Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 12.1MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens

Bottom line up front: The elusive compact camera with interchangeable lenses, DLSR Image Quality, DSLR Focusing speed and DSLR performance has finally been made. It is the GF1.

I live in Japan so I have been lucky enough to have been playing with this camera since 18 Sep. This camera sold out on the first day from Bic Camera in Japan so it is going to be hard to get a hold of one. Please be aware that this camera is "region" coded so if you buy a Japanese version you will not be able to change the menu language to English.

This review is equally applicable to both versions of the GF1. I personally prefer the 20MM (40MM equivalent) f1.7 lens to the 14-45MM (28-90MM equivalent) f3.5-5.6 lens for the following reasons: 1) Since the m43 is relatively small compared to a full frame sensor you need a fast lens to get shallow depth of fields. 2) As a fast lens it is far more usable in low light situations. This lens is ~2 to 3.5 f stops faster than the 14-45MM lens. What this means is that given a certain situation, if you were to select the same shutter speed you would let in 4-11 times more light (Each full f stop change changes the light by 2. Going to a small f stop doubles the light. Therefore, you arrive at how much more light there is by raising 2 to the number of f stops. 2^2=4 and 2^3.5 =11) allowing the use of a lower ISO setting or you could set a 4-11 times faster shutter speed to allow you to prevent motion blurring. 3) This lens is smaller so it makes the camera eminently more portable. What you give up is the ability to zoom with your hand. There is a work around for this and it is called zooming with you feet. However, in confined situations, you may not be able to move back are far as you need to. If this is the type shooting you routinely do then the 14-45MM zoom is probably for you. For me, and I believe for most people, I like the great flexibility the faster lens gives me and I am not usually constrained by space. Additionally, the 20MM lens, in my non-scientific tests, appears to focus faster than the zoom. Both focus fast but the 20MM feels faster.


STILLS

This camera along with the G1 and GH1 has the best contrast detection autofocus on the market. It is as fast if not faster than my Nikon D40 and is almost as fast as my D700. This is a great technological breakthrough and is what allows the camera to be smaller than a DSLR while giving nearly identical performance. With this camera you will not miss photos of your children or other fast moving subjects while you wait for your camera to focus. Bravo.

On top of the great focusing performance , this fresh design allows this camera to handle exceedingly well. In many ways it takes the best of the point-and-shoot (P+S) world and mixes it with the best of the DSLR world. It doesn't have as many dedicated buttons as my D700 but the Q Menu system works very well and allows for quick changes of most shooting parameters. There is a detailed menu system but I don't find myself using it very much while shooting. I feel that this setup allows photographers moving up from the P+S world to feel immediately comfortable on this camera while also giving experienced photographers the control they need to work their craft. It seems many reviewers find fault with the Panasonic one control click wheel that changes aperture and shutter speed (other cameras have two wheels or have a button and 1 wheel combination). I actually prefer the click wheel on this camera. With the other types of setups (which I have on the D700 -- two wheels and D40 -- 1 wheel plus button) I usually have to look away from the scene to find the other wheel or button. With the setup on this camera my finger is already close by the wheel and I just push it to change functions.

I don't know what kind of plastic Panasonic uses on this camera but I love the way it looks and feels. Also, I think having a red, white, or grey camera is cool (unfortunately only available in black in the US. The G1 was available in multiple colors but so far the GH1 and GF1 are "available in any color as long as it is black.") and this combined with its size makes it look more like a "consumer" camera rather than a "professional" camera. With the photographer unfriendly laws proliferating the world, it is nice to have an incredibly capable camera that doesn't look like a professional camera.

