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GH1 is going to be Affordable!

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It's not a matter of (name the brand) fans bashing anything ... it's about CAMERA fans and DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY fans looking objectively at what's out there, and trying to make informed decisions. If I wanted one of those Canon's, I'd get one, but I don't.

And even though I'm a Panasonic fan (FZ20, FZ30 and FZ50), I have to wonder why other Panasonic fans are so willing to praise something just because it's Panasonic!

If you like the G1/GH1, that's great, but I'd just say keep an open mind.

Mike
LizaWitz said:
If you don't want video, get the G1, it doesn't have video and goes
for about $650 with the kit lens.
Pixelizer said:
Seems to me when Canon 10MP DSLR's are advertised every week in the
papers for $599-699 with prime lens AND a 70-300mm zoom (equivalent
to, what, 450MM in 35mm terms?), $1,500 for this rig isn't exactly
what I'd call affordable!

The video is going to appeal only to some ... most of us don't do
video, especially with our still cameras. So if I wanted a DSLR
(which I don't), I'd grab one of the Canons the market is awash with
and trade a couple of MP's for a big CMOS sensor. Then I'd have the
rest of the money to put in the bank ...

Affordable? Hmmmm.

Mike

--
Digital imaging has introduced a whole new generation to the joy of
photography.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Digital imaging has introduced a whole new generation to the joy of photography.
 
It looks like a normal camera, yet it's a devil in disquise.
This is not a camera like any other.
It's a first, it's an all-in-one, without the drawbacks.
It is supposed to do stills+video as no other.
Nothing could do this, ever.
That's why anyone can and should become a Panasonic fan.
 
Pixelizer said:
Read my post, John. The $599-699 price is with a 70-300mm zoom, which
is the 35mm equivalent of about 450mm if I recall the multiplier
right. Maybe more.
Click to expand...
No, a superzoom lens is one that starts wide and goes to telephoto, like the 18-200mm Canon. That lens alone costs $590 at Amazon. Add a body and you are close to $1200. The list price quoted by Amazon is $1400.

--
john carson
 
Will it be possible to buy this camera without the kit lens?

I'd be interested in the 20/1.7 and 45/2.8 as a two-lens kit. Will those primes work with video?
 
DjarumBlack said:
DjarumBlack said:
Martin Datzinger wrote:
because people who don't want video can just buy the normal G1.
Click to expand...
Yes, but you get raked over the coals if you want the 14-140mm lens
as well, and thats what many folks, like me, want.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Like I said, I don't find the price of the body or the kit that outrageous, but the fact that the lenses bought separately are so overpriced. It seems quite unreasonable to buy the G1 + 14-140 + 7-14. Such a high priced set suddenly isn't an appealing low cost and light weight solution, when it's priced as high as semi pro DSLR systems. There's a lot of high quality options with that money.

--
pics: http://www.pbase.com/arn
 
stefaan said:
This is to be a high profit item, not high volume.
People who want this particular device don't mind the cost (much
abyway).
Click to expand...
Why can't it be moderately both?

The world finds itself in a financial crisis due to high profiteering,I'd say in the present climate Panasonic needs to be careful.
stefaan said:
If you expected this to be cheap you must be living in shopper's
paradise.
Click to expand...
I don't expect anything, I was just making a statement
stefaan said:
I always predicted this to be quite expensive because of all these
high end features.
Why don't people complain about these outrageas high end DSLR prices
that don't even offer (good) trueHD video ?!
You can always wait for Samsung (NX) ... it will be cheaper, but
you'll get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
I'm not waiting for anything that needs me to change lenses in the field and or carry bulk,I was waiting for something(FZ50 replacement) which looks like it won't arrive.
stefaan said:
--
Click to expand...
--

My opinion is just that.
 
My apologies John, please don't take it personal.
I merely wanted to point out that the GH1 is not a cam like all the others.

Just like you probably may have a favourite cam you are waiting for (as you mentioned here?), I've been longing for this GH1 (for years in fact, not knowing a device like this would ever be made).

This GH1 is surely not for everyone and I fully understand many people react like they do.

About the lens swapping .. don't like that myself. As a matter of fact that's why I (among other reasons) did not yet buy a DSLR: dust. But this 14-140 lens may be the only one I get for this GH1, since I already have the WA covered to some extent with my D-LUX4 (24mm).
 
LizaWitz said:
Now you can find lots of cameras and camcorders that will shoot
video-- but none that are comparable to this camera.

If the video feature has no value to you, then you should consider
the G1. If it has value, but you don't need the unique features of
this camera, then a tourist camcorder will be fine for you.

But if you need what this camera offers, there's no competition for
less than $4,000.
John wood said:
--If $1500 (£1500 in the UK) is your idea of reasonable then go ahead
I think it will flop at that kind of money.
In fact I think it will flop at $1000.

My opinion is just that.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--The point is whether it is actually worth it to people who shoot still photography and to most people it won't.

Most people who own a G1 or a high end Dslr simple don't want/need video, HD or not.

I'm not considering (as I've said my previous post to this)any camera that requires a change of lens in the field.

I actually think Panasonic has made a marketing blunder by not continuing the FZ50 line with better low light capabilities ie better sensor aka LX3,a bigger LCD screen and other LX3 features.

