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Panasonic Lumix GF1 12.1MP Digital System Camera 20mm Lens Kit - Black | 
| Brand: Panasonic
Buy New: £599.99
as of 29/7/2010 10:58 BST details
Rating:  11 reviews
Media: Electronics
Display Size: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 4.9
MPN: Lumix GF1 20mm Lens Kit (Black)
Model: Lumix GF1 20mm Lens Kit (Black)
EAN: 5025232538034
ASIN: B002OB494G
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Little gem November 2, 2009
rossrossross (Belfast)
35 out of 36 found this review helpful
A fantastic little camera. Have owned one for over a month now and have been delighted with the results. Having previously owned Canon Ixus / Powershot cameras I had decided to upgrade to an SLR but was intrigued by the Micro 4/3 system - I think that an SLR would have spent too much time unused in a box, I wanted something small enough to carry around in a pocket. Having checked out a lot of reviews for the Olympus EP1 and the GF1 I decided on the Panasonic.
Overall I think that the camera is excellent -
* very solid (& heavy!), good build quality - lots of metal not plastic, all marked "Made in Japan" NOT China, gold plated usb connection, lens fitting is excellent
* fantastic picture quality compared to my earlier cameras
* superb menu system & hugely customisable
* excellent colour modes
* ISO performance up to ISO800 (1600 & 3200 not great but you can still get an arty b&w to come out OK).
* 20mm lens performs brilliantly for something so small & light
* Interchangeable lenses are an obvious advantage over compacts & superzooms - as well as the 20mm I bought a 2nd hand 45-200mm zoom which has performed well
* HD video is an excellent bonus - compared with some reviews I have been very impressed. There is an option for HD `Lite' (for TV playback) or HD JPEG (for PC / YouTube etc.) and the image quality is fantastic. You need to play about a bit to get best results and don't expect camcorder quality obviously.
A few drawbacks - I would have preferred inbuilt IS on the camera body. The 20mm is excellent even in poor light but IS would have made it outstanding. As another reviewer has noted, Panasonic need a firmware update to stop the camera defaulting to f1.7. It has an annoying habit, aprticularly in Aperture Priority mode, of defaulting to f1.7 at 100ISO with 1/30sec exposure time. Without stabilisation I cannot take a sharp picture handheld at 1/30 & need to manually adjust the ISO to a higher setting which I think the camera should be doing automatically. It can also default to f1.7 at 1/1000 exposure on bright days in Auto mode - again easily adjusted manually but a bit annoying. Keep an eye out for firmware updates from Panasonic, I imagine there will be more to come
Overall though I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
My recommendations for accessories:
* Lowepro Rezo 60 Digital Camera Pouch - Black is an excellent case for the camera + 20mm. Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Arctic Blue is a good case for the camera + additional lenses.
* You'll need at least a Class 6 SDHC card of at least 16gb (1 minute of HD recording can be 250mb). I use a Transcend 16GB SDHC Class 6 Memory Card works very well in the camera.
* This is very light compare to an SLR, even with a 45-200mm lens. I use a very lightweight Manfrotto tripod (either this one: Manfrotto Modo Tripod or something very similar).
Ideal for travelling December 8, 2009
Mr. T. Russell (Edinburgh, Scotland)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a truly marvellous camera from Panasonic. It has most of the functions of a SLR but none of the bulk or weight. With the 20mm lens fitted it is ideal as a "take it anywhere" camera but it has a larger sensor than most compacts and, therefore, handles low-light scenes much better. Most of the common functions are available without delving into menus and Panasonic's "intelligent" setting is useful if you're not too experienced. The zoom lenses that fit it are not large and a whole outfit could be easily carried in a small photo bag. Highly recommended if you want high quality images without the hassle of a large SLR.
An excellent combination April 14, 2010
Keith Henry
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This camera is a DSLR that you will actually take with you. It's still a fairly big piece of kit - it reminds me of the 35mm range finder that I had when I was a kid (an Olympus TRIP 35).
Put it on intelligent-auto mode and it's a camera anyone can use, and the interface to open up all the manual options is well designed and fairly easy to learn. Pass it to your point and shoot friend and they'll be able to use it, and if you're a DSLR user you'll feel at home.
The 20mm f1.7 lens is excellent and effortlessly takes rather nice bokeh effect shots. The body struggles a bit at ISOs above 400, but the wide aperture means that I rarely need them. Natural light and indoor shots come out great. It'll struggle in a darker environment like a nightclub, but it's also still to big to take on that sort of night out.
It fits in the pocket of my long overcoat, but is too heavy and bulky to carry there comfortably.
It's an excellent travel camera.
Excellent camera January 8, 2010
Porrig
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
How do I rate this camera? Well, once I had it for a few weeks I sold ALL of my DSLR gear as it was redundant for my needs. I regard myself as a serious hobbyist and for my interests - street photography, urban, landscape and capturing a growing family - this is ideal. Excellent build, a joy to use and portable along with excellent image quality.
Love it. My best camera purchase ever.
A Peach of a camera! March 28, 2010
Ian Gervais (London, United Kingdom)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love this camera! I read numerous positive reviews before buying it and even then, it surpassed my high expectations. I usually use my Nikon D80 when picture quality is imperative but found it too big to carry with me all the time, particularly on holiday. The GF1 gives me the picture quality I want but is eminently portable. The GF1, particularly with the 20mm pancake lens, is a joy to use. I now take it out everywhere with me and have consequently taken many more pictures.
The one minor disappointment is the cost and the quality of the optional Electronic Viewfinder (DMC-LVF1) which is adequate but overpriced. I think I'll wait for the price to drop (between £100-£120 seems reasonable to me) before I buy or hopefully Panasonic will listen to it's customers and upgrade the resolution.
If image quality, portability and low-light capability are high on your list of priorities, I would recommend GF1 unreservedly.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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