Photo Review has just been advised that the Panasonic DMC-G1, which was announced on 12 September, is scheduled to go on sale in Australia in November along with two Lumix G Vario lenses.

 

September 15, 2008: Photo Review has just been advised that the Panasonic DMC-G1, which was announced on 12 September, is scheduled to go on sale in Australia in November along with two Lumix G Vario lenses.
Designed specifically for the Micro Four Thirds System, the Lumix G Vario 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. wide angle zoom lens and Lumix G Vario 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6/MEGA O.I.S. telephoto zoom lens will be released concurrently with the DMC-G1 camera body. Pricing will be announced closer to the release date. No pictures of the new lenses were provided with the notification sent to Photo Review.
The Lumix G Vario 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S. is a general-purpose lens that covers a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 28-90mm. Consisting of 12 elements in nine groups, it features an aspheric lens element to minimise distortion and has a minimum focus distance of 30 cm throughout the zoom range, providing a maximum photographic magnification of 0.34x (35mm equivalent). Minimum aperture is f/22 and the filter thread accepts 52mm filters. This lens has a diameter of 60mm and an overall length of approximately 60mm. It weighs only 195 grams. Supplied accessories include front and rear caps, a lens hood and a storage bag.
The Lumix G Vario 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6/MEGA O.I.S. telephoto zoom lens covers a focal length range equivalent to 90-400mm and features three ED lens elements. Constructed from 16 elements in 13 groups, it focuses down to 1.0 metres throughout the zoom range. Minimum aperture is f/22 and the filter thread accepts 52mm filters. This lens has a diameter of 70mm and an overall length of approximately 100mm. It weighs 380 grams. Supplied accessories include front and rear caps, a lens hood and a storage bag.
Both lenses have been designed with seven aperture blades which produce smooth out-of-focus areas when shooting at a larger aperture. They also come with metal mounting plates. Multi-coated lens elements minimise ghosting and flare, helping deliver high optical performance. Panasonic’s Mega O.I.S. optical image stabiliser makes it easy to shoot clear shots even in low-lit situations by suppressing the blur caused by hand shake. They are also compatible with the contrast AF system on the DMC-G1 camera.
For more information on the DMC-G1 camera and Lumix G Vario lenses, visit www.panasonic.com.au or contact Panasonic on 132 600.