Digital Camera World » Panasonic

Panasonic TZ40 review

jmeyer — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:45 +0000

Panasonic TZ40 review: the new addition to Panasonic’s popular ultra-wide TZ range of travel compacts brings a lot of sophisticated features. But can it deliver on image quality? Amy Davies puts it to the test in her Panasonic TZ40 review video.

The TZ series is Panasonic’s popular range of travel compacts and this is the TZ40, the latest version, featuring a 20x optical zoom Leica lens.

The TZ40 has built-in Wi-Fi, which means that you can control the camera remotely via a smartphone app, where you can also save images for sharing online.

On the side of the Lumix TZ40 is an NFC chip, which means that if you have any compatible devices, all you need to do is tap the two devices together for an instant connection.

GPS is also built in, which is useful for a travel camera as it saves you having to remember the exact location of all your photos.

Amy Davies of our testing team puts this new Panasonic camera and all of its key features to the test in her Panasonic TZ40 review video.

Panasonic TZ40 Review Video Transcript

The TZ series is Panasonic’s popular range of travel compacts and this is the TZ40, the latest version, featuring a 20x optical zoom Leica lens.

Unusually for a compact, the TZ40 features a mode dial on top of the camera, where you can access fully manual and semi-automatic modes, such as aperture and shutter priority. Also on this mode dial you’ll find scene modes and fully automatic modes and space for upto two groups of customised settings.

This camera has built-in Wi-Fi, which means that you can control the camera remotely via a smartphone app, where you can also save images for sharing online. Here on the side of the camera is an NFC chip, which means that if you have any compatible devices, all you need to do is tap the two devices together for an instant connection. If you don’t, then you can still connect via entering a unique password in your device’s Wi-Fi settings.

GPS is also built in, which is useful for a travel camera as it saves you having to remember the exact location of all your photos – though it is worth remembering having GPS activated can be a drain on a battery life.

On the back of the camera is a 920,000 dot touchscreen. This is extremely useful for changing the autofocus point, which you can do simply by tapping the area on the screen you want to use. You can also use it to fire the shutter release – the camera will focus first, then capture the image. This is fairly fast and responsive, and is useful when shooting on a tripod for example, or for capturing quick action.

Aside from the mode dial, there are no settings dials on the TZ40. Instead, if you want to change aperture, you press this Exposure button and then press left or right. To change shutter speed, you use the same button, but press up or down. Perhaps a little confusingly, you don’t alter exposure compensation with the Exposure button – this has it’s own dedicated button on the four way control pad here.

A Quick Menu button gives access to all the most commonly used settings, saving you from delving into the more extensive menu. Here you’ll find everyday settings such as ISO and white balance. The number of options changes depending on the shooting mode being used, for instance, you’ll find more when shooting in semi-automatic and fully manual modes.

The optical zoom lens is extended and retracted via a small switch around the shutter release. The zooming mechanism is pretty smooth and fluid, which is good news considering the 20x optical length. As the zoom reaches its maximum optical capability, it stops, requiring a second push to enter the digital zoom – this is great for preventing an accidental stray into the digital zoom if you don’t want to use it.

There’s no need to worry about capturing an image at the far end of the optical zoom as Panasonic’s image stabilisation does a fantastic job of preventing blur, even when shooting handheld. Here’s a comparison of the lens extended to full with image stabilisation off, and here, with image stabilisation switched on.

Previous TZ cameras have really impressed us, so we had high hopes for the TZ40. Happily, we have not been disappointed, with bright and punchy images with plenty of detail.

Panasonic GH3 revealed, boasting Wi-Fi, extended video capability

jmeyer — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:35:14 +0000

Panasonic has added a new flagship camera to its Lumix range, announcing the Panasonic Lumix GH3 at Photokina 2012.

The Panasonic GH3 offers a new 16.05-megapixel Live MOS sensor with a maximum equivalent ISO of 12,800 (extendable to ISO 25,600), as well as a new Venus Engine FHD processor that Panasonic says enables better noise performance at higher sensitivities.

One of the signature features of the Panasonic GH3 is its built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing photographers to control features such as exposure, focus points or triggering the shutter remotely via a free app for iOS and Android.

Panasonic has also beefed up the Lumix GH3′s video capability, allowing full HD footage to be recorded at 50, 25 or 24p at 50Mbps.

With compression set to ALL-I video can be recorded at 72Mbps.

Other highlights of the Panasonic GH3 include continuous shooting at 6fps at full resolution, or 20fps at 4 megapixels, and the GH3 will also automatically back-up your images to Panasonic’s Lumix Club Cloud Sync service.

Panasonic has also added more weatherproofing to the Lumix GH3, which it claims is dust- and splash-proof. The camera itself weighs in at 550g.

The Panasonic GH3 price tag is expected to be around £1000 for the body-only.

For more on how it performs, follow our testing team’s Hands-on Panasonic GH3 review.

Below you can watch a movie recorded on the Panasonic GH3, shot by Philip Bloom.

Panasonic GF5 launched for beginner market

jmeyer — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:30:47 +0000

Panasonic has unveiled the latest compact system camera to sit in its beginner range, in the shape of the GF5.

