The Lumix DMC-GX1 is Panasonic’s new Micro Four Thirds digital camera and we have even seen what they provide and whether any DSLR longer needed, if you have this camera.
There are now three years since Micro Four Thirds system cameras with sensor and bayonet. The GX1 has inherited the retro design of the G3 GF1 and the 16 – received megapixel sensor. The touch screen is from the GF2.
In operationThe GX1
feels stable, offers a variety of settings and remembers not just a compact camera. It is as large as the old rangefinder cameras and fills out a hand full. As with many DSLRs also control buttons and dials are located on the camera body, which may discourage the user only once. ISO, continuous shooting, auto focus modes and white balance can be adjusted via buttons on the back.
click wheel regulates the aperture and shutter speed when you activate the corresponding part of the purely automatic or manual mode. One wonders, of course, inevitably, as can be adjusted with a wheel on two parameters. Quite simply: the wheel can also be pressed like a button, and then we turn around time between aperture and
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addition, there are two programmable function buttons, but you need not really, because the touch-screen operation of the camera was excellently solved. Most settings can be made perfect without the additional hardware buttons. As with the LCD on the GF3 can also change the focus point with a finger pointing at the screen and even press the shutter button. The shift in focus also works in video mode it is wonderful.
Unfortunately the camera is not just the fastest, but the auto focus in low light situations governed also still fast enough. The shutter lag is minimal. When burst mode up to 4.2 frames per second can be made – and load after 7 photos in raw mode, the camera has a memory break, they can shoot up again
.What we like
Like the previous models from Panasonic makes the camera much easier in daylight good pictures and the increased sensor resolution enlargements. The camera is very easy to use and the settings can also be found quite easily by beginners. But for really good videos should you use a different camera
– the HD video function produces acceptable movies.What we do not like
As with all Micro Four Thirds cameras, the images from ISO 800 quite noisy, and see at a particularly bad light even at ISO 400 noise artifacts in the magnification. The camera could use a faster image processor, to achieve a higher continuous shooting speed and a larger cache, the more RAW images can be recorded in a row would not have been bad.
The remaining list of complaints is small, but nice. The touchscreen does work wonderfully, but the menu design could be quite appealing. The click wheel looks tiny and does not scroll as good as one is accustomed to in other cameras. The result is that sometimes the wheel crushes it to rotate in place.
Our test model came with the lens 14-42mm, which includes a motorized zoom. This is useful for video, but in the photo operation absolutely unnecessary. For this target group, there is also a kit with manual zoom.
Conclusion
Who wants to lug around with it and no big change yet DSLR lenses and accessories such as lightning infect wants to put the camera and watch them try. Despite the relatively large case, the lenses are far more compact than the one piece of an APS-C camera.
the GX1 is not perfect. The sensor should be less noise. In low Lichtverhzältnissen the Sony system cameras NEX NEX-C3 and 5N are significantly better. On Flickr, we published a small collection of sample images.
Specifications Panasonic LumixGX1
Sensor: 16 Megapixel, 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS
Image Size: 4592 x 3448
Video: 1920 x 1.080/60i
screen: 461 000 pixels, 3 inches TFT LCD
Price: € 600 from housing, with 14-42 mm zoom power about 900 €, with 14-42 mm approx 800 €
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[Mario Aguilar / Andreas Donath]
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