This is a micro-4/3s camera system. That has some pros and cons. The chip is smaller than most DSLR chips. A full frame (FX in Nikon speak) sensor is ~860 sq mm, a Nikon DX sensor is ~370 sq mm, the 4/3 sensor is ~225 sq mm, and the typical sensor used in a point and shoot range between ~25-50 sq mm. However, a 2/3 sensor like many TV shows are shot with is ~60 sq mm and a 1/4 sensor like most home video recorders is only ~10 sq mm. What does all of these numbers mean? From a "stills" perspective the 4/3 format is relatively small when compared to DSLRs. That means that for the same megapixel rating, the 4/3 sensor will have smaller photoreceptors and that means more noise. However, the 4/3 sensor is roughly 60% of a DX chip so while this is a great physics discussion, in real life you will not be able to tell the noise difference based on sensor size even with a picture blown up to 100%. This is born out by the GF1's excellent noise control up to ISO800. You can also still use shots taken at ISO 1600 and 3200 but those low light shots are usually better turned into black and whites for that noire grainy look. That is the "downside" (not really much of a downside especially when compared to the up side) of the micro 4/3 system. The upside is that because you have a smaller area to cover, you can make lenses smaller (less weight and less cost). You also get a 2x multiplication factor on your lenses. So now that 200mm lens gives you 400mm of reach. Yea. However, a down side of the 2x multiplication side is if you want to shoot wide. You need a 7mm lens to get a 14mm viewing angle and those can get pretty expensive (panasonic makes are really nice and small 7-14mm that is more expensive than this camera). The point of all of this mumbo jumbo is that this camera takes great pictures and the lenses are smaller than DSLR lenses. Less weight and smaller size with no practical image quality compromise equals great camera.

On thing that is a negative is the slow 1/160 flash sync speed. This will be very limiting for off camera flash during bright light. With such a slow sync it will be exceedingly difficult (impossible?) to get shallow depth of fields while lighting. Most people probably won't use this feature but for those that do it will be a bummer. (Super FP mode and ND filters can help with this though)

This camera, also, does not have in Camera IS. The IS is in the lenses. The reason that Canon, Nikon, Panasonic do this is they say on-lens IS performs better. From what I have seen that is a true statement. However, in camera IS is better than no IS. Also, this camera can mount lens from numerous other systems. None of those will have IS. If you have an on board IS, then all of those other lenses will now have IS. The Olympus E-P1 does have in camera IS. The camera has many flaws but that is a benefit. Also, the E-P2 is supposed to be announce on 31 Oct 09 so hopefully many of the flaws of the E-P1 will be fixed.

I also love the face recognition on this camera. When I am taking group photos, the faces that I really care about are my families'. Now I can register 6 peoples' faces and it will focus on them. Nice

VIDEO

In many ways, this camera lacks some of the features of a dedicated video recorder and doesn't do the 1080P of the GH1 or have the manual shutter speed control. So why would I want to use this camera for video. There are two main reasons. The first reason is Depth of Field (DOF). As I mentioned earlier the micro 4/3 sensor has 4 times more area than the 2/3 sensor used for many TV shows and is 22 times more area than many video recorders. Smaller sensors = larger DOF. This makes it harder to isolate your subject from the background by having the background out of focus. Pay attention to movies when you watch them and you will notice how they shift focus to "highlight" their subject. If you have wondered why you can't do that with a home video recorder, now you know. If you shoot with a F4 lens on a 4/3 system you will need a .8 aperture on a 1/4 system to get the same DOF (by the way there is no such home video recorder). The second major reason to use the GH1 is the ability to change lenses. Right now there are not many micro 4/3 lenses. However, the micro 4/3 format is so flexible that, with an adaptor you can use just about any camera lens you want (Nikon, Canon, Leica, etc). The trade off is that you lose autofocus with most non-4/3 lenses. The ability to change lenses grants two major benefits. First, you can put all sorts of exotic lenses on. For example if you put on a 7mm lens, you would give your video a perspective not often seen in home footage. On a 1/4 sensor of a video recorder you would need a 1.4mm lens to get the same perspective as the 7mm on the 4/3 system. (Most camcorders are not going to go wider than 4mm which is roughly equivalent to a 20mm lens on a 4/3 system.) Secondly, you can put exceedingly "fast" (a fast lens is one with a low aperture number. A lower aperture number means more light hitting the sensor so you can run your shutter speed faster. Hence fast lens) lenses on to get shallow DOF. You could easily put a f1.4 lens on this camera. You would need a f0.3 lens to get the equivalent DOF on a 1/4 sensor.

