I’m very happy this weekend because I get to try out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 camera. I would like to thanks my colleague Mr. Kelvin Koh for arranging the camera for me to try.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 camera is a Micro 4/3 camera that looks like a shrunk version of a DSLR camera. It is very compact and very light weight but it has most of the features found on any regular sized DSLR camera. It has 12 million effective pixels.
I love the big swivel LCD screen on the Lumix G1. I could shoot from either high or low angles without having to stretch or bend myself in awkward position! The LCD screen is big and sharp, making it easy to check my shots after taking pictures. The screen contents are also easy to view even under bright sunny condition outdoor.
The battery life is good too. After taking 100 over shots, some with flashes, and continuous reviewing using the LCD, the battery only drop by a ¼ bar. One battery should be sufficient to last through a day of picture taking for an average holiday shooter under normal condition.
The metering is accurate even in contrasting lighting situations. It could handle backlighting situation very well and still give enough shadow details. The G1 has 3 metering mode – multi-segment, center weighted and spot mode.
There are three image ratios to choose from – 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The 16:9 will be a welcome for landscape photographer. This setting is not found on conventional DSLR.
This Panasonic G1 has ISO rating from Auto to 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 boost. The noise level is pretty good even at ISO1600. Photographers who often shoot in low light condition should be happy with the higher ISO result from this camera.
This camera is also capable of producing accurate colour. There are 6 positions of white balance override settings and two manual settings beside the Auto White Balance. Personally, I would prefer to calibrate the white balance indoors using the Expo Disc and I managed to get very accurate colour under fluorescent lighting condition.
I don’t get much lens flare from the 14-45mm lens that comes with this testing camera. I do get some flares only when I pointed the lens directly at the sun.
Despite all the plus points mentioned above, I do have some dislikes about this camera. Firstly, the camera is really small for my hand. It does not feel very comfortable in my big hand.
Secondly, the Aperture control and Exposure Compensation control shared the same dial. I often use camera in Aperture Priority Mode and I often use the Exposure Compensation control in tricking lighting conditions. When I’m shooting fast in the field, I always ended up setting the wrong control because I forget to select the mode I wanted by depressing the control wheel. I would prefer to have the two controls separated.
Thirdly, somehow the Optical Image Stabilizer does not seem to work very well for me. Usually I still managed to get sharp images when hand-holding my heavier and more bulky Nikon D700 with a hefty 24-70f2.8 lens at shutter speed of around 1/15 of a second in low light conditions. With the Lumix G1, I get blur images when shutter speed reaches 1/20 of a second. I would need a tripod in order to get sharp images.
Conclusion: This is a good camera for people who wanted a camera with all the DSLR features and capability minus all the bulk and weight. I would love to use this camera when I go on vacations but I would prefer to stick to my regular DSLRs for my photo assignments.
