Hasta La Gadget!

Panasonic may be on the cusp of launching a true pro-level successor to its excellent GF1, according to leaked photos.

Ever since Panasonic started watering down its GF range of Micro Four Thirds cameras after the first model, curmudgeon’s (like me) have been griping. While Panasonic chased the point-and-shoot crowd with the GF2 and GF3, people who like knobs and dials on their cameras (like me) were left considering a move over to the Olympus Pen range.

Now 17 leaked shots (since removed) at the Chinese Mobile01 forum show the GX1, which looks a lot more the GF1 than anything since. The layout of the buttons on the rear panel has changed, and the dedicated trash/DOF-preview button has been replaced by a programmable function button. Up top, the mode dial has lost the video mode, and the top plate gains an iA button for enabling Intelligent Auto. And rumors have it that the camera will have a touch screen.

There are also a pair of stereo mics, and the lens, with its motorized zoom, also looks geared towards video.

Inside, I’d expect the 12MP sensor found in all the other GF cameras to be updated, and video will likely be 1080p. We won’t have to wait long. These same rumor mongers have the product announcement date as early as November 8th.

Meet the Panasonic GX1 [MU-43]

See Also:

• A Month With the Lumix GF1, And Why I No Longer Use The Nikon …
• Hands-On With Panasonic's Leica-Lite GF1
• Panasonic Falters With Button-Light Lumix GF2
• Panasonic Announces Tiny, Feature-Lacking GF3
• Tiny Olympus Micro Four Thirds Camera Body Leaked

Panasonic’s new ‘premium’ lenses drop the focus and zoom rings. Photos Panasonic PR

Panasonic has launched a pair of new non-Leica-designed lenses for its Micro Four Thirds range of cameras. The emphasis is on making these new lenses small and light, and to this end Panasonic has removed somewhat essential features.

Speaking to the British Journal of Photography, Panasonic’s UK Lumix boss Barney Sykes said that “Leica has very strict standards when making lenses. This would not have conformed to Leica’s standard.”

The two lenses are power-zoom models (you zoom in and out by pressing two buttons instead of twisting a dial), like you’d find on compact cameras. Also replaced by buttons is the manual focus ring. There’s a 14-42mm ƒ3.5-5.6 and a 25-175 ƒ4-5.6 model. The 14-42 in particular is tiny when the zooming center is retracted — barely larger than the tiny 20mm pancake.

The lenses are the firs tin Panasonic’s new “X” line, which denotes high-end optics, and are supposedly of better quality than the current lenses.

Sykes says that the lenses use “digital technology to get the same quality” as the lenses designed in collaboration with Leica. This, presumably, means that there’s a lot of correction going on in-camera. We’ll be able to test this when we get our hands on one by comparing the in-camera JPG files with the RAW files processed in Lightroom. If the camera is making corrections, then the unprocessed RAW file should show the naked image.

The 45-175 will cost $450 and be available in September. The 14-45mm will cost $400 in November.

Panasonic goes it alone for new X lenses [British Journal of Photography]

See Also:

• Leica 25mm ƒ1.4 Lens for Micro Four Thirds

For many photographers, in-camera WiFi may be an attractive feature before you leave the store, but confusing setup and limited functionality reduce its appeal once you actually go and try to use it. Panasonic sets out to better take advantage of wireless connectivity with its Lumix FX90, adding Android and iPhone app support for transferring pictures and video directly to a mobile device, then uploading them to Lumix Club — a cloud-based photo-sharing service — and on to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. You can also share photos directly from the camera — a dedicated WiFi button launches a menu prompting you to select a sharing service — but app support brings the added benefit of your phone’s data connection. Beyond those new wireless features, the FX90 includes a 12 megapixel CCD sensor, 5x, 24-120mm optical zoom lens, 3-inch touchscreen, and 1080i AVCHD video capture. The FX90 will ship this fall with pricing yet to be announced, but jump past the break for the full rundown from Panasonic in the meantime.

Continue reading Panasonic Lumix FX90 point-and-shoot packs built-in WiFi, Android / iPhone app compatibility

Panasonic Lumix FX90 point-and-shoot packs built-in WiFi, Android / iPhone app compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

When the Lumix GF1 was released less than a year after Micro Four Thirds first made its debut, it made a huge splash for its size, image quality, and versatility. Problem is, Panasonic set the bar very high for future GF-series models, and has sadly come up short with its latest update, positioning the GF3 ($600 with 14-42mm kit lens) as an upgrade for compact camera owners while leaving enthusiasts longing for much more. DPReview took the GF3 to task, publishing a very comprehensive review while finding that while Panasonic’s latest ILC is a good fit for some photographers, more advanced users will likely be disappointed — especially if they’re expecting a rangefinder-like successor to the GF1. We spent a few hours with a pre-production GF3 earlier this summer, and weren’t blown away by its performance. When testing against the class-leading Sony NEX-C3, we found the Sony camera to offer faster focusing, better high-ISO performance, more accurate white balance, and better image quality overall. So unless you’re really gunning to save 50 bucks on an ILC with a kit zoom (or you already have a collection of Micro Four Thirds lenses), the $650 C3 is definitely the better bet.

Panasonic GF3 reviewed: aging 12 MP sensor, good upgrade for current compact users originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  DPReview  | Email this | Comments

We already gave you some hands-on impressions of Panasonic’s new Lumix GF3, but we just had a chance to shoot video and stills with the Micro Four Thirds cam at an event in NYC, leaving with a couple hundred photos and a small handful of video clips. There’s no question that this GF2 successor was designed with interchangeable lens camera (ILC) newbies in mind, with no dedicated mode dial, a touchscreen display, and a boatload of auto settings, along with the usual spattering of effects modes. Panasonic chose a mock wedding scene as the centerpiece of its demo today, complete with bride, groom, and celebrity cake designer (a rather enthusiastic Ron Ben-Israel). Weddings mean colorful flowers, well-dressed subjects, and food — but also dim lighting and chaos — a perfect environment for showing off a camera’s strengths shooting in low-light, assuming it can actually deliver. The GF3 probably won’t be the camera of choice for our next celebration, however.

First up was a balcony shot with bride and groom. As expected, the backlit scene presented an incredible challenge for the GF3, which had trouble focusing and compensating exposure to properly light our subjects — even the professional wedding photographer on hand had difficulty focusing his GF3 at times. The position-adjustable flash allowed us to light our subjects at an angle, or to bounce light off the ceiling, which didn’t seem to work well in the cavernous room. As we progressed through the morning, additional scenes highlighted new shortcomings. Jump past the break for a sample video and more impressions, or check out the gallery above for sample images — the first four shots highlight different positions with the adjustable flash.

Continue reading Panasonic Lumix GF3: sample photos and video

Panasonic Lumix GF3: sample photos and video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments