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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 12.1MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens
Price: $899.95
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| 4/3-type 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor; clear images even when taken at high ISO sensitivity |
| Elegant, compact design; includes Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 aspherical lens |
| Capture 1280 x 720 HD video in AVCHD Lite format for longer recording time |
| Full-time Live View; new My Color mode |
| Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included) |
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Accessories
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Customers Reviews
2010-03-18
Almost perfect
OK, so the high ISO isn't the best... but the portability more than makes up for it. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you, and I'm not likely to be constantly lugging around my DSLR and associated lenses... but I carry this everywhere I go. The GF1 + 20/1.7 is a seriously potent combo. All the other pros and cons the other reviews mention are correct.
Verdict: I like this camera so much my Panasonic GH-1 and Sony A700 are now collecting dust in a corner!
The only thing lacking that will make it perfect: in-body stabilization like the one found in the Olympus EP1/2 or the EPL1.
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2010-03-16
Great image quality, solid build, easy to use!
I've owned this camera for a few months now and just love it. Image quality is great, focus is fast and with the 20mm f/1.7 Panasonic "pancake" lens, it's just fabulous! I wanted a small camera to carry around that had excellent image quality and fast focus. After reading about the sluggish focus on the EP-1, I went with this one and have not been disappointed! A nice bonus is that you can set it on IA (intelligent auto) and let your spouse use it and he/she will have fun and get great pictures 99% of the time with no fuss. If you want to play around with settings, you can either use the modes (sunset, peripheral de-focus, etc.) or set to aperture priority, manual, etc. I love the low light performance of the 20mm lens and the super fast focus of this GF1. Great combo! I am enjoying this camera very much! I've taken a number of hand-held night shots in the city and they came out great too. Check out the sample photos from other users and see for yourself but I think you'll be very happy with this choice. I am.
Pros:
Fast focus
Easy to use
Great build quality
Great image quality
Outstanding video
Scene modes or manual
Raw and Jpg
Cons
It is not an all in one wide to mega zoom camera (I wasn't looking for that when I bought this)
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2010-03-09
Panasonic GF1
Well built body and lens. The most-used adjustments are readily accessible (ISO, autofocus selection and lock, exposure compensation, aperture, shutter speed, frame rate). The 20/1.7 lens is excellent; I have not tried the 14-45 zoom. AF is fast and accurate. Exposure metering is generally good, although highlights tend to clip, perhaps due to narrow highlight dynamic range of sensor. Image quality is excellent at low ISOs, but noise becomes an issue above ISO 800. New users should spend some time familiarizing themselves with the quirks of the flash, intelligent ISO, and auto ISO, because they do not behave as one expects, nor as they should, IMO. (Tip: do not rely on intelligent ISO or auto ISO when using the flash.) Information is available on the web at sites such as DP Review regarding quirks of this camera. Overall, a really fun camera to use, with generally excellent image quality.
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2010-03-05
epic camera
combination of image quality, form factor, and ability to change lenses has made this my favourite camera by far. its like a good entry level dslr crammed into a chunky point n shoot.
i dont understand how anyone could rate this lower than 4. before i bought this camera i read the bad reviews first, and i would suggest you do what i did and ignore them.
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2010-03-03
Solid camera and lens, confusing user manual, poor RAW editor
The Lumix GF1-C (with 20mm lens) is well-made and offers an abundance of features that might be more accessible were it not for its poorly designed user manual and bundled RAW editor. Other reviewers have noted the utility and sharpness of the Panasonic 20mm lens' and the camera's ability -- with this lens -- to focus quickly and accurately even in poor lighting conditions. Still others have complained about the user manual, which is thorough but poorly designed (every feature has at least two reference points in the manual, and you have to read both to understand how to use or apply the feature correctly). And the bundled RAW editor has drawn many complaints for its obtuse user interface and novel use of the English language. All of this, in my experience, is true.
The GF1 may not have the largest sensor, it certainly lacks a big, bright viewfinder, its lenses may exhibit a fairly shallow depth of field and its range of optional lenses may be limited (and overpriced, at least for the moment), but overall, wow.
The RAW editor issue can be overcome at zero cost by downloading the latest version of Picassa, which accepts RAW2 images. The rear view screen isn't as convenient as a viewfinder for composing shots, but it is big enough and bright enough to be used in almost any environment and, after all, you can't have everything. The manual's shortcomings are due, in large part, to the fact that there are so many features to consider -- if you stick to the essentials, the things you'll use over and over again, and become familiar with those before taking on the more exotic features, you'll do fine. [Frankly, I find many features to be just plain gimmicky -- not knowing how to invoke the "Baby" setting isn't likely to diminish my quality of life anytime soon. Old age is taking care of that.]
