Panasonic LUMIX GF1 Unboxing and First Impressions

[Jason Dunn]

<p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/GFuZejOa9E0&amp;ap=&fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GFuZejOa9E0&amp;ap=&fmt=18" /></object></p><p>This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/digitalhomethoughts-20/detail/B002MUAEX4" target="_blank">Panasonic LUMIX GF1</a> [affiliate], easily the most unique camera I've ever had the opportunity to look at. It's similar to a DSLR in that you can change lenses, but the micro four-thirds system doesn't use a pentaprism or mirror, so it's not a DSLR (which I think I got wrong in one of these videos when I said it was a DSLR). Panasonic calls it a DILC: Digital Interchangeable Lens Camera. I don't see "DILC" taking off as a term, because it sounds vaguely dirty, but this camera is hot stuff...it's been selling out everywhere, and Panasonic is struggling to keep up with demand. It uses SD cards and supports SDHC, so you can slap a 32 GB memory card in there for a massive amount of pictures and videos. <MORE /></p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/CfvNft5UzFE&amp;ap=&fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CfvNft5UzFE&amp;ap=&fmt=18" /></object></p><p>The GF1 has a 12.1 megapixel Live MOS sensor (17.3 x 13.0mm in size), capturing JPEG or raw images at a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000 pixels. It's also capable of 720p video capture (1280 x 720) in either AVCHD Lite or MJPEG formats. It can shoot in burst mode, up to three frames per second, and can capture in a variety of aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, and 1:1 (square - which puzzled me for a moment in the video). You can check out the <a href="http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Cameras-Camcorders/Digital-Cameras/Lumix-Digital-Cameras/model.DMC-GF1C-K.S_11002_7000000000000005702#tabsection" target="_blank">full specs at Panasonic's site</a>.</p><p>To give you a little preview of my review, <a href="http://www.digitalhomethoughts.com/news/show/96267/loving-my-panasonic-lumix-gf1-so-far.html" target="_blank">so far I'm loving using this camera</a>. The 20mm lens is f/1.7, so it's really fast and great for available light photography. The micro four-thirds system has a 2x lens multiplication factor, so it's a 40mm lens. Not wide angle, but it doesn't force you to take steps back either. This camera is really high on the "fun factor" - it's a joy to use and I have very few complaints about it so far.</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices, <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's still searching for the ultimate netbook.</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

[ptyork]

Great unboxing, Jason! I thought long and hard about whether to get a real DSLR or one of these micro four-thirds cameras, and I ended up going the safe route with the 7D. But I'm still very interested in these. I look forward to the full review.

So the obvious next contest challenge is to come up with the best acronym for this type of camera. So far we've got DILC and EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens--hmm, not really applicable here since there's no electronic viewfinder, per se). Both are quite terrible, IMO. It'd be fun to see what others can come up with. :)

[ptyork]

Oh, one other quick thing. Any chance you could include the fullscreen button when you embed YouTube videos? I always watch these in full screen and it requires that I click through to YouTube to do so. No biggie, but if it's easy, it'd be a nice convenience.

[Jason Dunn]

Great unboxing, Jason! I thought long and hard about whether to get a real DSLR or one of these micro four-thirds cameras, and I ended up going the safe route with the 7D.

I personally wouldn't give up my DSLR for anything; my D300 still rocks the socks off the GF1 in low-light with my f/2.8 lens. But if you're a camera nut like me, the GF1 makes for a truly great second camera. And I think for many people, this form-factor of camera is a great choice instead of an intro-level DSLR (Canon Rebel, Nikon D3000, etc.). I think 2010 will be the year we see a response from Canon and Nikon to this...

So the obvious next contest challenge is to come up with the best acronym for this type of camera. So far we've got DILC and EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens--hmm, not really applicable here since there's no electronic viewfinder, per se).

Maybe m4/3. :D

[Jason Dunn]

Oh, one other quick thing. Any chance you could include the fullscreen button when you embed YouTube videos? I always watch these in full screen and it requires that I click through to YouTube to do so.

I'd love to, but YouTube doesn't give us that option on the embeddable player - the full screen option is only on their own site. I can't blame them for that, they want you to see their ads and click on them. I'll ask Darius if there's a hack we could implement to get this though...

[ptyork]

Maybe m4/3. :D

Yeah, but that doesn't account for this gremlin:

http://gizmodo.com/5431519/samsung-nx+10-hybrid-camera-cause-the-world-needed-another-camera-format

Or for any future ones using other sensors and lens mounts. Definitely needs a category designation all its own.

YouTube doesn't give us that option on the embeddable player

Actually there's no hack involved. Simply add the allowfullscreen parameter and set it to "true". Need to add it both as an attribute of the embed tag AND as a param tag within the object tag. It's now part of the default embed code coming from YouTube.

[Jason Dunn]

Actually there's no hack involved. Simply add the allowfullscreen parameter and set it to "true". Need to add it both as an attribute of the embed tag AND as a param tag within the object tag. It's now part of the default embed code coming from YouTube.

Right you are! Turns out though that TinyMCE, the toolbar control we use in our CMS, doesn't seem to like that part of the code, and keeps breaking it. There's no fix other than for us to manually use the YouTube embed code. :( What we need is for TinyMCE to fix the darn bugs...

[marlof]

Nice camera, my friend. Of course, I saw some images already on your blog, and it seems you're having a ball with it. I'm still undecided if I go for the GF1 (or 2 by that time...), or the Olympus E-P2. It's a decision between AF speed and sensor stabilization / usability of my existing four thirds lenses. One thing I'm sure of: that lens you have is awfully nice!

