Bridging two worlds

If the Nikon D90 is any indication that the two worlds of DSLRs and point-and-shoot systems are gravitating toward one another, we are soon enough going to see more such devices that might redefine social status in the camera world.

Just a week ago, Panasonic revealed its newest camera, the Lumix DMC-G1. I saw two articles describing it as the smallest and lightest DSLR camera in the world. Ok, I was intrigued so I had to read more about it. Yes, it was definitely smaller and lighter than any DSLR. However, by definition, a DSLR is a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera. There is a single lens that light shines through and what we see through the optical viewfinder is what the film or digital sensor captures. (That is, what you see is what you get, sort of.) This is possible because of a reflex mirror that reflects light to the optical viewfinder. The reflex mirror flips up when the shutter button is depressed and an image is taken on the film or digital sensor.

The Limux DMC-G1 does not have a reflex mirror nor does it have an optical viewfinder. The lack of the mirror, the pentaprism, and the optical viewfinder allows for a lighter and smaller camera design. To describe the Limux DMC-G1 as a DSLR is thus not correct. What is it then? It works exactly like a point-and-shoot camera with the ability to change lenses -- but some point-and-shoot cameras already have this feature. The difference however is that the Limux DMC-G1 can use normal DSLR size lenses whereas the other point-and-shoot cameras use special smaller point-and-shoot lenses. Also, with a bigger DSLR size sensor, the Limux will capture higher quality images than the smaller point-and-shoots.

So, the Limux DMC-G1 is an expensive point-and-shoot camera that has a mount for normal DSLR size lenses. The gap between the two worlds is collapsing quickly but will the performance of these DSLR looking designs ever rival the more advanced true DSLRs?