In Russia 1st of April arrives a bit earlier than in US - 8 to 11 hours earlier or so. Time difference and such

@Mimirsan -San

Fasuto fudu! Makudonaldsu! Sugoi!

This is the funniest fucking thread I've read on this site. Its a combo of jokes and toy from pram throwing shinanigans!

I've a question... which one of you in the team speak fluent Japanese? Its gonna help if your dealing with Japanese corp types...wont get far with just engrish!

You going to uncover some secret money laundering at Panasonic HQ? ;-)

@Vitaliy_Kiselev At what time does the Panasonic rep come online?

"It would be nice to have a sort of Tethering like Canon/Nikon. Where external computer via USB could adjust shutter/aperture/ISO/start/stop, etc. "

+1!

Or better yet, wireless control from iPhone or iPad type device.

edit: what's today's date again? doh!

I second Humpman's inquiry on the GF3.

It would be nice to have a sort of Tethering like Canon/Nikon.Where external computer via USB could adjust shutter/aperture/ISO/start/stop, etc. Here is an example. For Timelapse you may want to RAMP an exposure as light changes, say Dawn. A company makes a product called the Little Bramper, that can adjust the exposure over the course of a timlapse.

If we could externally ramp a shutter speed or ISO we'd have the best for timelapse.

Also tethering would be nice for video. I can imagine setting shutter, ISO picture profiles, THE NAME of the take via a ipad app or a usb connected laptop. All we'd need is a protocol over USB. All the actual perimeters are already in the menus. Then I'm sure Ipad developers would make the Apps, and Adobe Lightroom would support Panasonic for tethering.

@Shaveblog I am not trying to figure out if it is true or not - I am taking it as an opportunity either way. :)

Regarding video priorties for future cameras: -increased dynamic range -improved high ISO performance -higher frame rates/better motion handling (e.g. rolling shutter issues) -higher resolution

These have been the reasons behind every recent camera purchase I have made recently (but only when implemented well). Bitrates have to keep up, though.

On one hand I'm glad that Vitaly's and hackers' great work has finally been "recognized" by Pana, on the other I feel @vladnik is 100% right.

Let's wait and see...

First of all congratulations to vitaliy and group. I think it is real and here is why.

Having been in IT business for 30 years and witnessing development of computer hardware and software, the process for developing camera and associated firmware is no different. Generally, the vendors hire people to do the market research talking to the real users to find out about new requirements and then have real good designers and developers to turn those requirements into actual products. This can cost the vendors a lot of time and money. By turning their firmware loose and allowing them to be hacked, they get the best brain thrust to not only come up with the most extensive requirements list and prioritize it for them but also show them how it is done.

This all good and dandy. But the competition is also monitoring these forums and collecting the same information and benefiting from them. Now, Panasonic by contracting with the brain thrust of this forum, still gets all the benefit exclusively but shuts the door on competition. Of course there are selected cameras as Vitaliy indicated, but chances are the ones that are not included in the contract people care less about them. Additionally, Panasonic will load Vitaliy and the team with so much work that they won't have time to spend on hacking anything else unless they cut from their sleep.

The other side of the coin is that Vitaliy and group would like financial security like everyone else. If this opportunity provides them with good income, they have to think about number one. They would like to retire someday and enjoy their life. If this contract provides them with good compensation I can't blame them and encourage them to make the most out of it. This is capitalism at its best.

Let's not forget that VK and company are there to make a difference for the better. So let's give them a chance and hope for the best.

EDIT: I will try to copy this to a new thread later. But first, thanks VK, Nick, Lee, Ralph_B, mpgxvcd, bkmwcd and the many others that made patches and helped answer questions.

I think we are missing an opportunity here.

Within a day or two, the veracity of the report (or conversely any potential lack of it) will be self-evident. But at this point in time we have been given a unique opportunity to consider things that we took for granted before the weekend came.

1) VK, and so many others on this site have taken a camera that cost less than a mid-level DSLR and brought it to the level of being compared against cameras costing 4 to more than 50 times more.

2) Many people wonder whether such work could have been done working from within the system rather than without but we must also consider how much more could have been done if the firmware had not had to reverse-engineered in order to make any changes at all. We consider this not because of any assuredness that VK will get to "peek behind the curtain" but to look at what he might be able to do if he dedicated all that extra energy into higher level things instead of evolved trial and error.

3) We are put in the position to think about ourselves, both as a community and as individuals, in terms of our identity, priorities, strengths, weaknesses and internal diversity. Being faced with the possibility of a major change can do this just as surely as the change itself.

So I for one would like to take a moment to thank just a handful of the people (among to many to list) that inspired this un-seasonal Thanksgiving. :)