Micro 4/3's ect & the future of DSLR's

[Ixon]

Last week ordered a Panasonic GH1 still waiting for it yet, due to the BLOODY SNOW!!!!

Anways I've seen a recent trend where people are ditching their big heavy DSLR kits, and going for either the Panasonic G1/GH1, GF1 or Olympus EP1/ EP2, because basically you can take them anywere, still get DSLR quality images without all the weight, moreso in the case of the GF1 & EP series .

Now some of the images i've seen on flickr ect using micro 4/3's camera's are nothing short of stunning, & i can't wait to FINALLY get my GH1 & go out shooting with it.

But Samsung could basically shake things up in this market with the NX10 which is abit smaller than a GH1, but has a APS-C sensor for better contol over DOF and hopefully less noise at high ISO & a superb AMOLED screen.

Plus this could be the trigger needed for Canon,Nikon & Sony to enter this kind of market with there own version of mini DSL's in the next year or two.

The way i see it is that in let say 5-10 years from now this kind of camera will proberly all but kill off the budget DSLR market, & maybe start to slip into the pro sector aswell, with features like no mirror & super high rez EVF with no lag & no crapping out in low light, in the Canon 1D Mk VII if that naming still around for example.

So what your views on this?

Could these new generation of camera's be what eventually replaces the DSLR's in the future, & say goodbye to Mirrors & OVF's as we did with film SLR's.

 

[Spie]

You have a point but don't forget that budget DSLRs are a good entry point in to a manufacturer's SLR system. You keep the lenses, flash and other parts when you upgrade.

I'm a big fan of the GF1 by the way. Bought one for the missus at Christmas with the 20mm f1.7 lens and it's a very capable - and compact - bit of kit.

 

[Stag]

How pocketable would you say it was Spie? I want a pocket camera and it looks that bit too big.

 

[Mr Jones]

There's been a big debate over at the 4/3 forums since the announcement of the E-P1. In my opinion, it will NOT replace the entry DSLR market. The entry market for one, have a prism viewfinder. Be it big or small, it'll not be replaced by current tech for EVF. (Even with the millions of colour version of the up and coming E-P2). This dedicated function separates the mFT market niche and the DSLR entrants, along with the size, grip and as Spie stated, the lens and accessories compatibility when you do upgrade.

I however sincerely believe the mFT WILL merge, if not replace the higher end compact when further revised versions of mFT can be that bit more pocketable (thinner and less 'rectangular'), but it'll take some feat though. The current GF and E-P are already pocketable in slightly large coat pockets. Can be squeezed in back jeans pocket if you remove the lens and put it in the front. That's pocketable enough for someone willing to carry a larger sensor.

That's what I feel anyway.

 

[Jimbu]

The new nx10 will be using a different type of lens than the 4/3 due to the sensor size but it'll be interesting how it does. Apparently it will also be quite cheap.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

I considered a 4/3rds recently and only dropped the idea because of the 2:1 crop and implications on DOF (double my FF camera).
I have to say that from reading around, the GF1 is supposedly just as good as entry level kit from the other manufacturers, and I'd happily own one otherwise.

Regarding the market, whether it really takes off will depend upon lens selections. At the moment they're not even vaguely close to what's available with Canon, Nikon et al. Give it some time and some better adapters and I do see that changing.

 

[Dup]

If they do really take off, I suspect the big players like Canon and Nikon would focus more on Pro grade gear the the entry level end. the D*** or ***D will probably be made redundant.

When we got our Olympus E-10 on 2001 it was £1400 and not many people had digital SLR cameras. The cost of an entry level DSLR is very accesible these days and I know many people who own them but aren't Photogrpahers if you get what I mean. Shame I can't afford them . The micro 4/3 market will appeal to those people quite a lot though, they like the sales pitch and the thought of having the best even if they won't use it but it's still easy to get a great picture even in idiot mode.

