Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Viewfinder

The electronic viewfinder on the Lumix GH1 (the same one used in the G1), provides approximately 100% coverage, a point of pride for Panasonic, and rightly so. Based on tech from the company's broadcast camera division, it's exceptionally bright, with true colors and an extraordinarily smooth image. The company describes this display as 'a 1,440,000-dot equivalent.'

Next to the viewfinder is a sensor that switches off the LCD and turns on the electronic viewfinder when you hold it to your eye. The diopter adjustment dial is positioned to the left.
 

Unlike most pixelated electronic viewfinders, the GH1 provides a smooth, clear view of the scene at hand.

LCD

The 3-inch LCD boasts a crisp 420,000-dot resolution that matches the framing of your actual photos precisely. Contrast and color saturation can each be adjusted in seven-step increments. Brightness can also be controlled, either set to auto, which adjusts the intensity based on the environment, or a high-power setting that kicks the light level up to 11 without blowing out, very useful when shooting in sunshine.
 

The 420,000-dot resolution LCD represents the actual captured area accurately.

As mentioned above, the LCD is mounted on a swiveling bracket that swings horizontally and pivots vertically, providing positioning freedom for shooting comfortably when the camera is held away from the body and protection for the screen surface when it's faced toward the back of the camera for travel purposes.
 

The pivoting, rotating LCD panel provides welcome shooting flexibility.

Flash

The flash pops up nice and high above the camera body. The guide number, according to Panasonic, is 11 at ISO 100. Auto, Forced Flash and Slow Sync modes are supported, each with the option of enabling red-eye reduction. Flash intensity can be adjusted ±2EV in 1/3EV increments.

There is also a hot shoe on top of the camera for mounting an external flash.
 

A sliding switch on the side pops up the built-in flash.

Lens Mount

The Micro Four Thirds format achieves its compact size in part by using a smaller lens mount, 6 centimeters narrower than a standard 35mm lens, which in turn means smaller lenses. The apparent image magnification factor is 2x with Micro Four Thirds, so the new 14-140mm kit lens packaged with the GH1 will behave like a 28-240mm lens on a 35mm camera (most digital SLRs have a lower magnification factor of about 1.5).

The optically stabilized 14-140mm kit lens has an aperture range of f/4.0 - f/5.8, Along with the new camera announcement, Panasonic also introduced a 7-14mm (14-28mm equivalent) wide-angle lens, but that still doesn't make a lot of available glass in the Micro Four Thirds format. Even when you factor in the availability of adapters to mount full-size Four Thirds lenses to the GH1 body, limited lens selection is a continuing issue when trying to woo shooters accustomed to the breadth of lenses available in Canon and Nikon mounts.

Swapping lenses is fast and easy.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

High-definition output for both video and photos is easy thanks to the built-in mini-HDMI port. Below that is a less welcome sight, a proprietary port for USB connection and standard-definition video out. There is also a microphone jack on the camera — Panasonic will be selling its own external mic, though this appears to be a standard plug and we expect it will work with other off-the-shelf mics. 
 

An optional HDMI cable fits on top,the proprietary AV and USB cables below

Battery

According to Panasonic, the lithium-ion rechargeable battery should last for approximately 300 shots using the Live View screen or 320 using the electronic viewfinder. The other shoe that hasn't dropped here is how much video you'll be able to shoot with a single battery. We're betting extra batteries will be an extremely popular option for those with a fondness for movie mode.
 

How much video recording will this small rectangular battery support? Time will tell.

Memory

The GH1 accepts SD and SDHC memory cards.
 

No problem with storage capacity; SDHC cards are available up to 32GB.