Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds Camera Review

To be honest, when Micro Four Thirds format was announced, I couldn’t really see the point. Sure, the cameras were slightly smaller but not by much. If you look at older Micro Four Thirds cameras like the Panasonic G1 and GH1, they’re smaller than something like a Canon Rebel but not by a serious amount. You still can’t fit them comfortably inside a jacket pocket and you’re missing some comforts we are used to on a traditional DSLR, not to mention the fact that introducing a whole new camera system means people have to purchase a whole new set of lenses. However, the most recent batch of m-4/3rds bodies have been sleeker, more attractive and more fully featured in comparison, showing that the format is evolving into something that is if not a competitor to the old guards of Canon and Nikon, then definitely a niche alternative with a legitimate market share.

Panasonic’s Four Thirds Journey

Panasonic has little history in the SLR market, with only two entries using the standard 4/3rds format, neither of which was very successful. However, along with Olympics, they are spearheading the Micro Four Thirds format, a design that allows for much more compact cameras by relying on digital-only principles. m-4/3rds cameras don’t have a mirror or a prism to reflect light to a traditional viewfinder. Instead, the LCD on the back reads directly from the image sensor like on most compact digital cameras, allowing the m-4/3rds cameras to be almost 50% slimmer than a “normal” DSLR bodies. This begs the question of why other camera manufacturers don’t just do away with the mirrors and pentaprisms in order to reduce body size, weight and probably production cost but keep in mind that unlike Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc, Panasonic does not have an existing legacy system that they have to be concerned with for compatibility.

Make no mistake, though…mirrorless formats like m-4/3rds are the future of photography and I wouldn’t be surprised to see other companies adopt similar design philosophies as digital cameras further distance themselves from their film roots.

Features and Specifications

The GF1 is a 12.2 megapixel (4000×3000) camera body that comes with either a 20mm f1.7 “pancake” lens (40mm equivalent due to the 2.0x crop factor) or a 14-45mm zoom f3.5-5.6 zoom (28mm-90mm equivalent). It is available in three different colors: black (shown), silver and red. I also hear that a white version is available in Japan and maybe in other parts of Asia.

On the back, you’ll find a 3.0″ LCD surrounded by a multitude of buttons for each one of the camera’s functions. For some that are used to simple consumer compact cameras, this may look a little overwhelming at first. Unfortunately, the LCD is only a 460,000 dot so it is slightly noticeably less detailed than those featuring 920,000. And you’ll be using that LCD a lot because as mentioned, there is no traditional viewfinder on the GF1. If you simply cannot frame properly using live view and you must have a viewfinder, there is an electronic one available that plugs into the flash hotshoe of the camera. I wasn’t provided with one so I won’t be going into that in detail.

One thing obviously missing from the GF1 is in-body image stabilization, something we have come to expect from most new camera systems. This is not something exclusive to the m-4/3rd’s cameras as the Olympus EP1 has image stabilization in the body. This reduces cost on lenses and makes stabilization slightly more reliable so it is disappointing to not see it on the GF1.

Other notable features include a movie mode that shoots 720p HD video, HDMI output and smart facial-recognition focus. As for tripod mounts, all standard thread tripods will fit the GF1.

The Panasonic GF1 retails for about $549.95US for the body only or you can pick it up with the aforementioned and popular pancake lens, the 20mm f/1.7 for about $725US. An alternative 14-45mm kit is also available for $699.95US. Of course a large number of GF1 specific accessories are also available.

What’s Included in the Box?

Along with the camera, you’ll find an included battery charger, AV cables to connect the camera to a TV, software CDs, a camera strap and a pouch for the included 20mm f1.7 pancake lens. Like most cameras these days, there is no included storage card as if Panasonic included one large enough to hold a significant number of 12MP images, the cost would increase quite a bit.

The GF1 uses SD card storage and you’ll probably want to invest in a big one (or better yet, several medium sized cards) as full-sized JPEGs are roughly 5-6MB each and RAW files are in the 15MB range.

First Impressions

There’s no mistaking that the GF1 is a rather pretty package. The svelte body looks like many classic rangefinder cameras you might see in old movies or swap meets. The black version is definitely my choice although I had to admit that I think it also looks rather striking in silver and white as well.

Build quality seems superb. The camera feels solid and heavier than it appears it would be. My only real gripe about the build quality is that the door covering the HDMI and USB ports isn’t held shut by anything but a spring and feels like a errant piece of equipment or flap would open it, leaving it vulnerable to breaking off. A solid rubber cap would’ve been better.

The body itself is 36mm and the thickness just about doubles with the pancake lens so it is too just too large to be pocketable like a compact digital camera. However, the extra weight and size may appeal to some who want some of the extra features only a DSLR can provide while others are better off with something they can carry more easily. Is a m-4/3rds camera right for you? Read on to find out!

