First detailed Panasonic GF2 review at Photographyblog
Photographyblog just published their veeery long Panasonic GF2 review (6 pages!). “Cheaper than the GF1 was on launch, the new DMC-GF2 takes Panasonic’s compact system cameras in a new direction, aiming to appeal to a wider base of users who are looking for DSLR-like results from a simpler and more compact design. While it’s certainly not a logical upgrade for current GF1 owners, the GF2 deserves to make a big leap forward both for Panasonic and for the Compact System Camera market as a whole.”
Photographyblog gives a very positive rating for the GF2 but the GF1 is still a very tempting camera and very cheap now ($599 at Amazon)
P.S.: Amazon just changed the status of the new Panasonic lenses from “usually ships in 1-2 months” to “temporarily out of stock“. This usually means that they started to ship the first preordered lenses 
- Panasonic Lumix 14mm f/2.5 (Click here to check status on Amazon)
- Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6 (Click here to check status on Amazon)
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Comment from Dana Curtis Kincaid: Davide: Zoom lenses do NOT suck. They us...- Comment from Dana Curtis Kincaid: Davide: the Sony lineup of mirrorless c...
Comment from davide: Look at the primes, not at the zooms. Zo...- Comment from davide: Zoom lenses are moot, IMO. With pancakes...
davide
2 years ago |> Cheaper than the GF1 was on launch
What?
I remember GF1 launching at $900 with the exquisite 20mm f/1.7 (am I wrong?)
This one is selling for more than $1050 with the not-so-appealing 14mm f/2.5
mpgxsvcd
2 years ago |I believe the GF2 will be priced at $599 in the US with the “VERY APPEALING and small” 14m F2.5 lens.
Also Amazon changing the status of the lenses does not indicate that some have shipped. It indicates that some lenses are likely to ship in the next few days. Amazon probably got word that a shipment is on its way to them.
davide
2 years ago |Well, at $599 the camera sounds more interesting, but then announced prices in pounds don’t make any sense at all.
Anyway, even a $599 it will be still $100 more expensive than the NEX3 which is:
- smaller and lighter
- has a better IQ
- has a much better LCD (both in quality and in the semi-swiveling)
- has a more interesting 24mm-equivalent prime (instead of this “boring” 28mm)
So far (after the firmware upgrade fixing the interface flaws) the only problem with the Sonys is the lack of any pancake normal lens. If Sony comes out with something like the Panny’s 20mm, I’ll happily jump in that boat.
explorer
2 years ago |Not to turn it into a brand war but just a few comments on your comments:
1. NEX3 is not really smaller then the GF2 – NEX3 is smaller in one dimension and larger in the other. Also NEX3 + the 16mm lens is actually slightly heavier than the GF2 + 14mm. (NEX5 is a different story though)
2. The 24mm lens on NEX is interesting for occasional wide-angle use but is in-adequate for a carry-everywhere single lens solution as it is tooo wide for that. The Panasonic 20mm 1.7 is much better for this role and the new 14mm 2.5 is also better in that respect.
3. The faster aperture on these Panny lenses negates a lot of the NEX sensor advantage at this point.
4. Panasonic has a lot more lens options at this point.
davide
2 years ago |It’s not a brand war, in fact I was really panasonic fanbody for long time. Just growing disappointed in the way they are developing m43, and thus looking at the competition.
1. fair enough for the size, but Sony’s 16mm is 24mm-equivalent, so not really comparable to the 28mm-equivalent of Panny. Let’s say they are same size (but still Sony has larger and better sensor!)
2. In fact I wrote that Sony is lacking a normal prime like the panny 20mm. That’s a serious drawback, and the only reason why I’m not buying their stuff.
The Panny 14mm f/2.5 is pointless to me, focal length too close to the 20mm and 1 stop darker. Who cares? The 28mm-equivalent is less useful than 24mm-equivalent. It was so on film, it is especially true in digital, where you can get 28mm-fov which just marginal cropping.
