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Panasonic Lumix G1 at last - what a gem for digiscoping (2 Viewers)

Nice soft, late afternoon light back at the flowering trees yesterday enabled the use of iso 200 and 400 . More detail obvious without the wind. Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw30x eyepiece and DCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
March 2009
Neil those are lovely shots! I'm very impressed with the G1 and look forward to more developments in this style of camera. My main camera is a Canon 1dmk2 with gert big lenses but i tend to use my compact Panasonic more LoL mainly due to its size. Don't get me wrong the Canons awesome but I look forward to the day when its possible to buy a smaller combo with same quality of images, the way technology is going I don't think its that far away!
cheers and look forward to seeing more G1 shots
Brian
Ps does the G1 have a remote control socket?
 
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Kowa 883+G1 with x30WA and x25LER and DA10

I was able to try the G1 up against my 883 and zoom today. The vignetting was so bad I have decided against buying one.

Now tried my Kowa 883 up against the x30WA via the DA10 and 52mm ring.....as on the x20-60 zoom the vignetting was terrible :C but...

the x25LER was OK! At 14mm on the lens 95% of the field of view was visible in the camera allbeit only over about 40% of the width of the screen. As you zoom up above 14mm the screen fills rapidly.

Between 18mm and 35mm the vignetting was acceptable (none at all, in the bulk of this range |=)|) but beyond 35mm and up to the max 45mmm it rapidly got unacceptable.

An issue could be the looseness of the zoom on the camera for angled scopes. It was very easy to nudge the zoom as you altered the controls on the camera. However, I easily overcame this just by being careful.

:smoke::smoke:
 
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Now tried my Kowa 883 up against the x30WA via the DA10 and 52mm ring.....as on the x20-60 zoom the vignetting was terrible :C but...

the x25LER was OK! At 14mm on the lens 95% of the field of view was visible in the camera allbeit only over about 40% of the width of the screen. As you zoom up above 14mm the screen fills rapidly.

Between 18mm and 35mm the vignetting was acceptable (none at all, in the bulk of this range |=)|) but beyond 35mm and up to the max 45mmm it rapidly got unacceptable.

An issue could be the looseness of the zoom on the camera for angled scopes. It was very easy to nudge the zoom as you altered the controls on the camera. However, I easily overcame this just by being careful.

:smoke::smoke:

Dave,
Try a test without the DA10 adapter, just sliding the camera to the eyepiece on the table.
Neil.
 

This version is designed around the HD video function and the kit zoom lens is a longer length than the G1's. It won't be suitable for digiscoping . There are some bundles being offered with both lenses which would be the way to go.
Best price so far in the US is US$459 , body only.
Neil.
 
One advantage of the new model is the addition of video capacity - oddly omitted from the original. Not a deal breaker for me, but enough to make me wait for this new version - just hope that it isn't too much more expensive as the current model is right at the edge of affordability for me. What, though, I'm really anxious to see is a fully capatible telephoto lens with a much longer reach. The smaller size/weight of this camera (and its partner lenses) plus its capacity to be used in digiscoping mode surely makes it an ideal choice for the birder wishing to develop an interest in photography,
 
Lumix GH1 + kit lens

I made a couple of enquires over price and availability in the UK for the above.
Availability was 'early June' and price 'around £1000'

I have decided to hang on for the GH1 and see what it is like though I will be looking for a deal with the 14-45mm lens or one of the proposed prime lenses for digiscoping rather than the supplied kit lens

Dave
 
FIRMWARE UPDATE FOR THE G1

I finally got around to the G1 firmware update today. There is the camera update and a lens update (each lens has it's own update). The main feature I was looking for was to Auto Focus using the Panasonic adapter for Four Thirds lenses. I've tested it with the Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake and it now Auto Focuses. It's a little noisier than the kit zoom and a little slower but it seems to do a good job and I'll test it out on the scope in the next couple of days if the rain ever stops.
Neil
 
Update on G1 & Pentax scope - digiscoping

[Previously in this thread (message #41) I described my experiences with digiscoping and the G1. I tried to include some photos as examples, but did not do it correctly. The illustrative photos can be seen at: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=31221156

Neal and Paul Corfield suggested it might work better if I screwed the 14-45mm lens directly to the Pentax eyepiece. This seemed like a good idea, so I ordered step-down rings.... - it doesn't work. :-(.

