Panasonic DMC-G1

As the first outing for a new camera format, the Lumix G1 looks a whole lot like all the other interchangeable-lens cameras you've seen, only shrunken down a bit. The camera is available in three colors (black is a color, right?), including  red and blue. Panasonic's marketing department chose not to give the hues they use Lands End-style descriptive names, but they're certainly more in the 'Dusky' or 'Autumn' family than 'Psychedelic' or 'Funky.' These are conservative shades, which men and women alike who yearn for a little style in their digital gear can carry without fear of ostracism. That said, Panasonic must see us as a fairly buttoned-up crew, since they sent us a black camera for review. We shot with the kit lens, the 14-45mm, f/3.5-5.6 with optical stabilization shown in the photos here.

Front (7.75)
The grip on the left is on the narrow side and doesn't stick out very far from the camera body, but that does leave plenty of room to curl your fingers between the grip and the lens barrel. For this large-handed reviewer, and even his petite-pawed wife, this narrow grip meant holding fingers at an angle and resting the grip against the sides of our fingers instead of the flat front -- holding it flat left our index fingers far from the shutter button. It took a little getting used to, but wasn't insurmountable. There is a prominent indentation at the top of the grip for resting your index finger securely. Good thing, too, since right above this indentation is a control dial which can make major changes to your photo settings if pressed accidentally. As for the metal racing stripe running vertically along the grip, it's purely for decoration.

The lens mount is positioned off-center, closer to the right side of the camera. The white LUMIX brand name adorns the low-slung viewfinder hump, with the G1 camera name printed in silver to its left. The lens release button is positioned on the right side of the lens mount, with the dual-purpose auto focus assist lamp/self-timer indicator above it.
 

The camera format may be new, but the look is classic SLR.

Back (8.50)
The most prominent feature of the camera back is the 3-inch LCD which rotates out by as much as 180 degrees and pivots up to 270 degrees vertically. It can be used for shooting flat against the camera back or extended outward, and can also be rotated so the screen faces the camera back for protection while traveling. Above the screen is an electronic viewfinder with a nicely cushioned rubber eyecup. Diopter adjustment is handled with a wheel mounted on the left side of the eyecup. Within the eyecup depression is a sensor that detects whether you're holding the camera to your eye and swaps the picture from the LCD to the viewfinder accordingly. Alternatively, there a button labeled LVF/LCD to make the switch manually. (Incidentally 'LVF' stands for Live View Finder, which we never would have known without reading the manual).

To the right of the viewfinder are two buttons, one for Playback mode (marked with the green VCR-style Play icon), the other for AE/AF Lock. The top right corner is reserved for a sculptured thumb rest, curved outward at the top right, which serves as a very useful pivot point when moving the camera around.

Beside the screen is a four-way controller with the MENU/SET button in the middle. The button rosette, from the top and proceeding clockwise, includes controls for ISO, white balance, Fn (a programmable function button) and auto focus mode. Above the four-way is a button marked DISPLAY which toggles different on-screen views. Below it is a multifunction button, used to trigger depth of field preview during recording and file deletion during playback.

The back screen twists and turns to nearly any angle.

The port door covers snap tightly closed.

Right Side (7.50)
The right side of the camera has a neck strap connector at the top, and at the bottom a door that slides back and pops out to reveal the SD/SDHC card slot. The small rectangular patch to its right opens to provide access for an optional DC adapter cord.

The camera may be small, but the controls aren't cramped.

Bottom (6.75)
The pop-open battery compartment on the left is protected by a secure sliding latch. The battery within is held in place with a spring clip.

A robust metal tripod socket is centered under the lens.

The metal tripod socket should please serious photographers.