Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Review by VR-Zone.com

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Review

Reported by Justin Chng on Wednesday, February 16 2011 6:03 pm

The micro four-thirds camera has come a long way, bringing the performance and quality that is almost on-par with of an entry-level Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera while boasting the lightweight of a compact camera. With the new GF2 from Panasonic evolving to a slimmer and new re-designed interface, how does it fare ? Read on...

REVIEW

When the first micro four thirds camera from Panasonic came out in 2008, it was a mixed bag of reactions with its bulkiness of a professional camera and uncertainity of a new technology back then. Through the years of constant research, Panasonic launched the Lumix DMC-GF1 in 2009 with a slimmer design similar to a compact camera and promising quality.

Certainly, such bold words bring about much controversy as fanboys of both DSLR and compact cameras argue the pros and cons of their beloved camera. Fast forward to 2011, Panasonic has launched the improvised Lumix DMC-GF2, the successor to the GF1.

Our review model (DMC-GF2C) came with a 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens and sports a white exterior and packed in a rather humble looking box. Compared with the GF1, the new GF2 is approximately 19% smaller in size and approximately 7% lighter.

The GF2's interface has been redesigned to compliment the touchscreen technology included in the camera. The popup flash unit has been redesigned, it pops forward rather than popping up, an improvement to reduce vignetting. Of course, the most noticable change is the removal of the physical model dial in the camera and includes a dedicated Intelligent Auto (iA) button.

Technical specifications have been bumped up in the GF2 and noticable changes include the highest ISO that has been bumped up to 6400, built-n stereo microphones, support of 1080i video recording and the removal of remote shooting function.

A closer look and you will realise some of the trademark logos on the box - Dolby, SDXC, AVCHD. It seems like we have a gem in our hands and we cant wait to unbox it and unravel out the awesomeness it is going to bring.

Here is what you get in the retail box of Lumix DMC-GF2,

DMC-GF2 camera
Battery charging cradle and power cable
Battery (DMW-BLD10E / 7.2V / 1010mAh)
Startup guide, software CDs
A/V cable, USB cable
Neck strap

And a loook at the technical specifications of the camera

Type	Digital interchangeable lens system camera
Recording Media	SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Image Sensor Size	17.3 x 13.0 mm (in 4:3 aspect ratio)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds mount
Image Sensor Type	Live MOS Sensor
Total / Effective Pixels	13.06 Megapixels / 12.01 pixels
Color Filter	Primary color filter
Dust Reduction	Supersonic wave filter
Recording Formats	JPG, MPO (3D recording), AVCHD, Quicktime JPEG
Image Quality	RAW, RAW+Fine, RAW+Standard, Fine, Standard MPO+Fine, MPO+Standard (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard)
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
File Size (pixels)	[4:3] 4,000 x 3,000 (L), 2,816 x 2,112 (M), 2,048 x 1,536 (S), 1,600 x 1,200 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [3:2] 4,000 x 2,672 (L), 2,816 x 1,880 (M), 2,048 x 1,360 (S), 1,600 x 1,064 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [16:9] 4,000 x 2,248 (L), 2,816 x 1,584 (M), 1,920 x 1,080 (S), 1,600 x 904 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [1:1] 2,992 x 2,992 (L), 2,112 x 2,112 (M), 1,504 x 1,504 (S), 1,440 x 1,440 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) -- [4:3] VGA: 640 x 480, 30 fps / QVGA: 320 x 240, 30 fps [16:9] WVGA: 848 x 480, 30 fps [HD] 1,280 x 720, 30 fps [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 60i (sensor output is 30p) (FSH: 17 Mbps, FH: 13 Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 60p (sensor output is 30p) (SH: 17 Mbps, H: 13 Mbps) -- [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 50i (sensor output is 25p) (FSH: 17 Mbps, FH: 13 Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 50p (sensor output is 25p) (SH: 17 Mbps, H: 13 Mbps)
Focus Type	Contrast AF system
Focus Mode	AFS / AFC / MF
AF Mode	Face detection / AF Tracking / 23-area-focusing / 1-area-focusing Touch (1-area-focusing in Face detection / AF Tracking / Multi-area-focusing / 1-area-focusing)
AF Detective Range	EV 0 - 18 (ISO 100)
AF Assist Lamp	EV 0 - 18 (ISO 100)
AF Lock	Set the Fn button in custom menu to AF lock
Others	Quick AF, Continuous AF (during motion image recording), AF+MF, Touch shutter, Touch MF Assist
Light Metering	Quick AF, Continuous AF (during motion image recording), AF+MF, Touch shutter, Touch MF Assist
Light Metering Mode	Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
Metering Range	EV 0 - 18 (F2.0 lens, ISO 100)
Exposure Mode	Program AE / Aperture Priority AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO Sensitivity	Auto / Intelligent ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400
Exposure	1/3 EV Step, ±3 EV
AE Lock	Set the Fn button in custom menu to AE lock
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / Flash / White Set 1, 2 / Color temperature setting
Shutter Speed	Still Image: 1/4,000 - 60
Shutter Timer	10 sec, 3 images / 2 sec / 10 sec
Scene Mode	Still Image - Portrait / Soft Skin / Scenery / Architecture / Sports / Peripheral Defocus / Flower / Food / Objects / Night Portrait / Night Scenery / Illuminations / Baby 1, 2 / Pet / Party / Sunset Movie - Portrait / Soft Skin / Scenery / Architecture / Sports / Flower / Food / Objects / Low-light / Party / Sunset (Activated by selecting Still Image SCN mode then pressing Movie Button. Still Image SCN modes without corresponding Movie SCN mode is recorded in mode suitable for the recording situation.)
Burst Shoot	H: 3.2 frames/sec, M: 2.5 frames/sec (with Live View), L: 2 frames/sec (with Live View)
Flash	TTL Built-in-Flash, GN6 equivalent (ISO100 · m), Built-in Pop-up -- Modes: Auto, Auto / Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On / Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. / Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off -- Sync Speed: Less than 1/160 second
LCD Monitor	3.0 inch; 460,000 dots pixel
Live View	Digital Zoom - 2x, 4x Others: Guide Lines (3 patterns) Real-time Histogram
Interfaces	USB, HDMI, AV/Out
Battery	ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1,010mAh) (Included) Battery Charger
Dimensions	Approx. 475 g / 16.75 oz (SD Memory Card, Battery, H-FS014042 lens included) Approx. 365 g / 12.87 oz (SD Memory Card, Battery, H-H014 lens included) Approx. 265 g / 9.35 oz (Body onl -- 112.8 x 67.8 x 32.8 mm / 4.44 x 2.67 x 1.29 in (excluding protrusions)