The compact mirrorless camera is pretty
much a Panasonic creation. So the Panasonic Lumix DSC-GX1 gives you the comfort
of the most mature compact system camera. This means ease-of-use and a
versatility very few cameras of this kind can offer.
The
GX1 has a very compact body
The GX1 has a very compact body, not much
larger than a regular point -and-shoot. We tested the camera with two lenses, a
14mm and a 14-44mm lens. With the pancake-like 14mm, which is ideal for
portraiture and street photography, the camera is compact enough to be kept
inside a coat pocket. This successor to Panasonics GF range of compact system
cameras is peppered with dials and buttons. The operative part, however, is the
3-inch capacitive screen which can be used for some basic tweaks as well to
select the area of the frame you want to focus on. The screen comes with a level
gauge and a tab to open some of the options. Then touch-based focus from the
screen, similar to the EOS M, is a great feature to have a in a camera and
saves time while you are composing complicated frames. But more touch actions
could have been incorporated into the screen.
Panasonic
Lumix DSC-GX1 gives you the comfort of the most mature compact system camera
The Lumix G series comes with an amazing
range of lens options and that is one of the strong points of this camera. The
micro four-thirds sensor of the GX1, with the right lens, can do anything you
would on a DSLR. In fact, it can do creative controls even before you click a
picture. But then you wouldn't need to be that creative with the pictures as
the results from the camera seem to have much more character than those shot
with DSLR. We felt the colors were much more vibrant.
All
making this a complete camera
Like the Olympus 0M-D EM-5, which we
thought was among the best cameras we tested last years, the GX1 one too
performs excellently in low light. Even with a maximum ISO of 12800, the
results were stunning, though we did notice some noise. This is also an
extremely fast camera, not just because the auto-focus is sprightly. The burst
mode is superfast. So fast that it is tough to hear one click from the other.
The burst mode is also available with different picture qualities, which is
unique. You wouldn't miss a butterfly with this feature.
The one thing we were not all that
impressed by was the fact that it is tough to make out anything on the screen
under the harsh Indian sun. There is an electronic viewfinder that can be
paired with this camera and we suggest you invest on that too. There is a
pop-up flash as well as a hot shoe for speed lights, all making this a complete
camera.
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Panasonic
Lumix DSC-GX1
§ Price:
$924
§ Image
Sensor: 16 million effective pixels
§ Metering:
144 zone multi pattern, multi-weighted, centre-weighted, spot
§ Lens
Mount: Micro Four Thirds
§ Exposure
Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual
§ Sensor:
4/3 type Live MOS 17.3x13mm
§ 35
SLR Lens Factor: 2x
§ Shutter
Speed (stills): 60 sec to 1/4000 second and Bulb
§ Flash
sync: 1/160 sec
§ Continuous
Shooting: 2-20 fps
§ Memory:
SD/SDHC/SDXC cards
§ Image
Sizes (pixels): Stills: 4592×3448 to 1712×1712
§ Movies:
1920×1080 (50i recording), 1280×720 (50p recording), (sensor output: 25fps)
(AVCHD); 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×480 (25 fps output) (MPEG4)
§ Viewfinder:
7.6cm LCD screen (460,000 pixels)
§ File
Formats: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW, MPO (3D), MPEG4, AVCHD
§ Color
Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
§ ISO
Sensitivity: Auto, 160 to 12,800
§ Interface:
USB 2.0, HDMI mini, AV, remote control
§ Power:
Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input
§ Dimensions:
116x68x39 WHD mm
§ Weight:
413 g (lens, card and battery)
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