My mum is an ideal micro 4/3 owner if she could afford one. She always has her camera handy and takes sme great pic despite not being a photographer. She does get fustrated with the poor low light perfornance though and a micro 4/3 kit would be ideal. Not much bigger that what she has but much more power and flexibility.

I think the full size DSLRs will be packaged better with more intutive interfaces in the future, but I'm not sure a smaller lens format is the way forward.

 

[Ixon]

Well you can get a decent DOF & bokeh from the Panny 20mm F1.7 which i plan on buying next week, along with the 7-14mm some point in the future.

You also can shoot in 3:2 16:9 ect without the cropping on the GH1, as it has a slightly bigger sensor than the standard 4/3 sensor for this reason, not sure if the GF1 has it or not.

Lens selection is improving Panasonic has another 3 lenses due out in Spring, with more to come before the end of 2010

What i want to see is Sigma & Tamron to make lenses for this format, but that will only happen if these new camera's really take off.

Eitherway Panasonic are in this for the long run, Olympus im not to sure about as they have an habit of plugging the plug if things don't go to well ie with the Film OM series that had users up in arms.

And now to a certain degree their standard 4/3 DSLR's which seem to have stagnated somewhat.

 

[Ixon]

Another point to.

It seems the reason why some are ditching their DSLR's for these kind of camera's is down to the world we live in.

a lot of people seem uneasy today taking there big camera's out as they once did as it either a magnet for muggers & smackrats

Or thanks to the Goverment & National papers

Your either a Terrorist or a Peado if you walk around with a DSLR.

If you have a Mobile or a point & shoot to take pictures with, then you don't get branded or bothered by either Police or hyper paranoid parents.

 

[Dup]

Another point to.

It seems the reason why some are ditching their DSLR's for these kind of camera's is down to the world we live in.

a lot of people seem uneasy today taking there big camera's out as they once did as it either a magnet for muggers & smackrats

Or thanks to the Goverment & National papers

Your either a Terrorist or a Peado if you walk around with a DSLR.

If you have a Mobile or a point & shoot to take pictures with, then you don't get branded or bothered by either Police or hyper paranoid parents.

This baffles me. Everyone has a DSLR these days and they're not unfamiliar. You can buy them on the hightstreet, they're not Pro only.

I suppose It's good I'm not a city lover and take my camera in the woods and up hills instead.

 

[bigredshark]

Another point to.

It seems the reason why some are ditching their DSLR's for these kind of camera's is down to the world we live in.

a lot of people seem uneasy today taking there big camera's out as they once did as it either a magnet for muggers & smackrats

Or thanks to the Goverment & National papers

Your either a Terrorist or a Peado if you walk around with a DSLR.

If you have a Mobile or a point & shoot to take pictures with, then you don't get branded or bothered by either Police or hyper paranoid parents.

I don't know where you're taking photos but I've never found that to be the case really, the fuss over the few times the police have stopped people taking photos (and compared to the hoards of tourists walking round london with DSLRs it's very few) is overdone. I've never had a problem in London and I've never had a problem anywhere else in the world aside from a few border issues in the middle east which you kind of expect anyway.

I do like the 4/3's system and I did think seriously about a E-P1 a few months back (and on and off still do consider it) but the lack of a physical viewfinder puts me off, EVF doesn't really cut it unfortunately.

The issue is, unless you buy a selection of lenses then it's not actually much better than a high end compact, not that the lack of logic will stop people buying them of course.

I would love to get a E-P1 with the 17mm lens as a keep in my bag all the time camera but at £650 it's not justifiable for that and it's not good enough to replace a SLR. Maybe one day they'll improve, unfortunately I suspect the EVF is here to stay...

 

[Willis]

I've used the Panasonic GH1 in my studio with my bowen's flashes and produced some great images, it was only for a bit of fun but was still interesting to do. Its producing some amazing photo's but for me the DSLR will all ways be my first choice. I love the weight and feel of my D3 and for studio and landscape I like to feel I have a camera in my hand. Also the ISO on my D3 is just stunning and one thing the Micro 4/3's can't even come close to.