Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 K – World’s First Full-time Live View Digital Interchangeable Lens Camera

Panasonic has announced the brand-new digital interchangeable lens camera system – the LUMIX G Micro System, based on the new Micro Four Thirds System standard that greatly reduces camera size and weight. Priced at $800, the DMC-G1, a 12.1 Mega Pixels camera, with Full-time Live View LCD and Live View Finder brings you to the new horizons of creative possibilities.

lumix-dmc-g1-front
lumix-dmc-g1-front

The G1’s Full-time Live View lets you see in the LCD how adjusting the exposure, white balance, aperture and even the shutter speed will affect the photo. The G1 adopts the Micro Four Thirds System standard, developed as an extended version of the Four Thirds System standard for digital camera systems. The result is that the Lumix DMC G1 body eliminating the mirror box and optical viewfinder unit, thereby reducing the lens mount diameter by about 6 mm as compared with the conventional Four Thirds camera and shorten the flange-back distance (the distance between the lens mount and image sensor) by about half.

As the G1 is using a Four Thirds-sized sensor, the area which light falls on is significantly larger than the sensors used in conventional point-and-shoots. This also means the pixel density is lower and this gives better detail reproduction with lesser noise.

In addition to accepting Micro Four Thirds lenses, the G1 can be fitted with a mount adapter that allows the use of standard Four Thirds lenses. This greatly expands the assortment of lenses available to users. They can choose lenses from a variety of manufacturers and in a variety of combinations, for virtually unlimited photographic capabilities.

Lumix G1 boasts a plethora of other features :

3.0-inch free-angle LCD with high 460,000-dot resolution
The Lumix G1 comes with a large 3.0-inch LCD that rotates 180° horizontally and 270° vertically. And when the lighting around you changes, the LCD backlighting level automatically changes too to offer comfortable, easy-on-the-eyes viewing at all times.

1920 x 1080-pixel HD (high-definition) photo recording
The G1 shoots wide-screen, 16:9, full-HD images. These images can be directly displayed on an HDTV, which handles about four times the data of a standard-definition TV.

HD output-ready for the HDTV age
The G1 can be connected to an
HDMI compatible HDTV, with a single HDMI mini cable (optional). With a Panasonic VIERA HDTV, you can also operate the G1 with the VIERA remote control for even easier viewing.

iA Mode automatically adjusts settings to fit the shooting condition
Panasonic claims that the Intelligent Auto mode activates 6 detection and compensation functions that work automatically :

Shake detection – MEGA O.I.S.
Helps prevent blurring when the camera shakes.

Motion detection –  Intelligent ISO Control
Helps prevent blur caused by subject motion.

Light detection – Intelligent Exposure
Adjusts the brightness of dark areas in the image.

Advanced Face – Detection Face Detection AF/AE
Helps deliver clear portraits.

Scene detection – Intelligent Scene Selector
Selects the optimal scene mode for the situation.

Subject detection AF Tracking
AF Tracking follows moving subjects and adjusts accordingly.

