Is this camera EVIL?
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Words have always been considered powerful, mystical things--the story of the Golem is merely one example that pops into mind--but they take on more prosaic power when it comes to search engine optimization.
While there are lots of reasons why SEO is important from a content provider standpoint, as a writer/editor I really only care about one thing: will people be able to find a particular product review when they search for it?
There are just some categories that defy consensus; I still don't know what to call all those camcorders that compete with the pioneering Flip, ending up with unsatisfactory choices like "mini camcorders" or "budget camcorders" simply because they'll turn up the right models when people search.
So I'm taking a different approach for cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Olympus E-P1 and their ilk.
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Frankly, I hate all the possible category descriptions. While "EVIL" (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) is the catchiest, it seems to have some Sony-related roots (pause here to appreciate that a search on "Sony" and "evil" brings up rootkit memories), not all of these cameras have or will have EVFs.
They started their lives referred to as "hybrid" cameras, but they're not really hybrids--they don't really mix different species of products. And at this point "hybrid" has really become associated with cars.
I kind of like Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Camera, and think it most accurately reflects the category, but "MILC" is too precious for me. Interchangeable-lens camera seems to be the most popular, and I've tentatively settled on that. But is it too hard to search on?
Some simply refer to them as Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, which works for now since all of the current models adhere to the MFT standard. But that won't be true forever--or even for the near future, unless Samsung surprises us. And while "system cameras" may accurately reflect what they are, it doesn't really distinguish them from SLRs, which are the original system cameras
So I ask you: please vote on what we should call them. And if you have any better ideas, leave 'em in the comments.
(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.
The bits have barely dried on the press release for Olympus and Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds standard for interchangeable lens point-and-shoot cameras and a competing announcement has already emerged from an unexpected source: Samsung. In an interview with the U.K.'s Amateur Photographer magazine, Samsung Techwin Executive Vice President Byung Woo Lee revealed that company's plans for a similar standard based on APS-C-size sensors--albeit not until 2009.
I suppose it's not that surprising that the announcement comes from Samsung. It certainly wasn't going to come from any Canon- or Nikon-driven initiative, since both of those companies tend to be notoriously proprietary about all aspects of their products, and don't really need to play well with others. So, I'd bet we'll see closed-system, interchangeable lens versions of Canon's G series and Nikon's Pxxxx series sometime in late 2009 (or at worst, late 2010). Olympus and Panasonic have Micro Four Thirds (MFT), which leaves Sony, Samsung, Hoya Pentax, Kodak and Fujifilm to either jump on the MFT bandwagon--and therefore commit to using the Four Thirds sensors, which they don't currently use--or come up with a competitor.
Sony has a pretty bad history with its attempted "standards," and I predict it will propose yet another one that no one will want to support, for whatever reason (like insisting that the cameras use Memory Sticks). I really want to be wrong about this prediction.
Of the rest, I think only Samsung and Fujifilm really have the financial wherewithal and marketing muscle to drive something like this. But then, who's left to follow except Pentax and Kodak? Furthermore, while APS-C-size sensors are by far the most popular on the market, APS-C actually refers to a range of sensor sizes, not a particular one, which makes the whole concept of lens standardization somewhat problematic.
So, while interchangeable-lens snapshooters are definitely in our future, don't expect anything close to a universal mount.
How badly do people want interchangeable lenses on compact cameras? We're going to find out soon enough: Panasonic and Olympus have announced a variation on their Four Thirds camera system designed specifically for non-SLR cameras.
On one hand, this will facilitate interchangeable lens cameras more compact than would be possible in a dSLR. By jettisoning the mirror box and through-the-lens optical viewfinder, the two companies hope to make thinner and lighter cameras--thinner than the Olympus E-420, the smallest dSLR on the market. The new lens specification allows the lens to sit about 50 percent closer to the sensor and has a smaller lens mount.
On the other hand, the sensor size remains unchanged from the regular Four Thirds, 17.3mm x 13.0mm, which is pretty large for a non-SLR, and therefore provides what might be too high a lower bound on the width and height of the bodies.
There's no inherent technological advantages to the Four Thirds system, which is one reason it never really took off as an alternative to all the proprietary mount and aspect offerings from companies like Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony/Konica Minolta.
Though there remains no advantage to having a Four Thirds aspect sensor in a compact camera, this time Olympus and Panasonic are proposing a lens-mount standard where there's no existing alternative, and enabling new camera features to boot. That gives Micro Four Thirds a much better chance of gaining traction. The system's lens mount is slightly smaller than the dSLR system--by about 6mm--and it allows for adapters from the larger mount. However, most Four Thirds lenses are pretty heavy, and would probably feel pretty unwieldy on the compact bodies.
The concept sounds great in theory, but a lot depends on both execution and pricing; we've got no idea how much these cameras will run. And while it's true that many people like interchangeable lenses in theory, when faced with the reality of carrying a lot of pieces they balk. Also, a lot of upgraders to dSLRs do it for the speed and photo quality, not the lens flexibility.
It seems the most likely segment to adopt these products would be enthusiasts currently buying cameras like the Canon PowerShot G9 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2, but the photo quality has to hit a certain level for these users. And, ironically, Panasonic is it's own biggest competitor for something like this--do you really need the interchangeable lenses when you've got a wide-angle, 10x zoom lens on a compact body already?
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