 Finally The Digital Camera Holy Grail |
| Review Date: September 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Fuller, United States |
Bottom line up front: The indefinable compact camera with interchangeable lenses, DLSR Image Feature, DSLR Focusing speed and DSLR performance has finally been made. It is the GF1.
I live in Japan so I have been lucky enough to have been playing with this camera since 18 Sep. This camera sold out on the first day from Bic Camera in Japan so it is going to be hard to get a hold of one. Please be aware that this camera is "region" coded so if you buy a Japanese version you will not be able to change the menu language to English.
This review is likewise applicable to both versions of the GF1. I personally prefer the 20MM (40MM equivalent) f1.7 lens to the 14-45MM (28-90MM equivalent) f3.5-5.6 lens for the following reasons: 1) Since the m43 is moderately small compared to a full frame sensor you need a quick lens to get shallow depth of fields. 2) As a quick lens it is far more usable in low light situations. This lens is ~2 to 3.5 f stops quicker than the 14-45MM lens. What this means is that given a particular circumstances, if you were to select the same shutter speed you would let in 4-11 times more light (Each full f stop change changes the light by 2. Going to a small f stop doubles the light. Consequently, you arrive at how much more light there is by raising 2 to the number of f stops. 2^2=4 and 2^3.5 =11) allowing the use of a lower ISO setting or you could set a 4-11 times quicker shutter speed to allow you to preclude motion blurring. 3) This lens is smaller so it makes the camera eminently more portable. What you give up is the ability to zoom with your hand. There is a work around for this and it is called zooming with you feet. Though, in confined situations, you may not be able to go back are far as you need to. If this is the type shooting you routinely do then the 14-45MM zoom is doubtless for you. For me, and I believe for most people, I like the fantastic flexibility the quicker lens gives me and I am not usually constrained by space. Additionally, the 20MM lens, in my non-scientific tests, appears to focus quicker than the zoom. Both focus quick but the 20MM feels quicker.
STILLS
This camera along with the G1 and GH1 has the best contrast detection autofocus on the market. It is as quick if not quicker than my Nikon D40 and is nearly as quick as my D700. This is a fantastic technological breakthrough and is what allows the camera to be smaller than a DSLR while giving nearly like peas in a pod performance. With this camera you will not miss photos of your family or other quick moving subjects while you wait for your camera to focus. Bravo.
On top of the fantastic focusing performance , this fresh design allows this camera to handle exceedingly well. In many ways it takes the best of the point-and-shoot (P+S) world and mixes it with the best of the DSLR world. It doesn't have as many dedicated buttons as my D700 but the Q Menu system works very well and allows for quick changes of most shooting parameters. There is a detailed menu system but I don't find myself using it very much while shooting. I feel that this setup allows photographers moving up from the P+S world to feel immediately comfortable on this camera while also giving experienced photographers the hegemony they need to work their craft. It seems many reviewers find fault with the Panasonic one hegemony click wheel that changes aperture and shutter speed (other cameras have two wheels or have a button and 1 wheel combination). I really prefer the click wheel on this camera. With the other types of setups (which I have on the D700 -- two wheels and D40 -- 1 wheel plus button) I usually have to look away from the scene to find the other wheel or button. With the setup on this camera my finger is already close by the wheel and I just push it to change functions.
I don't know what kind of plastic Panasonic uses on this camera but I like the way it looks and feels. Also, I reckon having a red, white, or grey camera is cool (sorry to say only available in black in the US. The G1 was available in multiple colors but so far the GH1 and GF1 are "available in any color as long as it is black.") and this combined with its size makes it look more like a "consumer" camera rather than a "professional" camera. With the photographer unfriendly laws proliferating the world, it is nice to have an incredibly capable camera that doesn't look like a professional camera.
