I have just read an excellent review of this camera, and as my son is looking for something half decent I am inclined to go for it. What really interests me is the interchangeable lenses and the fact that Panasonic supply a converter to allow Zeiss and other quality lens manufacturers lenses to be used.

The question for the forum is, is it worth putting good quality lenses on this body and is the camera itself that good. Does any one out there have one?

Chris, by default I usually go to dpreview.com when I'm doing research on a camera or lens. In addition to whatever write-up the site itself might have on the camera, their forums are full of reports and samples of what most if not all cameras are capable of- good, bad, and ugly.

Best of luck.

Steve's Digicams Review - Conclusion: Panasonic's Lumix GF1

Dpreview.com Review - Conclusion: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

** Compatible lenses with DMC-G1, DMC-GF1 and DMC-GH1


tl;dr ('too long, didn't read'):

Pros: Image quality and performance are excellent, allowing it to perform with dSLR cameras that fall into its price range.

Will suit those wanting a more portable alternative to an entry-level SLR.


Cons: "The EVF (electronic view finder) has been removed but not forgotten, allowing for the retro shape. Panasonic has created an optional EVF accessory that mounts onto the hot-shoe of the camera for those that prefer an EVF to the LCD. With the loss of the EVF, the camera has also lost the automatic sensors that allowed the camera to switch from EVF to LCD and back automatically. As with the GH1, the GF1 is offered with new lenses. For the price, you have an option of a 20mm, f/1.7 pancake lens or a 14-45mm, f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. Neither of these lenses compare to the versatility of the 28-280mm lens that came in the GH1 kit, however we did enjoy using the 20m pancake lens during our testing."

Not as comfortable to hold on to as the GH1.

JPEG output quality lacking. (Olympus E-P1 cited as superior in this regard, for example.) Shoot in RAW.

Autofocus doesn't work with all legacy Four Thirds lenses. (** See above link to Panasonic's website for list of lenses.)


That being said, does anyone have one in hand?

A friend bought one to use for street photography and has loved it. Good image quality and much less conspicuous than a DSLR. He has the 20mm pancake lens which makes it extra small and easy to have with him all the time. ("The best camera is the one you have with you" and all ...)

I don't remember him citing any downsides except that it's harder to handhold and be very steady without adding the optional viewfinder.

Thanks everyone. this is much more useful than a paper report.