UnicornCam: Lumix GF1 (Gee a Flat One)
September 3, 2009
Panasonic has announced their new Lumix GF1 camera and I believe this one is close to the mythical UnicornCam that I’ve discussed over and over and over again.
Panasonic already comes close to the UnicornCam with their baby SLR the Lumix G1 and later with the HD video enabled Lumix GH1. The GF1 is a close sibling that is housed in a flat range-finder like body rather than the baby SLR look and feel of the G1/GH1.
As mentioned in one of the comments, the Olympus EP-1 has a similar form factor. All of the almost-there-unicorncams are based on the new Micro Four-Thirds standard so this seems to be the sweetspot for the tradeoff between sensor size and image quality.
So why am I posting about the GF1 rather than the EP-1? Simple, Panasonic seems to have nailed fast autofocus with a live preview camera. It also has a built-in flash which the EP-1 lacks.
Two new lenses were also announced, a Leica f/2.8 45mm (90mm equiv.) macro and a lovely little f/1.7 20mm (40mm equiv.). If you add the f/4 7-14mm ultra wide angle lens you have a pretty decent system.
Together with the macro and the wide angle lenses, I think the GF1 may be the starting point for another mythical beast that I’m truly interested in…. the Underwater UnicornCam. Hopefully one of the underwater housing manufacturers will target this little beastie. The remaining question is how the flash system works (pre-flash metering or TTL) and whether it will work well with the existing TTL underwater strobes on the market.
UnicornCam: Samsung NX
March 3, 2009
Samsung has announced their UnicornCam entry called the NX.
Samsung’s new NX Series bridges the gap between a DSLR and compact point-and-shoot digital camera by combining the benefits of both in one new model. Like conventional DSLRs, the NX Series utilizes an APS-C sized image sensor providing a much larger surface area to gather light and produce higher-quality images than comparable digital camera systems. Unlike a DSLR, the NX Series does not feature a mirror box and employs an ultra-precise Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). The use of an EVF has allowed Samsung engineers to significantly reduce the size and weight of the new camera system by decreasing the distance between the lens and image sensor (flange back) by approximately 60% compared to traditional DSLRs. In addition to utilizing the EVF, consumers can also take advantage of the camera’s Live View functionality to frame their shots on the NX Series’ high-resolution screen.
It certainly looks small like the Panasonic Lumix G1 but it is unclear what the lens mount will be (it does look like there is a lens release so the glass must be interchangeable). The G1 uses the new Micro Fourth Thirds mount/sensor (2.0x crop factor) while the new Samsung will use a APS-C sized sensor (~1.5 crop factor?). Can Samsung be successful with a whole new line of lenses? Is it possible that they will use an existing line of lenses?
It certainly seems like quite a few vendors have thrown their hat into the UnicornCam ring.
UnicornCam: Lumix G1
September 20, 2008
Continuing the Imponderable Decisive Moment Compact Camera Challenges post I made some time ago and continued with a post about the Sigma DP1 it looks like the new Micro Fourth Thirds standard is coming close to the mythical UnicornCam I describe. Luc Saint-Elie has a Lumix G1 series of images on his flickr site that show-off the small size of Panasonic’s Micro Fourth Thirds entry.
Lumix G1 by Luc Saint-Elie
So is it a baby SLR or a big Point-And-Shoot? The body is 12.7 oz and 45mm thick. Digital Photography Review has a Lumix G1 Preview.
UnicornCam 1.0: Sigma DP1
March 2, 2008
According to PopPhoto’s First Look at the Sigma DP1, what seems to be the first version of a UnicornCam has a APS-size image sensor and a 28mm f/4 prime lens.
Since it was first announced a year and a half ago, Sigma’s DP1 (street: $799) has been creating buzz. Yes, that’s the same base Foveon X3 chip as its DSLR brother, the SD14, taking up a whopping .5 x .8 square inch of real estate in this compact camera. But the DP1 has all new microlenses, a new Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine (“TRUE”) processing, a specially designed 28mm f/4 equivalent lens
28mm f/4 doesn’t really turn my crank. The article includes some test shots. The images are not exactly low-noise, but it will be interesting to see how the camera compares to low-end DSLRs in the noise department.
As I discussed in Imponderable Decisive Moment Compact Camera Challenges, the UnicornCam will always represent a compromise. The compromise in the Sigma DP1 UnicornCam is the lens. 28mm is wide but not quite wide enough for interesting shots. Its a bit too wide for street photography. f/4 has way too much depth of field for decent portrait shots. Great for crowd shots. Protest march anyone?
UnicornCam Update
November 30, 2007
In Imponderable Decisive Moment Compact Camera Challenges I talked about a digital camera I call the UnicornCam. This mythical beast marries a digital SLR sized imaging sensor with a compact camera body to achieve a type of photographic nirvana.
One camera that gave hope to the UnicornCam enthusiasts was the announced but unreleased Sigma DP1.
Today, Sigma announced that the DP1 has entered alpha testing and the final specifications will differ than those previously announced.
After a careful evaluation, we found that the image processing pipeline we had developed for the DP1 was not ideal for achieving the best image quality as it was intended for the faster image processing speed, and we needed to make major revisions to it. At that time we had a choice between compromising image quality and moving forward or taking a different path. After long and sometimes intense discussions, we finally decided to change the entire image processing pipeline. When we decided to change the entire image processing pipeline, we also decided to return to the simple and original product concept of “a camera with the best still image quality in a compact body” and dedicate all of our DP1 development resources to that concept. Because of this change, we had to change some of the specifications that we had announced.
The final specifications will be released at a later time. I’m guessing that the APS sized sensor is gone.
Imponderable Decisive Moment Compact Camera Challenges
November 13, 2007
Another one of Pogue’s Imponderables is:
I’m told that they could make a shirt-pocket digital camera that takes pictures like an S.L.R., but it would cost a lot. So why don’t they make one for people who can afford it?
This is a long running meme that I think started with Mike Johnston’s Decisive Moment Digicam and continued with Thom Hogan’s Compact Camera Challenge. Both Mike and Thom want a pocketable digital camera with: Read the rest of this entry »
