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Bottom line up front: The elusive compact camera with interchangeable lenses, DLSR Image Quality, 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 equally 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 relatively small compared to a full frame sensor you need a fast lens to get shallow depth of fields. 2) As a fast lens it is far more usable in low light situations. This lens is ~2 to 3.5 f stops faster than the 14-45MM lens. What this means is that given a certain situation, 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. Therefore, 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 faster shutter speed to allow you to prevent 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. However, in confined situations, you may not be able to move back are far as you need to. If this is the type shooting you routinely do then the 14-45MM zoom is probably for you. For me, and I believe for most people, I like the great flexibility the faster lens gives me and I am not usually constrained by space. Additionally, the 20MM lens, in my non-scientific tests, appears to focus faster than the zoom. Both focus fast but the 20MM feels faster.
STILLS
This camera along with the G1 and GH1 has the best contrast detection autofocus on the market. It is as fast if not faster than my Nikon D40 and is almost as fast as my D700. This is a great technological breakthrough and is what allows the camera to be smaller than a DSLR while giving nearly identical performance. With this camera you will not miss photos of your children or other fast moving subjects while you wait for your camera to focus. Bravo.
On top of the great 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 control they need to work their craft. It seems many reviewers find fault with the Panasonic one control click wheel that changes aperture and shutter speed (other cameras have two wheels or have a button and 1 wheel combination). I actually 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 love the way it looks and feels. Also, I think having a red, white, or grey camera is cool (unfortunately 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 typical sensor used in a point and shoot range between ~25-50 sq mm. However, 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 relatively 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. However, the 4/3 sensor is roughly 60% of a DX chip so while this is a great physics discussion, in real life you will not be able to tell the noise difference based on sensor size even with a picture blown up to 100%. This is born out by the GF1's excellent noise control 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 because 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. However, 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 great pictures and the lenses are smaller than DSLR lenses. Less weight and smaller size with no practical image quality compromise equals great camera.
On thing that is a negative is the slow 1/160 flash sync speed. This will be very limiting for off camera flash during bright light. With such a slow sync it will be exceedingly difficult (impossible?) to get shallow depth of fields while lighting. Most people probably 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 true statement. However, in camera IS is better than no IS. Also, this camera can mount lens from numerous 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 love 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 register 6 peoples' faces and it will focus on them. Nice
VIDEO
In many ways, this camera lacks some of the features of a dedicated video recorder and doesn't do the 1080P of the GH1 or have the manual shutter speed control. 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 earlier 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 isolate your subject from the background by having the background out of focus. Pay attention to movies when you watch them and you will notice how they shift focus to "highlight" their subject. 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. However, 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 put all sorts of exotic lenses on. For example if you put 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 put exceedingly "fast" (a fast 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 faster. Hence fast lens) lenses on to get shallow DOF. You could easily put 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 relatively easy to make beautiful videos with this camera. It does not do 1080P. However, I don't think that will be a loss to most. The GH1 1080P files are much bigger, require more post work to achieve really good results, and, from normal sitting distances, most people can't tell the difference between 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 put 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. However, one of the reasons to step up to a camera like this is take some control for yourself and create some art from within.
I will finish this review by making some comparison between 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 big difference 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 released)
GF1
Pros:
Smallest camera in the world with DSLR performance
Blazing focus performance
Great Picture Quality
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Great Handling
Cons:
No built in EVF (add on not in the same league as G1 and GH1)
Live View screen not articulated
Hard to find
Relatively 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 features 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
Great Picture Quality
HD 1080P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awesome articulated Live View screen
Best Implementation of video in a "stills" camera
Great Handling
Cons:
Expensive
Hard to find
Only Black in the US
Who's it for?: Anyone looking to have a camera that takes great still images and has best seen to date video integration in one package. Larger than the GF1 but worth it if you are serious 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
Great Picture Quality
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awesome articulated Live View screen
Great Handling
Cons:
No Video
Who's it for?: Anyone who wants an all around great stills camera and wants to save money by not paying for video features.
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
Great Picture Quality
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase 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 resolution 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 great image quality, are not concerned 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 however. I was blown away with how noise free they were at ISO 3200. I don't know if this is from aggressive noise reduction smearing detail, the decrease from 14.7 MP to 10MP or the increase in the chip size. Either way I think it is worth considering because of the all in one aspect and low price)
Pros:
Smaller Size than any other camera listed here
Great Picture Quality(??)
All in one package and lens (28-140MM) no need to buy other lenses
Optical View Finder
Articulated Live View Screen
1/2000 flash sync speed!
Impeccable construction quality (Built from metal tough and heavy)
Built in flash
Built in ND filter on Lens
Relatively 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 put 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. However, if shallow depth of fields are your thing then look elsewhere.)
Who's it for? Anyone who wants a tougher and more portable camera than any other listed here, with great(??) image quality in a all-in-one package with nothing else to buy.
As I mentioned before, this camera is not out yet so you have to keep that caveat in mind. However, after seen the ISO3200 samples, I am now strongly considering this camera.
OVERALL
The Panasonic GF1 is a fantastic camera and the first to deliver on the promise of a compact camera with DSLR performance and image quality. It obviously has places in which it can improve. However, for the current 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 probably heralds the extinction of the DSLR) Based around this, Panasonic has engineered the worlds first compact camera with "DSLR" level performance and has created an outstanding stills camera with good HD video camera capabilities. It's a great time to be a photographer!
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