Subtle body tweaks and some notable new featuresToday Panasonic announced the successor the Lumix GF1; Camera of the Year at the 2010 T3 Gadget Awards. T3 was lucky enough to have some hands-on time with it earlier this week. Available in black, silver and a really eye-catching red, the GF2 is billed as ‘the world’s smallest and lightest body’ dimensions are 19% smaller that the GF1, so it feels noticeably slimmer as you can see from our comparison shot. It’s also 7% lighter, but due to the aluminium chassis still feels substantial and well built, but with a newer more comfortable curved grip.
The main difference to the top plate is the removal of the mode dial. Instead you can access all exposure and scene modes by tapping the touchscreen to reveal a virtual exposure control screen. We’re not convinced this is preferable; however quick a touchscreen may be, it’s not the same as having a dial at your fingertips, although Panasonic has included a dedicated iA button, which novices can press to instantly switch to full Auto mode.
The pop-up flash remains, now extending further from the camera body, to reduce the vignetting (darkness in corners) effect. The slimmer body has meant a more compact BLD-10 battery. Panasonic couldn’t state exact battery times, although confirmed will be slightly less than the GF1’s 380 images.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: New features
Despite having the same 12-megapixel resolution as its predecessor, at the heart of the GF2 lies a new sensor. First seen on the Panasonic Lumix GH2, this Live MOS sensor is eight times the size of a sensor you’d traditionally find in compact camera, delivering images with detail more akin to a pro-level camera.
There’s also a new Venus Engine FHD image processor with enhanced noise reduction means you can shoot at higher ISO levels without image noise spoiling the shot.
Video resolution has also been boosted from 1280 x 720p AVCHD Lite to 1920x1080i at 25fp, outputted via the mini HDMI port. Panasonic was the first camera manufacturer to introduce continuous autofocus with video and here a simple touch of the screen refocuses the shot.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: Touchscreen
Retaining the same 3-inch 460,000 resolution screen as the GF1, as we’ve mentioned, the GF2 now supports touch controls. Large icons make the interface intuitive and as well as touching to focus, you can also press the screen to release the shutter (like with the G2). The Touch Q-Menu is fully customisable, so you can simply drag features you use frequently.
Elsewhere Peripheral Defocus lets you adjust the depth of field by dragging a yellow bar across the screen, which is incredibly useful for novices, perhaps otherwise intimidated by aperture priority mode.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: Availability and conclusion
First impressions of the GF2 are pleasing, the slimmer size is certainly preferable, yet it still feels incredibly solid and reassuring. Despite packing lots of manual control into the GF2, Panasonic’s clearly spent time ensuring it retains its user-friendly controls. We’re not entirely convinced about the removal of the mode dial, but we’ll reserve judgement until we try the camera out properly.
The Panasonic Lumix GF2 will be available in January in three configurations: with a new 14mm pancake lens; with a 14-42mm lens and with both lenses. It’s also compatible with 11 Panasonic MicroFourThirds lenses, including the 3D lens.
The main difference to the top plate is the removal of the mode dial. Instead you can access all exposure and scene modes by tapping the touchscreen to reveal a virtual exposure control screen. We’re not convinced this is preferable; however quick a touchscreen may be, it’s not the same as having a dial at your fingertips, although Panasonic has included a dedicated iA button, which novices can press to instantly switch to full Auto mode.
The pop-up flash remains, now extending further from the camera body, to reduce the vignetting (darkness in corners) effect. The slimmer body has meant a more compact BLD-10 battery. Panasonic couldn’t state exact battery times, although confirmed will be slightly less than the GF1’s 380 images.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: New features
Despite having the same 12-megapixel resolution as its predecessor, at the heart of the GF2 lies a new sensor. First seen on the Panasonic Lumix GH2, this Live MOS sensor is eight times the size of a sensor you’d traditionally find in compact camera, delivering images with detail more akin to a pro-level camera.
There’s also a new Venus Engine FHD image processor with enhanced noise reduction means you can shoot at higher ISO levels without image noise spoiling the shot.
Video resolution has also been boosted from 1280 x 720p AVCHD Lite to 1920x1080i at 25fp, outputted via the mini HDMI port. Panasonic was the first camera manufacturer to introduce continuous autofocus with video and here a simple touch of the screen refocuses the shot.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: Touchscreen
Retaining the same 3-inch 460,000 resolution screen as the GF1, as we’ve mentioned, the GF2 now supports touch controls. Large icons make the interface intuitive and as well as touching to focus, you can also press the screen to release the shutter (like with the G2). The Touch Q-Menu is fully customisable, so you can simply drag features you use frequently.
Elsewhere Peripheral Defocus lets you adjust the depth of field by dragging a yellow bar across the screen, which is incredibly useful for novices, perhaps otherwise intimidated by aperture priority mode.
Panasonic Lumix GF2: Availability and conclusion
First impressions of the GF2 are pleasing, the slimmer size is certainly preferable, yet it still feels incredibly solid and reassuring. Despite packing lots of manual control into the GF2, Panasonic’s clearly spent time ensuring it retains its user-friendly controls. We’re not entirely convinced about the removal of the mode dial, but we’ll reserve judgement until we try the camera out properly.
The Panasonic Lumix GF2 will be available in January in three configurations: with a new 14mm pancake lens; with a 14-42mm lens and with both lenses. It’s also compatible with 11 Panasonic MicroFourThirds lenses, including the 3D lens.
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