| Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
 |
Product Tour |
Compact size; solid construction |
Poorly positioned autofocus assist lamp |
 |
Color |
Good selection of customizable film modes |
Unimpressive color accuracy and long exposure scores |
 |
Noise |
Noise reduction processing causes minimal loss of detail |
More image noise than APS-C sensor cameras |
 |
Resolution |
Exceptional sharpness; low distortion with kit lens |
So-so results for dynamic range |
 |
White Balance |
Highly accurate in both auto and custom modes |
Limited presets |
 |
Playback |
Nice variety of playback displays |
Windows-only software |
 |
Hardware |
Handsome LCD screen; effective pop-up flash; electronic viewfinder available |
Viewfinder costs $200 |
 |
Controls |
Fast autofocus; scene recognition used in auto mode; lots of scene modes; depth of field and shutter speed previews |
No support for wireless remote |
 |
Design & Handling |
Easy to handle; highly portable; fixes button problems from previous models |
Lengthy scrolling through menus; autofocus assist lamp easy to cover with fingers |
| |
| |
| Video Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
 |
Video: Color & Noise |
Good color accuracy and low noise levels |
None |
|
Video: Motion & Sharpness |
Multiple frame rate options (60p and 30p) |
Limited compatibility with AVCHD Lite clips; video resolution tops out at 1280 x 720 |
|
Video: Low Light Performance |
Low noise levels and decent color accuracy |
Low light sensitivity terrible with kit lens |
|
Video Features |
Continuous autofocus and simple controls make video mode easy to use |
No shutter speed or ISO control in video mode; aperture control is limited |
| |
 |
Panasonic takes the compact Micro Four Thirds format to the next level with the GF1, delivering sharp, good-looking photos from a camera that focuses quickly, accepts an optional electronic viewfinder and, best of all, fits in your jacket pocket.
Exclusive - Video testing on the Panasonic GF1 is provided by CamcorderInfo.com, the world leader in camcorder and video reviewing.