Panasonic Removable Lens Four Thirds HD AVCHD Camera

1080/24p and 720/60p = :) :thumbup:

I have to admit this camera is looking better than I originally thought. The mic input is already a huge issue the D90 had that is already solved here, as well as a dedicated movie mode selection on the mode dial. Add to that a dedicated record button and a flip out LCD screen and Canon and Nikon have some shoes to fill.

Hopefully the lens options will increase by way of an adapter that would allow Canon and Nikon lenses.

I'm fine with the 17mbps AVC-HD for now. This is just a first step. Once they figure out how and when to put this kind of tech into a dedicated pro camcorder body, HPX170 or HMC150 style, then we should see better and more varied codec options.

Now I'm really interested to see what Canon and Nikon have up their sleeves for their next video DSLR offerings. I'd be willing to be that Nikon will have a D400 with 1080p video. Hopefully it won't be crippled though.

Seriously, what else besides basic logistics and materials is keeping Canon from giving us a full frame EOS mount HV20 or GL2 style AVC-HD camcorder? It should be possible very soon, as in the next year-and-a-half. Panasonic and Sony would follow soon after if Canon did it. Maybe Pany and Sony will actually do something like that first?
 
Nik Manning said:
Thanks Barry some questions

1. Will the DOF for this camera be shallower than the HPX500?
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At equivalent aperture, yes. But if you put an f/1.8 lens on the HPX500 and an f/4 lens on the G1, then no, the HPX500 might still be shallower.

2. Will the low light performance be better than the HMC150?
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Don't have any way of knowing.

3. Will the price be lower than the Canon 5D Mark II?
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The only price talk I've heard of at all is some panasonic rep saying "under $1500" so, yes, it should be half the cost of the 5D Mk II.

4. Will the AVC format be the same exact one that is supported by the NLE systems?
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The picture shows the "AVCHD" logo, so I'm sure that it must be.

5. Will the 1080p24 be actually 24 frames or 23.976?
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If it's compliant with AVCHD, it'd have to be 23.976. The only thing we know for sure is that it'll be embedded in a 60i data stream (which will, almost certainly, actually be a 59.94i data stream).

6. Will the dynamic range be better or equal to HPX500?
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Don't know; my bet would be on the HPX500 having better but that's just based on pixel size; these are two entirely different technologies so we'll have to see.
7. Can an uncompressed signal be pulled from a hdmi out?

Please answer the best you can. So far I am very impressed by this panasonic move. The datarate should at least best hdv. And I like hdv. :)[/quote]
 
Actually, there's a 4/3 to Micro 4/3 adapter, so if you used that, you could then take advantage of all the lens adapters that already convert to 4/3.

Meaning, said another way, there's lots of lens adapters that convert various lenses to fit 4/3 bodies. And with an adapter you could use all those lenses on a Micro 4/3 body now too. So, yeah, gobs of lenses to choose from. On this page they list existing 4/3 adapters for:
Nikon F
Pentax K
Pentax M42
Rollei
Olympus OM
Contax C/Y
Leica R
Minolta MC or MD
Leica Visoflex
Exakta
and Topcon
 
Barry_Green said:
Actually, there's a 4/3 to Micro 4/3 adapter, so if you used that, you could then take advantage of all the lens adapters that already convert to 4/3.

Meaning, said another way, there's lots of lens adapters that convert various lenses to fit 4/3 bodies. And with an adapter you could use all those lenses on a Micro 4/3 body now too. So, yeah, gobs of lenses to choose from.
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Wow, thanks Barry. This is good to know. I figured that since the 4/3 system was newer that there might not be adapters out. This is huge since many will already have Nikon or Canon lenses. Plus, I have to admit, I wouldn't mind being able to invest in some Nikon lenses yet still be able to use this Panasonic DSLR body for stills and video.

The only major snafu that I can foresee is the rolling shutter jello, which is not the end of the world frankly. The other is the darn 24p imbedded in 60i sillyness. I guess I don't mind as long as there is a quick and painless way to extract the 24p.

I can't wait to see some footage from this thing.
 
45Mb/s would have been killer. I've been looking at SX1 and 5D Mark II footage, raw downloaded, and intensity captures, often from inexpensive camcorders.

The amount of data makes a difference. BTW, Cineform is 2-3x the bandwidth of the Canon, which is twice the GH1 and 60-80% more than an HMC150. It probably hurts the HMC150 a bit less (I find HMC150 and HPX170/HVX200 to look similar) because the image is under sampled to native resolution is 960x540 photo sites. However, the Canon 5DM2 and SX1 and the GH-1 are recording oversampled 1080p30, 720p60, or 1080p24.

P.S.
DV, 720x480, has been used to make movies. An SDX900 can create an anamorphic 16x9 DV image that would like fine on a big screen.
 
Nektonic said:
Plus, I have to admit, I wouldn't mind being able to invest in some Nikon lenses yet still be able to use this Panasonic DSLR body for stills and video.
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Unless you have a Nikon camera, why would you like to invest in Nikon glass to use with the GH1? Among its Zuikos, Olympus has some of the best lenses ever produced for a DSLR system, as good, if not better, as any Canon or Nikon lens. The 7-14 f4, the 14-35 f2, the 50 f2 macro, the 35-100 f2 or the 150 f2, all of them are suberb examples of Olympus excellence in optical design and all of them (except maybe the 50) are expensive, yes, but you got some lenses, like the 14-54 f2.8-35 that are far good for what they cost. I would say that my 1.200 eur Canon EF 24-70 f2.8 L is no way better than my 500 eur Zuiko Digital 14-54 f2.8-3.5 ASPH.

