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Panasonic Lumix G1 at last - what a gem for digiscoping (1 Viewer)

Very interesting Neil. Does the G1 have a mounting screw hole. At the moment in Warehouse express the camera is nearly £500 so seems a mite expensive for digiscoping if one wants to keep a DSLR and long lens. Not clear on what other lense are available, any info at your end.

Robert,
There is a center tripod mount screw.
These are the lenses from Panasonic at the moment -
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/...e/973-the-first-micro-four-thirds-lenses.html
but there will be more and you can use existing lenses with an adapter.
http://www.engadget.com/tag/micro four thirds
I'm hoping to be able to use my Leica M lenses on it.

Neil.
 
I've started processing some RAW files from the G1 after loading the software (Silkypix) that came with the camera. The first composite shows a Tiff file on the left and the adjusted CS2 file on the right (iso 400). The second shows an adjusted CS2 file on the left and then processed in Noiseware on the right (iso 500). The last image is a CS2 processed image (iso400 )
Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw 30x eyepiece and DCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
February 2009
 

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I had to go to Panasonic today to get the adapter for the four third lenses. As this was near the typhoon shelter I popped down to digiscope the night herons that hand around there. Dull overcast conditions so was happy to be able to use the iso 400. Distance was from 15 - 20 metres. All these were taken in RAW and converted to Tiffs in Panasonics Silkypix software and then processed in CS2.
Neil

Panasonic Lumix G1 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw 30x eyepiece and DCA adapter

Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter,
Hong Kong,
China.
February 2009
 

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The first 3 images I posted in this thread were from jpegs, although I had taken Raw + Jpeg. I finally got around to processing the RAW images and here are the same three birds again. Neil.
 

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I tested the Panasonic adapter today . The Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens won't Auto Focus with it. I guess I'll have to wait for Panasonic or Olympus to release a short prime for the G1. Neil.
 
Neil,

The last one is a work of art. Great composition, super sharp and the focus is right on.

This G1 will be tempting for the astro scope gang :t::t: Personnaly, I will wait for Version 2 and the availability of longer lenses. However, your results and the 2.0 crop factor are quite tempting...

Regards and congradulations !
Jules
 
I don't think I will ever be tempted when the adapters to get it onto an astro scope cost a couple of hundred $$$. Hopefully the other big names will bring out mirrorless cameras with standard lens mounts.

Paul.
 
I tested the Panasonic adapter today . The Olympus 25/2.8 Pancake lens won't Auto Focus with it. I guess I'll have to wait for Panasonic or Olympus to release a short prime for the G1. Neil.

That's bad news Neil! I am interested in getting a short prime for my Olympus E-510, to try digiscoping with it, but I can only order from shops that source their stock direct from the Olympus importers in the UK, so no chance of trying one first.

Before I got the E-510, I had an E-420 with the pancake lens, but returned it within a week as I wanted the IS. I did try the pancake through my ATS80, and it did work, but with a little vignetting as I remember. The other problem was how to connect it to my DCA adapter.

I might be wrong, but doesn't the central barrel of the pancake rotate when focussing? perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me! I would be interested to know if you've tried any of the other primes such as the 50 F2 Macro. This lens is on my wish list next (for general insect photography), and it would be pure luck if it worked through the 20-60 zoom (or even the 30x wide). The only other lens I've got to work at all is the 40-150 kit lens @40mm, but the lens isn't really bright enough to get fast enough shutter speeds in the dull UK winter. Attachment to the DCA is also problematic, but probably possible with stepping rings.

I am extremely impressed by your results with the new G1, and might eventually be interested in getting one when the prices drop a little, but the compatability with my Olympus lenses (no autofocus) would put me off going down this route. Any insights you could offer about digiscoping with my E-510 would be gratefully received. I am really only interested in getting top notch results that would beat my Fuji F31fd in terms of image quality. The 50 F2 has the optical quality I'm after, but if only it would work....

Steve
 
...........I am extremely impressed by your results with the new G1, and might eventually be interested in getting one when the prices drop a little, but the compatability with my Olympus lenses (no autofocus) would put me off going down this route. Any insights you could offer about digiscoping with my E-510 would be gratefully received. I am really only interested in getting top notch results that would beat my Fuji F31fd in terms of image quality. The 50 F2 has the optical quality I'm after, but if only it would work....

Steve

I'm glad I didn't buy the Olympus 50/2.0 Macro until I'm sure that it will Auto Focus. It's also very expensive (US$550). I will want a 35 mm and/or 50 mm lens for this camera though at some point.
I use the 25/2.8 Pancake lens on the E420 , but you're right , you can't screw the DCA into it's 43 mm thread and still get AF . I set it up on my balance bar so the lens is not physically attached to the DCA. I do need Liveview though for accurate focusing in manual .
Have a look at the thread -
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=116135
Neil
 
Here is the setup for the G1 on the Swarovski scope using the Swarovski DCA adapter.
Neil
 

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That set-up looks really neat and I must say I'm impressed with the lack of colour fringing in your images, Neil, especially around the black/white areas such as the wagtail. This is going to be a popular choice with digiscopers, I'd think.
 
Out on the mudflats today in dull, overcast light which I thought would be a good test for the G1. I shot at iso 400/800/1250 with 800 being the most common. Had some luck with Marshsands in flight when I got a series of 7 frames and there were sharp birds in 4 of them. The Yellow Wagtail cooperated and was about 15 meters but the others were around 50 - 120 meters. Neil.

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

Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,
China.
March 2009
 

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Neil, can I ask if you're getting significantly faster shutter speeds with this camera than you did with the Olympus E-420? Also, more generally, do you think micro 4/3 might be inherently more suitable for digiscoping than 4/3 proper? I tried it with the E-520 but found it way more bother than it was worth and soon rushed back to my old Fuji F30.

David
 
Neil, can I ask if you're getting significantly faster shutter speeds with this camera than you did with the Olympus E-420? Also, more generally, do you think micro 4/3 might be inherently more suitable for digiscoping than 4/3 proper? I tried it with the E-520 but found it way more bother than it was worth and soon rushed back to my old Fuji F30.

David
The speed is similar between the E420 and the G1. No noise up to iso 400 and only a little at iso800 so shutter speeds are similarly fast. The implementation of LiveView is better in the G1. The main difference is the Electronic Viewfinder. This enables Auto Focus using the viewfinder or the LCD screen. The AF is very fast too, much faster than the E420 (LiveView AF only on the LCD). It's very similar to the speed on my Nikon D90 with the 500/4 ( 730 mm in Crop Mode). I'm shooting the G1 at wide a lot which is equivalent to 840 mm.
Now the GH1 is out with HD video and with a longer kit lens.
Neil.
 
Thanks Neil. Sounds interesting but I think I'll wait and see what Olympus comes up with before going down the m4/3 road.
 
A few more from the wetlands on Monday on an overcast day. Neil.
 

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