20mm lens kit
With the 20mm f1.7 pancake lens, the GF1 has a relatively compact design that's just a tad bigger than most enthusiast compacts.
14-45mm lens kit
The zoom kit lens is fine, and autofocuses quietly and moderately quickly when recording video. I wish it could focus closer than 1 foot, however.
Flash
Unlike the Olympus E-P1, the GF1 includes a flash--a very nice pop-up version that's pretty powerful without being overly harsh.
Easy to understand
The GF1 offers a lot of features, but as long as you're not a newbie you should find all the controls pretty easy to understand and find, without too much menu diving. For instance, the switch for burst shooting, bracketing and self-timer is more easily accessed than on most models.
The camera also has a lot of flexibility. The two custom settings slots on the mode dial hold two sets each. With the Motion Picture program mode, you can adjust exposure compensation and aperture. And a (poorly named) Peripheral Defocus scene mode functions as a kind of wide-aperture-priority mode for obtaining shallow-depth-of-field photos. My only gripe with the design is the rather small, hard-to-feel record button.
The camera also has a lot of flexibility. The two custom settings slots on the mode dial hold two sets each. With the Motion Picture program mode, you can adjust exposure compensation and aperture. And a (poorly named) Peripheral Defocus scene mode functions as a kind of wide-aperture-priority mode for obtaining shallow-depth-of-field photos. My only gripe with the design is the rather small, hard-to-feel record button.
Direct-access controls
Panasonic is pretty good about giving you direct access to the most frequently used shooting controls. The navigation buttons bring up white balance (including two manual slots and color temperature), ISO sensitivity, AF mode (face detection, tracking, 23 area, or single area), and a function button to which you can assign film mode, aspect ratio, quality, metering, intelligent exposure, and a few display options. The Q.Menu button pulls up the rest of the important settings: flash options, color/film modes, stabilizer options, still- and video-recording quality, LCD brightness options, and duplications of some of the direct-access control options.
More Galleries
My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?