Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. First footage.

Here is a nice scoop (I think), at least for Philip Bloom anyway. Check out his blog with the in-depth coverage of the new Panasonic Lumix GH1. There is footage that I’ve embedded below as well.

At first glance, the resolution appears to be the same 12.1 Megapixels, but look a little closer and you’ll discover the Lumix GH1 actually employs a new sensor – not just to equip it with the ability to record video, but to also support multiple aspect ratios with the same angle of view. The Lumix GH1’s sensor actually sports 14 Megapixels in total, but like the Lumix LX3 and TZ5 before it, the camera uses varying portions of the sensor depending on the selected aspect ratio. So in 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 modes, the GH1 records images with 4000x3000, 4128x2752 and 4352x2448 pixels respectively. None are cropped or interpolated.

source:philipbloom

Update on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 6:01PM by Jon Arnason

The Panasonic Lumix GH1 Micro Four Thirds camera, introduced at the start of March, has finally received a tentative US price through electronics retailer J&R’s website. The new model is set at $1,500 for its standard kit version, which carries Vario HD 14-140mm, f/4.0-5.8 lens, which features four aspherical pieces of glass, optical image stabilization and is meant to capture both the close-up and telephoto shots likely in the camera’s signature 1080p video mode.