Panasonic shows compact camera with interchangable lens

The Lumix DMC-G1 has interchangeable lenses, a feature usually only found on SLR cameras, but Panasonic has done away with the bulky mirror and prism used in SLR viewfinders, so light comes through the DMC-G1’s lens and straight to an image sensor. The result is a camera that is much smaller and lighter than an SLR while still retaining some—but not all—of the benefits those models have.
Panasonic unveiled the camera on Friday in Tokyo and will show it at next week’s Photokina show in Germany. It will be available in Japan, Europe and North America in October and will cost around ¥80,000 (US$747), €800 (US$1,120) and $800, respectively. It’s aimed at casual users who want to take better pictures than is possible with a compact camera but don’t want a bulky SLR.

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-G1 digital still camera (Photo by Martyn Williams, IDG News Service)
Compact cameras have separate lenses for the viewfinder and image sensor, which means that what you see in the viewfinder is not necessarily what you capture. Single-lense reflex cameras, as their name suggests, use a single lens for the viewfinder and image sensor, with a retractable mirror behind the lens to reflect the light up towards a prism and into the viewfinder so the user can compose the shot. When the shutter button is pressed the mirror momentarily moves out of the way, allowing the light to hit the image sensor or film at the back of the camera, recording the image.
This arrangement necessitates the use of the viewfinder and doesn’t allow users to frame their shots with the display on the back of the camera. That’s sometimes an inconvenience, especially for those used to compact cameras. In the last few years manufacturers have developed ways to get the so-called “live preview” on the LCD, for example by adding a second image sensor, but that hasn’t made the cameras any smaller.
Panasonic has done away with this mirror arrangement altogether. Right behind the lens is a 12.1-megapixel image sensor that provides both a live preview and captures the image. Shots can be composed using the LCD on the rear or through a viewfinder that’s actually a small, high-resolution LCD panel.
Because the LCD is showing a live view of what’s coming through the lens it’s possible to adjust various settings such as the shutter speed and see what effect they will have on the finished picture before taking a photo.
But there are some disadvantages. In tests of sample cameras at the launch news conference the live preview was shut down for about four seconds after each photo was taken. Not only are digital SLR cameras much faster in handling images but because you’re looking directly through the lens you never lose sight of your subject.
Thanks to this simpler design the DMC-G1 measures 124 millimeters by 84mm by 45mm, and weighs just 385 grams. That’s a little over double the weight of the compact 14-megapixel Lumix FX150 but lighter than digital SLRs such as Nikon’s recently announced D90, which weighs 620 grams.
The camera is the first to use the new Micro Four Thirds System lens mount. It’s a smaller version of the Four Thirds System developed by Olympus and the new version was designed to allow just such compact cameras with interchangeable lenses.
Panasonic announced standard and telephoto zoom lenses based on Micro Four Thirds। The standard lens is a 14-45mm model (35mm camera equivalent: 28-90mm) and the telephoto is 45-200mm (35mm equivalent: 90-400mm). Four Thirds System lenses can also be used with the new camera with an adapter.
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135520/2008/09/lumixdmcg1.html?lsrc=rss_main

Panasonic to challenge Nikon with HD video on still camera

The camera will challenge Nikon's recently launched D90, which goes on sale next week in Japan. The D90 is the first digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera with the ability to record high-definition video, but its auto-focus doesn't operate in video mode, only in still mode .
Panasonic's G1 doesn't offer high-definition video, but with a future model Panasonic will attempt to top the D90 by delivering high-defintion video with auto-focus.
A prototype of that future model was shown at a Tokyo news conference held to launch the G1. The prototype was displayed under glass so it's not clear if it was a working model. It looked identical to the G1 with the exception of a red "HD" inscription on the body to the left side of the lens. It also didn't display a model name.
The only indication of a launch date was "spring 2009" for Japan।
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135512/2008/09/lumix.html?lsrc=rss_main

