Eldo's GF1 review...

[shirk]

Where is it?

You must have played with the toy enough by now to give some opinion.

[Arno]

you can have my review... although I am definitely a photog JONG compared with Eldo from what I have seen on here. I'm still finding my way around it but I am pretty pleased with it. Bottom line is that it probably won't replace a good DSLR if you are happy carrying one around.

For me, it's a great progression from high end P&S cameras (I previously had a G9 which got stolen and replaced with an LX3). With the 20mm pancake, it's very portable and I've really enjoyed carrying it about town, snapping away and getting to know it. Planning to get the 45-200 telephoto at some point - have a trip to Africa coming up so that will be good for wildlife shots. I am now wondering whether to sell the LX3. You can get the GF1 with 20mm into a coat pocket pretty comfortably and it's just really fun to shoot with...

I got the EVF with it and haven't used that. Will be useful for composition in strong light and it's very easy to carry around. Seems quite expensive for what it is though

Might try to upload some pics in a minute

edit: one thing that does annoy me is that Aperture can't deal with Panasonic RAW files - same applies to LX3. can't decide whether to blame Apple or Panasonic for that. the RAW processing software which comes with seems reasonable though

[Arno]

messing around with DOF:



messing around with B&W



fall colours in Regents Park London (might have oversaturated it when messing around with Aperture):

[Eldo]

Really like that B&W shot, Arno. Also, download the free Adobe DNG convertor and turn the GF1 RAW files into DNGs which you could probably then open in Aperture. My Photoshop CS3 can't handle GF1 Raw and I'm not upgrading to CS4 just for this one thing since 5 is on the way. However you might want to pick and choose which photos you convert, since the DNG files are huge at about 45 MB each.

Shirk, I haven't posted anything because I really want to test the GF1 on the slopes to see if it is the jacket pocket camera that many people have been looking for. But the snow has not been cooperating.

But in the meantime I will give some initial impressions and post a few boring available light photos from a shoot at the Glenbow Museum last weekend.

One big disappointment already is that you cannot turn off auto review when using the GF1 in burst mode. That means the LCD (or optional EVF) does not update with a live view in between shots when you are shooting at 3 FPS (high) or 2 FPS (low). All you see is a review of each photo just after it is taken. So basically viewfinder blackout is 100 per cent while shooting in burst mode, similar to just about every P&S camera sold today, except with the GF1 there is no optical viewfinder to use instead. Following a fast moving target is going to be the usual guessing game based on where the subject was a moment ago.

Anyone who has only used compact/P&S cameras might not have an issue with this, but compared to an SLR that allows you to accurately follow a moving subject except for a very brief blackout when the mirror is raised to take a photo, it is rather disappointing. I sort of assumed that Panasonic would have addressed this limitation, since they got a lot of other things right. (Or maybe they tried but couldn't.) At least at 3 FPS a moving target is not going to move too far before you fill the camera's buffer anyway.

f2 1/40 sec ISO 200


Probably the most important thing I haven't been able to test in a meaningful way for anyone hoping to use the GF1 as a ski camera is how well the autofocus works, since it has a much larger larger sensor than any P&S and will have less depth of field at similar settings.

Greater control over depth of field is a perceived advantage of larger sensor cameras, but only if the AF can keep up to action, especially using the predictive autofocus (which the GF1 claims to have) that is needed to keep a subject in focus that is moving towards or away from the camera.

On the other hand the typically huge depth of field with a small sensor P&S is actually a plus for shooting action, since pretty much everything from near to far is sharp. If the camera has focused even close to where your subject is, then usually you will be good to go. That's why you can get good sequence shots despite the fact that all P&S cameras lock focus at the first frame when in burst mode.

I see the AF on the GF1 as the potential make-it-or-break-it factor in whether it will even be as good a ski camera as a P&S, which is why I want to test it in a real-life situation.

f1.7 1/25 sec ISO 400


What I do know already is that the GF1 takes some kick ass shots in the rather tame conditions I have tested it. Image quality shooting RAW is easily as good as the APS-C sensor SLRs I use, although the GF1 lags slightly behind starting at 1,600 ISO. Dynamic range is also less than the best APS-C cameras, although obviously way better than a P&S, so I'd like to see how that equates in tricky on-snow shots. The 20 mm f1.7 lens is excellent, and lets you capture shots in low light situations where a P&S would be useless. I am researching other lenses, and might get the convertor to be able to use a few Olympus four-third lenses that have tested well.

f1.7 1/25 sec ISO 640


I tested the 720p vid since it was another reason why I was interested in this camera. I didn't use the AVCHD lite format for recording movies since I don't have the appropriate software, but the .movs look good. But I need to buy at least a three-stop neutral density filter to bring down the shutter speed at larger apertures because the strobe effect on moving subjects is rather annoying. Haven't noticed much jello vision, though.