It appears to have dropped that line for a selling lenses approach,which I think is a mistake against the likes of Canon/Nikon etc.

My opinion is just that.
 
Mikedigi said:
.............But for people who just want a stills camera, will the G1 be
upgraded, or a G1 launched with no video at all, at correspondingly
lower prices?
Click to expand...
I don't think so somehow.
Mikedigi said:
I wonder what percentage of potential m4/3 buyers want to pay a lot
more to get high quality video, or any video at all?........... >
Mike
Click to expand...
-- I too wonder,not many is my guess!

My opinion is just that.
 
I don't understand those who say - "buy G1 if you don't need video". It's not problem with camera bodies prices but with new lenses prices. Both new lenses are by far too expensive for most of us who just needs good and smaller photocamera and not videocamera.
 
stefaan said:
My apologies John, please don't take it personal.
Click to expand...
No need to apologise I wasn't taking it personal.
stefaan said:
I merely wanted to point out that the GH1 is not a cam like all the
others.
Click to expand...
I'm aware that it isn't,my point is "most" people won't want what it offers and because of that it could be costly to Panasonic in the way the L1,L10 were.
stefaan said:
Just like you probably may have a favourite cam you are waiting for
(as you mentioned here?), I've been longing for this GH1 (for years
in fact, not knowing a device like this would ever be made).
This GH1 is surely not for everyone and I fully understand many
people react like they do.
About the lens swapping .. don't like that myself. As a matter of
fact that's why I (among other reasons) did not yet buy a DSLR: dust.
But this 14-140 lens may be the only one I get for this GH1, since I
already have the WA covered to some extent with my D-LUX4 (24mm).
Click to expand...
It will no doubt suit you then,its just that I don't think you'll be in the majority(which isn't bad of couse but exclusive :0))

The dust thing I can do without,along with the bad back from load lugging.

Other than the LX3, Panasonic isn't pushing any of the right buttons for me at the moment though.

My opinion is just that.
 
In fact there is a cam that I would rather have if it came out, something indeed like an FZ60/LX4 :
12MP
24-120 mm - F2-4
1080p AVCHD video
LX3 sensor
smaller than GH1
1cm macro
max 500g/1lbs
EVF
(No real need for interchangeable lenses)
 
DjarumBlack said:
1200-1400? Thats steep. That is what I think killed some of pannys
other dslr offerings.
Click to expand...
yup. VERY steep.

its not about adding up the cost of the items, its STILL sticker-shock in a down economy.

pany will sell more at firesale prices at the model's END than all the other months combined (my guess). just like l1, it gained its real following after the EOL firesale pricing.

pany always over-prices its higher end toys. those that have spare cash on hand and the desire to be an early adopter will jump in but I suspect at the 'over $1k level' this will not fly off the shelves...

yes, people want video and stills with 1 cam but I don't agree they are willing to foot THIS kind of pricetag to get it.

--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~
 
stefaan said:
It looks like a normal camera, yet it's a devil in disquise.
This is not a camera like any other.
It's a first, it's an all-in-one, without the drawbacks.
Click to expand...
firstly, its not shooting raw video files! is it? I don't think it is - its shooting directly encoded compressed formats (not an 'avi' but mp4 style 'higher layer' compression). in my experience, the only way to edit that is to expand it (like going mp3 to wav) then edit, then recompress again.

this is NOT any kind of 'HD' that I consider useful! if its not really editable then its a toy. an add-on to a stills cam but NOT a really GOOD video camera.

people seem to forget that shooting original video usually means editing it. with DV, its pretty close to lossless source (close) but with higher layer compression being the NATIVE file format, I'm not sure this is true video cam 'replacement'.

solid state flash cards are just NOT going to fly for quality video. and there is no tape output (or provision) so this will always be 'just a toy' in the video world.

this is one reason why it does not justify such pro-level (entry) pricing.

--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~
 
$700 is the MSRP of the Nikkor. Street price varies—sometimes, over $700—but the MSRP has always been $700. Aside from the fact that I thought it should be cheaper and easier to design/manufacture lenses without the mirror in the way, build quality does not look up to par for a $900 lens. Of course, I have no real reason for saying that, having only seen pictures of the lens.
John Carson said:
Taking account of the fact that 900 is the list price of a newly
released lens and 700 is the street price of a lens that has been out
for more than 3 years, I don't find the pricing surprising.
Click to expand...
 
linuxworks, you are talking about special editable formats for PRO video ?

Yes, but that's really a niche, not what (most) people coming here to dpreview would ever consider because of the cost.

AVCHD/H.264-high profile is one of the best ways to store consumer 1080p video and edit it.

I use an intermediate codec as well and sure, you are right, doing it natively would be facilitated by a less compressed format on e.g. tape.

But the (consumer) world has moved to flash (some still HDD) and there's no way back for us.
Until months ago I also edited DV-AVI and sure that was easier in some ways.

Highly compressed video editing is putting a burden on any machine, but I edit fullHD video on a 5-year old PC. It takes more time, but can be done (not professionally of course).
My end results are in MPEG2TS and MP4/H.264.

AVCHD is a capture format. Can be used for other means (BR, PS3...), but I prefer another codec easy on the machine for edited results.
All this (AVCHD) can be done with freeware, but that may not be the best choice.
 
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