I dont understand why people are wasting time on topics that nobody
knows for sure. Only rumors exist about m4/3 till now. We can wait
for just one more month to know everything about what Oly is
planning. Perhaps the future of m4/3 will be so bright that oly may
come up with several different designs and functions. But for now you
cant say anything about it.
--Wasting time on topics we know nothing about? Well Olympus officially has had a model on display for over 8 months and they say their first m4/3 will be similar size and shape? Oly has indicated they want the rectangular shape and second model will be more featured. As all Oly DSLRs have traditional shape the above is not at all hard to deduct likewise Pany has indicated their new m4/3 will be compact shape again not at all surprising given its LC1 and L1 heritage?
The main reason Pany chose the SLR shape for G1 was for very practical reasons, to obtain sufficient space for large EVF probably not feasible to fit on rangefinder stlye without being just as big and has nothing to do with either copying the FZ28 or L10 or DSLRs.
And I am quite perplexed about your real question. If you are worried
about grip then there is E-30 with in body IS, but if you are worried
about weight then there is e520 with in body IS....
But if you want something in m4/3, then I really dont understand
whats the real benefit you are looking for. The only advantage of
m4/3 is that the camera will be smaller and lighter. There is no
point for oly to make something like G1 which is only marginally
smaller than e620. On the other hand Panny currently doesn't have
anything in the dslr market and thats the reason why they came up
with G1 with a style similar to dslr.
I know that everybody wants to buy into the latest model and
technology. But it isn't that the camera that you want is not yet
out. The fact is that you will never get satisfied.
-- I would think by now people would be getting a little tired hearing the same old false claim that G1 is only marginally smaller than E 420 or E620, when the statistics show its volume is 30% less which is quite substantial not to mention that is kit lens is much smaller? In turn the carrot sized Oly box sans any EVF will be another 30% smaller. I wish people would stop calling the G1 big as obviously they have never had one in their hands to judge or they could not honestly make that claim in the first place.
Make no mistake Pany will also have a smaller rangefinder model out by end of year but likely larger than Oly first model because of in body EVF but may launch a suprise smaller one themselves earlier, we don't know.
I do fully agree with your last paragraph that rather than chasing after the latest model, people should concentrate on using and enjoying what they have if it will fill their needs. However the recent inovations such as m4/3 rds as well as the pro downsized K7 or E620 in conventional DSLRs are exciting developments which we can all enjoy knowing more about.
NB- I think m4/3 currently are not a match to conventional dslr in
terms of speed. And speed is one of the main reason why people opt
for DSLR. correct me if I am wrong!
--
--Depends on what you mean by speed? Certainly the m4/3 format brings the potential of very fast speedy primes much smaller than those the DSLRs just look at the Pany 20/1.7 due out soon and most primes used on DSLRs are full frame as only recently a few specifically designed for cropped ASP-C format? Certainly smaller faster wide to normal zooms will be feasible with m4/3 in the future?
If you're referring to live view speed then no other DSLR matches the G1 as both all Canons, Nikons, and Pentax live views are much slower while E620 and Sonys are better but still slower the G1?
If your referring to shutter burst speed well the G1 3 frames/sec is what most DSLRs provide while newer Canon T1i does 3.4 fps and Nikon D5000 does 4 fps. But wait the new GH1 likely soon successor to G1 does 6 fps in 6 mp mode if only 2 fps in 12 mp?
Even when it comes to autofocus speeds the G1 is as fast as most in good lighting, faster than the slowest in low light, but not as fast as N/C in very low light. If you compare manual focus ability with high rez EVF the G1 is faster than all of them in low light. Certainly the upper end N/C are better for sports at least those with all glass OVF and fast auto focus but here again most conceed that contrast autofocus is more accurate than than of the faster autofocus types used in other DSLRs. Certainly the speed of live view and lack of lag will be further improved in future m4/3 models. Right now the problem areas you are referring to are quick panning as required to track flying birds or race cars, not your typical application for most people.
If your referring to speed as to good high ISO performance the lastest tests show GH1 very good at ISO 1600 and useable at ISO 3200. The noise that does show at latter ISO is very fine grained and reportedly not showing in prints made? Much of the claimed "superiority" of DSLRs in low light actually is from greater noise suppression hence the pictures appear clean and smoother but actually lower resolution than those from G1 in all tests.
So don't just accept the propoganda myth that m4/3 models are no match for DSLRS. Certainly you must realize that there are a lot of vested interests involved in perpetuating these claims protecting their products?
I do not have a G1 but use two other DSLR systems, but am very excited over the potential these new products bring both m4/3 models and the new compact K7 for DSLRs.
Just my two bits
safaridon
