Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Reviews

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 is a 12-megapixel SLR camera based on the Micro Four Thirds format. The GH1 features 4/3 type MOS (’Live MOS sensor’) that can record up to 1080/24p or 720/60p high definition videos, with continuous AF and a built-in Dolby Digital Stereo Creator for quality sound recording, VIERA Link networking, ISO 100-3200, and a 3.0″ TFT Multi-angle swing and tilt (180°swing, 180° swivel) LCD monitor.

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Basic Features

• 12.1-megapixel N-MOS sensor
• Interchangeable lenses; kit comes with 14-140mm 10x zoom (28-280mm equivalent) lens
• 2x, 4x digital zoom
• Electronic optical viewfinder, 480,000 RGB pixels
• 3.0-inch color LCD monitor, 460,000 dots, articulating mount
• Full Manual through Automatic exposure available, including Aperture and Shutter priority and 10 Scene modes
• Movie mode, including Program, Shutter, Aperture, and Manual exposure modes
• Built-in flash with seven modes
• SD and SDHC memory cards supported
• USB 2.0 High Speed computer connection
• Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and charger
• Software for Mac and PC

The G1 digital SLRoffers a more complete video mode than any digital SLR or digital camera on the market, offering complete control over video exposure, from Program, through Shutter and Aperture priority, to full Manual exposure control.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 has a soft, almost organic feeling, thanks to the rubber coating on most of the body. Though it’s not much smaller than a Rebel, the lenses are smaller, making the overall package easier to carry around, and optical quality–thanks to lens design, system design, and post-capture processing–goes beyond what most kit lenses offer.

Image quality when printed is pretty close to what we get from the Canon Rebel T1i, which is pretty darn good. It’s also surprising just how much better the GH1 is than its immediate predecessor, the G1, not to mention other Four Thirds cameras.

The Lumix GH1 is covered in the same nice plastic as the G1 and is rather solid to hold, with reassuringly good build quality. It’s shaped like a miniature digital SLR with the same faux-prism hump over the lens, a pop-up flash, hotshoe and the same sort of mode dial that’s found on any consumer SLR.

At the back is the flip out, rotating 3-inch LCD screen (again the same as the G1) which we enjoyed using. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is also unchanged, with the same 1.4-million-dot resolution. Shooting options include Panasonic’s intelligent auto, the standard PASM and scene modes, and the aforementioned movie mode. The menu system hasn’t changed either, with the same intuitive interface that was originally so pleasing to use on the older camera.

Special Features

• First Micro Four Thirds camera to support video
• Mega O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) built into lens
• Special Film modes to simulate types of films
• High or low speed continuous modes
• Swiveling LCD mount
• High-speed electronic viewfinder
• RAW recording mode
• Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to 60 seconds
• Aperture range from f/4 to f/22 (wide), f/5.8 to f/22 (tele)
• Intelligent Exposure with face detection and recognition
• Self-timer for delayed shutter release
• Spot, Center-Weighted, and Multi-Metering modes
• 1-Area, 23-Area, AF Tracking, and Face Detection autofocus modes
• Auto ISO, Intelligent ISO or 100 to 3,200 ISO equivalents in 1/3 stops
• White balance (color) adjustment with nine options, including a kelvin setting and two presets
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) printing compatibility

Reviews

cnet writes:

“The GH1 is the HD video version of the Lumix DMC-G1, the first micro four thirds camera. It’s capable of recording video at 1080p at 25 frames per second, or 720p at 50 frames per second, in the AVCHD format.”

shopping.com writes:

“The LUMIX GH1 features the Live View Finder system which enables something that simply is not possible with conventional DSLR cameras – the ability to preview the effects of camera settings (e.g., exposure, aperture, shutter speed) before taking the photo. This helps take the guesswork out of the camera setting process and helps users ensure that every photo they capture comes out exactly as they envisioned.”

teds  writes:

“The DMC-GH1 is not just a high performance still picture camera. Amazingly it can record Full-HD movies at 1080/24p or smooth HD movies at 720/60p in AVCHD with a continuous AF function.”

Photozone writes:

“Panasonic DMC-G1 is suitable for all kinds of photography, but it is limited by the lens options of the system. However, due to the small and lightweight body it is especially attractive for light-weight travel photography so the compromises may still be worth it. “
Rating: Recommended

Shuttebug writes:

“G1 is roughly average in terms of digital noise… My ISO 100-400 images are beautiful, with very high resolution.. When well exposed, even ISO 800 images made for very good letter-sized prints. By ISO 1600, however, the images are soft and colorful speckles obscure some fine detail, but 5×7” prints are still quite good”
Rating: N/A

 

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