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Introduction
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01.Sample Photos
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02.Design
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03.Product Tour
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04.Hardware
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05.Durability
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06.Photo Gallery
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07.Image Quality
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08.Sharpness
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09.Color
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10.Noise Reduction
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11.Dynamic Range
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12.Low Light
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13.Distortion
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14.Video
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15.Usability
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16.Ease of Use
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17.Handling
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18.Controls
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19.Speed
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20.Features
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21.Extras
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22.Video Features
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23.Specs & Ratings
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24.Conclusion
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25.Comments
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Previous: Page 23
Specs & RatingsNext: Page 25
CommentsConclusion
Panasonic finally seems to be narrowing in on the optimal combination of performance, hardware, and price when it comes to their Micro Four Thirds lineup. The Panasonic G2 (MSRP $799.95) has an excellent articulated LCD panel, electronic viewfinder, 720/60p video, and stellar performance. It’s not as compact as the GF1, but it’s still smaller than most traditional SLRs and has enough weight to make it feel steady in your hands.
Performance
The G2 turned in some stellar results, especially when it came to resolution. Color accuracy was better than most cameras and nearly all the other scores were among the leaders. The real weaknesses seem to be the camera’s white balance and lens-based stabilization.
Video
The Panasonic G2 is essentially the GF1 in a different body. The only really beneficial feature for video recording is the G2’s rotatable LCD that is a lot like the kind of LCD panels you find on traditional consumer camcorders. Panasonic didn’t improve performance or add any amazing new video controls to the G2, which means there’s really nothing new or exciting to talk about here.
Hardware
The real highlights here are the electronic viewfinder and the articulated LCD panel. These were present on the G1 and the GH1, but the G2 has much better performance (and a more attractive price tag). There still aren’t a lot of lenses available for the Panasonic G-series, but we like what we’ve seen so far. The 14–42mm kit lens was adequate (save for the poor image stabilization) and there are other lenses we’ve seen from Panasonic that are even better.
Controls
The unique shutter speed preview feature is a boon to more advanced photographers and the wealth of scene modes, film modes, and color styles would be a lot of fun for more casual users. Beginners should have no trouble capturing simple photos with Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto feature. For more specific manual control, you can tweak color temperature (Kelvin), saturation, sharpness, and noise reduction.
Sample Photos
In the following sample images, clicking on the larger image will download the full resolution original. Each photo is accompanied by four actual-size crops.
| Landscape Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 24mm Shot in Landscape mode with the kit lens at its widest setting. The film mode is Standard, with auto white balance and multi-spot metering. We’re impressed with the sharpness of the background trees and the small objects moving quickly in the water. |
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| Wildlife Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 42mm Shot in Program mode at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA. The film mode is Standard with +1 saturation. We used center-weighted metering and auto white balance. The greens of the foliage and algae really stand out, even in the shade. The plumage of the flamingos is more muted, partially due to the bright sunlight. |
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| Wildlife Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 42mm Shot with the kit lens at maximum telephoto, also at the Stone Zoo. This is again Program mode, Standard film mode, +1 saturation, center-weighted metering, auto white balance. The bump in saturation brings out the richness of the red and blue. Sharpness is, once again, very good in the fur, peeling paint, straw, and small text. |
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| Low Light Example | ||||
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Focal length: 42mm Shot in a dark room, lit only by the candles. Standard film mode, Program mode, custom white balance, OIS mode 1. The flame looks nice and there’s surprising detail in the side of the pot. The brie cheese on the right is visible, but details are soft and noisy. |
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| Indoor Fluorescent Example | ||||
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Focal length: 31mm This was shot in a room well-lit by fluorescent lighting. Manual white balance was used to accommodate the fluorescents. Program Mode, Standard film mode. OIS mode 2. Skin tones look natural with the manual white balance and the detailing on stitches looks very sharp. There are some blown-out highlights on the reflective surface of the lace grommets. |
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| Film Mode Samples | |
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Focal length: 37mm We shot this sign with autumn decorations using each of the nine film modes, using automatic white balance and multiple metering. The standard mode image is on the left, and can be clicked to open a full-sized version in a separate window. The dynamic and vibrant modes do add pop to the ribbons, but have an unfortunate effect on the greens (which are nicely rendered in nature mode). We’re not sure where washed-out nostalgic mode would be useful, but we really like the tone and grey values in the three black and white film modes. |
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Dynamic Increased saturation and contrast |
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Vibrant Saturation and contrast ramped up more than in Dynamic mode |
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Nature Brighter reds, greens and blues |
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Smooth Contrast lowered |
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Nostalgic Saturation and contrast lowered |
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Black and White Standard Default for black and white photos |
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Black and White Dynamic Increased contrast |
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Black and White Smooth Contrast decreased |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Specs | |
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| Type | Compact SLR / System |
| Focal Length Minimum | 14.0 mm |
| Focal Length Maximum | 42.0 mm |
| Still Pixel Count (gross) | 13.1 megapixels |
| Still Pixel Count (effective) | 12.1 megapixels |
| Sensor Size | Micro Four Thirds |
| Sensor Type - New | CMOS |
| Aspect Ratios | 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 16:9 |
| Frame Rate(s) | 30p |
| Original Price | 799.95 $ |
| Height | 83.566 mm |
| Width | 123.952 mm |
| Depth | 73.914 mm |
| Weight | 371.1 g |
| Model Colors | black, red, blue |
| Display Type | articulated touchscreen LCD |
| Display Size | 3.0 in. |
| Display Resolution | 460,000 pixels |
| Viewfinder Type | electronic |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 1440000 pixels |
| Viewfinder Magnification | 1.4 x |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100.0 % coverage |
| Diopter Adjustment - New | -4.0 to +4.0m^-1 |
| Media New | SD / SDHC / SDXC |
| Connectivity Options | USB, A/V, miniHDMI, microphone, hot accessory shoe |
| Battery Type | removable lithium-ion |
| Battery Model Number | ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack |
| Mirror Technology (Interchangeable Lens) | Mirrorless |
| Waterproof | No |
| Manual Controls | manual focus, aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, full manual exposure, custom white balance, ISO control |
| ISO Options | 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 |
| Minimum ISO | 100 |
| Maximum ISO | 6400 |
Shop for the Panasonic DMC-G2
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