Operation

The learning curve for using the GF1 varies according to the user’s experience with DSLR cameras. If you are familiar with all the different settings one might find on a DSLR, you’ll have no problems navigating the GF1’s functions as they are all clearly labeled as they usually are. However, if you come from using a simpler compact digital camera, then you may want to familiarize yourself with all the different buttons, dials and switches before taking the GF1 for a spin.

The top of the camera holds the on/off switch, the mode dial, the shutter release, and a button that triggers movie mode. Along the side of the mode dial is a lever that adjusts the camera’s drive, varying from single shot, multi-shot, AE bracketed exposure and self-timer. Pressing the movie mode button starts filming in any mode regardless of where the mode dial is currently at. This gives you a limited shooting mode with fewer options than you might get if you set the mode dial to movie recording. Unfortunately, in either situation, you are given limited control with aperture and other creative options.

At the back of the camera, next to the LCD, you’ll find the buttons for navigating the on-screen menus. Most functions such as aperture can be easily changed with the Quick Menu button while others like ISO are given their own button. The play button brings up a display of all the pictures and videos stored on your memory card.

Adjusting shutter speed on the fly is done with the rear dial, which switches between that and AE compensation when you press on the dial itself. The dial acts as a button that mirrors the function of the SET button below. This system can be a bit confusing at first to use but most will find themselves getting accustomed to it quickly.

The Live View

As mentioned, unlike many traditional DSLR cameras, the GF1 does not have a mirror or a viewfinder. Unless you purchase the optional LVF1 electronic viewfinder attachment, the GF1 is live view only. This presents a number of limitations but it also has its advantages. For example, a viewfinder is much easier to use in direct sunlight but a live view LCD will give you a more accurate representation of the final image produced by the camera.

The GF1’s LCD is rather full featured with a number of options to help with composition such as a grid to assist in the “Rule of Thirds” and a live histogram that can be placed anywhere on the screen. An on-screen meter shows exposure data with shutter speeds and aperture settings appearing as normal when exposure is correct and in a red bar when exposure is too bright or too dark. Strangely, the rear LCD does not correctly fit the camera’s native aspect ratio and black bars show on the sides instead.

The GF1 also allows you to digitally zoom in on an image on the rear LCD. This has no effect on the final image but it is especially useful for something such as manual focus. In fact, when you switch to manual focus mode on the GF1, it automatically zooms in to allow you to finely adjust the camera’s focus.

Speaking of focus, the GF1 has four focusing modes: facial recognition, AF-tracking, 23-area and single area. The facial recognition is usually only found on consumer compact cameras and while most experienced photographers will go for the other focus modes, a beginner may use the face tracking so they don’t mess up their family portraits with errant focus. In tests, it did pick up faces rather well although it seemed to make mistakes in low-light situations.

The Flash

A button on the back of the camera brings up the built-in flash. With a f1.7 lens, I found the flash entirely unnecessary except in the dimmest of situations but it does the job if you’re, for example, shooting a group photo at a restaurant. It is a rather standard built-in flash unit.

The Lens

The f1.7 20mm lens is a beauty, with a great fast aperture for low lighting situations or when you want a nice shallow depth of field to isolate subjects.  The build quality feels solid despite being rather lightweight and the size is appropriate for the Micro 4/3rds format.  The focus ring is nice, especially when paired with the digital zooming live-view for fast manual focus. Even wide open, the lens is exceptionally sharp creating creamy bokeh.

Battery Life

The GF1 uses a 7.2V, 1250mAh battery which was good for 413 shots before the camera shut down. Your mileage may vary depending on how much you use the built-in flash and how much time you use the live view composing between shots. The same 7.2V, 1250 mAh battery can be found on the other ‘G’ cameras in the range.

According to the specs, the battery should be good for around 350-380 shots (according to the standard CIPA testing methodology which doesn’t necessarily reflect real-world figures but does allow comparisons between cameras), which is roughly the same as you’d get from most DSLRs in live view mode. Of course, as with all these things, your mileage may vary.

Rapid-fire!

The GF1 features a 3.0 FPS continuous drive which shoots an unlimited number of JPEGs (until the card is full) or 5 RAW images before it begins to slow down. In order to get the most out of this feature, you should probably use a high-speed SD card or else the camera’s buffer fills faster than it can write. I’m not going to go into further detail with this feature since it isn’t something most people use. If they did, they would be looking for much more than 3.0 FPS but the GF1 holds up this speed rather well in JPEG mode. In RAW, it slows down considerably due to file sizes and the buffer filling up but the continuous drive can be useful for capturing moving subjects or if you have shaky hands.