Anyway, it is relatively easy to make beautiful videos with this camera. It does not do 1080P. However, I don't think that will be a loss to most. The GH1 1080P files are much bigger, require more post work to achieve really good results, and, from normal sitting distances, most people can't tell the difference between 720P and 1080P. Also, in the movie mode you can set aperture but the camera will set the shutter speed automatically. This leads to a caveat that you need to be aware of when shooting movies with this camera. If you want to use the wider apertures in bright light to get the smaller depth of fields then you will need some neutral density filters to put over the lens. As a rule of thumb you want your shutter speed to be twice the frame rate. So you need to shoot at 1/120. On a bright day at f1.7 you could easily need 1/9600 to properly expose at ISO200 (Well beyond the camera 1/4000 shutter limit). 5 to 6 Stops of ND would get the camera to set the shutter speed around 1/120. If you just set the camera on automatic it will take care of the exposure for you so you can just press the record button and go. However, one of the reasons to step up to a camera like this is take some control for yourself and create some art from within.

I will finish this review by making some comparison between some other camera choices out there.

First, this camera works very similar to the G1 and GH1 so what people have said about those cameras applies to the GF1. The big difference is the GF1 is smaller, the G1 doesn't do video, the GH1 can do 1080P, the GF1 does not come with a Electronic View FInder, the GF1 separate EVF is not in the same league with the G1 and GH1, and finally, the GF1 does not have an articulated screen like the G1 and GH1 do.

GF1 vs GH1 vs G1 vs Olympus PEN E-P1 vs Canon G11 (Not yet released)

GF1

Pros:

Smallest camera in the world with DSLR performance
Blazing focus performance
Great Picture Quality
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Great Handling

Cons:
No built in EVF (add on not in the same league as G1 and GH1)
Live View screen not articulated
Hard to find
Only Black in the US

Who's it for?: Anyone who want to have a small compact and lightweight camera that packs the performance and features of DSLR. It does nice video but not nearly as well as the GH1.

Panasonic DMC-GH1 12MP Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Camera with 1080p HD Video

Pros:

Blazing focus performance
Great Picture Quality
HD 1080P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awesome articulated Live View screen
Best Implementation of video in a "stills" camera
Great Handling

Cons:
Expensive
Hard to find
Only Black in the US

Who's it for?: Anyone looking to have a camera that takes great still images and has best seen to date video integration in one package. Larger than the GF1 but worth it if you are serious about your video.


Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue)

Pros:

Blazing focus performance
Great Picture Quality
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Best EVF seen to date
Awesome articulated Live View screen
Great Handling
Cheaper than GH1, GF1, and E-P!

Cons:
No Video

Who's it for?: Anyone who wants an all around great stills camera and wants to save money by not paying for video features.


Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Viewfinder (Silver)

Pros:

Small Size
Great Picture Quality
HD 720P video capability
Compatibility with nearly every lens every made including Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc (you do need to purchase an adaptor to do this and you do lose auto focus in most instances)
Image Stabilization(IS) built into the camera not the lens (it makes no IS lenses into IS lenses!)
Styling of the camera has Cache. (I personally prefer the GF1 but there are a lot of people commenting on how nice the PEN looks)


Cons:
Abysmal focus performance (worse than most point and shoot cameras)
No flash
Incredibly poor low res live view screen (The GF1 has twice the resolution as the E-P1)

(I would really only recommend this camera to someone who has lenses from other systems that is looking to make them Image Stabilized and is willing to manually focus them.)

Who's it for? Anyone who wants to have a small compact and lightweight camera with great image quality, are not concerned about focus speed/flash and want to use the in camera IS to stabilize non-IS lenses.

Canon PowerShot G11 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Stabilized Zoom and 2.8-inch articulating LCD

Note: This camera has not been release in the US yet. It was released on 2 Oct in Japan and I got to test it a couple times since then.

Pros:
Smaller Size than any other camera listed here
All in one package and lens (28-140MM) no need to buy other lenses
Decent detail retention up to ISO 800 (up from ISO 200 for the G10)
Optical View Finder
Articulated Live View Screen
1/2000 flash sync speed!
Built in flash
Built in ND filter on Lens
Relatively Inexpensive

Cons:
IQ not in the same league as m4/3 cameras
No HD movies (640x480 is the largest movie format)
Can't swap lenses (this is both a plus and minus and there are modifiers you can put on to make the lens "wider" or "longer")
Small Sensor (1/1.7 sensor is only 43 square mm compared to 225 for the m43. This usually equates to poor ISO performance all thing being equal. It seems Canon has figured out how to make things not equal. However, if shallow depth of fields are your thing then look elsewhere.)
Construction quality as good as the G10 (No longer built from metal. Some people may list that as a pro.)