3. For the wide lenses (besides what said at 2) f/2.5 vs f/2.8 isn’t any difference. For the zooms, I don’t care and didn’t look at all. For the normal, well f/1.7 (for Panny) is good, while Sony doesn’t have it, and that’s awful.
4. The only lenses I care about are wide 24mm-or-so-equivalent f/2.8, normal 43mm-or-so-equivalent f/1.4, portrait 45mm-or-so-equivalent f/1.4.
Panasonic has only the normal (and nothing else in its roadmap). Sony has only the wide and the portrait in the roadmap.
So for the camera, Sony has a clear edge.
For lenses, I’m greatly dissatisfied by both. BUT, at present, it seems more likely that Sony will “realize” they are missing a “normal” lens and make it, than Panasonic will “realize” that their “pseudo-leica-portrait” and “pseudo-wide” are useless and make replacements.
Zaph
2 years ago |There isn’t one on the Sony roadmap.
Tobias
2 years ago |The NEX is not smaller than the GF2. Put on a lens and it becomes a lens with a body attached that feels clumsy and cumbersome…
Plus, the NEX does not allow to attach a viewfinder. Who wants to be stuck with a camera like that?
davide
2 years ago |Zoom lenses are moot, IMO. With pancakes NEX’es are as small as GF2 (besides costing half the price and having a larger sensor).
I don’t care about viewfinder, if I wanted one I would have bought a G2/10 (actually I sold the G1 because I didn’t like the viewfinder!).
The only thing I’d miss would be flash, but I use it only for fill-in, so it’s not a great deal (and probably with Sony’s higher DR I wouldn’t need much fill-in anyway).
But as I wrote, they don’t have a prime “normal” lens, that’s the only reason why I’m still looking at m43.
davide
2 years ago |GF2 is on sale in Japan for 80,000 yen, namely $950
aleX9
2 years ago |Uhm…. i am pretty sure the GF2 is not gonna initially be $300 cheaper than the GF1 which started at $900. i have read the the price for the GF2 will be around $800-900.
aleX9
2 years ago |i mean… the 14mm lens itself is on sale for $399. and that would make the New Body be only $200. i dont think soo.
but i could be wrong… but most likely not.
Jason
2 years ago |Admin, what about those 2 new Olly bodies rumours ????
43hk
2 years ago |The bigger sensor in the Sony will mean that the Nex lenses will always be bulkier per given focal length. Small camera, big lenses for the Sony.
Nex is a great idea but this is the one drawback. All cameras are compromised in some way.
The G system at least potentially offers better IQ and ISO in the future where the Nex is up against the laws of physics.
bookervrk
2 years ago |To admin
Finally,The japanese Official site announce the GF2.
Nice ADs.
And release on Japanese market in December.
That’s why I am not surprise the announcement of
E-pl1s recently.@@
Tobias W.
2 years ago |Where does that rumor come from that a NEX is actually smaller?! Sure, the body is smaller. But put on ANY Sony lens and the whole thing becomes bigger, clumsier and more cumbersome!
I went to a store just two weeks ago and compared the NEX3 with what appeared to be a standard lens with my E-PL1. Even the E-PL1 is more compact with the lens retracted.
davide
2 years ago |Look at the primes, not at the zooms. Zoom lenses suck.
Panasonic GF2
2 years ago |Panasonic provides announced the Lumix DMC-GF2 Mini 4 Thirds camera. Any simplified model with the corporation’s GF1, Panasonic GF2 inherits the same flat-body layout but with revised handle layout and touch-screen manage.
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about an hour. I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.
Dana Curtis Kincaid
2 years ago |Davide: the Sony lineup of mirrorless cameras isn’t competitive due to poor control and software layout. I’m sure Sony will fix this, but I think they were a bit rushed…
Dana Curtis Kincaid
2 years ago |Davide: Zoom lenses do NOT suck. They used to. Not now.
That said, Micro Four Thirds need FASTER zooms. I would like to see the 12-60 and 50-200 F2.8-3.5 ported over.
Is anyone here using the 12-60 on M43 bodies with and adapter?