Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Buttons & Dials

In the past, we’ve had complaints about some of the G-series camera controls. Specifically, the single control dial can be clicked for direct access to exposure compensation settings. On the G1, we frequently clicked this control accidentally, leading to lots of poorly exposed shots. On the GH1, the dial click was made stiffer, lessening the problem. This time out, Panasonic has solved the problem entirely.

Our other problem was the movie record button the GH1, which was for all practical purposes part of the thumb rest and just aching to be pushed by mistake. This time out the control has been moved to the top of the camera, out of harm’s way without sacrificing instant access convenience.

Effects, Filters, and Scene Modes

The GF1 offers nine preset film modes, six in color and three in black and white. For color, these include Standard, Dynamic, Nature, Smooth, Nostalgic and Vibrant; for black and white there are standard, dynamic and smooth. We have samples of the same scene shot in each of these modes in the Sample Photos section, in the Film Mode Examples.

Each color preset mode can be adjusted for contrast, sharpness, saturation and noise reduction, with five steps for each setting. The black and white modes work the same way, except there is no saturation control. Having noise reduction as a film mode setting rather than an overall camera setting is an odd choice, making changes less convenient than the more typical procedure. You’re also prevented from turning off noise reduction completely, as we often do when trying to tease out as much image detail as possible. Considering the fact that the GF1 uses a Micro Four Thirds sensor, which are typically noisier than the common digital SLR APS-C format sensor, it’s understandable that the company would encourage users to use noise processing, but it shouldn’t be a requirement. At the same time, we have to admit that the algorithm used by Panasonic produced far less detail loss than we expected.

Multi Film bracketing is an interesting feature that lets you select two or three different Film Mode settings and take shots in each one consecutively. Unlike white balance bracketing, you don’t take a single shot and have it saved in different versions: in this case, you’d have to press the shutter repeatedly or set the camera to burst mode.

My Color mode, a newbie-friendly feature found on the G1 and GH1 has been improved with the GF1. In the earlier version, the user gets to set color, brightness and saturation, each along an eleven-step scale, with the results previewed interactively on screen (as you’d imagine, this substitutes for Film Mode settings). These options are still available by choosing Custom when the mode dial is set to My Color, but there are also seven presets that work much like the artsy filters found on Olympus and Pentax cameras. The My Color settings can be applied to still or video shooting.

My Color Mode

We’ve illustrated six of the My Color settings in the chart below, with Panasonic’s own, sometimes strangely poetic explanation of the effect provided.

To demonstrate the Silhouette preset required a different type of shot. As seen below, the photo on the left maintains some color and detail when shot in program mode. Switching to the Silhouette setting in My Color simplifies the image, emphasizing the geometric shapes by eliminating gradation between values.

Picture Effect Samples
Expressive Retro Pure Elegant Monochrome Dynamic Art More...

In-Camera Editing

Pictures can be resized to one of the lower-resolution settings available in a particular aspect ratio, handy if you’re planning to email a photo. Trimming is also available, but it’s limited to a few zoomed sizes and the same aspect ratio and orientation as the original. There is an aspect ratio conversion utility, but it’s only used to alter shots taken in 16:9 format.

The Title Edit system lets you create a text overlay that’s displayed as you browse your photos, and can optionally be imprinted on your images using the Text Stamp function. It’s a one-letter-at-a-time process, not worth the effort for browsing purposes as far as we’re concerned, though it might be useful if you want info (about where photos were taken, for example) stamped onto your prints. The Text Stamp function can also be used to imprint the time and/or date a photo was taken, the age of a recognized individual if that’s been entered in the camera memory, and the travel date.

There are no in-camera tools to adjust color, brightness or contrast of a stored photo. However, we do like the option to add a brief audio caption to a photo.

Menu

The GF1 offers direct access to several key shooting controls, including ISO, white balance and focus mode, via buttons on the back of the camera. Most of the other frequently changed settings in record mode, including film mode, image size and flash control, are a single button-press away, via the Quick Menu system (which has its own dedicated button). The Quick Menu system makes the information overlay on the Live View screen interactive, navigable with the control dial or four-way controller. To change a setting, you press the Menu/Set button.

For the remaining settings, there’s a typical multipart menu system. The menus are easy enough to read, color coded for quick identification, and settings include both icons and legible text, so you’re never stuck guessing what a line item controls. However, each menu can run up to five screens deep, meaning a lot of scrolling and searching before you find what you’re after.

Instruction Manual

The 204-page Operating Instructions manual isn’t bad, but it has its peculiarities. For example, before even telling you how to hold the camera or take your first picture, there’s a detailed presentation of every obscure option in the setup menu. And don’t go looking for ‘video’ or ‘movie’ in the index — that’s ‘motion picture’ to you. On the plus side, there are plenty of illustrations, the scene mode settings are explained (which is often skipped in user manuals) and while the writing and presentation can get a bit dense at times, all the information you need to use the multitude of camera features is in here somewhere. To see for yourself, you can download a pdf file copy of the manual here.