Sony, Panasonic to Unveil New Digital SLRs Next Week

Sony and Panasonic will both unveil new digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras next week, the companies said Wednesday.
Sony's camera, a new member of its "alpha" family of cameras, will be shown at a company event that is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Sony didn't offer any other information about the camera but it's likely to be the long-anticipated high-end camera in the alpha line-up. Earlier this year Sony said the camera will have a full-frame sensor -- an image sensor the same size as a 35mm film frame -- with a resolution of 24.6 megapixels and image stabilization to reduce the effects of camera shake.
Two days later Panasonic will show the successor to the DMC-L10 at a Tokyo news conference. Panasonic said the new camera "offers unique features to set a new trend in digital SLR photography" but didn't reveal any information about the camera.
The camera follows on from the DMC-L10 and will be presented at a Tokyo news conference on September 12. Panasonic said the new camera "offers unique features to set a new trend in digital SLR photography" but didn't reveal any information about the camera.
The DMC-L10 was launched in September last year at the Photokina camera show in Germany and was the second digital SLR to be presented by Panasonic. The new camera will become the third Lumix digital SLR and is likely to be a main feature of Panasonic's Photokina line-up.
Likewise, the new Sony Alpha will be a key item at its Photokina booth. Photokina begins in Cologne on September 23.
The digital SLR is becoming increasingly competitive with long-time leaders Nikon and Canon facing stiff competition from newcomers including Panasonic, Sony, FujiFilm and Olympus। The most recent new digital SLR, Nikon's D90, was announced in August and brought a feature not present on other models: the ability to record high-definition video.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150592/.html?tk=rss_news

Panasonic Shows Larger Thin-PDP Prototypes

Panasonic unveiled its largest-yet slimline PDP (plasma display panel) at the IFA electronics show in Berlin on Thursday.
The prototype panel is a 65-inch model and was joined on the company's vast booth here by a 58-inch model. Both are just 24.7 millimeters thick, which is about a quarter the thickness of current models of a similar screen size. At the CES show in Las Vegas in January the company showed a prototype 50-inch panel of the same thickness.
After developing larger and larger screens over recent years, TV makers are now concentrating on making sets thinner. The latest prototypes from Panasonic will be competing with similar sets based on LCD (liquid crystal display) panels from rivals such as Sharp and Sony.
However the company was tight-lipped on exactly when the thin PDPs might be available. It said the technology is "market ready" but then said it won't be available until 2009. That likely means the company is waiting for the start of production at its new state-of-the-art PDP plant in Amagasaki, Japan, before commercializing the panels.
The flat-panel TV industry is incredibly competitive and top-tier makers like Panasonic are hoping the thinner sets will give them an advantage over second-tier TV makers which won't have access to the technology until later.
One advantage of the thinner sets is that they will be easier to mount because they are lighter. One of the prototypes at IFA weighed 29 kilograms versus 59 kg for a current model of the same size.
For this reason Panasonic said it is also planning to integrate wireless HD streaming into the sets so that only a power cable needs to be run to the set। That will add even more flexibility in mounting because home entertainment devices, like Blu-ray Disc players, won't need to be set next to the TV.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150414/.html?tk=rss_news

Panasonic to Bring Blu-ray Disc Burners to Europe

Panasonic will soon begin selling Blu-ray Disc-based video recorders in Europe, it said Thursday at the IFA electronics show in Berlin.
The company put its first Blu-ray Disc burners on sale several years ago in Japan but the planned launch of the products in France later this year marks the first time they will be available in Europe.
Using the recorders, consumers will be able to record high-definition TV programs to Blu-ray Disc without losing quality. The only other options available are to record at standard definition to DVD or VHS tape or in high-definition to hard-disk drive, although the latter makes saving favorite programs difficult because of the limited amount of disc space available.
France was chosen as the launch market in Europe because of the availability of several free-to-air high-definition TV channels, said Takuya Sugita of Panasonic's network business group at a news conference here. It has pursued the same strategy in other markets, such as Australia where the recorders are also available, and so other European countries likely won't see them until wider availability of HDTV.
Both the entry-level DMP-BD35 and the higher-end DMP-BD55 support all flavors of Blu-ray Disc and are compatible with the new BD-Live system on commercial movie discs that pulls down extra content from the Internet. The main difference between the two players is a better digital-to-audio convertor in the DMP-BD55.
The recorder is also compatible with the AVCHD format used in Panasonic's high-definition camcorders. Home movies can be easily copied onto Blu-ray Disc from compatible camcorders thanks to this function.
Pricing and launch dates for the recorders was not announced।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150413/.html?tk=rss_news