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MillimeterSign of the Times
Apr 9, 2009 12:00 PM, By D.W. Leitner
A look at the Canon Realis WUX10, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and other signposts on the road to low-cost innovation.
The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 has burst onto the scene recording 1080/24p AVCHD to affordable SDHC cards.
In other words, the basic functionality of a high-end HD camcorder at the bargain-basement price of a consumer camcorder—an idea that is likely to build steam as we navigate treacherous economic straits. Which is why these initial DSLRs equipped to acquire full HD are blinking signposts of what’s to come. For instance, the September announcement of Canon’s 5D Mark II was preceded by three weeks by that of the very first DSLR with HD: Nikon’s D90, which debuted a 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, Motion JPEG recording of 720p, and $1,000 price (body only). Canon has since introduced a compact consumer PowerShot SX1 IS (not a DSLR) with a smaller 1/2.3in. 10-megapixel CMOS sensor, HDMI output, and the same powerful Canon DIGIC 4 processor as the 5D Mark II. It features a 2.7in. 16:9 LCD screen that folds out and swivels, a wide-angle 20X zoom with optical image stabilization, and a built-in stereo mic (no external mic input). The SX1 IS records the same HD formats as the 5D to cheap SDHC cards (class 6) and retails for about $780.
Which brings us to Panasonic’s entry: the compact Lumix DMC-GH1, which was introduced in March. The GH1 captures full HD 1920x1080 at 1080/24p, 1080/25p, 720/60p, or 720/50p. Compression is H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (AVCHD). 1080p is recorded as 1080/60i (pull-down added) or 1080/50i.
The Lumix DMC-GH1 is striking for a number of reasons. It incorporates a new compact DSLR standard called Micro Four Thirds system, which Panasonic and Olympus announced last year. Based on the existing Four Thirds system which specifies a 4/3in. sensor (hence the name), the Micro Four Thirds system dispenses with the traditional mirror and prism altogether, introducing a smaller, shallower lens mount.
This necessitates an electronic viewfinder, and the Lumix DMC-GH1 serves up a humdinger: a large, sharp, pixel-free LCoS finder—a first for digital still cameras—exploiting the very same technology that drives projectors such as the Realis WUX10. The GH1’s brilliant finder rivals those found in Sony’s HVR-Z7U and HVR-Z5U HDV camcorders (where LCoS finders first appeared, unless you count AccuScene’s 2002 technology, which was acquired by Red Digital Cinema) as well as in upcoming 1/3in. camcorders such as JVC’s GY-HM700 ProHD, which records to SDHC cards, and Panasonic’s 3-CMOS AG-HPX300, which records AVC-Intra and DVCPRO HD to P2 cards (see p. 40 of the April issue of millimeter for Barry Braverman’s review of the HPX300).
Once you’ve used a color LCoS finder, you can’t go back to LCD. I’ve shot extensively with Sony Z7s and Z5s, and in November, on a trip to Japan, I put a Lumix DMC-G1 (same camera, minus HD) through its paces at a store in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district. I was utterly mesmerized by the vivid 1,440,000-pixel viewfinder. It’s the next best thing to an optical viewfinder, with the added advantage that data can be superimposed over the image.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.