Digital Camera News

Panasonic Announces Compact Micro Four Thirds GF1

September 2, 2009 – Panasonic has introduced the Lumix DMC-GF1, a Micro Four Thirds format camera that departs from the company’s previous SLR-style design (for the G1 and GH1) to deliver a more compact and portable camera, with a body that’s less than one and a half inches deep.

The 12.1-megapixel GF1 is very similar in shape and size to the Olympus E-P1, with two key differences. The GF1 incorporates a pop-up flash, which the E-P1 omits. And while neither camera includes a viewfinder in its default configuration, Panasonic is offering a slick electronic viewfinder that attaches to the hot shoe as a $200 option, while the optional Olympus viewfinder is an optical, fixed-focus version, priced at $100.

The GF1 features a 3-inch 460,000-dot LCD. For those who prefer shooting with a viewfinder rather than exclusively in Live View mode, the DMW-LVF1 electronic viewfinder accessory mimics the Live View display, with the same 100% view and visible settings information.  The GF1, like other Micro Four Thirds cameras, relies exclusively on contrast detect autofocus, which in the G1 and GH1 performed very well. Autofocus modes include multiple area AF with up to 23 focus areas, single-area autofocus, face detection and AF tracking. There is also a continuous autofocus mode that attempts to maintain focus where the camera is pointed, even when the user’s finger is not on the shutter, providing fast reaction time at the expense of battery life.

The GF1 introduces My Color mode, a set of digital filters not unlike the Art Filters incorporated in several Olympus cameras (including the E-P1), but with subtler effects and more user control.

The GF1 can record video up to 1280 x 720p resolution, at 30 frames per second, with files saved in the user’s choice of compact AVCHD Lite or more easily edited Motion JPEG formats. Users can adjust the aperture while shooting video to maintain control over depth of field. One surprising omission: only mono sound is supported, and there’s no way to connect an external microphone. There is a mini HDMI port for direct playback on an HDTV set.

The camera body measures 4.69 x 2.80 x 1.43 inches (119 x 71 x 36.3mm) and weighs 10.05 oz. (285g). ISO settings range from 100-3200, and the top burst rate speed is 3 frames per second. RAW shooting mode is supported, along with full manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and Intelligent Auto shooting modes.

Panasonic will offer the GF1 in two different kit configurations. One includes the Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom (equivalent to a 28-90mm in 35mm photography), the other comes with the fast new 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens, each at the same $899.95 price. The camera and accessories are scheduled to ship in early October.