We will continually update this post with all the most important infos about the new cameras. The link list has a cronological order (latest added on top).
UPDATE 2: Many many many thanks for sending me all this links 🙂
UPDATE: Reload the page to see the updates!
Live tweet of the Panasonic UK event: http://twitter.com/joshwal (press conference at 9am London time)
Press release:
Panasonic G2 and G10 presentation on Amazon
Panasonic global press release: http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/popup/pressrelease/g2g10.html#1
The official Panasonic press release (Panasonic UK)
The PhoBlographer
Forum Four Thirds (german)
Focus Numerique knows the price! 599 Euro for the G2(body only) 699 Euro with lens and 549 Euro for the G10+Lens! Crazy only 150 Euro difference?
Photoscala (german)
Dpreview: 14-42mm lens / G2 / G10
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Hands-On:
Hands-on on dkamera.de (german)
Imaging Resurce: “The Panasonic DMC-G2 retains its predecessor’s 12.1 effectieve megapixel sensor resolution, and yields a maximum resolution of 4,000 x 3,000 pixels. Compared to the G1 though, the Lumix G2 uses a newer generation of the company’s image processor, dubbed Venus Engine HD II.”
Panasonic G2 by dpreview
Photographyblog Hands-on G2 / G10 / Panasonic G2, G10, G1 Comparison
hardwarezone “Panasonic explained to us that the G and GH product lines are going to be developed separately. The GH series will be the premium, Full HD capable line, while the G series will be more photo than video-centric, explaining the 720p video recording limit on the G2 and G10.”
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Videos:
Panasonic UK video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01q7gr2_TQQ
Two more youtube videos here -> http://luc.saint-elie.com/
First touchscreen test http://vimeo.com/9936494
UPDATE: According to a Korean website the G2 and G10 will be released in June. Our sources told us it will probably be a little bit earlier (late May)
34 Responses
Still absolutely no clue about the most important “feature”.
DOES G2 HAVE A NEW (HENCE IMPROVED) SENSOR?
Or Panasonic may not have been ashamed to put in their brand new machines the same “brand old” (and not so brilliant) sensors?
Hope we’ll find out this soon. I’m afraid that Panasonic would preserve their quality sensors for premium GHx cameras…
This lull is kind of strange.
Will there be a storm of information?
The kingdom for a word about the sensor! 🙂
And about in-camera jpeg improvements, have they done them?
The sensor is probably already good enough for these consumer cameras, that mainly all the models are, with the exception of the HD video enabled GH1. The latest E-PL1 seems to have evolved a bit over the earlier Olympus models. The upcoming G2/G10 might in a similar way also evolve in perfromance aspect over the G1/GF1.
Perhaps a good thing to have all the cameras at a parallell wave front in sensor perfomance, while embracing this new virgin land of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
Go GH1 if you need anything more than a P&S upgrade.
Really hope that GH-series can be a real compact professional camcorder full of advanced features, rather than just a full-HD interchangeable lens camera.
Excuse me.
Do “pro” camera mean that it’s capable of high definition video? This is a bad joke!
For the god’s sake, these digital cameras still are mainly for taking photos, rather than making videos!
Paying a huge amount of money for GH1(2) video capabilities most of people won’t ever use in there lives – just for getting a bit better RAW quality due to the improved sensor?
NOPE!
Yhey claim to have hands on for new models!
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=15&id=3164
lx3?
@Quan
Thank you!
Joshwal, don’t forget to ask about the sensors, please!
Is the G2 (and/or G10) sensors the ones already used in G1/GF1? If not, what’s the key differences?
Thanks!
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicDMCG2/
Hands-on preview on DPReview!
Seems to be same sensor as G1/GF1:
The Panasonic DMC-G2 retains its predecessor’s 12.1 effectieve megapixel sensor resolution, and yields a maximum resolution of 4,000 x 3,000 pixels. Compared to the G1 though, the Lumix G2 uses a newer generation of the company’s image processor, dubbed Venus Engine HD II.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1267952459.html
If those prices 599 and 549 euro are correct then I think it’s great news. I don’t remember initial G1 price but I think it wasn’t lower than 600 euro.
G2 should be soon available in actual G1 price which isn’t much lower than 600 euro now.
These guys from Panasonic are completely idiots.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Compare-cameras/(appareil1)/340%7C0/(appareil2)/337%7C0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Panasonic/(brand2)/Panasonic
There is a huge difference between the G2 (G10) and GH1 sensors – despite the new image processor.
Low-light ISO performance 498 (G2, G10) versus 772 (GH1)?
Highly disappointing!
Forget these craps and use GH1! Or wait for GH2, no matter how high the price will be!
admin,
regarding the price, please read carefully what “focus numerique” says :
– 549 for G10+kit lens, while
– 599 for G2 alone (699 with kit lens)
=> 150 euros instead of 50 euros difference
Thanks Crab!
Thanks also Crab Body only sales Fantastic news. A second body for my G1 and lenses.
Kestio chill out it’s not your camera. Move on
Still I don’t understand the point of having a new 14-42 lens: what does it brings the old 14-45 does not ?
LX3 successor with mft sensor, at least f2.0, at least 28mm (including video), 10-times zoom, ultra compact, (like HX5V) manual focus via tochscreen as seen on the G2, stereo mic, FULL AVCHD….that would be AWESOME pana…cmon
cheers
We expected revolution, but got evolution :(.
But, if true, those prices are OK! G10 is up there with the cheapest movie enabled DSLRs, but is smaller and lighter. And G2 have quite a feature list for 700 euros. Should be enough to popularize m43 even more.
