Buy It Now: Panasonic G1 Camera (Red)

Panasonic's G1 camera sets out to knockdown a major roadblock preventing some photographers from stepping their camera game up: Price and size. When it comes to taking better photos, Digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras are the go to. There's no substitute for their larger image senors and ability to use a number of different lenses. But most cost upwards of $1200 and are way too big to fit in your coat pocket so you could sneak it into a club. Not the G1. It's more than a couple hundred dollars cheaper than most DSLRs and it's only around 35% larger than a regular compact digital camera. We know, we know. How'd they do that? Read on to find out, along with more photos and all the Buy it Now info...

MICRO FOUR THIRDS
• They use the Micro Four Thirds camera standard. Developed by Panasonic and Olympus, the Micro Four Thirds standard allows cameras to be built that incorporate most of the same features as DSLRs, but in a much smaller package. This is done by removing the glass and the the five sided glass structure that reflects the light that enters the camera through the lens, known as the pentaprism (yup, no more shutter snapping).

LIVE VIEW FINDER
• Panasonic uses a system called the Live View Finder which digitally recreates the 100% field of view of the optical viewfinders on high-end digital SLR cameras.

SMALLER SENSOR
• They also use a sensor that is a little smaller than those found in DSLRs but nine times larger than those found in compact digtial cameras, so you still get very good images.

FEATURES
• So not only do you get DSLR features in a minimized package, in some dope colors (Black, Blue and Red), you get a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 3.0 inch, hi-res, free-angle LCD screen. And, of course, you get all the aids of consumer compact cameras: Face detection, scene detection, motion detection, shake detection. Everything you need to take awesome photos. Except for actual talent. That's on you.

PANASONIC LUMIX G1 (Red) CLICK here to BUY IT NOW at Amazon for $639.95

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