Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Recording Options (8.00)

The Panasonic GF1 offers two compression options for video: Motion JPEG (MJPEG) and AVCHD Lite. MJPEG compression is commonly found in digital cameras and it is popular on video-capable DSLRs as well. The codec has been around for a while and it is compatible with most media players and editing programs. For these reasons, Panasonic recommends you shoot MJPEG if you plan on working with or viewing your footage on a computer.

The AVCHD Lite compression is an off-shoot of AVCHD, which is used on nearly all consumer HD camcorders that don’t record to tape. In theory, there isn’t much of a difference between AVCHD and AVCHD Lite—the ‘Lite’ variety simply tops out with a 1280 × 720 resolution. Interestingly, however, we noticed a number of editing programs having difficulty dealing with footage shot using the AVCHD Lite compression on the GF1. Final Cut Express imported the AVCHD Lite footage with no problem, but the clips ran at double speed when we played them on a computer. The same thing happened when we imported the footage using iMovie and Adobe Premiere. Since AVCHD Lite is so new, it seems many editing programs have yet to provide plug-ins or updates to handle the compression system. According to Apple, the newest version of iMovie HD should work with AVCHD Lite.

The GF1 records video at a maximum resolution of 1280 × 720 (available in both MJPEG or AVCHD Lite). The MJPEG option records video with a 30p frame rate, while AVCHD Lite uses a 60p frame rate (the sensor output is 30 frames per second, however). This 60p frame rate with a 30p sensor output is probably the main reason certain editing programs had difficulty playing back the footage at the correct speed. Strangely, the Panasonic GH1 had the same setup for its 60p mode—and we had no trouble dealing with the footage captured by that camcorder.

The Panasonic GF1 has numerous quality and resolution options for recording video. The table below lists all the available recording options: Find out how the DMC-GF1 performed in our video image quality test.

Format	Resolution	Codec	Bitrate
SH - 60p*	1280 x 720	AVCHD Lite	17Mbps
H - 60p*	1280 x 720	AVCHD Lite	13Mbps
L - 60p*	1280 x 720	AVCHD Lite	9Mbps
HD - 30p	1280 x 720	MJPEG	No Data
WVGA - 30p	848 x 480	MJPEG	No Data
VGA - 30p	640 x 480	MJPEG	No Data
QVGA - 30p	320 x 240	MJPEG	No Data

Video Controls (5.50)

When shooting video with the Panasonic GF1 most of the camera’s controls run automatically. ISO and shutter speed can never be set manual for videos, but the camera does allow for limited aperture and exposure adjustment. You can shoot video with the GF1 in any mode, including scene modes and Intelligent Auto (iA) mode.

If you want to control aperture in your videos you can only do so in Motion Picture P mode on the GF1. In this mode you can control exposure and something Panasonic calls ‘peripheral defocus,’ which is essentially aperture control, but with a different name.

Auto Controls

Intelligent Auto mode enables the GF1 to automatically select a scene mode it feels is applicable to your shooting situation. In video mode the GF1 will either set itself to i-Portrait, i-Scenery, i-Low Light, i-Macro, or a standard setting if none of the scene modes apply. We didn’t find this intelligent scene selection to be all that useful in video mode. More often than not it worked better to just select a scene mode ourselves.

When shooting video in Program mode (P), Aperture-priority (A), Shutter-priority (S), or Manual mode (M), the camera will automatically set aperture and shutter speed (you can adjust exposure, however). It doesn’t matter what you set the shutter or aperture to in these modes—once you press the video record button the camcorder will automatically select its own settings.

Auto exposure worked quite well on the GF1 and we found it to transition nicely from different light sources. The camera has a couple of different autofocus options, which we discuss in more detail in the Focus section below.

Zoom

The kit lens for the GF1 is a 14-45mm f/3.5 – f/5.6 Micro Four Thirds lens. The kit lens doesn’t provide the longest zoom (roughly a 3x optical zoom), particularly when compared to traditional HD camcorders (usually 10x – 16x optical zoom). Zooming is performed by rotating the zoom ring on the lens—and yes, the camera’s built-in speaker picks up plenty of noise associated with adjusting the zoom lens.

The GF1 also has a 2x and 4x digital zoom option that can be used in video mode.

Focus

The GF1 does have a live, continuous autofocus in video mode, but it is much slower than a regular camcorder. Subjects often took 4-5 seconds to come into focus and the transition was gradual and smooth. Some may like the slow transitional focus performed by the GF1, as it offers a very different aesthetic to the quick, snap-like focus found on many consumer camcorders.

You can also set focus by pressing the shutter button down halfway, just as you would when shooting photos. Manual focus is adjusted by rotating the focus ring on the camera’s lens. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust focus manually in video mode unless the camera is set to manual focus only. There is no option for simultaneous auto/manual focus when shooting video—you must choose one or the other.

Exposure Controls

Exposure can be adjusted in most modes and you can even adjust the levels during recording. Exposure is set by rotating the small dial on the back side of the camcorder (in the upper right).

Aperture can be manually set on the GF1, but it is called peripheral defocus and you can only adjust the setting in Motion Picture P mode. You set the peripheral defocus by rotating the same dial that is used to adjust exposure. The camera allows you to switch between exposure and aperture adjustment by pushing in on the dial.

Our main problem with the peripheral defocus option is that the camera doesn’t tell you what f-stop values you are actually setting the camera to. Instead, a bar-display appears on the LCD with one end showing a blurred background with an in-focus foreground and the other end showing both the foreground and background in focus. With this, you adjust the peripheral defocus to produce the desired depth of field effect. This system may be easier for beginners to understand, but pros will definitely be perturbed by the fact that there is no numeric display of f-stop values in video mode.

Other Controls

Since the GF1 doesn’t offer shutter speed or ISO controls in video mode the only other manual controls worth talking about are the camera’s color modes. The GF1’s color modes work in video mode just like they do for still photos. You can choose one of the pre-set options or you can make your own custom color setting.

The GF1 also has a flicker reduction setting that is meant to reduce flicker caused by fluorescent lighting in some areas. With flicker reduction turned on the shutter speed is locked at 1/100 of a second and peripheral defocus cannot be adjusted.

Audio Features (1.75)

The Panasonic GF1 doesn’t have much in the way of audio features. The GF1’s built-in mic is tiny, located on the top of the camera, and only records monaural audio. You can also expect the mic to pick up noises associated with the camera’s functions—rotating dials, focus/zoom motors, etc. Simply put, don’t expect to be able to record quality audio with the Panasonic GF1.

The camera does have one audio feature, Wind Cut, that attempts to reduce noise associated with rustling wind. There are some video-capable DSLRs that offer built-in stereo microphones, as well as a few that have external microphone inputs.