This is a micro-4/3s camera system. That has some pros and cons. The chip is smaller than most DSLR chips. A full frame (FX in Nikon speak) sensor is ~860 sq mm, a Nikon DX sensor is ~370 sq mm, the 4/3 sensor is ~225 sq mm, and the predictable sensor used in a point and shoot range linking ~25-50 sq mm. Though, a 2/3 sensor like many TV shows are shot with is ~60 sq mm and a 1/4 sensor like most home video recorders is only ~10 sq mm. What does all of these numbers mean? From a "stills" perspective the 4/3 format is moderately small when compared to DSLRs. That means that for the same megapixel rating, the 4/3 sensor will have smaller photoreceptors and that means more noise. Though, the 4/3 sensor is roughly 60% of a DX chip so while this is a fantastic physics discussion, in real life you will not be able to tell the noise variation based on sensor size even with a picture blown up to 100%. This is born out by the GF1's exceptional noise hegemony up to ISO800. You can also still use shots taken at ISO 1600 and 3200 but those low light shots are usually better turned into black and whites for that noire grainy look. That is the "downside" (not really much of a downside especially when compared to the up side) of the micro 4/3 system. The upside is that since you have a smaller area to cover, you can make lenses smaller (less weight and less cost). You also get a 2x multiplication factor on your lenses. So now that 200mm lens gives you 400mm of reach. Yea. Though, a down side of the 2x multiplication side is if you want to shoot wide. You need a 7mm lens to get a 14mm viewing angle and those can get pretty expensive (panasonic makes are really nice and small 7-14mm that is more expensive than this camera). The point of all of this mumbo jumbo is that this camera takes fantastic pictures and the lenses are smaller than DSLR lenses. Less weight and smaller size with no matter-of-fact image feature compromise equals fantastic camera.
On thing that is a negative is the slow 1/160 flash sync speed. This will be very restrictive for off camera flash during bright light. With such a slow sync it will be exceedingly hard (impossible?) to get shallow depth of fields while lighting. Most people doubtless won't use this feature but for those that do it will be a bummer. (Super FP mode and ND filters can help with this though)
This camera, also, does not have in Camera IS. The IS is in the lenses. The reason that Canon, Nikon, Panasonic do this is they say on-lens IS performs better. From what I have seen that is a right statement. Though, in camera IS is better than no IS. Also, this camera can mount lens from copious other systems. None of those will have IS. If you have an on board IS, then all of those other lenses will now have IS. The Olympus E-P1 does have in camera IS. The camera has many flaws but that is a benefit. Also, the E-P2 is supposed to be announce on 31 Oct 09 so hopefully many of the flaws of the E-P1 will be fixed.
I also like the face recognition on this camera. When I am taking group photos, the faces that I really care about are my families'. Now I can catalog 6 peoples' faces and it will focus on them. Nice
VIDEO
In many ways, this camera lacks some of the facial appearance of a dedicated video recorder and doesn't do the 1080P of the GH1 or have the manual shutter speed hegemony. So why would I want to use this camera for video. There are two main reasons. The first reason is Depth of Field (DOF). As I mentioned before the micro 4/3 sensor has 4 times more area than the 2/3 sensor used for many TV shows and is 22 times more area than many video recorders. Smaller sensors = larger DOF. This makes it harder to detach your theme from the background by having the background out of focus. Pay concentration to movies when you watch them and you will notice how they shift focus to "highlight" their theme. If you have wondered why you can't do that with a home video recorder, now you know. If you shoot with a F4 lens on a 4/3 system you will need a .8 aperture on a 1/4 system to get the same DOF (by the way there is no such home video recorder). The second major reason to use the GH1 is the ability to change lenses. Right now there are not many micro 4/3 lenses. Though, the micro 4/3 format is so flexible that, with an adaptor you can use just about any camera lens you want (Nikon, Canon, Leica, etc). The trade off is that you lose autofocus with most non-4/3 lenses. The ability to change lenses grants two major benefits. First, you can place all sorts of exotic lenses on. For example if you place on a 7mm lens, you would give your video a perspective not often seen in home footage. On a 1/4 sensor of a video recorder you would need a 1.4mm lens to get the same perspective as the 7mm on the 4/3 system. (Most camcorders are not going to go wider than 4mm which is roughly equivalent to a 20mm lens on a 4/3 system.) Secondly, you can place exceedingly "quick" (a quick lens is one with a low aperture number. A lower aperture number means more light hitting the sensor so you can run your shutter speed quicker. Hence quick lens) lenses on to get shallow DOF. You could easily place a f1.4 lens on this camera. You would need a f0.3 lens to get the equivalent DOF on a 1/4 sensor.
Anyway, it is moderately simple to make gorgeous videos with this camera. It does not do 1080P. Though, I don't reckon that will be a loss to most. The GH1 1080P files are much larger, require more post work to achieve really excellent results, and, from normal meeting distances, most people can't tell the variation linking 720P and 1080P. Also, in the movie mode you can set aperture but the camera will set the shutter speed automatically. This leads to a caveat that you need to be aware of when shooting movies with this camera. If you want to use the wider apertures in bright light to get the smaller depth of fields then you will need some neutral density filters to place over the lens. As a rule of thumb you want your shutter speed to be twice the frame rate. So you need to shoot at 1/120. On a bright day at f1.7 you could easily need 1/9600 to properly expose at ISO200 (Well beyond the camera 1/4000 shutter limit). 5 to 6 Stops of ND would get the camera to set the shutter speed around 1/120. If you just set the camera on automatic it will take care of the exposure for you so you can just press the record button and go. Though, one of the reasons to step up to a camera like this is take some hegemony for yourself and make some art from within.
