Very low res, smear and all. These are representative examples I think of the low-light capability of the Panasonic G1 with the 45-200 lens at max. zoom. The ISO was 400, so noise shouldn't have been a problem. These birds don't sit still for more than about 2 seconds maximum, so the only way to shoot them is handheld and autofocus. These were the two best of about 50 shots.

The first is pretty good. The light is beautiful and makes the colours of the robin come out. The problem is the background, which has buildings that are evident. I have never seen robins like this before.

JMR

The birds are in a small aviary, the good part of which is once you're inside, there's nothing between you and the birds. The aviaries I've seen in Akron and Los Angeles, the only zoos I frequent, are about the same, except L.A.'s is larger and the birds few and far between. The Pekin robins are not in my Smithsonian Birds of North America book, so I guess they're an "exotic" species. I did manage to get exactly one photo of a small exotic bird at the L.A. zoo, but that was through a wire mesh, and the mesh is partly visible. So the aviary is preferred, despite the problems of background and very poor light. And I hope the G1 is better than I think it is - time will tell.