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"Superb camera and lens" on by Ed_the_Photo_Guy
Pros: I've compared the camera and two lenses with my Nikon D200 and D90 and comparable lenses. The GF-1 matches the D200 for both sharpness and resolution; the 20mm lens at f:4 equals the D90 and any lens I've tested with it, for centre resolution.
Cons: My only quibble is the shutter sound is louder than I'd expect with a mirror-less camera. Also, the Movie P mode seems pointless; the microphone picks up the clicking sound from the dial if you adjust aperture or exposure comp during video recording
Summary: This is a superb camera, even for a dedicated amateur with 45 years of experience with SLR cameras. I expect the GF-1, with its LX3 "little brother" (also a superb camera) as a backup, will probably replace my SLR kit when traveling overseas. There's nothing my SLR kit can do the GF-1 (with the 14-45, 45-200 and 20mm lenses) can't do just as well, in travel photography and most landscape work -- except for fisheye shots and ultra-wide angle. Panasonic makes an attractive-sounding 7-14mm wide zoom for the GF1, but the price is heart-stopping. The LX3 with its wide-angle adapter can cover most of that range, at about half the total cost of the 7-14 lens, and it gives you a very credible backup camera (though it doesn't perform as well at ISOs over 800.
I find the GF-1's low-light performance excellent at ISO 1600 and acceptable at ISO 3200, though not as good as my D90's or likely any other camera with a APS-C-format CMOS sensor. However the trade-off in weight, bulk and just plain ease of use still weighs in the GF-1's favour in my opinion. If you stick mainly with landscape, travel and architecture photography, this camera system is going to give even a mid-range SLR system a serious run for the money. -
"This is a great bridge camera" on by backtoblack
Pros: Smaller than dslr, light weight, great picture quality. As much or as little control as you want.
Cons: Not as fast as a dslr for shooting sports, etc. Shutter burst is fast but then there is a recovery period; intelligent auto mode not the best on indoor shots, manual focus zoom feature is hard to use (quirky) indoors
Summary: If you are on the fence about this camera, go for it. It is pricey, but it takes fabulous pictures. I tried the scene mode, auto mode and manual in a variety of situations. They all work very well. The auto focus tracking is incredible, makes shooting sports so easy. The video is great and you can zoom in and out without any lens noise as the zoom is by hand not motor. Auto focus works in video as well. You can go fully manual just like with a dslr and change lenses to suit. In lens stabilization works well. Controls are easy to figure out and intuitive to use.
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"SLR-like quality and features in a compact body" on by robgold
Pros: Almost all the benefits of a DSLR but compact enough to carry around anywhere
Cons: No built-in viewfinder, but an optional viewfinder is available
Summary: Switched to the GF1 from a DSLR because I found I was not using the DSLR much due to its weight and size.
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"The best camera is the one you carry." on by philchang
Pros: Compact, quality build, lenses with adapters perform well. Very versatile camera. The basic package of body and zoom prove flexible and fast in the field.
Cons: It can be difficult to see the lcd in bright situations, but other than that there are very few.
Summary: The quality of photos depends on the person operating the camera more than the camera itself. The camera works well in most situations. Even the tiny flash works much better than you would think. There may be instances when shooting with other photogs around that you may wish yours were bigger, but the size keeps you unobtrusive and lets you move in for great photos. I would definitely consider the MicroFour thirds cameras.
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"Love this camera!" on by bnoguchi
Pros: Solid build. Relatively compact. Versatile system. Great photo quality.
Cons: No stereo audio. AVCHD format harder to import, share and edit.
Summary: I can?t even begin to tell you how much fun I?m having with this camera. The build is solid and feels great both in hand and hanging around your neck. The authoritative click of its shutter is satisfyingly mechanical and evokes another age ? with the EVF attached it truly looks as though it?s been flash-forwarded from the 1960s. I was loathe to give up my FZ50 with its brilliant lens, but I was looking for something smaller, more versatile, and with better video capabilities. Basically, I think I could have graduated to a DSLR, but really did not want the bulk ? as even my relatively modest-sized FZ50 super zoom was causing me to leave it behind fairly often.
There are a lot more choices out there for micro 4/3 these days, and I imagine for a lot of people looking at this camera it comes down to this or the Olympus EPL1. I gave a lot of points to the EPL1 for style, compactness of the kit lens, in-camera effects and the flash mechanism (which allows you to bounce flash with a little trick of your index finger.) But the GF1 won on the build (solid-feeling, mostly metal construction), and better manual function management. I was used to the jog-dial from my FZ50 to control aperture and shutter so probably came in with a bias, but was surprised at how deeply buried many manual functions seemed to be on the EPL1. On the GF1, the manual controls are fairly intuitive. The colors seem very rich to me, and all around performance at ISO 200 has been great ? even with the 14-45 kit lens, I?ve found the low light performance to be good, and haven?t felt like jpeg noise is an issue up to ISO 800. I?m looking forward to adding both the 20MM pancake lens and the 200MM telephoto to my arsenal.
I got the EVF attachment as part of a kit and think it works great. Maybe I was conditioned the by EVF of my FZ50, but I think it works just fine. I seriously doubt you could do a good job manually focusing through it, but it?s perfect in bright sunlight or when it feels like I?m pushing the limits of the battery. Speaking of manual focus - I find that I put it into MF mode more often than I did with the FZ50, and am really enjoying that - the LCD display is really sharp!
The video clips are awesome! The clips are crisp and fun to watch when attaching the camera to the TV. But AVCHD is tough to export, and challenging to edit ? it looks like I?ll need to upgrade my video editing software, or start shooting in motion jpeg which is a serious memory hog. It?s a pity that the GF1 doesn?t do stereo audio, and as others have reported, the mic does pick up the sound of the lens auto focusing, though I've only found that to be distracting in very quiet situations.
It?s a great camera, and with a couple more lenses, it will fulfill all of my shooting needs (kids, pets, vacations, etc.) It makes me sad to think that it might be obsolete in five years, or that I won?t be able to find batteries for it in 20 years, because part of me feels like I could shoot with it forever!
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