The Panasonic 14-45mm lens takes a 52mm filter; the Pentax SMC XW14 eyepiece needs a 43mm thread. I could not find a single step-down ring that went from 52-43, so I had to do it with two step-down rings: 52-46, then 46-43. It all attaches very solidly (with a significant risk of getting rings stuck on if you are not careful about the torque rotating the camera can apply). However, it results in really huge and horrible vignetting at all focal lengths.

So, I am back to just hand-holding the lens up against the rubber eye-protector and shooting in burst mode to minimize camera movement.

I am interested in anyone else's results.
 
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[Previously in this thread (message #41) I described my experiences with digiscoping and the G1. I tried to include some photos as examples, but did not do it correctly. The illustrative photos can be seen at: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=31221156

Neal and Paul Corfield suggested it might work better if I screwed the 14-45mm lens directly to the Pentax eyepiece. This seemed like a good idea, so I ordered step-down rings.... - it doesn't work. :-(.

The Panasonic 14-45mm lens takes a 52mm filter; the Pentax SMC XW14 eyepiece needs a 43mm thread. I could not find a single step-down ring that went from 52-43, so I had to do it with two step-down rings: 52-46, then 46-43. It all attaches very solidly (with a significant risk of getting rings stuck on if you are not careful about the torque rotating the camera can apply). However, it results in really huge and horrible vignetting at all focal lengths.

So, I am back to just hand-holding the lens up against the rubber eye-protector and shooting in burst mode to minimize camera movement.

I am interested in anyone else's results.

Jim,
I'm sorry you had that result with the two thicknesses of step-down rings. Could you post one of the photos of the vignetting where it's at it's best? Your eyepiece Eye Relief of 20 mm is the same as my Swaro 30x so it's just a matter of getting the right attachment method. Test by using one of the rings (hand holding ) to see what the difference is if you can get a 52 - 43 mm. Another alternative is the Televue-type adapter in the attached link. They make two for different sizes of eyepiece but it means that you can position it so the camera lens is at the right position to the eyepiece. I have replaced the metal screws with plastic ones.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892550@N03/3329295623/in/set-72157614341197469/

Neil
 
Amazing! they are all so sharp. Neil, according to dpReview.com you don't necessarily get AF on all 4/3rd lenses using an adapter since this is a "micro" 4/3rd camera with 11contact pins, but the review overall was very favorable, especially on the quick response and clarity of the 460,000 pixel articulating LCD.

What I didn't understand is that the specs says it has HDMI Output but it does not shoot HD video?
 
Nice soft, late afternoon light back at the flowering trees yesterday enabled the use of iso 200 and 400 . More detail obvious without the wind. Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw30x eyepiece and DCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
March 2009
_______________
That (second shot) would be a bulbul? I am guessng because of its crest and reddish vent.
 
Amazing! they are all so sharp. Neil, according to dpReview.com you don't necessarily get AF on all 4/3rd lenses using an adapter since this is a "micro" 4/3rd camera with 11contact pins, but the review overall was very favorable, especially on the quick response and clarity of the 460,000 pixel articulating LCD.

What I didn't understand is that the specs says it has HDMI Output but it does not shoot HD video?

My Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens didn't AF on the G1 until I updated the firmware of the camera and the lens. Now it does with the adapter , although a bit slower and noisier than the kit zoom.
I did a test yesterday with the two lenses and will post a comparison shortly. Early view is not much difference and the zoom may be better.
I guess the HDMI output was there for the future.
Neil.
 
I've posted some photos in the Gallery section digiscoped with the G1 at the Mai Po Wetlands this week. This is a typical digiscoping situation - Spring cloudy/haziness over water from 30 - 200 metres. Here are a range of distance shots all taken with the Swaro 45x eyepiece and in Auto Focus. Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 and Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw45x eyepiece and DCA adapter
 

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Following up to the Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens on the G1 . Here is a composite photo showing a crop of photos taken with the Pancake lens and the G1 kit zoom lens at roughly the same magnification. Can you tell the difference? Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw45x eyepiece and DCA adapter
using Lumix kit zoom (14 - 45x) and the Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens ( setup on a balance bar to allow for AF )
 

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Following up to the Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens on the G1 . Here is a composite photo showing a crop of photos taken with the Pancake lens and the G1 kit zoom lens at roughly the same magnification. Can you tell the difference? Neil

Very similar shots, but the reduced depth-of-field in the lower photo indicates this was taken with the pancake lens.
 
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