Panasonic today edged closer to a formal launch for the Lumix GH1 by providing details for its Japanese launch. Introduced at PMA, the camera will ship to the country on April 24th and cost the equivalent of $1,535 after both tax and the inclusion of its special 14-140mm lens, which is optimized for the camera's central video recording feature. Colors have changed from the original G1 and will give Japanese owners the choice of gold in place of blue while keeping black and red options.

The GH1 is only the second camera to use the Micro Four Thirds lens system and uses its absence of a mirror box as well as enhanced processing to record up to 1080p video at 24 frames per second. The camera is also notable for outperforming Canon's just-announced Rebel T1i in video capture, although the latter has a higher still photo resolution and a true optical viewfinder.

No announcements have been made about the planned American release, though prices in the country are typically less. [via Impress]