Who's it for? Anyone who wants more portable camera than any other listed here while still keeping many professional features and is willing to sacrifice a bit on IQ for an all-in-one package with nothing else to buy.

OVERALL

The Panasonic GF1 is a fantastic camera and the first to deliver on the promise of a compact camera with DSLR performance and image quality. It obviously has places in which it can improve. However, for the current state-of-the-art, this camera is the best performing small camera available. Panasonic's contrast detect autofocus has raised the bar and no more excuses can be made for this type of autofocus system. (It probably heralds the extinction of the DSLR) Based around this, Panasonic has engineered the worlds first compact camera with "DSLR" level performance and has created an outstanding stills camera with good HD video camera capabilities. It's a great time to be a photographer!

Ok - so this is hands down the best little camera available right now. But is it good enough? My humble opinion - not so. I bought this camera from Amazon a month ago - with the 20mm 1.7 lens. I have used it for a vacation in Barbados as well as street photography and 'go anywhere' type of shots. Here are my impressions.
Pros:
- Nice form factor and small size. It can easily slip into a big pocket.
- Finally, someone figured out the contrast detection autofocus. It's not perfect. On about 5% of my shots - the autofocus locked but the shot came out clearly misfocused. I found this to be acceptable, though.
- The 20mm 1.7 is a great lens - very sharp, very fast and a pleasure to use.
- The build quality is good.
- The camera feels solid, the controls are generally well laid off, and it is speedy to shoot.
- The features offered are on par or above the mid level DSLRs out there.
- Good image quality up to ISO 200.
- The display is good (especially when compared with the dinky display of the EP1), but not as good as the Nikons and Canons in the same price range (e.g. 3inch, 920k dots).

Cons:
- Overall image quality came below my expectations - for a sensor close to APS-C in size. It's head and shoulders above a compact camera, but for $900, you can get much better IQ from an entry level or mid level DSLR, especially above ISO 200.
- Low light performance is at the level of APS-C sensor a generation or two ago (think Nikon D40, not Nikon D90). This is particularly problematic in the shadows - with significant noise visible at relatively low ISOs - e.g. ISO400. The noise is also of the worst type - chrominance as opposed to luminance.
- I do not miss the viewfinder and I would not get the optional EVF for this. You have to get used to a new way of shooting with this camera - in front of you, using the screen in the back for composition. HOWEVER, in order for this to work, one needs two essential things (both missing in the GF1): an electronic horizon level (to make sure you're lining up those shots) and in body stabilization to compensate for the extra shake from not having this camera supported on three points (two hands + your face) as for a DSLR. This was the deal breaker for me. I found that the rule of thumb for DSLR - shoot at 1 over the 35mm focal length equivalent does not work for the GF1 way of shooting. For the 20mm, not image stabilized, to ensure a good shot - I would have to shoot at 1/80s.
- Other than the 20mm lens (which is great), all the other m34 lenses out there are too big - they negate the size advantage of the format. So I don't really buy the interchangeability advantage - if you want a small package, the 20mm is going to live on your camera, and you shouldn't really pay an premium over non-interchangeable package such as Sigma DP1 or DP2.
- It is overpriced at $900+. The G1 - the GF1's bigger brother (same sensor) sells as a kit for $700. Considering that G1 has a EVF incorporated, and the GF1 lacks that, I value the GF1 kit at around $600. I hope its price settles there after the initial feeding frenzy is over.
- If you are serious about image quality, you shoot raw and part of your workflow involves post processing the image. In that workflow, the GF1 is held back by the fact that the in camera choices you make (film modes, contrast correction, etc.) are not carried over to the RAW developer included with the package - Silkypix. You have to start all over again - which is annoying and a waste of time. I wish Panasonic put some resources in developing their own raw developer - like Nikon's Capture NX or Canon's DPP - this way they can carry over the settings once you get to the computer.
- If you don't shoot raw, well - you have another problem to deal with - the jpeg engine incorporated in the camera is mediocre at best. The colors are off (especially the blues) and the dynamic range of the jpegs is 2 or 3 stops below what the sensor is capable of.
- Crappy flash sync speed of 1/160. This not only applies to the underpowered built in flash, but also external flashes. The GF1 does not offer high speed flash sync like the better DSLRs out there. This is very limiting when you want fill flash on a bright Caribbean day.