I will end this review by making some evaluation linking some other camera choices out there.
First, this camera works very similar to the G1 and GH1 so what people have said about those cameras applies to the GF1. The huge variation is the GF1 is smaller, the G1 doesn't do video, the GH1 can do 1080P, the GF1 does not come with a Electronic View FInder, the GF1 separate EVF is not in the same league with the G1 and GH1, and finally, the GF1 does not have an articulated screen like the G1 and GH1 do.
GF1 vs GH1 vs G1 vs Olympus PEN E-P1 vs Canon G11 (Not yet unhindered)
GF1
Pros:
Nominal camera in the world with DSLR performance
Blazing focus performance
Fantastic Picture Feature
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to buy an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Fantastic Usage
Cons:
No built in EVF (add on not in the same league as G1 and GH1)
Live View screen not articulated
Hard to find
Moderately expensive
Only Black in the US
Who's it for?: Anyone who want to have a small compact and lightweight camera that packs the performance and facial appearance of DSLR. It does nice video but not nearly as well as the GH1.
Panasonic DMC-GH1 12MP Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Camera with 1080p HD Video
Pros:
Blazing focus performance
Fantastic Picture Feature
HD 1080P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to buy an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awe-inspiring articulated Live View screen
Best Implementation of video in a "stills" camera
Fantastic Usage
Cons:
Expensive
Hard to find
Only Black in the US
Who's it for?: Anyone looking to have a camera that takes fantastic still images and has best seen to date video integration in one wrap. Larger than the GF1 but worth it if you are honest about your video.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue)
Pros:
Blazing focus performance
Fantastic Picture Feature
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to buy an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awe-inspiring articulated Live View screen
Fantastic Usage
Cons:
No Video
Who's it for?: Anyone who wants an all around fantastic stills camera and wants to save money by not paying for video facial appearance.
Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Viewfinder (Silver)
Pros:
Small Size
Fantastic Picture Feature
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to buy an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Image Stabilization(IS) built into the camera not the lens (it makes no IS lenses into IS lenses!)
Styling of the camera has Cache. (I personally prefer the GF1 but there are a lot of people commenting on how nice the PEN looks)
Cons:
Abysmal focus performance (worse than most point and shoot cameras)
No flash
Incredibly poor low res live view screen (The GF1 has twice the pledge as the E-P1)
(I would really only recommend this camera to someone who has lenses from other systems that is looking to make them Image Stabilized and is willing to manually focus them.)
Who's it for? Anyone who wants to have a small compact and lightweight camera with fantastic image feature, are not worried about focus speed/flash and want to use the in camera IS to stabilize non-IS lenses.
Canon PowerShot G11 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Stabilized Zoom and 2.8-inch articulating LCD
Note this camera is not out yet and I have not gotten my hands on one yet. I have seen sample photographs from this camera though. I was blown away with how noise free they were at ISO 3200. I don't know if this is from aggressive noise saving smearing detail, the fall from 14.7 MP to 10MP or the boost in the chip size. Either way I reckon it is worth taking into account since of the all in one aspect and low price)
Pros:
Smaller Size than any other camera listed here
Fantastic Picture Feature(??)
All in one wrap and lens (28-140MM) no need to buy other lenses
Optical View Finder
Articulated Live View Screen
1/2000 flash sync speed!
Unimpeachable construction feature (Built from metal tough and heavy)
Built in flash
Built in ND filter on Lens
Moderately Inexpensive
Cons:
No HD movies (640x480 is the largest movie format)
Can't swap lenses (this is both a plus and minus and there are modifiers you can place on to make the lens "wider" or "longer")
Small Sensor (1/1.7 sensor is only 43 square mm compared to 225 for the m43. This usually equates to poor ISO performance all thing being equal. It seems Canon has figured out how to make things not equal. Though, if shallow depth of fields are your thing then look somewhere else.)
Who's it for? Anyone who wants a tougher and more portable camera than any other listed here, with fantastic(??) image feature in a all-in-one wrap with not anything else to buy.
