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October 22, 2009
[REVIEW—PANASONIC LUMIX GF1]
Price: $1650 with 14–45mm lens
A little marvel
The low-down: This 12 megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera is, in effect, a DSLR in a compact body. The Live MOS sensor (shared with Olympus) is similar to that used in Olympus SLRs and Panasonic's G1 and GH1. Body construction is solid and the lens is mechanically excellent with smooth zoom and focus mechanisms. There is an ingeniously articulated pop-up flash and a low light focus assist lamp. An optional electronic viewfinder slides into the flash hot shoe. The 7.5cm LCD is of good (middling) resolution. Movie mode is 1280 x 720, not full high definition but very good. Capture format is AVCHD lite. Sound is mono and only with the inbuilt microphone. Weight, with zoom, is 537g, so it is not pocketable.
Like: Panasonic has solved the problem of auto focus speed in a compact camera using the contrast detect method. There is little difference between the focus speed of the GF1 and any SLR at the same price. Images are sharp with excellent contrast. Image quality in either RAW or jpeg is gorgeous.
Dislike: The camera ergonomics and implementation of controls are not the best. The Olympus E-P1 has been criticised for its user-unfriendliness, but we would rate it better than the Panasonic. But once the GF1's idiosyncrasies are understood it is easy enough to use.
Verdict: This is a marvellous camera. There is a saying that the best camera is the one you have with you, and on that criterion alone the GF1 ranks as one of the best. It is also not surprising that demand for the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GF1 has overwhelmed supply. This is a new and long overdue camera type – top image quality from a compact form.
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Posted by terry at October 22, 2009 10:43 AM
