Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

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Ever since the Micro Four Thirds Standard was announced in August, we've been extremely anxious to find out if this new system delivers as promised--smaller camera body and lenses and more intuitive operations. The first shooter to utilize this standard, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 was showcased at Photokina in September and now we finally got our mitts on a review unit.

After all the talk about the Micro Four Thirds Standard shrinking down the size of shooters, we didn't really find the G1 much smaller than the Olympus E-420, which is currently the world's smallest dSLR. However, the Panasonic's profile is slimmer. What we really like about the G1 would be its displays. The 3-inch swiveling LCD gave good representation of the scene and the high-resolution electronic viewfinder redefined what EVFs are capable of. Although the screens were slightly laggy under dim lighting, they performed exceptionally well in daylight situations.

Utilizing the Four Thirds sensor means the chip is slightly larger than what is found in most point-and-shoots, but still smaller than the conventional APS-C-sized sensor found in a majority of dSLRs. For the G1, the image quality exceeded our expectations and that was what impressed us most.

Design

The Lumix DMC-G1 is almost indistinguishable from other dSLRs despite Panasonic's attempts to differentiate it from that class. Its rationale for this design is that the company's survey found that consumers still preferred traditional designs. Hence the G1 was styled like a dSLR, right down to the handgrip and the faux prism hump which now houses the Live View Finder.

The G1 looks like a dSLR, but to operate it is much simpler.
(click for larger image)

As the Micro Four Thirds Standard does not require any mirror mechanisms, the optics to sensor distance is reduced by 50 percent. This sounds like it could probably slim down the camera a lot, but in reality it is just a tad more petite than the Olympus E-420, which is currently the world smallest and lightest dSLR.

The handgrip measures approximately 6cm in height, and while it is grooved to provide a nice catch for our middle finger to latch onto, we found our pinkie dangling off the shooter most of the time. Built into the handgrip also is the front dial, used for changing exposure settings or zooming in/out in playback mode.

The sensor is exposed when the lens is detached, so Panasonic advises to switch the camera off before changing optics.
(click for larger image)

The top deck is furnished with switches and dials typical of what you may find on a dSLR. A dedicated knob on the left end lets you toggle between different autofocus or manual modes, while the larger dial on the right allows for changing shooting modes. When turned, they provided satisfying physical feedback. The power and drive mode levers are situated below the mode dial, and this anables the user to change settings on the fly.

The rear is taken up mostly by the 3-inch LCD, leaving little space for the four-way navigation pad. The buttons are smaller to space them out evenly and not look too congested, but we found them to be situated a little too low for easy access.

For the first time in a dSLR-like shooter, more color options are available. The G1 is offered in black, blue and red. Personally, we liked the crimson version better as it deviates from a boring and serious look.

What really surprised us most was how small the kit lens is. As the lens diameter is now 6mm tinier than other Four Thirds optics, the 14-45mm F3.5-5.6 VARIO G lens is much smaller than conventional dSLR kit lenses.

Tags: DSLR, Camera, LCD, optics, Panasonic

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