As I mentioned before, this camera is not out yet so you have to keep that caveat in mind. Though, after seen the ISO3200 samples, I am now fervently taking into account this camera.
By and large
The Panasonic GF1 is a fantastic camera and the first to deliver on the promise of a compact camera with DSLR performance and image feature. It obviously has places in which it can increase. Though, for the contemporary state-of-the-art, this camera is the best performing small camera available. Panasonic's contrast detect autofocus has raised the bar and no more excuses can be made for this type of autofocus system. (It doubtless heralds the extinction of the DSLR) Based around this, Panasonic has engineered the worlds first compact camera with "DSLR" level performance and has made an outstanding stills camera with excellent HD video camera capabilities. It's a fantastic time to be a photographer! |
Consumer review for patrons (i.e. parents) looking for augmented photo feature
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| Review Date: February 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: MJC, Chicago |
This review is really proposed for parents, grandparents and non-pros who are looking for a camera that will increase the feature of their photos, lacking strapping a fantastic camera around their necks. This is a fantastic camera for that.
Per the title, I'm not a pro or even an amateur photographer. I had a Lumix DMC-TZ3, which is very small and has a huge zooms. It worked well for pictures of our family further than in bright light. Though, the indoor and low light feature was not as excellent as we wanted. Since many of these family photos will be kept, saved, and archived for a long time, we were willing to spend some extra money IF we could find a camera that would do it and that was well-located and simple to use.
As an aside, we tried a couple other point and shoot cameras (thanks to Costco's fantastic return policy) but, with some research, realized that ever increasing megapixels and zoom were not going to help us. We needed better lenses and larger / better sensors.
The key facial appearance that were most vital to us in comparing other cameras in this price range were:
1. Improved image feature than our point-and-shoot cameras, especially capturing active family in low-light / indoor light conditions. (We tend to turn off the flash and use room lighting so as not to stop the kids in their tracks, which ruins the spontaneous moments we are trying to capture.)
2. Able to take high feature video clips when a photo moment would be better captured with video and audio.
3. Small enough to carry in a pocket and keep handy on a small shelf in the kitchen so that we'll really use it.
4. Simple to use automatic settings / excellent auto settings, since we do not use the manual (professional) settings.
We compared the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 to the Canon EOS Rebel T1i and the Nikon D90. We ruled out the Olympus EP1 (or EP2?) early since it does not have an integrated flash. Yes, I know I said we tend not to use it, but we do use it for "say cheese" portraits and a few other instances. Light usually seems to increase the feature of our photos, and having to carry and attach a huge flash to the Olympus dropped it from our list early.
We looked at the sample photos and photo tests available for DMC-GF1, T1i, and D90 at [...]. We also held them, turned dials, and pushed buttons at a local camera store. We liked the color, tone, and clarity of the DMC-GF1 best as posted at dpreview. (I imagine this is subjective. We are not pros.) We favored the much smaller size and weight of the DMC-GF1, too. These were all fantastic cameras by our standards, though. Any of them would have momentously improved the photos of our family. In the end, the GF1 was a clear winner for us.
Feature:
The DMC-GF1 has momentously augmented the feature of our photos, especially the low light (but high action) ones inside the house. We use the automatic setting most of the time, but sometimes select a scene, such as portrait or (more likely) sports. It is ready to take pictures nearly the second it is turned on. It can take pictures quickly with very small lag from the the time we press the button to the time the actual photo is captured. For those of you using point and shoot cameras, this will be a huge improvement.
Video:
Videos look fantastic on our 52" screen. There is a small button on top of this camera that is simple to locate. It lets us immediately take a video of the photo shot we were trying to take. Research showed that the GF1's micro-four-thirds system allows it to better focus while taking video compared to the canon and nikon since the 4/3's system does not have a mirror that has to be went or dealt with while filming.
Size:
We bought the 20mm lens and tend to use it more than the larger 14mm-45mm lens. The GF1 is not small and portable (by our standards) with the 14-56 lens, but it fits into a large pocket with the 20mm lens attached. There is no zoom on the 20mm lens (except our feet), but the picture feature is so excellent that we can easily crop photos when necessary using iPhoto and still have fantastic feature for blown up printout, such as in family calendars...