So, what does this all mean? If you are looking for a small camera to carry around - either get one of the fixed lens packages from Sigma, Leica, etc. or wait until Olympus perfects the autofocus on the EP series. If you are looking for a travel camera - go for an entry level or mid level DSLR - the size and weight difference is not that great and the difference in flexibility and image quality is well worth the tradeoff. The m43 format has potential, but we're not quite there yet.

Fantastic portable cam with decent image quality and extraordinary features. It filled the gap between my Panasonic LX3 and Canon 5DMkII as a small size camera with all the features I want. What do you get? Small package; fast great lens (20mm); DSLR IQ; HD movies; fast autofocus (+ face-recognition AF); super looks (+ pride of ownership); very sharp LCD. Importantly, you don't look like a geek when you use it in a group. The colors are very very good (I shoot raw and develop in Panasonic Silkypix in "Filmcolor A" mode).

Downsides? High ISO noise is not as good as Canon DSLRs (40D etc). AF area selection is painful, because the arrow buttons no longer can be used for their original functions. Colors of the LCD screen are not accurate. Continuous autofocus in movie mode tends to use f/1.7 & it hunts a lot. This means significant portions of the movie end up out of focus. In some auto modes (e.g.: aperture priority + auto-ISO), camera picks 1/30 exposure time, resulting in blurry photos. Current price is quite high ($900 for body+20mm). These are small nags compared to what you get.

Doubts about fixed focal length lens? Fast 40mm-equivalent lens is sufficient for ~90% of my daily shooting needs (family, kids, friends etc). Unless travelling or taking artistic shots, I don't feel the need of a different focal length. I think most casual shooters would feel the same.

You may want to consider getting a Lowepro Rezo 60 camera bag. The camera + 20mm fits snugly into that.

Summary: This is an excellent camera for its intended use--prosumer controls on a camera that is much lighter than a DSLR but not small enough to slip in the pockets in your shirt or pants. Outstanding build quality, flexible feature set, good but not superb low light performance.

Background: My previous digital experience is with Nikon DSLRs (D3, D200, D70, D40x and with Canon "SD" or digital elph pocket cameras (several models). I am an experienced photographer, shooting both raw and jpeg in all modes (fully manual, automatic, etc).

Comments: Like many photographers who use DSLRs, I have been looking for a camera that is easy to carry, but provides the same level of control and image quality associated with DSLR cameras. The features that are important to me are: (1) full manual control over exposure (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO); (2) useable built-in flash, (3) high quality screen for image review, (4) portability, including both volume and weight, (5) decent low-light performance, (6) excellent image quality from both raw and jpeg files, and (7) design (simple and elegant). My impression after several hundred images is that the GR1 with the 20mm pancake lens is the first camera that falls within the acceptable range on all my criteria. Here are some thoughts about specific features:

(1) The control system is complex, but can be mastered within a few hours of normal use. Once you learn to use the control wheel (which can be depressed to switch between modes), it is easy to adjust aperture and shutter speed. The "quick menu" provides easy access to most important features, and the programmable function button is very handy.

(2) the built-in flash is usable for "fill flash" and for a limited range of situations, but is not sufficiently powerful for most flash applications. I prefer natural light and rarely use flash for any reason other than fill, so the flash meets my needs.

(3) the image review screen is excellent. I did purchase the external viewfinder. I find it useable for framing and for for manual focus. It is not a high resolution screen, but I do not regret the purchase. After an initial trial period, I now leave it off the camera most of the time.

(4) the GF1 just meets my need for portability. No interchangeable lens camera will fit easily in a pants or shirt pocket, and the GF1 does not. It does fit in a jacket pocket with the 20mm pancake lens attached. It can be carried in a smallish purse or bag. It fits easily in a computer bag, messenger bag, or in a backpack compartment. It easily can be stowed in a medium-sized or larger camera bag--it is small enough so that it will not displace a significant amount of gear. Of course, I would be thrilled if there were a camera with the capacities of the GF1 that were even smaller, but I find the tradeoff to be very acceptable. The GF1 has now totally displaced my current Canon SD (digital elph or Ixus).

(5) the low-light performance is acceptable, especially at the 1.7 aperture of the 20mm pancake lens. Of course, the low-light performance of the GF1 does not come close to the Nikon D3, but the images at ISO 800 are very acceptable and I find the ISO 1600 & ISO 3200 images to be useable--although I am not bothered by graininess.

