We were very impressed with Panasonic's original Micro Four Thirds format camera, the Lumix G1 — in fact, we awarded it our 2008 Select award for Most Innovative Camera. The Lumix GH1 offers nearly the same basic feature set plus the video recording which was strangely lacking in the original entry, even though every cheap compact camera on the market offers at least rudimentary video recording.
The video mode on the GH1 is certainly not rudimentary. In some ways it outshines the video capability of the two existing SLR cameras which offer movie mode, the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90, particularly when it comes to continuous autofocus.The GH1 is also far more comfortable for video shooting; we found both full-size SLRs difficult to hold and pan steadily when shooting video, where the lightweight GH1 is a pleasure to maneuver. We do have reservations of course, about the practicality and quality of the GH1 video mode. While the 1080i movie samples shot we saw, shot at 24 frames per second, were very attractive, they also featured subjects which were nearly motionless, which seems more than a little like a cheat. As for video quality, the final verdict will have to wait until we get a production model into our labs and test or color accuracy, video noise and motion capture fidelity. And since the camera required a new sensor to enable HD video recording, we can't assume that our still image quality tests of the G1 will be relevant to the GH1.
Finally, there's the dollars and cents question. The PMA announcement didn't include information on ship date or pricing, but we know that the original G1 launched at $800, with no video capabilty and a less expensive kit lens than the noise-shielded, video-ready 14-140mm zoom on the GH1.
