Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
More than any gadget in late store , the Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 is a showpiece for the benefits and drawbacks of a touchscreen interface . Although the photographic camera ’s touchscreen UI infix a few groundbreaking features to the thickset interchangeable - lens television camera category , it may forget you hanker for quondam - fashioned parallel controls more often than not .
At heart , the Lumix DMC - GF2 ( $ 700 as a kit with an optically stabilized 14 - 42mm / F3.5 - 5.6 crystalline lens or a 14mm / F2.5 prime crystalline lens ; Mary Leontyne Price as of May 16 , 2011 ) is a souped - up successor to the innovational Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF1 . The GF2 improves on the GF1 ’s basic specs with a smaller , more streamlined body ; higher - settlement , 1920 - by-1080 60i video recording ; in high spirits ISO sensitivity ( ISO 6400 versus ISO 3200 ) ; and compatibility with Panasonic ’s optional 3D conversion lens .
The most noticeable new feature in the GF2 is its 3 - in touchscreen , which provides significant benefits while you ’re frivol away stills and television . Namely , it countenance you use touch - to - focal point controls like the ones you ’ll line up on many smartphones — a muscular , various feature in a tv camera with the GF2 ’s adult sensor and swappable lenses . The camera ’s touchscreen port is also customizable , so you could touch - get at your preferred preferences quickly , and the tv camera ’s aesthetic design is clean and uncluttered due to the deficiency of physical controls .
But the 3 - inch touchscreen is also where this camera ’s problems start . A touch screen simply is n’t an good backup man for some physical controls — most notably a mode dial — and menu navigation via the touch screen can make you perform a deal of screen presses , smudging up the only aboriginal viewfinder the camera has as you go . You do n’t want to use the touch screen for everything ; if you do n’t practice it , however , you still have to navigate a set of fare via the tv camera ’s directing launch area to access some of import options .
The issue is a good television camera , but a thwarting one . To please novice users , the Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 endeavor to do a bit too much with its touchscreen , which ultimately hampers its useableness for seasoned gun for hire . The GF2 is still a phenomenal footstep - up photographic camera for anyone who is look for to swop in a percentage point - and - shoot down for interchangeable - lens power , but manual - minded photographer will be slowed down by the GF2 ’s touchscreen interface .
Design and standout features
The 12 - megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 is certainly small for an interchangeable - lens camera , as its body ( without a lense attached ) measures just 1.29 inches mystifying , 4.44 inches wide , and 2.67 inch tall . Not only is it smaller on every attribute than the Lumix GF1 , but it ’s also scrawny than the interchangeable - lensSony Alpha NEX-5(1.56 inches rich , 4.38 inch wide , 2.38 inch tall ) and even more stocky than some point - and - shoot television camera , such as the Canon PowerShot G12 ( 1.9 inches deep , 4.4 inches wide , 3.00 inches tall ) .
Like many recent Panasonic camera , the GF2 offers super firm autofocus , which you really call for to see to believe . As long as a subject area is at least a few column inch away from the lens , the autofocus system of rules is lightning - fast and rarely put on — and if it is fooled , you have the pick of touching the screen to focus wherever you need .
In summation to a manual focus mode , you ’ll find a 23 - area focal point system , continuous autofocus in telecasting mode , move - tracking autofocus , and the ability to transition between focussing points while you ’re filming video recording . When it comes to focus options , the footling GF2 crushes the vast majority of full - size DSLRs .
It ’s also a very solidly build , aesthetically pleasing camera , with a slightly more New feeling than that of the GF1 thanks to its redesign , swoopy handgrip . Despite its midget sizing , the Lumix GF2 negociate to tamp down in a pop - up flash , which you’re able to manually tilt ( and hold ) upward to employ as a jury-rigged bounce flash . The GF2 also declare oneself a hot shoe that swallow proprietary flashes , an optional eye - point finder , and international microphones .
A few of the GF1 ’s strong-arm controls have been moved to the touchscreen menu . The top of the GF2 has neither a mode telephone dial nor a toggle switch switch for burst shoot or bracket manner ; on the back of the television camera , you ’ll find neither a consecrated on-off switch button for autofocus / manual focus nor a release to lock focus or exposure .
You do have the option of designate the GF2 ’s ‘ Quick Menu ’ push button as a Function control that lock nidus and photograph ; the GF2 ’s directional pad offers memory access to continuous shooting manner , too . However , not get dedicated button and dials for so many circumstance adds up when you ’re using this camera extensively . You have to adjust all those setting by navigating the bill of fare in different means : by tap icons on the touchscreen , navigating the on - screen selection via the camera ’s four - way directional pad , or a combination of the two .
The GF2 has a few button - based shortcuts . On the top is an iA ( Intelligent Auto ) clitoris , which gives you direct access to the camera ’s auto mode ; you also get a physical shutter button , a dedicated picture record button , and a major power switch . The iA button work as a toggle : press it once bring you to auto mood , and pressing it again jumps back to whatever manual options you were using before .
The back of the camera is very white around the 3 - column inch touch screen , with just a release for popping up the flash , a click / coil wheel for dialing in aperture values and other configurations , a playback button , a programmable ‘ Quick Menu / Function ’ button for accessing user - set controls on the fly front , and a four - way directional pad that doubles as one - press access to ISO , white counterbalance , focus ascendence , and burst mood .
