Panasonic recently announced two new "Power Zoom" lenses, lenses which include zoom button controls on the lens to allow for smooth, powered zooming during video. Along with the introduction of these lenses, Panasonic announced that version 1.1 firmware updates would be made available for certain cameras (GH2, G3, GF3, G2), which would allow those cameras to take advantage of certain features:

• Display of focal length
  When you zoom, the focal distance is displayed and you can confirm the zoom position.
• Step zoom
  When you operate the zoom, the zoom will stop at positions corresponding to predetermined distances.
• Zoom resume
  When you switch the power switch [ON], the zoom positions when you last switched [OFF] are automatically restored.
• Selectable zoom speed
  Users can select the speed of electric-powered zooming.

Within hours of these announcements, owners of apparently excluded Panasonic cameras (G1, GF1, G2, G10, GH1) began to complain about the lack of full support for those cameras with the new lenses, and a petition was initiated: Petition G1, GF1, GH1 & G2 firmware for LUMIX G X VARIO lenses

I contacted Panasonic to ask for clarification about this issue, in particular the explanation for why some bodies were being updated via firmware to get full functionality while others were not.

Here is the response which I received:

Presumably, Olympus bodies will offer the same basic operation as the older Panasonic models, although I do not have confirmation about that.

My personal take is that Panasonic is doing due diligence here by making sure that basic operation is supported with the older models (as well as all Olympus models), and I appreciate the response indicating that there were technical reasons for limiting certain added features to newer models.

For owners of the GF2, GF3, G3 and GH2, the version 1.1 firmware will be available for download in early October at DIGITAL CAMERA LUMIX | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global


8/31/11 Update: I received some additional information in a follow-up correspondence from Panasonic:

It still works, it's not like you loose AF or something like that.

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Jonathan
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www.jonathanfriolo.com

Thanks for this Amin. Somewhat gives me an excuse to get a G3 since I'm eyeing that 14-42X

IMHO Panasonic answer is not true.
Noadays digital cameras are really computers with specialiced perifericals.
And a computer maybe programed to support almost anything.


Out of the "official" brands firmwares there are several good known examples that oficial firmware does not expand our cameras posibilities (canon powershot and DSLR cameras, and in our case m43 the hacking firmware for GH1, GF1 and GH2).

There are a continuous and forced and programed obsolencentia for all electronics devices. Cameras is not an exception.

Panasonic is really doing what an electronic devices' manufacturing company
do always.

What will happen if someone will develop a custom firmware adding complete Support for the new lenses for our GF1,G1 and GH1?

Panasonic answer is really a poor excuse. And really a very bad comercial option. How many first models' users will be potential buyers for that lenses?

Please this is not an official Panasonic site. I think we must be more critical with this kind of things because is the only path to not allow that easy exits to Panasonic.

What do you think????

Interesting - I wonder where this leaves the Olympus bodies too ?

Apart from the physical aspects of the m43 mount for an electronic coupled lens surely some common standards must have been agreed upong to aide interoperability ?

Interesting theory but completely unsubstantiated. For sure Panasonic makes some features available in some cameras but not in others. It is their prerogative to sell different cameras at different pricepoints. And they may have done that here.

But it's also possible that the older cameras are simply incapable of incorporating this feature, due to issues like memory capacity, processor speed, etc... As you said, they are computers, and sometimes old computers just aren't powerful enough to run new software.

At the end of the day, we don't know the reasons why the older cameras don't get the firmware updates. It's just speculation.

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www.johnmflores.com
what blog is this?
Google+

Exactly John - and, in their response, they did indicate that an update may be made available to the older models.

Computers provide a useful comparison. We desire ever improved graphics performance (faster frame rates, lower power consumption etc) for a variety of tasks. In time, software developed for the faster graphics chips does not run well, or at all, on older computers.

Amin,
A quick observation: well done on building this community. In doing so, some influence has been developed which equips you to have these questions answered. This is good for us. Thanks.

I agree with you. Maybe I am wrong and, of course, I don't have enought information and technical knowhow... But Common sense said to me 2 things:

1- create a jpg file request a mayor computer resources that Simply change a setting.
2- the m43 lenses have dedicated microprocessors that can help or store Simply settings.

Only because of that reasons Panasonic responses are not very credible.

Anyway good to see people that ask themselves

Completely agree, thanks Amin

my G1, gf1 and E-P1 are not interested in having these lenses put on their bodies anyways.

If Panasonic wants to make lenses that don't work on my cameras, that's fine. There are plenty of others that do.

They may risk alienating the easily offended, but no one is likely to use the same camera for the next 30 years.