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panasonic-g1-back

Technical Specifications

Camera TypeDigital Interchangeable Lens Camera
KEY FEATURES.
Intelligent Auto (iA) Mode
  • MEGA O.I.S.
  • Intelligent ISO Control
  • Face Detection
  • Intelligent Scene Selector
  • Light Detection
  • AF Tracking
  • Camera Effective Pixels12.1 Mega Pixels
    Optical Image StabilizerMEGA O.I.S.
    Image Sensor13.1 Total Mega Pixels
    Live MOS Sensor
    Primary Color Filter
    Image Sensor Size17.3 x 13.0mm
    Dust Reduction SystemSupersonic wave filter
    Focal Lengthf=14mm to 45mm (35mm film camera equivalent 28mm to 90mm)
    Lens Construction12 elements in 9 groups (1 Aspherical lens)
    Aperture Type7 diaphragm blades / Circular aperture diaphragm
    Aperture RangeF3.5 (Wide) – F5.6 (Tele)
    Minimum Aperture F22
    LENS SPECIFICATIONS.
    MountMicro Four Thirds mount
    Closest Focusing Distance0.30m at all focal lengths
    Maximum MagnificationApprox. 0.17x / 0.34x (35mm film camera equivalent)
    Diagonal Angle of View75° (W)~27° (T)
    Filter Sizeφ52mm / 2.05 in
    Max. DiameterØ60mm / 2.36 in
    Overall Length (Lens only)Approx. 60mm / 2.36 in (from the tip of the lens to the base side of the lens mount)
    Weight (Lens only)Approx. 195g / 6.88oz
    PERFORMANCE FEATURES.
    FocusType: Contrast AF system
    Mode: AFs/AFc/MF
    AF Detective Range: EV 0-18 (ISO100)
    AF mode: Face detection
    AF Tracking/23-area-focusing/1-area-focusing
    AF/AE LockYes (AF/AE LOCK button or Shutter button halfway pressed in AFs mode)
    AF Assist LampYes
    ISO SensitivityAuto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / Intelligent ISO
    White BalanceAuto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / Flash / White Set 1,2 / Color temperature setting
    White Balance AdjustmentBlue/Amber Bias
    Magenta/Green Bias
    Color Temperature Setting2500-10000K in 100K
    White Balance Bracket3 exposures in blue/amber axis or in magenta/green axis
    ExposureProgram AE
    Aperture Priority AE
    Shutter Priority AE
    Manual
    Exposure Compensation1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
    Auto Bracketing (AE)3,5,7 frame, in 1/3 or 2/3 EV Step, ±2 EV
    Light Metering System144-zone multi-pattern sensing system
    Light MeteringIntelligent Multiple / Center-weighted / Spot
    Metering RangeEV 0-18 (F2.0 lens, ISO 100)
    Scene ModesSCN (Sunset / Party / Baby 1, 2 / Pet)
    Advanced Scene ModePortrait mode: Normal, Soft Skin, Outdoor, Indoor, Creative
    Scenery mode: Normal, Nature, Architecture, Creative
    Sports mode: Normal, Outdoor, Indoor, Creative
    Night Portrait: Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Illuminations, Creative
    Shutter Speed/Shutter SystemType: Focal-plane shutter, Speed: 1/4000 ~ 60 and Bulb (up to approx. 4 minutes), Remote control with bulb function by DMW-RSL1 (Optional)
    Self Timer2 seconds / 10 seconds / 10 seconds / 3 images
    Recording FormatStill Image: JPEG(Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard), RAW, DPOF corresponding image with audio: JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard)
    Image QualityFine / Standard / RAW / RAW+Standard JPEG / RAW+Fine JPEG
    Color SpacesRGB, Adobe RGB
    RECORDING IMAGE SIZE (Pixels).
    4:3 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 3000 pixels
    2816 x 2112 pixels
    2048 x 1536 pixels
    3:2 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 2672 pixels
    2816 x 1880 pixels,
    2048 x 1360 pixels
    16:9 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 2248 pixels
    2816 x 1584 pixels
    1920 x 1080 pixels
    CONVENIENCE FEATURES.
    Burst Shooting Mode7 pics(when there are RAW file with the particular speed)
    Unlimited consecutive shooting (when no RAW file) (depending on memory card size, batt. power, pic size, & compression)
    For 3 frames/sec (High speed) or 2 frames/sec (Low speed)
    STANDARD FEATURES.
    Protection/EraseProtection: Single / Multi or Cancel
    Erase: Single / Multi / All / Except FAVORITE
    Built-in Flash Type/ModeType: TTL Built-in-Flash, GN11 (ISO100,m), Built-in Pop-up
    Mode: Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
    X-Sync SpeedLess than 1/160 second
    Flash Synchronization1st. Curtain Sync. , 2nd Curtain Sync.
    External FlashHot shoe (TTL Auto with FL360/FL500/FL220 (Optional))
    ViewfinderLive View Finder(1,440,000 dots equiv)
    Magnification: Approx. 1.4x/0.7x(35mm film camera equiv) w/50mm lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1
    Field of view: approx. 100%
    Eye point: approx. 17.5mm
    Diopiter Adjust: -4.0 ~ +4.0 [m-1]
    LCD MonitorFree-angle 3.0? Low temperature Polycrystalline TFT LCD (460K dots)
    3:2 Aspect/Wide viewing angle
    Field of view: approx. 100%
    Live ViewDigital zoom: 2x, 4x
    Extra optical zoom: Max. 2x (Not effective with full pixel recording. Magnification ratio depends on the recording pixels.)
    Other functions: Highlight Display, Guide Lines (3 patterns), Real-time Histogram
    Film ModeStandard, Dynamic, Natural, Smooth, Vibrant, Nostalgic, WB/Standard, WB/Dynamic, WB/Smooth, My Film1, MyFilm2, Multi Film
    Playback ModeSingle/12/30-thumbnail display
    Calendar display
    Zoomed playback
    Image rotation(except RAW)
    Slide show
    Playback fav pictures
    Resizing(selectable number of pixels)
    Trimming/Protection
    Aspect conversion
    DPOF print setting
    OSD LanguageEnglish, French, Spanish, Portuguese
    Recording MediaSD Memory Card
    SDHC Memory Card
    Multimedia Card
    InterfaceDigital: USB 2.0 (High Speed)
    Digital Video: MiniHDMI TypeC (1.3b corresponding)
    Analog Video: NTSC/PAL Composite (switched by menu)
    Direct PrintPictBridge Print size, Layout, Date setting is selectable
    ColorBlack
    Power SupplyLi-ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1250mAh)(Included)
    Battery Charger/AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional DC cable (DMW-DCC3) is required)
    Battery LifeUp to 330 images (LCD), up to 350 images (LVF) (CIPA Standard with with LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S.)*
    ACCESSORIES.
    Included SoftwarePHOTOfunSTUDIO -viewer- 2.1 E, SILKYPIX® Developer Studio 3.0 SE, USB Driver
    Standard AccessoriesBattery Charger/AC Adapter, Battery Pack, Body Cap, Video Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Shoulder Strap, CD-ROM
    Dimensions (H x W x D)3.29” x 4.88” x 1.78”
    Weight0.85
    lbs