Panasonic's bubble is leaking again. This time on their Spanish site at http://www.panasonic.es/fichamod.asp?codegam=142&coderang=24&codeprd=67&codemod=2303&codeagr=
Bob

Well, I can't comment (don't actually know anything!). But I'm expecting to gets some hands-on time with production L1s (the DSLR) this coming week in Barcelona (that's in Spain, by the way).

Ian

Hi Ian,
The web pages are probably in construction and some net searcher found them.
For the L-1, some samples have been posted on an Asian site and the are showing some serious horizontal banding that increases with ISO. I don't think there is any documentation on whether the camera was a production unit or if it had the current firmware. So, this is something to keep an eye on. A review on F2 indicated that the lense barrel was plastic, but noted that it was a preproduction model. This doesn't sound right to me.
Then there is the question that nobody will answer: will Leica have their version of the L-1. I read someone's thread that called it the S-series, but they didn't answer my question of where that came from.
Have a good time.
Bob

I wonder if Yoshi can throw some light on the L1's progress in Japan, where, I assume, it is now on sale?

There should be no problem with banding on the sensor - I certainly didn't find this with the Olympus E-330, which has the same sensor.

Ian

I happened to be at a nearby camera shop today for the first time this year and got some printed catalogues for L1, K100D and A100.
The L1 catalogue says the new model is on sale starting from July 22nd - well, only in big cities I guess.

No news on other new models Bob referred to. While searching, I found the spanish link Bob gave was just imported here today.

As we still have many film camera users here in Japan, the L1 concept might work decently good - although it would not appear on the list of best seller models.
yoshi

Hi Yoshi,
Your comment on the film users in Japan is interesting. It is easy to get the impression that the world has gone digital when we are using computers to talk to each other and use them to process the pictures we take. There is still a significant group of people that don't have or want or can afford computers, printers and complex software and find film & machine prints are just fine for them. My friend in Japan's father-in-law just wont give up his Nikon F5 and learn anything about computers. He is the "old dog" in his 70s and new trick aren't exciting for him.
So here we are in the digital bubble....
Bob

Hi Bob,
I was viewing sample pics of L1. It might be of your interest, too.

http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/news044_5.html

A click on each pic will enlarge the photo.
yoshi

Hi Yoshi,
That is the site that had samples with the horizontal banding. The subject of those shots was a stuffed tiger and I don't see them on the link that you gave. I bet they took them down. The ISO400 night shot isn't very encouraging. That is a pretty rugged noise pattern compared to the Oly E-330.
I wonder what the camera would look like with a normal sized lens on it, like the 50mm f/2 Zuiko D macro? Hey, Ian, if aren't already on your way to Spain, pack your 50mm....
Bob

> Hi Yoshi,
> That is the site that had samples with the horizontal
> banding. The subject of those shots was a stuffed tiger
> and I don't see them on the link that you gave. I bet they
> took them down.

Hi Bob,
After searching, I found following pic. Is this the one you referred to?

http://stream.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/l_mn_l1_38.jpg

yoshi

Hi Bob, again.
As your comment that some sample pics were deleted was so intriguing for me , I continued the search and found all the four pics deleted.
It's amazing that there are always some guys who download those pics.

http://stream.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/l_mn_l1_35.jpg

http://stream.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/l_mn_l1_36.jpg

http://stream.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/l_mn_l1_37.jpg

http://stream.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0607/14/l_mn_l1_38.jpg

The exif data show;
these pics were taken on June 30, arund eight o'clock in the morning. Manual exposure, f/8, 50mm focal length, multi-segment metering

and

for the #1 pic: 1/8 sec. ISO200
#2: 1/15 sec. ISO 400
#3: 1/30 sec. ISO 800
#4: 1/60 sec. ISO 1600

For me, not very strict on this issue, up to ISO 400 acceptable but for ISO 1600, definitely not.

A seemingly older hobbyst gives an interesting comment for me. Looks like a long time film user. He says he does not care about banding at high ISOs as he knows he uses lower ISO only.

Those who are looking forward to another 4/3rds camera have tendency to expect that Leica's kit lens is sold separately. Some others agree with it and add that the price should be significantly lowered even by deleting the Leica logo. I know there are also some other people who but it because it is a Leica lens.
An argument that never ends.

yoshi

p.s. these "sample" pics were taken by the website and not by Panasonic, as you know quite well.

Hi Yoshi,
Yes, those are the ones. Someone commented that the ISO1600 looked like it was printed on burlap. I think the banding is firmware and not sensor and can or has been corrected. I think the problem here is for the 4/3rds reputation as a noisey format. It may be if the image data is not tuned properly. The other problem is that Panasonic may become associated with noisey products, especially with Sony and Samsung competing with less noise and more pixels.
I really want to see Ian's take on this after his hands on. I can imagine Leica watching this very closely, too.
Bob

Hi Bob, maybe you already found this.

http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/fz50/index.html
yoshi

Hi Yoshi,

Just arrived back from Barcelona, where us European journos were introduced to the new Lumix models.

My preliminary report is here:

http://dpnow.com/2823.html

We were given the L1, LX2 and LZ50 to use, though the LX2 images are not publishable as the cameras provided are still engineering samples. The LZ50 samples were not final, but close enough for me to be able to publish sample images, with a disclaimer.

The L1 bodies we had were final, but the Vario Elmarit lenses were not fitted with final firmware and I encountered some problems when using the lens on an Olympus E500 I brought with me. Basically, the focus only worked intermittently. Panasonic asked me what firmware issue the E500 had and my camera had v1.1, not the latest 1.2, so this, combined with later firmware to come from the lens, will fix the problem.

I had no problem using Digital Zuiko lenses on the L1 body, by the way.

I will post full size original JPEG sample images from the LZ50 and L1 tomorrow.

Ian

Hi Ian,
That is an interesting snarl up on the lenses. In a way, a sample from the L-1 with a known ZD lens could be informative for comparisons to the E-500.
What was the general reception from the crowd to the L-1?
Too bad about the LX-2, that one looks interesting. I have read the info on the link Yoshi gave and will wait to see if the VE III processor can do what they say.
Bob

> I wonder what the camera would look like with a normal
> sized lens on it, like the 50mm f/2 Zuiko D macro? Hey,
> Ian, if aren't already on your way to Spain, pack your
> 50mm....
> Bob

Hi Bob, great minds think alike, eh?:

Not my best 'studio shots' but these were taken using my Olympus E500 with the Panasonic L1's Leica Vario Elmarit lens on a restaurant table during lunch yesterday (using available light only) just minutes prior to handing the cameras back and us heading back to the airport for home.

Ian

Hi Ian,
That certainly shows the body off in a more camera-like fashion. The current large diameter zooms seem to overpower the shrining body sizes. Did the f/2 lens make any difference with the viewfinder?
Bob