Panasonic Corp announced the "DMC-G2" mirror-less camera featuring a replaceable lens unit in Japan.
The camera will be released April 28, 2010, at an expected street price of ¥90,000 (approx US$993). The price is expected to be ¥120,000 when two zoom lenses are included.
The DMC-G2 has two advantages over other companies' products. First, the touch-sensitive monitor on the back of the camera can be easily used to take pictures. However, when the electronic viewfinder is used, its operational feeling is not much different from that of the "DMC-G1," the company's previous model.
Second, the auto focus (AF) function for video shooting works in a proper fashion (See related article). Specifically, it is now possible to track a subject while keeping focusing on it. The DMC-G2 is probably the world's first lens interchangeable consumer camera that has such an AF function.
Suppose that a subject moves from left to right on the back monitor when a picture is being taken. All that the user has to do is to touch the subject on the monitor and move the finger to the right, following the movement of the subject. Then, the subject will be kept being focused on. In addition, the latest AF function can, to some extent, keep focusing on a subject who is coming close to or moving away from the camera.
The DMC-G2 can track the posterior-anterior movement with one image sensor because its lens moves very minutely and fast to the extent that the user cannot notice it. Though the details of the AF function were not disclosed, its process flows as follows.
Suppose that the focusing lens is moving back and force between the point A (suited for focusing on the subject if it moves closer to the camera) and the point C (suited for focusing on the subject if it moves away from the camera), and the point B is located in the middle of the two points.
When the AF function starts operating, the contrast ratio of the subject's image is the highest at the point B (in focus). And when the subject moves away from the camera, the contrast ratio at the point C becomes higher than that at the point B. Then, the focusing lens begins moving back and force between the point B and the point D (suited for focusing on the subject if it moves farther away from the camera). At this time, the point C is located in the middle of the point B and the point D.
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