The 20mm lens is a gem. I've never owned a camera that had a "normal" (50mm 35mm-format equivalent) lens before. I use 35, 90 and 135mm lenses with my old Leica and Contax rangefinders and I really thought I'd be more comfortable using the GF1-K kit's variable zoom. But I bought the GF1-C on the basis of its reviews in Amazon and elsewhere -- and I'm glad I did. The 20mm lens is a fast "wide normal" lens in a relatively flat "pancake" form factor (that also allows fairly close macro compositions -- I haven't tried to measure how close one can get before reaching the close-up focus boundary, but it's pretty close.
I bought a Voigtlander Leica M lens adapter and am very pleased with it. Lenses mounted with a Micro 4/3 adapter operate at double their nominal (35mm camera format) value -- so, for example, my 35mm Leica Summilux lens becomes a 70mm equivalent manual lens on the Lumix. The new v1.2 firmware enables the manual focus assist feature to operate with adapted, manual-focus lenses, and I was surprised at how well this works in practice. Set the camera in the the "No Lens" mode, select Aperture priority, pick an f/stop on the lens, and press the function selector wheel at the back upper right side of the camera and, voila, an enlarged image appears on the rear view screen and you focus using the lens' focus ring. Roll the scroll button to the right and the image magnification increases again. I'm not sure how much magnification is offered by this feature, but it appears to be fairly robust -- say on the order of 4X at each of the two magnification stops.
The SilkPix software was designed for use by someone who is already familiar with complex, RAW-oriented image editors. The capabilities offered by Picassa are more than enough for me. I'd never used a camera that captured RAW mode images before, so I opted to set the Lumix to capture both a RAW and JPEG (Fine) image simultaneously. It's interesting to see them side-by-side in Picassa; one's initial impression is that the JPEG image is much brighter and more punchy. The RAW image looks dull and dark by comparison. I nearly changed the image capture feature to JPEG-only until I noticed how much image detail was lost in the JPEG version. If you play around a bit with RAW images in Picassa you'll see what I mean. Start by increasing the fill light. Also, notice that if you've selected "Dynamic" or some other image editing feature in the GF1, these changes will not be carried out on the RAW image presented by Picassa (maybe these camera settings appear in the SilkyPix editor, but I know for sure that they do not in Picassa). Note also that if you are a Mac user, neither Aperture v2 or the new v3 will support RAW2 image formats. [Thanks Steve.]
If you own older manual focus Leica M lenses, think of the GF1 as a workingman's M9 at about 20% the cost -- value-wise, there's no comparison between the two and, believe me, I'm a big Leica fan (owned them for 35 years now). Get a big, fast SD card, especially if you capture RAW or RAW+JPEG, and absolutely if you intend to bracket RAW images. Take a look at a product called Dynamic Photo HDR (you'll need a tripod to take full advantage of this product). Buy a camera bag (Panasonic doesn't include one in the package -- and at the price they're charging for this camera, shame on them). You'll sooner or later want a telezoom lens -- but prices are going down, and the 20mm is a better starter lens -- and a better lens overall -- than the one offered in the GF1-K kit. I can't recommend the optional electronic viewfinder because I've never used it, but I'd hesitate to buy a $200 accessory that isn't, strictly speaking, necessary for anyone to get a lot out of this camera. The battery life is phenomenal, and I wouldn't invest in a a spare battery unless you are very sure you'll capture more than 350 images/day -- you can always buy one later if it turns out you really need it.
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Product Details
Batteries Included:
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Panasonic
Color:
EAN: 0037988263851
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Has Red Eye Reduction: 1
Is Autographed:
Is Memorabilia:
Label: Panasonic
Legal Disclaimer:
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Model: DMC-GF1C-K
Publisher: Panasonic
Release Date:
Special Features:
Studio: Panasonic
System Memory Size: |
Panasonic Cameras HistoryPanasonic Corporation (formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.) is a multinational corporation based in Kadoma, Japan.
Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita. The company was first selling duplex lamp sockets.
In 1931 began the production of radios. But earlier, in 1927, it produced a bicycle lamp, and it was their first product marketed under the brand name National – meaning for people, for nation. The production of road and touring bicycles and their components composed a substantial portion of the goods manufactured by National/Panasonic Corporation from 1945 through the end of the 1980s.
In 1955, the company labeled its export audio speakers "PanaSonic", which was the first time it used its "Panasonic" brand name. This name was created from the elements "pan" meaning "all" combined with "sonic" meaning "sound”.
After Konosuke Matsushita traveled to the United States in 1961, Panasonic began producing television sets for the U.S. market under the Panasonic brand name, and expanded the use of the brand to Europe in 1979. The company began opening its plants around the world. It quickly developed a reputation for its reliable products - televisions, radios, and home appliances.
In the 1980-s, Panasonic continued to produce <... More About Panasonic Cameras |
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