Panasonic prices G1 interchangeable-lens camera
(Credit: Panasonic)When Panasonic announced its first interchangeable-lens camera, the Lumix DMC-G1, it said the camera would cost less than $800. Today it's official: $799.95 with the 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 (28-90mm equivalent) lens.
That price puts it in direct competition with inexpensive dSLR models like the Nikon D60 and Canon Rebel XS; it's a bit smaller compared to those, but lacks an optical viewfinder, which is a significant disadvantage. And it's significantly more expensive than more compact, fixed-lens enthusiast competitors like Panasonic's own LX3 and the Canon PowerShot G10. As yet, performance is a big unknown.
The other factor to take into account is lenses. It'll take a while for a big aftermarket to develop--if a sizable one develops at all--until which time new lenses for the G1 and Olympus' model will likely be few and far between. Costwise they seem competitive, however; for instance, the second lens offering from Panasonic, Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f4.0-5.6 is slated to cost $349.95, though street prices will probably be a bit cheaper. In comparison, Canon's 55-250mm lens commonly costs about $275-$300. I consider that the same ballpark.
This is shaping up to be quite an interesting model. It's slated to ship next month.
Senior Editor Lori Grunin has been covering digital imaging for two decades, but her memory's kind of sketchy on the details. You can hear about it every week on Indecent Exposure, the podcast she co-hosts with Matt Fitzgerald. 
All in all, it has the potential for being a much better camera than anything else in the price range. It'll be interesting to see once it comes out what people say about it.
- by ed_hawco October 16, 2008 7:31 PM PDT
- Personally, I detest electronic viewfinders, but apparently the G1 has the "best one" that one reviewer had ever seen. (Darn, I wish I could find that review!) It was pretty convincing.
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- by askj113 October 25, 2008 3:44 PM PDT
- The G1 isn't a DSLR, and it's missing some of the things DSLRs have, like a real optical viewfinder and a larger sensor
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(5 Comments)The other thing I want to add is that you can't really appreciate how small this camera is until you see it in someone's hand. I found a photo on Flickr of exactly that, and I was blown away when I saw it. I've always been peeved that DSLRs are so big when I don't think they need to be. The G1 is finally making them small!
Here's that Flickr image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/audioblog/2850600336/