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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 photo samples

The GX1 delivers some of Panasonic's best photo quality to date, but the JPEG processing still needs a bit of work.

Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Lori Grunin
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1 of 6 Matthew Fitzgerald/CNET

Noise

While there are still some issues, the low ISO sensitivity noise on the GX1's JPEGs is visibly better than the rest of the G series, though the in-camera processing could still be a bit better (see subsequent slides). In good light, you can shoot JPEGs up to about ISO 400 without serious detail degradation, although even at ISO 200 you can see some softness.
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2 of 6 Matthew Fitzgerald/CNET

Noise, low ISO sensitivities

Even at ISO 160 (the GX1's lowest), shadow areas still display the blue-channel artifacts that tend to plague Panasonic's JPEGs, appearing as yellow blotches--look at the text on the left side. (It's a lot easier to see the problem if your monitor is calibrated to Adobe RGB rather than sRGB.) Processing raw files makes a big differences in clarity even at this low a sensitivity.
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3 of 6 Lori Grunin/CNET

Processing, ISO 1600

You can see how soft the GX1's high-ISO-sensitivity JPEGs get. Processing them as raw looks grainier, but I prefer it to the mushiness of the JPEGs, and they look pretty good for this class of camera.

(1/30 sec, f2.8, AWB, spot metering, ISO 1,600, Olympus 17mm f2.8 lens)
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4 of 6 Lori Grunin/CNET

Color

I have no complaints about the GX1's colors. They're bright, accurate, and saturated. Even deep, saturated reds maintain detail (not shown).
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5 of 6 Lori Grunin/CNET

Sharpness

The lens/camera combination delivers sufficiently sharp photos without looking crunchy. The raws can be sharpened a little more without introducing artifacts.

(1/100 sec, f4.4, AWB, spot metering, ISO 160, Natural Photo Style, 14-42mm PZ lens at 20mm)
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6 of 6 Lori Grunin/CNET

Speed

The GX1 can focus and shoot fast enough to get some reasonable shots of moving subjects, as long as they don't move too erratically.

(1/30 sec, f5.2, AWB, spot metering, ISO 160, Natural Photo Style, 14-42mm PZ lens at 28mm)

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