Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

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.