Digital Photography Review

[ibbe]

its not enough, and its too slow for nightclubs, for casual parties it works well but when people are dancing, moving.... not fast enough

I see,took apart my sigma 530 to see if it is possible to change the Led to a more efficient one.will try next week

ImageShack - Image Hosting :: k209758qx5.jpg

[vinzer]

Micro 4/3rds is really a *new* mount, leaving the old 4/3rds pretty much for dead. Sure, you can adapt some of the 4/3 lenses, but except for the 25mm pancake it seems rather pointless, for example using a big lens like the 12-60 on a tiny Micro 4/3rds body. This new standard is all about 'small', and people are anticipating small rangefinder-like lenses for the system. Only the branding is really moving forward, which is strangely comforting to the Oly folks. The much-lamented Minolta users actually had a much better fate, since Sony has actually moved the Minolta mount forward. People have strange allegiances to brand names!

Having no 4/3 lenses, I'm okay with the idea of the micro-4/3 system. It's probably what the original 4/3 should have been from the get-go, and it's only now that they got around to realizing the true potential of the idea.

I reckon that Oly users are just happy that the investments they made are still usable on the new mount, instead of the worst-case scenario that their lenses are basically invalidated by the new mount.

I look at it this way. It may seem unwieldy to mate the 12-60 with a G-1, but at least the combination still works, as opposed to making the 12-60 owner buy another 12-60 equivalent, only this time for the m4/3 mount.

For a Pentax analog (or close to being the Pentax equivalent), instead of having to buy the DA* 55mm 1.4, I can still use the Super Tak 50 1.4 I have. Sure, it's manual-focus only, and not even auto-aperture, but at least I can still leverage the lens that I already have with the Pentax DSLR instead of paying the reputed $800 for the DA* (by no means am I dissing the DA* 55, only my own financial limitations).

You're right about allegiances to brand names. Some people make it seem like DSLR systems are religions, hence the usual brand wars in forums. I'm not as stubborn, though, which is why I'm looking to mate Russian lenses with my Pentax body.

[er1kksen]

People on the Oly forums might be feeling a bit more disenfranchised if it weren't for the fact that they've been begging in detail for a system almost exactly like this for years. Aside from that, Oly has reassured users that the original 4/3 is also here to stay, at least in the higher-end offerings. After all, it's really that high-end oly glass that sets the brand apart, and it's the higher-end bodies that really bring out its potential.

Had they changed the sensor size, I think they'd be a bit less happy.

[nostatic]

I picked up a G1 for my g/f today and all I can say is, "wow." Ridiculously good for a first iteration of u4/3. It outdid my K20d/31ltd combo on a couple of indoor low light shots. The body is a bit small for my hands, but the layout is good and the clickable front wheel is fairly brilliant. If they come through with some fast/small primes it'll be a hit, especially since you can get adapters and use other old glass.

The first shot was indoors, poor light. The detail is impressive.

[Kunzite]

I picked up a G1 for my g/f today and all I can say is, "wow." Ridiculously good for a first iteration of u4/3. It outdid my K20d/31ltd combo on a couple of indoor low light shots.

In which ways?

[ewalk]

I handled a G1 at Photokina and was not impressed. The build quality was awful. It felt like a plastic toy and the zoom lens was waaaaaaaay to stiff. I don't know if they changed anything since then, but I wouldn't even consider a G1 a competitor to Pentax unless they start building more substantial and 'solid' feeling equipment.

I'm no fan-boy, but the K200d felt like a D3 when compared to the G1.

[Erik]

I wouldn't even consider a G1 a competitor to Pentax unless they start building more substantial and 'solid' feeling equipment.

That's where Olympus come in.

If they did something similar to the old Oly rangefinders with a µ4/3 mount (Olympus 35RC D!) I might be tempted to switch... almost.

[vinzer]

I handled a G1 at Photokina and was not impressed. The build quality was awful. It felt like a plastic toy and the zoom lens was waaaaaaaay to stiff. I don't know if they changed anything since then, but I wouldn't even consider a G1 a competitor to Pentax unless they start building more substantial and 'solid' feeling equipment.

I'm no fan-boy, but the K200d felt like a D3 when compared to the G1.

Of course, that's the weather-sealing right there, which is partly why I'm with Pentax.

Those of us who value sturdy cameras probably won't consider a G-1, but really, the G-1 ticks off a lot of boxes in the features-that-are-likely-important-to-people-upgrading-from-a-point-and-shoot checklist: full-time live view with fast autofocus, better image quality compared to P&Ses, light and small body (at least compared to a lot of other DSLRs), and, for kicks, a twisty LCD screen.

Where it fails is the price department. And I doubt Panasonic will offer a sturdy camera anytime soon, as Panasonic and Olympus seem to have agreed to only have Olympus make those sturdy DSLRs.

Personally, I also don't like the design, just because Panasonic had a chance to go creative on the mirrorless design, only to have them put a prism hump there. I reckon had they gone with a retro-looking rangefinder body style, they might have turned more heads and gotten more money out of people's wallets.

I picked up a G1 for my g/f today and all I can say is, "wow." Ridiculously good for a first iteration of u4/3. It outdid my K20d/31ltd combo on a couple of indoor low light shots. The body is a bit small for my hands, but the layout is good and the clickable front wheel is fairly brilliant. If they come through with some fast/small primes it'll be a hit, especially since you can get adapters and use other old glass.

The first shot was indoors, poor light. The detail is impressive.

Great that you're enjoying your new purchase. Like Kunzite, I also would like to ask instances of how the G1 kit outdid the K20D/31 Ltd on some shots, though, since you're comparing a much slower lens in that instance (is the sensor that good that it could compensate for the lost speed?). More info would be good.

People on the Oly forums might be feeling a bit more disenfranchised if it weren't for the fact that they've been begging in detail for a system almost exactly like this for years. Aside from that, Oly has reassured users that the original 4/3 is also here to stay, at least in the higher-end offerings. After all, it's really that high-end oly glass that sets the brand apart, and it's the higher-end bodies that really bring out its potential.

Had they changed the sensor size, I think they'd be a bit less happy.

I would have to agree with your assessment of high-end Oly glass. Where Pentax has an advantage in prime lenses, Oly's strength is in their zooms. Their 12-60mm looks good, and the 14-54mm is definitely good value for money (pretty fast, weather-sealed, and affordable, to boot).

One of the things that I don't like about their lenses is the focus-by-wire. In the time that I had an Olympus, I never got to learn how to tame that electronic focusing.

I don't think it would have been beneficial for Olympus in both the short- and long-term to have them announce a different sensor size. For one, it's tantamount to an admission of failure, and two, it would alienate people already invested in their system and put off people who are looking to go 4/3.

[Kunzite]

I doubt the G1's sensor is better than the K20D's one; in fact I'd say it's the other way around. By a large margin.
One thing was really impressive for the G1: it's autofocus. It's contrast detection-based, yet as fast as a phase detection AF.