Model Design / Appearance
We found Pentax’s *ist DL visually appealing, with small, bold color accents here and there and a slick combination of curves and edges. The GX-1L has exactly the same shape, but has dropped the color accents, leaving it a little drab in comparison. Still, the camera is simple and restrained. The lack of unnecessary decoration has its own type of appeal.
The GX-1L is built on a stainless steel chassis, a strong indicator that it will hold up well against prolonged use.
Size / Portability
At 4.9 x 3.7 x 2.6 inches, the GX-1L is at the small end of DSLRs. The body weighs less than 20 ounces, and not a whole lot more with the kit lens. Users will need a shoulder strap to carry it, but it won't be much of a burden to carry on a day out, and won't take up much room in a camera bag.
Handling Ability
The edges and ridges that make the GX-1L look stylish also make it uncomfortable to hold. They are designed to fall under specific joints and knuckles, but for users who like to vary their grip, they actually get in the way.
Several small cameras have only one control dial, so the GX-1L is not unique in requiring users to hold down a button while turning a dial to adjust exposure. Still, this method is slow and awkward compared to making adjustments on cameras with two dials.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The GX-1L's buttons are large and spread apart, so they are easy to use. Mechanically, they're solid – they don't jiggle, and they move enough so it's easy to tell when they've been activated. The control dial is too small. The AE lock button would be in a fine spot, but the ridge that forms the thumb rest makes it awkward to hit. The answer isn't to move the button – it's to get rid of the ridge.
We like the depth-of-field preview on the power switch. It's a convenient placement for a feature that an entry level shooter ought to use more often.
We wish that the function button weren't necessary to activate the controls for ISO, white balance, burst mode and flash mode. Those should ideally pop up as soon as the four-way controller buttons are hit.
Menu
The GX-1L's menus are split between items that appear when the user hits the Menu button and items that pop up for the Fn, or Function, button. The more common controls, the ones for burst mode, white balance, ISO and flash, come up under Function.
In shooting mode, the Menu button accesses less frequently set features, like resolution, quality, tone, saturation, sharpness, bracketing, meter pattern, focus area and automatic image review. Unfortunately, flash exposure compensation is buried in the menu as well.
In playback mode, Menu brings up controls for display information, highlight warning, slide show, formatting SD cards, sensor cleaning, LCD brightness, special effects and other settings.
The Menu button also brings up a Custom menu tab in either shooting or playback mode, which allows customization of features including noise reduction, whether the shutter and aperture move in 1/2 or 1/3-EV increments, alternate functions for some buttons, and the way the camera behaves in some automated modes. Look for our full review to learn more, after we've fully evaluated these functions.
Ease of Use
The GX-1L is simple to use – the controls are clear and sensible. Though a few controls may be uncomfortable to access or manipulate, they are not confusing. Unfortunately, some of them are also a bit slow, because they are buried in menus that must be activated before the controls can function.