Besides, you can use Leica M lenses with the Cameraquest adapter... What better than this could anyone desire?
 
Carlos tell me more about that Olympus 14-35 f2. Por favor! Do you really mean f2.? For a zoom? Aperture and focal length would make it the perfect standard lens for the GH-1.

EDIT: I found it in the web. It really is f2. Amazing. But you have to plug down about 2000 USD. It has NO aperture ring. Would it be compatible with the GH-1 electronics for aperture and AF? Will de GH-1 adapter DMW-MA1 work with it? (it is supposed to work with other Zuiko lenses)
 
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Carlos_Nieto said:
Unless you have a Nikon camera, why would you like to invest in Nikon glass to use with the GH1?
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I could also buy a Nikon body (D300 or if it is true D400). I'm sure all the lenses you mention are great too. I'll take a look at them in more detail since I'm not familiar with them. Thanks for the recommendations.

I'm just thinking that since I've been leaning toward getting a Nikon anyways, it would be nice to be able to use the same lenses. This GH1 has some very nice video features that I can't just dismiss, even though I'm still hoping for a kick a** HD video mode on the rumored D400.
 
At this point, if everyone releases a 1080p 24p VDSLR camera, things are going to get tricky.

Nikon route:

Good
- 24p at 1080p.
- Robust photo capabilities.

Bad
- Only Nikon F mount with some adapters for Pentax and Leica screw mount.
- Full frame or DX? Still up in the air.
- More FPS than 24? Don't know.
- Mic input?
- Sound quality?
- Compression scheme?
- Recording limit?

Canon route:

Good
- 24p and 1080p
- Canon L and FD lenses abound with several adapters, Nikon F in particular, best of both.
- Mic input definitely
- Sound is decent
- Compression is decent
- Full frame all the way
- High megapixel stills

Bad
- Manual controls along with everything? (Still protect video division?)
- Recording limit?

Panasonic route:

Good
- Can use just about every lens possible
- Multiple resolution and frame rate options
- Small and light
- Sound options
- Manual controls
- No limit on record times
- Cheap

Bad
- Compression any good?
- How different is 4/3" filming going to be?
- Lens magnification for non-4/3" lenses
 
joe 1008 said:
Carlos tell me more about that Olympus 14-35 f2. Por favor! Do you really mean f2.? For a zoom? Aperture and focal length would make it the perfect standard lens for the GH-1.

EDIT: I found it in the web. It really is f2. Amazing. But you have to plug down about 2000 USD. It has NO aperture ring. Would it be compatible with the GH-1 electronics for aperture and AF? Will de GH-1 adapter DMW-MA1 work with it? (it is supposed to work with other Zuiko lenses)
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Quoting myself...:huh: But here's some interesting answer to my question:

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/g1.html

On this official Panasonic list you can find a LOT of lenses compatible with the G1. With manual focus though in most of the cases. (as ist the case with the Zuiko 14-35 f2.)
 
if its not too much to ask panny heres what wouldve been nice
24p 720
24 or higher mbps

can we send em email requests about this? Im sure a lot of people would email panny
 
Aren't there already still examples showing inferior performance to the 5D MKII?

The only save for this is a clean HDMI capture option, but that jacks the price up anyway.

Then again, if it looks better than the D90 it's a great trade-in for me. I'm willing to go this route JUST to use my Contax Zeiss lenses on my DSLR finally.

When's the release date on this thing?
 
It would have to try hard NOT to be better than the D90.

How much does good recording count? Compare Canon SX1 to 5D Mark II footage downloaded from vimeo. The SX1 has more texture detail than nearly any uploaded camcorder footage. And the 5D is that much better. However, between the two the thing I see most is lens artifacts. Chromatic aberration captured really well.

5D Mark II: http://vimeo.com/2491190
SX1: http://vimeo.com/3099292

Based on the footage I have seen, recording ability is the baseline that makes the lens, sensor, bayer and low pass filter quality show. Once you have it, it shows.

To emphasize that, there is SR11 and HV20 footage online captured via an Intensity card to Cineform. Stunning.

Canon has shown that you can do over 40Mb/s to an SDHC. Convergent Design stores MPEG2 to Compact Flash at over 100Mb/s.

I imagine the SX1 would give it a run for the money if there is no HDMI output. If there is HDMI output it would probably blow away the 5DM2. If Panasonic increases the bandwidth to Class 6 limits, it would probably be close enough to the Canon to make the difference the skill of the operator or lens selection. IMHO
 
Kholi said:
More about the FOV, not so much the DOF but I get what you're saying. Should be pretty interesting, yeah?

Please post stills. I've no experience with these cameras.
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Here they are. Sorry for the late reply ! :)

(notice- these photos are not my best work :) )

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This one was taken at the Macau GP, in a hurry.

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A simple and effective DOF test with the summilux 1.4 on my Panasonic l1

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This is Macau, my hometown. Panasonic L1 with bundled Leica 2.8 zoom lens

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A candid foto from my travels in China- Panasonic L1 and Bundled Leica 2.8 zoom
 
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