THE PANASONIC GF1 REAL WORLD REVIEW

PAGE 1 - Intro and why I think M4/3 is here to stay.

PAGE 2 - The GF1 specs and features?

PAGE 3 - Compared to the Leica D-Lux 4 and Leica M9?

PAGE 4 - High ISO Sample and Crops.

PAGE 5 - My favorite shots with the GF1 & KIT Zoom.

PAGE 6 - The one lens you MUST buy with this camera. The 20 1.7.

PAGE 7 - My bottom line conclusion.

PAGE 8 - Just for fun! The GF1 and M9 side by side.

PAGE 1 - High ISO Sample and Crops     next---->

One thing I look for whenever I test a new digital camera is its High ISO performance, BUT my #1 thing with any camera is the color. I mean, if you have a great camera that is super awesome in AF or high ISO, but its color sucks, then I have no use for it. Color is important and the Olympus EP1 did very good in that area.

The GF1 improves on the EP1 as far as color is concerned. Look at the shoes in the shot above. That was taken inside of a Wal-mart with auto white balance. The GF1 not only nailed the AWB, but it also nailed the colors which are accurate, if not a little bold. The kit lens with its image stabilization worked well here, as that image was shot at F6.3 inside of a store at ISO 400.

So, yes, the color is great, but what about high ISO? See the samples below at each ISO with crops.

The GF1 does pretty good at HIGH ISO but I must admit, I was never in a situation where I had to use it during my time with the camera. The highest I had to shoot with was ISO 400 and that was in pretty low light. Thanks to the IS (image stabilization) in the KIT Zoom, I was able to get sharp results handheld without having to pump up the ISO. But, going by the samples above, I would not hesitate to go up to ISO 1600 or even 3200 if I had to.

Here are two ISO 400 samples. Click for larger versions.

ISO is acceptable to me and if I was able to test the 20 1.7 lens, it would have been even better. High ISO these days is really a non-issue unless you like shooting in pitch black darkness. If that is your thing, the new $5k Nikon D3s is your answer, as it can truly see in the dark :)

CLICK HERE TO GO TO PAGE FIVE - “MY FAVE SHOTS WITH THE GF1 AND KIT ZOOM”