Panasonic DMC-G1

- Compact size
- Good image quality on most tests
- Best Live View mode yet

Dislikes

- Few available lenses
- Complex controls and menus for newcomers
- Image noise high
- Relatively high price

Conclusion
As the very first camera in a substantially new and different format, we're impressed with the Panasonic Lumix G1. The company has successfully conquered the nagging problem of delivering an effective Live View system in an interchangeable-lens camera, and done so in a design that's both compact and comfortable. Image quality results from the lab also earned our respect: not flawless certainly, particularly when it comes to image noise, but competitive with the traditional SLRs we benchmarked it against and, in several cases, superior.

We have three points of hesitation, though. The first is largely tied to the very new-ness of the format: there aren't a lot of Micro Four Thirds lenses available (in fact, only two so far), and while an adapter will allow mounting existing Four Thirds lenses to the camera, only a small number will allow auto focus. This is the perpetual early adopter's dilemma, of course, but it bears careful consideration when the ability to change lenses is a key product benefit.

Our second concern involves portability, another major promise of the new format. The Lumix G1 is smaller and lighter than the SLR competition, but not by a whole lot in many cases. And given the size and shape, the functional difference in the way you carry the camera from place to place and use it out in the field is not very substantial. The size isn't a problem -- we still found the G1 easy to handle -- but it's not a great benefit either.

Finally, we wonder if Panasonic didn't overcomplicate matters for a camera that's presumably designed for point-and-shooters looking to upgrade their photographic experience. There is a lot to like for this audience, but there are also a baffling array of choices staring them in the face, with a level of complexity that's inevitably going to be intimidating. The Film Mode notion is clever, for example, but it's also kind of obscure for someone who may never have shot with film and certainly isn't thinking about it now. What's more, it's not a capability buried in a menu for the cognoscenti to find: it has its own button on top of the camera. And Film Mode isn't the only way to tweak imaging performance: there's also My Color settings available on the mode dial, right next to the relatively newbie-friendly image preset selections. This pattern continues throughout the camera design: a generous selection of customization options that may well prove overly generous and put off the most likely G1 buyer.