ISO is – according to the above videos – up to 6400/3200 in picture/video mode (GH1 is 3200/1600). If this is true, it’s a big approvement in sensor perfomance (if there is less noise).
I’m very uncertain about those new models.
IMHO Panasaonic should focus on widening system versatility, rather than introduce new models with basically the same specs as the existing ones. This reminds to me Nikon’s habit of adding an S to their existing models’ names just to dump second hand value.
Micro 4/3 is an amazingly good system, but its qualities are yet to be fully exploited. What we are waiting for is: missing lenses that we can buy in the real world (not only announced), a better electronic viewfinder (better shaped than the aubergine-shaped Olympus, if it’s possible), no-nonsense accessories which can really help us improve our shots. And -why not?- software solutions (both OEM and third parts’) to tune up camera performance.
I would have loved to see GH1’s sensor in the G2 🙁
@kesztió :
All we know is that the new sensor has the same pixel count. They might have improved it a bit since the G1, plus the new processing engine could make a real difference in low-light (and I hope so given the new ISO 6400).
Next model, GH2 in six months ?
@M:
If a new sensor had been developed this would have been first thing mentioned today by Panasonic.
I agree that the new processig engine might do a really different job regarding low light quality, but I would have loved to see a much better RAW noise/DR performance even in RAW!
BTW, the sensor measurement I really trust is the one from DXO labs.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor/Camera-rankings
If DXO said that G2 RAW performance came close or even surpassed GH1 RAW I would admit the theory about new (or at least improved) sensor.
Let me rely on this version! 🙂
Has there been any mention of when these will be available in the states?
Panasonic has 4 models that are of particular interest here in order of their introduction: the LX3, the G series ( G1,G2,G10), the GH series, and the GF series. Of these four, Panasonic has introduced an upgrade for one – the G series. Of these four, I am most interested in the LX3 and the GF1 at this point. I am looking forward to an LX4 replacement which seems overdue. I am also looking forward to an upgrade of the GF1 to what it might have been in the first place – the sensor of the GH1, and a higher quality ELV. It will indeed be interesting to see how GF1 positioned in the future as far as sensors is concerned. Will it get the same sensor as the G2/10? That makes it particularly interesting what kind of sensor the G2/G10 has, and whether it is different from the G1. I too look forward to the DXO test..
G2 looks like a solid camera. I really think the touchscreen will be very useful for focusing and one-touch self portraits.
Now that Panasonic has said the GH2 will be more dedicated for video than for stills, what changes in the design can we expect? Do people need the larger front grip for videos? Can still performance be slightly sacrificed in order to remove the mechanical shutter? I think a rangefinder style is okay for videos. Something more plain, but with a better grip to hold in a variety of orientations. Perhaps an accessory for shooting low videos with the touchscreen lcd including a separate remote record button. A pop up video light. I don’t see why a video-specific digicam has to look like a dslr. The look and handling of a still camera is great as people seem to shy away from a camcorder style body. Will they keep with the vanilla SLR design for the GH line? I don’t see why they should.
Will canon come up with a GH12 competitor?
Add to that a 16:9 High Res touchscreen lcd for the GH2?
I meant …
Will Olympus come up with a GH1/2 competitor with full hd, swivel lcd, etc…
Not Canon. They already seem to dominate pro hdslr video.
So you have your family on a BBQ or on holiday where you need to put on sunlotion all the time… And then you pickup the G2 and use the touchscreen all the time.. Trust me.. Within a few minutes the screen is so dirty you will not be able to see what you did.. Normally you use this screen to see what you did. The same screen you like to keep clean.. Not putting greasy fingers on it..
Panasonic is making cool cameras for average costumers or for tech (iphones and etc) buyers…they are forgetting real photographers…..
A little évolution, a entry level camera with a bridge style EVF (nobody notice that the g10 has a 220000 pixel evf ?), fixed screen, a new venus engine, but the same old tires ;). The G2 is a G1 improvment, new engine, same tires, same lcd, but touchcreen, and not a capacitive one. Well, it’s like the other brand, put some new stuff in a very similar body every 6 to 9 month, give a name to the new baby and make a powerful marketing campain, Easy stuff, easy money 😉 Much easier than build new lenses 🙁 Oh yes, i almost forgot, there is a all new mighty 14~45,without the OIS button and a little lighter, but with the same ugly f3.5~f5.6 aperture. On the aps-c side, i can buy a constant f2.8 28~80zoom, a f2.8 wide angle zoom like the tokina one (it seems i must say farewell to the fast wide prime, like the one we found on FF)
@convenience: That’s pretty ridiculous. No way you can fit a 14-140mm zoom lens onto a four thirds sensor – f/2 at that – and still have it be compact.
The concern about possible/none/some improvement in the G_ sensor is crucial to those of us who bought into
the Panasonic G system concept early on (October 2008, in my case).
As Kesztio says watch http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Panasonic before
deciding on these new cameras. Just hope DxOmark can get sample product to test very soon.
Other than this concern I’ll probably get a G2 as soon as I can. However, am irked that I am going
to have to wait ’til next winter before I can get a 100-300 zoom. The 7-14, 14-45 and 45-200 I have are keepers, and the jury is still out on the 14-140 (as on the Leica 14-150) – generally zooms up to 3x or 4x work well over the range,
but over long ranges optimization means too much compromise at the focal length extremes. The 14-42 zoom
is inferior to the 14-45, according to Panasonic’s own MTF charts at http://www.panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/lens/index.html