Image Quality

The GF1 works well with detail and a 100% crop of a full-size 12.2MP image reveals that much of the finer detail is kept. It also does quite well at reproducing color with most shots producing realistic color while the others didn’t need more than a little fine tuning. The white balance modes for the most part produce believable results although, again, you may want to fine tune if you’re shooting in RAW.

The camera’s built-in JPEG processing reduces the level of fine detail when you crop or are seriously concerned about printing but if you’re just shooting regular portraits or snap-shots, the JPEGs are more than usable. You can click the photo above to see the full sized image.

Noise from ISO 100 – ISO 800

One of the biggest worries when it comes to using a compact digital camera is the amount of noise the camera produces at higher ISO settings, mostly in low-light situations. The smaller sensor in comparison to full-sized DSLRs could be prone to producing more noise than it’s counterparts. Here are a few shots going through the ISO range. Click on the image for a larger version.

With the samples above, you’ll see that noise is mostly unnoticeable from a fairly reasonable operating range of ISO 100 to ISO 800. The results are definitely very excellent, but what happens above ISO 800?

ISO 1600 and Beyond…

It becomes evident at ISO 1600 and at ISO 3200 that the considerable amount of noise becomes noticeable. However, even at ISO 3200, images are still of a high quality and will probably look quite good in everything but large scale print.

Final Thoughts

The GF1 is a surprisingly good camera given it’s size and weight. It certainly holds its own against other cameras in a similar price range namely the ones from its Micro Four Thirds partner Olympus. In-body image stabilization, external microphone capability and a more retro styling are all things offered by its Olympus PEN cousins. However, the GF1 has faster auto focus still and a built-in flash when compared to its the direct competition of the E-P1 and E-P2.

For a beginner, the GF1’s level of control over its many features and settings would be rather daunting and reading a manual the size of a small novel is probably not an option. An entry-level photographer may want to stay away and look for a digital compact camera instead. If you are just looking for something to shoot family portraits or pictures of your cat doing silly things, the GF1 will prove to be too much for what you’re looking to do and not enough in other areas. The lack of a zoom if you choose the 20mm f1.7 lens is a considerably limitation and the $725US price tag will certainly scare most others away. I would recommend beginners learn more about the basics of photography before delving into the DSLR market.

For the experienced photographer, the currently limited number of lenses and accessories may deter most from using a GF1 as their primary camera. Sports shooters will want more than a 3.0 FPS continuous drive and as far as I know, the longest lens available is a 400mm equivalent f4.0-f5.6 zoom, which is a far cry from the many options available from Canon and Nikon. Portrait and landscape photographers may not want anything less than a full-frame format. Street shooters, however, will undoubtedly love the GF1’s compact size and the wonderful 20mm Pancake f1.7 lens, although they will probably want to spring the $199US for the optional LVF1 electronic viewfinder. However, this is only if you consider the GF1 your primary camera body.

As an experienced photographer, I quite enjoyed having the GF1 as a secondary body as it is far more portable than my Canon 1D bodies. At a fraction of the weight and size of my pro bodies’, the GF1 was a pleasure to use in restaurants for food photography or at events with large crowds. Using it as your backup or when you don’t feel like carrying your pro-level behemoths is ideal.

Where the GF1 should shine is the mid-level “pro-sumer” market filled with folks that want something more advanced than a compact digital, enthusiasts with photography experience and know-how. If you understand the basics and want something full-featured, then the GF1 is a fantastic camera for you. However, the Micro Four-Thirds format is still relatively young and, again, lens and accessory options are limited. Also, at this time, the GF1 is almost as advanced as Micro Four-Thirds cameras get so if you feel you need to advance to professional level equipment, you have to make a complete change to another system such as Canon or Nikon.

Overall, the GF1 is a solid, all-around camera with superb image quality for the price. Price drops since launch are also making it and the format as a whole even more affordable. It will truly be interesting to see where the Micro Four-Thirds format goes in the near future as less expensive bodies and more accessories hit the market.

Pros

• Excellent image quality, especially in RAW
• Comparatively easy to use, clearly labeled buttons and simple menu navigation
• Great rear LCD image quality with useful digital zoom manual focus mode
• High build quality, solid feel to constuction
• Small, compact design. Not pocketable but close.
• Looks very cool like a retro rangefinder
• 20mm f/1.7 Kit lens is excellent
• Shoots HD (720p) video

Cons

• No in-body image stabilization
• Still very limited lens and accessory selection
• Slightly expensive, especially considering the $135US optional electronic viewfinder
• Disappointing JPEG output. Shoot RAW whenever possible.

Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

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