Oh, and in the Four Thirds forums the notion of this type of camera (DSLR without the mirror box needed for the optical viewfinder) went by the name EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangable Lenses). :-)

[Jason Dunn]

I'm still undecided if I go for the GF1 (or 2 by that time...), or the Olympus E-P2. It's a decision between AF speed and sensor stabilization / usability of my existing four thirds lenses. One thing I'm sure of: that lens you have is awfully nice!

I figured with you being such an Olympus guy, it wouldn't be a hard decision, but I'm happy the Panasonic is tempting you. ;-) I initially was hesitant at not having the IS in the GF-1, but with the f/1.7 lens, it's not much of an issue. I still wish it had it mind you - I'll take every trick I can get to achieve sharper pictures!

Oh, and in the Four Thirds forums the notion of this type of camera (DSLR without the mirror box needed for the optical viewfinder) went by the name EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangable Lenses). :-)

Hahahaha....."I'm using an EVIL camera". That just sounds so wrong. Guess it's better than DILC though. :rolleyes: :D

[marlof]

I figured with you being such an Olympus guy, it wouldn't be a hard decision, but I'm happy the Panasonic is tempting you. ;-)

I like my Olympus DSLRs, but mostly for the quality of their mid range lenses. I'm not a brand zealot, and my current small sensor camera is the Panasonic LX3, which I like a lot too. I think I'll wait for the announcement of the follow up to the GF1, and then decide. I'm not exactly in a rush. :-)

[tregnier]

Your unboxing videos were great. Nice job! I love the camera, but I need image stabilization because of hand tremors. This is made even more important due to the lack of an electronic viewfinder whose use stabilizes the camera somewhat against my forehead. It's always something....

Thanks, Jason.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I still prefer something with a proper viewfinder, so these compact large sensor cameras are out for me. That said, I can see why it would appeal to a lot of people. It makes a great second camera if you already have a large DSLR.

Still, do note that the laws of physics cannot be circumvented yet; attaching any kind of large or fast zoom lens will bulk up the kit considerably.

[Jason Dunn]

I think I'll wait for the announcement of the follow up to the GF1, and then decide. I'm not exactly in a rush. :-)

Well, there's always something better coming down the pipe - that's a given. Panasonic announces the GF-1 in September, and starting shipping in October I think, so it will be almost a year until we might see the GF-2, or possible longer. But if you're not in a rush, then you can wait for the GF-3, which I'm sure will be better than the GF-2. :D

[Jason Dunn]

I love the camera, but I need image stabilization because of hand tremors. This is made even more important due to the lack of an electronic viewfinder whose use stabilizes the camera somewhat against my forehead. It's always something....

Yeah, some of the "glowing sheen of love" for this product has come off after using it to shoot a bunch over the Christmas holidays. Even with a f/1.7 lens and shooting at 1/60th of a second shutter speed, at ISO 800, I'm not seeing images be as sharp as I'd hoped.

And looking at how I'm shooting, the problem is obvious: just like you noted, when you're shooting with a DSLR, you've got a two-hand grip on the body (well, one on the body, and one on the lens typically), and you're pressing it up against your face. There's a lot of stability there...with the GF-1, it's so light and small, at best I'm shooting with two hands, but it's not stabilized on the horizontal plane at all. And sometimes I'm shooting one handed! People do that with point and shoot cameras, but the flash is typically firing, so it's less of an issue. I don't like flash photography, so I'm rarely if ever firing the flash on the GF-1...

I still think the GF-1 is a HECK of a camera, but I think Panasonic could have made this camera even better by putting IS inside the body. Oh, and noise levels get pretty gross at ISO 800 and higher.

[Jason Dunn]

Still, do note that the laws of physics cannot be circumvented yet; attaching any kind of large or fast zoom lens will bulk up the kit considerably.

Indeed. I've had many people ask me if you can swap the lenses on the GF-1, and my response is always "Yes, but I probably never will." The GF-1 with a lens any bigger than the 20mm f/1.7 makes zero sense to me - I might as well carry my D300 or D5000.

[rmorris]

I'm hoping I made the correct choice on my camera purchase yesterday. My Canon G9 is making some strange noises, and I don't really want to have to spend 50% the cst of a new G11 to repair it. So I'd been looking at the Canon G11, PEN E-P2, Panny GF1 and GH1. I've never used a DSLR, and considered going with the Tried N True, but I've always been a sucker for new tech.

I went with the E-P2 primarily due to the in-camera IS. I doubt I'll invest heavily in glass, and hoped that it would help make the pics with the Panny 20MM pancake lens I ordered a little sharper. Upgrades over the E-P1 included faster AF (supposedly), in-box EVF, and tilt-shift art filter. Some sample tilt-shift pics finally sold me on it - again, not going to spend huge $$$ on glass here, so that filter will be a fun option (if it doesn't suck - we'll see).

Shipping today, so I hope to be firing away soon. I don't normally drop $1,500 on something I *hope* I'll enjoy, so wish me luck ;-)

And no, I'm not going to ask anyone, "Have you seen my DILC?" I may, however, say, "In my hand, I hold an EVIL device."

[Jason Dunn]

I went with the E-P2 primarily due to the in-camera IS. I doubt I'll invest heavily in glass, and hoped that it would help make the pics with the Panny 20MM pancake lens I ordered a little sharper...

Let us know how the E-P2 works out for you, especially the IS...

And no, I'm not going to ask anyone, "Have you seen my DILC?" I may, however, say, "In my hand, I hold an EVIL device."

Haha...both are great lines! :D