The small form factor for a camera with larger sensor image quality is obviously the GF1's main selling feature, however keep in mind that the GF1 will get much "bigger" if you use a lens other than the pancake 20 mm (40 mm equivalent). The body only is about the same size as a G9, but the G9 has a 35-210 mm lens. Before anyone buys the GF1 thinking it is a compact camera, go hold one in a camera store with the kind of lens you would use for skiing, and see if it remains compact enough to meet your needs. I also hope someone does an aftermarket grip like the one I had on my Canon G9, because the GF1's metal body makes it slippery to hold with one hand.

f1.7 1/40 sec ISO 800


Anyway, as of right now I still don't know if the GF1 is a good ski camera or not. Sorry about that. But I agree with Arno that it is not a replacement if you are already happy carrying an SLR for skiing. The viewfinder blackout along decides that in my mind. However there are many people who don't want an SLR because of the size, or people who bought one and then end up leaving it at home most of the time because of the hassle. If the AF is up to to the task, then the GF1 might be the answer.

Will post more later.

[shirk]

Thanks.

Didn't mean to rush you...just think now you won't have to spend the time creating a new thread when you have had it out on snow

[Eldo]

Okay, so I returned the GF1 today since it was getting close to the 14-day limit for returns at the store where I bought it. Someone else will have to do the on-snow testing.

I had pretty much already decided that this camera was not for me. It's kind of stuck halfway between a P&S and SLR in size (once you add a zoom lens) and also in terms of many of the features. The images look great, but once you factor in a zoom lens, EVF, etc then suddenly you're at $1,500 Cnd, so they had better be good.

Looking forward though to the photos that others may take with a GF1 in the future.

[jacobsen1]

I have a GF1 and a s90. I'm not sure if I'll keep both, one, or neither honestly, but I test drive my cameras for a lot longer than ~15 days (I just sell them used after I'm confident I'm making the right decision). Anyway, I've always had a DSLR (D700) backup DSLR (was an XSi as I used to shoot canon and the wife was using it) and P&S (s90). The P&S is basically for skiing when I don't want to take the big rig with me. But this M43 idea has me very interested so I sold off the XSi and last canon lens and went for a GF1 kit to see if it was for me.

First off, here's the size difference:


the GF1 isn't the most pocketable camera around. Even with the 20mm you notice it. I'm actually looking for a smaller chest bag/harness for it and another lens (I use a lowe pro TLZ when skiing with my DSLR). But it's just a much better camera than the s90. Even with "just" the 20mm lens, it's still fantastic. If you need wider, just stitch! Obviously this doesn't work all the time, but the 20mm is a very nice lens if the FL isn't an issue. As for the speed of the thing, I'd AF any action then switch it to MF to shoot it. I grew up doing that with my film bodies and just hate having AF blow shots I can prefocus. The delay is very close to a rebel or similar entry level DSLR. My D700 obviously smokes it, so for action shooting that's the tool for the job. But for fun/scenic shooting the GF1 is just simply fun to use. Up to ISO 800 is clean enough, 1600 is OK if you don't mind some noise. 3200 with it's "dynamic B&W" mode gives you an interesting gritty look if you're not too against that.

Anyway, pictures right?








7 shot pano:




having fun with limited DOF:


another selphie:


for me with my 3 camera system it's a hell of a replacement for the XSi. It adds video to the mix. The only skiing video I have was OOF, it has a constant AF mode I didn't know about until after I tried it on the last run of the day so the video is OOF. Having since turned that off I'll check back later... I'm considering getting a UV filter as a lens cap while skiing as I know I'll loose the damn lenscap if I keep skiing with it. I'll just use a filter I can replace when it gets scratched and I can use the goggle bag to clean it if I need to. They're making a 14mm pancake in a few months so I'm pretty sure I'll be adding that so I have some width when needed. The 7-14 is also a rad option but $1k. All in all it makes a very nice good DSLR quality pocket cam w/o the bulk. But it's still not tiny, if size is an issue a true P&S might be the better option, if FPS or AF are key, bring your big boy camera.

[Arno]

bumping for a couple more ski pics. i'm pretty pleased with performance. find myself a bit caught between 2 stools when deciding between the 20mm pancake lens (a bit wide for action pix but fits in my jacket pocket) and 45-200 zoom (good for action but too big for jacket pocket). this was taken with the zoom as part of a burst - kept focus on the subject nicely:



this with the 20mm:



video is pretty impressive, although if i am going to do it seriously i need some sort of tripod for use with the zoom

[Arno]

a bit more practice and some better light and here is a sequence i am pretty pleased with. also gives an idea for the burst rate in practice:









after much fiddling, I have settled on a [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Shoulder-Digital-Cameras-Camcorders/dp/B000KZD73W]Lowe Pro Apex 100AW[/ame] which takes the GF1 with the 45-200mm lens plus UV filter very snugly. this clips onto the waistbelt of my pack. i have to say this gives a really handy unobtrusive package.

the only downside is that there is no room for the EVF, which does make shooting a little harder when the light is bright. i'll keep working on that one...

[f2f]

Eldo, the Olympus E-PL1 really hits the price-performance spot for me now, although it goes away with the dial which I like so much from the G9. Do you have experience with the E-PL1? Do you think it's worth it?