(6) more generally, the image quality is excellent. In my opinion, the image quality is substantially better than any P&S camera with which I am familiar. I have no experience with the new Canon G11 or S90--but I suspect that in some situations the GF1 with the better Micro Four Thirds lenses will have a significant edge over those cameras. Many of the images from the GF1 have significant "pop" or "wow factor." As is usually the case, the raw files can produce better images with post-processing (I use Lightroom and Photoshop), but I am happy with the jpegs, including the black and white jpegs.

(7) the design is (in my opinion) excellent. I am impressed by the simplicity of the design. The camera feels very solid and in my (large) hand, it has a satisfying "heft." Tastes differ, of course, but I believe that many users will find this camera to be among the most aesthetically attractive cameras on the market today--taking into account appearance, ergonomics, and build-quality.

Conclusion: The GF1 with the pancake lens is a real step forward in the category of compact cameras for serious photographers. In my opinion, it is the best camera in its "weight class" as of October 2009. Rumor are flying about new cameras from Nikon, Ricoh, Sony, and others; and Leica has announced the X1--so a case could be made for delaying a purchase for a few months. But in my experience, the GF1 is a very satisfying camera. Like many other reviewers, I am using the GF1 extensively in situations where it is difficult to cary a heavy DSLR with multiple lenses.

This camera is one pound with the 20mm lens. 1 lb. My canon 5D with the 24-70 attached is 4.5 lbs. My powershot S90 (new addition to the family) is 6.8oz. The question is, does the camera take photos closer to the powershot or the 5D. Well, the answer is that it is closer to the 5D, and at this weight, a fine camera.

First, let me admit that I pretty much only buy Canon cameras. Canon makes excellent cameras and once you are invested in the glass and the user interface of one manufacturer, switching is hard. When we go on vacations, if a stranger asks me to take a photo with any canon camera, I can quickly make adjustments to take an optimal photo in the time it takes for the subject to get back to their position in front of the waterfall. They are usually not even aware I adjusted anything.

I bought this camera because I want a camera that is 25% of the weight of my 5D and has decent low light performance. Have I found it? Pretty much. It's not perfect, but it is lovable. And what more can one ask from a piece of camera equipment?

The Panasonic camera is not so familiar to me and hence I am a bit slower adjusting the controls. There are certain things I don't like about the user interface: hard to format the card, something I like to do when starting a new day; not great auto-iso adjustment. I would rather go to ISO 800, especially on the camera, versus use a tripod.

Auto white balance under tungsten light is poor. Everyone comes out red. I have been using custom white balance, but that's a pain.

I don't love the JPEG output of this camera compared to my Canon cameras. Canon cameras have punchy JPEG output. I know it's not the most realistic looking output, but I grew up on kodachrome and consumer Kodak papers and the real world just looks dull to me now.

I have been shooting RAW with the GF-1 and trying to learn how to use Lightroom well enough to enjoy that process. My normal workflow is with Aperture but in typical Apple fashion, they don't yet support the RAW files of the GF-1.

Video mode looks excellent. I have only tried it briefly. I have owned the camera for all of 1 day.

Noise at high ISO is very good. ISO 800 completely usable. 1600 usually ok too. Above that, not so much. My Canon 5D can take a decent photo at ISO 6400. But hey, its 3x the price and weighs 4x as much with glass.

The contrast detect autofocus should not be confused with what you will find on a DSLR. It's ok. It's not fast enough for sports. This is a camera meant for street photography, travel, etc.

I gave this camera 4 stars because it is a bit of a compromise. I can't help but wish that Canon made it. If they made it, I know the software would be better, the JPEGS would be better and the noise reduction would be better. But kudos for Panasonic for coming out with this thing. We all know that Canon and Nikon have no interest in leading here. They are happy owning the market and don't need to take risks creating a camera for the niche low light prosumer rangefinder leica-nostalgic nuts searching for the perfect 1 lb camera.

Should you buy this camera? It depends on what the weight means to you. you can get a digital Rebel and throw on a fixed focal length 28mm f/1.8 lens. That package will weigh about 1.8 lbs and give you just about the same field of view as the GF-1. But I guarantee it will outperform the GF-1 in every way. The price of that package is comparable to this camera. So what compromises are you willing to make in image quality, focus speed and handling for 8 tenths of a pound? yeah, it's a hard decision.