Like all of Panasonic ’s Micro Four Thirds System cameras , the GF2 has a craw component / focal length multiplier of 2x , mean that the outfit zoom lens has an effective zoom range of 28 mm to 84 millimetre in 35 mm film eq . Even without a dedicated macro lense , macro operation is astonishingly good with the 14 - 42 millimetre kit lens system , especially when you dial in a focal length of about 50 mm , buffer or bounce the flashgun , and compose your shot from there .
The Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 offer RAW and RAW+JPEG capture modes , as well as a burst style that captures 3.2 epitome per secondly at full 12 - megapixel resolution . When shooting JPG photos , you’re able to commemorate images in burst fashion until your SD Card fill up ; in RAW , you ’re limited to seven shots in a quarrel .
The GF2 performs astonishingly well at gamey ISO levels , as both image sharpness and stochasticity are n’t much of an issue until you get beyond ISO 1600 . You detect quite a routine of grain at ISO 3200 and 6400 ; but even at those high ISO levels , color accuracy is impressive . See the tryout shot we accept atISO 200,ISO 400,ISO 800,ISO 1600,ISO 3200 , andISO 6400with the GF2 .
Performance, image quality, and video quality
In our lab ’s immanent tests for image and video quality , the Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 exhibited the same tendency to underexpose images in Intelligent Auto style as other recent Panasonic Lumix camera did . The camera ’s Auto mode produces muted images and gravitates toward grayer whites than we ’d like .
Using manual exposure controls , the camera jumps to the other closing of the exposure spectrum , as colour and whites run to seem oversaturated and muff out . Overall , using a combining of auto - exposed and manually expose test shot , the GF2 earned an imaging score of Fair . We range its people of color accuracy as Fair and its picture quality as Fair ; on image sharpness the GF2 clear a score of Good , and on lack of distortion it turned in a score of Fair . As with many Panasonic photographic camera , image timbre gets drastically better when you expend the GF2 ’s manual setting , which makes it all the more frustrating that they ’re not particularly sluttish to admittance .
As for shooting movies , the GF2 farm adequate - looking 1920 - by-1080 AVCHD video in our subjective tests , with quiet motion and bright , bright colors . The white background in our bright - light test clipping looked a bit blow out , however , and the camera ’s autofocus searched a bit at the beginning of our clip .
In low light , the GF2 was a less - impressive video recording performer . It ’s also important to note that the GF2 lack the full manual controls for video that you ’ll find in the higher - closing Lumix GH2 and the point - and - shoot Lumix LX5 . However , the photographic camera ’s touch - to - focussing controls and its array of automatize metering , uninterrupted focus , and wind - blocking microphone controls add up to its standout television capabilities .
you could view the examination videos we used for our subjective tests below . Select1080pfrom the drop - down menu in each instrumentalist to see the high - resolution television footage .
Touchscreen controls: the good, the bad, and the awkward
The Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 ’s touchscreen is an modern and essential instrument in one particular region : focus controls . Autofocus on this camera is very fast , and the ability to touch an area of the covert and have the tv camera ringlet nidus and snap a shaft within a fraction of a moment is a major plus . The touch - focus restraint are specially outstanding in video mode , as you’re able to leap out between focal point points while immortalize merely by touching different region of the screen door . Put simply , no other camera in the GF2 ’s class can do that , and it ’s a huge draw for anyone who wants to shoot picture with this television camera .
Where the touchscreen lurch is in execute somewhat canonic labor . Due to the camera ’s want of a mode dial , you enter the GF2 ’s shooting modal value by pressing the carte button in the snapper of the camera ’s directing pad , selecting one of the eight pick ( Program , Aperture Priority , Shutter Priority , Manual , iA , Color Filters , Scenes , or substance abuser - defined Custom configurations ) via the touchscreen or the directional launch area , and then adapt photo controls via either the touchscreen or the photographic camera ’s back - bestride scrollwheel .
Although that does n’t sound like much of a hassle , most on - the - fly adjustments expect you to use both hands and/or reframe your dead reckoning . And due to the wealth of touchscreen control and programmable buttons , it ’s easy to get lose in this camera . While the top - left corner of the filmdom displays which shooting mode is currently active ( P , A , S , M , and setting modes ) , nothing outfox distinctly mark parallel dial and buttons when it comes to know what the camera is up to .
What ’s more , the touch screen is always fighting while the camera is on , which intend that if you have the touch - shutter mathematical function turned on , you ’ll almost always take a few accidental dig while you ’re putting on the lens ceiling or seek to wipe off the CRT screen .
The largerPanasonic Lumix DMC - GH2also employs touchscreen controls , but in a much more successful way . What makes using the GF2 radically dissimilar is that the touchscreen is the only game in town for many of the controls ; you’re able to also use the guiding pad to access many scene , but it still adds steps to the cognitive operation . Unlike the GH2 , the GF2 does n’t give you the pick of using traditional , physical buttons for the camera ’s core lineament .
Long story brusk : After using this camera for an extensive period of meter , I escape having a manner dial and dedicated buttons , even though the touchscreen is unique in focusing tricks .
Macworld buying advice
The Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF2 is a good camera , with fast autofocus , useful touch - focus controls for stills and video , and an impressively pocket-sized size for the performance it allow for . at last , however , it had me itch for a Lumix GF3 , which I ’m hop will offer a return to more - traditional physical controlsin addition totouchscreen - focusing options and improved carrying into action in Auto style . A combination of the GF2 ’s feeling - focus capability and the GF1 ’s real buttons and telephone dial would total up to a compact exchangeable - genus Lens television camera that please both casual and more - experienced hit man . As it stand up , the GF2 leaves a few too many important controls to its touchscreen while abandoning the former - school knobs and button that would make it easier to shoot with .
