Last year a new series of cameras has emerged that combines the size of point shoot cameras with the ability to change lenses like a traditional SLR (single lens reflex) camera.
Little has changed in camera design since the SLR camera was invented back in 1949. Last year Olympus and Panasonic teamed up to produce several cameras based on the same lens mount, called the Micro Four Thirds system.
I think maybe they could have come up with a better name for the system, but I guess it was the engineers turn to do the naming. Name aside, the system is interesting.
By removing the mirror in a traditional SLR camera, you can dramatically reduce the size of the camera but keep all the benefits of interchangeable lenses. It also has a much larger sensor then most point and shoot digital cameras, which gives you much better image quality and usability in lower light. You can also look directly through the lens via live view on the LCD screen, or through a viewfinder attachment that you can buy separately.
I thought I would see what all the buzz was about and I decided to test out a Panasonic Lumix GF1 kit with a 20mm f1.7 'pancake' lens (pancake because of its ultra thin design, and 1.7 means it has a large aperture to let in lots of light). Thanks to the folks at Henrys in Bayers Lake for letting me give it a test drive for a few days.
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