Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

The Panasonic 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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Panasonic GH1 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

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

In the Box

The retail package contains the following items:

• Panasonic DMC-GH1 body and cap
• Lumix G Vario 14-140mm Interchangeable lens with Mega O.I.S.
• Battery pack
• Battery Charger/AC adapter
• AC cable
• Video cable
• USB cable
• Strap
• Lens hood
• Lens storage bag
• Lens cap
• Lens rear cap
• Instruction manual and registration information
• CD-ROM

imaging-resource on the GH1

The one element missing from the G1 was video, but the GH1 fixes that. Indeed, the camera offers 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 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.

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.”

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 hands-on review by Philip Bloom:
“The image out of the camera is utterly terrific, so clean and noise free. Also very sharp. It’s a dream to use operational wise and the auto functions make it even better.”

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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