Simple Automatic Settings:
The camera's automatic settings are doing what they are supposed to do: allowing us to capture fantastic moments by automatically selecting excellent settings. I don't want to mess with it. Light still matters, but photos that our phones and point-and-shoot cameras are incapable of catching or incapable of rendering lacking lots of blurry noise look excellent. Yes, our kids can still do things at high speed in the darkest corners, resulting in noisy, blurry pictures, but the while subjects (kids) and settings (house) have not changed, the number of throw away shots of otherwise fantastic moments has plummeted. We leave the camera on automatic for most shots, but sometimes turn on the flash or select a scene from the simple to use menu. (Turning on the flash is very simple, just press the button on the back of the camera (right behind the flash) and it will pop up, ready to do its thing).
It's not perfect for us, but it's fantastic. Ideally, it would be even smaller, cheaper, with a unassailable zoom, and would never miss a shot. Still, we feel it was the best value for our money, and we have been delighted with the photos.
[UPDATE: After three months of shooting with this camera, I wish I had bought it before. Our digital photos look so much better. The huge sensor and high feature lenses are really making a variation. We are overfilling our relatives' mailboxes with excellent shots. Very, very pleased with this buy. The separately buys 20mm lens doesn't have zoom but takes gorgeous pictures that can be cropped (ie. "digital zoom") but still print to 8x10 (or larger) and look fantastic ) |
My Pet Digital Camera So far
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| Review Date: October 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Richard M. Holoch, San Francisco |
B. Fuller's Review is quite wide - so I can only add that after one day of producing test shots - still life and landscape, that this is my pet digital camera so far. I have owned quite a few - ever since digicam's hit the 2 megapixel mark, including camera's with very uncommon sensor technology, and even the leica M8. I look at lens and image feature first, build feature and facial appearance / usability and price, and for the money, the GF1 is a real winner. I also have a Sigma DP-1, and while I really like it - it suffers the same issues as the EP-1. Really nice cameras, but with shortcomings that are just a bit too much to give explanation for (IMHO).
I have been a huge fan of the Leica designed lenses on just about all of the Panasonic Lumix cameras, and their OIS is quite incredible.
If my Sigma DP-1 had the quick focus and responsiveness of the GF1, and if it has a zoom lens with _some_ range, it would have held the top shelf position. I have replaced my Panasonic Lumix FZ-50 with the GF1 with the 14-45mm lens, and it is the first digicam that meets or exceeds every requirement I have - including DSLR image feature in a small but very rugged / built like a tank wrap. I must admit - the lens on the FZ-50 was a real work of art - its range and feature for what it did at that price point was simply a killer deal.
But the GF1 is the latest in a fantastic set of Panasonic products.
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Fantastic portable camera, buy with the 20mm kit lens instead
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| Review Date: November 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Esaito, |
I've only owned point-and-shoots or super-zoom cameras so far, but I wanted something better and was researching D-SLRs. Though I realized I wouldn't carry a huge camera with me all the time, so I turned to the micro-4/3 cameras.
I've compared the Olympus EP1 with the Lumix GF1, and I found the GF1 better due the quicker auto-focus and the built-in flash.
I bought it with 14-45mm kit lens, though I recommend purchasing the model with the 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens instead, which turns the GF1 into a really portable camera. Later I bought the 20mm f/1.7 Pancake Lens separately and I found I keep the pancake lens on the camera most of the time, as it's much more compact and well-located to carry with me. I also recommend the Lowepro Apex 60 AW (Black) bag that fits perfectly the camera with the pancake lens (no space for the 14-45mm lens though).
The 14-45mm kit is very matter-of-fact, but gives only a small 3x zoom. Better range you can find on the Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 lens, though that's much more expensive.
By and large, highly recommended camera if you're looking for something with much better image feature than point-and-shoot or super-zooms, but don't want to carry the bulk of a D-SLR camera.
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Very very nice product
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| Review Date: October 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Frederick Lee, San Francisco, CA USA |
First of all,
for those of you who are faltering, I would say you're safe to go.
I bought Olympus EP1 on the very first day of appearance.
But it didn't take more than week to return it. EP1 is small / packed camera though AF performance and lack of viewfinder was excellent enough reason to return it.
GF1 from Panasonic really satisfied my expectation and truly unveiled the new possibility of micro four third.
Not to mention, the lens from Panasonic are just in a uncommon league.
Especially 7-14mm, 14-140mm, 20mm are the must have, and I would say please try
any of those lens before you say something about picture feature.
7-14mm lens just made me astonished and couldn't really be with you how could this
small lens can yield this level of picture.
Downside?
Do not expect ISO over 800, it just too noisy and not acceptable except small web posting.
Bonus?
I can reuse my SB400/800 Flash on GF1 lacking any riddle.
End?
Delight in your GF1 |
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