Panasonic 4/3 dSLR at PMA

[Norm in Fujino]

It'll be interesting to see how PMA "Pans" out this year:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7-6424495.html
http://www.thephotostation.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23608

The big rumor is about what lenses the new Panny will be sporting. It doesn't seem likely they'll simply mount the existing Oly/Sigma lineup, so their connection with Leica is the obvious key. Some pretty strong leaks/rumors point to Leica's announcing a new line of 4/3 lenses in conjunction with Panny's new dSLR--everyone's hoping it includes a new smaller line of Leica primes, and maybe that's why Olympus has left that niche open in their own lens lineup.

[Norm in Fujino]

It'll be interesting to see how PMA "Pans" out this year:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7-6424495.html
http://www.thephotostation.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23608

The big rumor is about what lenses the new Panny will be sporting. It doesn't seem likely they'll simply mount the existing Oly/Sigma lineup, so their connection with Leica is the obvious key. Some pretty strong leaks/rumors point to Leica's announcing a new line of 4/3 lenses in conjunction with Panny's new dSLR--everyone's hoping it includes a new smaller line of Leica primes, and maybe that's why Olympus has left that niche open in their own lens lineup.

Sure enough, the announcement was made today:
Leica endorses 4/3 (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_PressDetails.asp?pressNo=457)
And Panasonic announces its own dSLR:
Panasonic's DMC-L1 (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_PressDetails.asp?pressNo=458)

A prototype picture is even up on a Japanese site:
Oops, here's a bigger shot:
http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/review/panasonic/lumix_dmcl1/photography/lumix_dmc_l1_panasonic_A.jpg
(This from a preview at Let's Go Digital (http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/review/panasonic/lumix_dmcl1/slr_camera.html).

The new DMC-L1 will have live preview and dust reduction, same as Oly's E-330.

Further, Leica's announced at least one new lens for 4/3, a Leica D Vario-Elmarit 14-50mm/F2.8-3.5 ASPH zoom (http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_6577.html), and most surprising, it will have optical image stabilization, something I wasn't expecting for four-thirds. It's being called an "exclusive" lens, which makes one wonder how well it will mesh with the other 4/3 cameras.

Sigma has also announced Five lenses for the 4/3 mount (http://www.ephotozine.com/news/). The only one that interests me much is the f1.4 30mm, but it's nice to see them put their money where their mouth is.



,

[George Riehm]

Hopefully Panasonic can do what Oly couldn't, and that is find a way to get good high ISO performance out of the F-T sensor. Like Sony and Samsung Panasonic has their own in-house CMOS capability and a pretty good design crew (responsible for one of the best 3-D comb filters made).

Since I have no inside look to their proprietary technologies and designs I will hold comments, except to say I am hoping Pansonic gets it right this time.

I am certaianly intregued, and definately look forward to the intro of this pair (L1 + Leica 14-50).

[coldrain]

Since the sensors are the same, and Panasonic does not have a good track record concering noise and noise reduction algorythms, I highly doubt this Panasonic will better the Olympus E-330 in high ISO performance.

[Norm in Fujino]

Hopefully Panasonic can do what Oly couldn't, and that is find a way to get good high ISO performance out of the F-T sensor. . . I will hold comments, except to say I am hoping Pansonic gets it right this time.


Well, "getting it right" means different things to different folks. I feel pretty sure the Panny won't have Canon's high-ISO quality, since it's using the same Live-MOS sensor that's in the Olympus E-330, but there's always hope. No telling what Panasonic's processing technology has been able to do.

five minutes later. . .
Oops, looks like Coldrain read my mind, or vice versa.

[coldrain]

Pentax will showcase a new DSLR on the PMA that will be introduced to market in autumn, a 10mp successor to the *istD. And a nice 21mm "pancake" lens.
Also a 18mp MF DSLR camera.

http://www.dcviews.com/press/images/Pentax-DSLR-2006.jpg

[Norm in Fujino]

DC_Watch site in Japan has two interesting bits of information regarding the Panasonic-Leica announcement:

1. The Leica-badged lens is actually to be made at the Fukushima Plant in Japan (that should help pricing).

2. The new Leica lens will be interchangeable with Oly bodies, and even the OIS will operate, but only in Mode 1, not in Mode 2 (not sure what that's referring to, but I'm guessing the equivalent of Mode A and Mode B on the Oly E-330).

--
'And only the stump, or fishy part of him remained'

http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens
A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

[capedeci]

Well, "getting it right" means different things to different folks. I feel pretty sure the Panny won't have Canon's high-ISO quality, since it's using the same Live-MOS sensor that's in the Olympus E-330, but there's always hope. No telling what Panasonic's processing technology has been able to do.

five minutes later. . .
Oops, looks like Coldrain read my mind, or vice versa.

are there any samples from e330 that shows it still have the noise from e500?

thanks

[Norm in Fujino]

are there any samples from e330 that shows it still have the noise from e500?

thanks

The samples I've seen show a definite reduction, but not to non-existent levels; the noise is also different in composition, due to the use of the Live-MOS sensor in place of the previous CCD. There are samples all over the web, but I don't have the urls handy here. Here's one shot (RAW) I took with the E-330 at the rollout in Tokyo a few weeks ago. This was at ISO 1600 using Mode B. You can't really tell much about it noise-wise though since it's reduced in size and I also ran it through Neatimage, but the original wasn't too shabby, by my standards. Noise is less of a problem for me, though, than it is for some people, so YMMV:

http://photobucket.com/albums/c197/Peregrinor/E330_01_fa1.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c197/Peregrinor/e300-e330.jpg
This is another two shots joined--100% crops, unmodified RAW. The E-300 on the left and E-330 on the right. I didn't use the built-in NR on the E-330, either, so the shot may not doesn't reflect likely real-use scenarios. It may not seem apparent here, but the noise is qualitatively different in the two. Not only more of it in the E-300, but the noise is more evenly spread through the shot, unlike in the E-330.
Also different from real-life scenarios: the circles in the E-330 shot are hot pixels. This was definitely a hard job on the E330; I was shooting at ISO 1600 in Mode B (something you're not likely to do much in real life) and I'd left the liveview on for a long time (at ISO 1600 you're not supposed to use it continuously in mode B for more than a few minutes), since it heats up the pixels. In real use, this shouldn't happen, since you wouldn't be using ISO 1600 in mode B very often.

[kgosden]

2. The new Leica lens will be interchangeable with Oly bodies, and even the OIS will operate, but only in Mode 1, not in Mode 2 (not sure what that's referring to, but I'm guessing the equivalent of Mode A and Mode B on the Oly E-330).

Mode 1 and Mode 2 are standard Panasonic terms for the way the IS is enabled. Mode 1 has the IS system constantly tracking. Mode 2 activates IS only when the shutter is activated. Mode 2 generally produces better results than Mode 1. I guess that since the current Olympus firmware doesn't have a way to talk to the IS on the lens we have only On or Off as provided by the on lens switch. Since the lens-camera electronic interface is part of the four-thirds standard I bet that updated firmware might enable more control.

I cannot recall where, but one site mentioned that the Panasonic Venus image processing engine is actually in the lens. Wonder how that will interact with the E series?

[coldrain]

The ISO 1600 is quite noisy, but considering what Nikon's newest offering delivers it is not that bad.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d200-review/DSC_0271-crop.jpg

[jeisner]

Pentax will showcase a new DSLR on the PMA that will be introduced to market in autumn, a 10mp successor to the *istD.

You missed that it also has Shake Reduction :eek: recently confirmed in a Japanese interview with one of the Pentax execs...