The update to the GF3 features what Panasonic claims to be the world’s fastest autofocus (0.09 seconds), and a completely new 12 million pixel sensor. A fast Venus engine combines with the new sensor to produce image quality which Panasonic says is comparable to the G3.

Other new features include higher ISO capability, 4fps shooting and a newly designed user interface which includes on-screen help to guide new users.

A number of digital filters, including Cross Process, Toy Camera, Selective Colour and Impressive Art are also included on the camera, all of which can be adjusted and altered to suit a user’s needs.

The GF5 features a touchscreen LCD screen at the back of the camera, which is used to access the different modes, such as aperture priority and scene modes.

The Panasonic Lumix GF5 price will be £449 with the standard 14-42mm kit lens. A version with the new power zoom “X” lens will be around £550.

Read a hands-on Panasonic GF5 review at our sister site TechRadar.

DO or Di? Your lens markings explained

jmeyer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:58:33 +0000

Does your lens has more letters after its name than a retired rocket scientist. What do all these lens markings mean?

You can refer to a lens simply by the name of the manufacturer, the focal length, and its maximum aperture – a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6, say, or Canon 50mm f/1.4. But as lenses have often evolved from decades of development, they usually have a line of additional letters after their names, stamped on the barrel or printed on the boxes.

Some lens markings are about manufacturer branding – defining a more recent range, or a lens that’s built to higher standards than another. Others are to do with the optics themselves, and to highlight specific technologies used in the lens construction.

In the jargon-busting guide below, we’ll translate these lens markings for you.

The ultimate guide to understanding lens markings

AF Stands for autofocus. Nearly all lenses have this feature,  but there’s an increasing trend for niche lens manufacturers (such as Samyang and Carl Zeiss) to offer lenses that can only be focused manually.

AF-S Stands for autofocus-silent. This features on Nikon lenses that use a silent motor to control the autofocus.

AL Stands for aspherical lens. All camera lenses are made up of a number of individual lenses or elements. Many of these elements are spherical – as if cut from a sphere. Aspherical elements are less rounded – and are used in some types of lenses to help minimise chromatic aberration.

APO Stands for apochromatic. This features on Sigma lenses that use super-low dispersion (SLD) lens elements to reduce chromatic aberration.

AS Stands for aspherical (see AL).

Asp Stands for aspherical (see AL).

AT-X Stands for Advance Technology Extra – the branding used on all current Tokina lenses.

D A type of Tokina lens that’s compatible with full-frame SLRs.

DA Stands for Digital Auto. This features on a range of Pentax lenses that (unlike some earlier ranges) don’t have a manual aperture ring. They have a ‘Quick Shift’ mechanism that enables you to override focus manually, even when the lens is switched to autofocus.

DA* Star by name, star by nature. The premium lens range from Pentax, which combines weatherproofing with the advantages of the DA range.

DC This features on the range of Sigma lenses that are designed specifically for use with crop factor SLRs, and which can’t be used with full-frame models.

DFA This features on the range of Pentax lenses that will work with full-frame 35mm film cameras, but which are also optimised for use on crop-factor digital SLRs.

DG This refers to the Sigma lens range that’s suitable for full-frame SLRs (but that can also be used on crop-factor models).

Di Tamron’s ‘Digitally Integrated’ lenses have a full-size image circle, so they are suitable for full-frame and crop-factor SLRs.

Di II Tamron’s second-generation Digitally Integrated lenses are designed for use on popular crop-factor SLRs, and are not suitable for full-frame models.

DO Diffractive Optics is used on a handful of Canon telephoto lenses – the technology allows these long lenses to be made smaller and lighter than equivalents using conventional optical designs.

DT Sony lens with a smaller image circle, designed for use on crop-sensor cameras.

DX Tokina’s and Nikon’s way of marking lenses that are only suitable for crop-factor – or APS-C – SLRs.

ED A lens featuring Extra-low Dispersion glass in one or more of its elements, to help correct chromatic aberration. This abbreviation is used by Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus and others.

EF Standing for Electro Focus. This is the name of the lens mount that Canon introduced  on its first autofocus SLRs back in 1987. EF lenses can be used  on all Canon SLRs.

EF-S Electro Focus Short back-focus lenses were introduced by Canon in 2003. They have a small image circle so they are only suitable for use on crop-factor SLRs. A modified mount means that they can’t physically be fitted onto incompatible (ie full frame) Canon models.

EX Sigma’s designation for its premium lens range.

f/X.X The f-stop number is  the size of the lens’s maximum aperture, measured as a fraction of the focal length of the lens. On some zoom lenses there may be two apertures quoted – f/4-5.6, for example. This means that the maximum aperture gets smaller as the lens is zoomed in. The maximum aperture on the lens barrel may also be expressed as  a ratio – so 1:4-5.6.

FA Pentax lens that’s full-frame compatible, and that features an old-fashioned aperture ring.

FO Tokina’s Focus-One-touch mechanism allows you to switch quickly from autofocus to manual focus operation, and back again, by snapping the focus ring backwards and forwards.

FX A Nikon, or Nikkor, lens that’s compatible with its full-frame SLRs, as well as crop-factor ones.

G Stands for Gold – a designation found on top-class Sony lenses. It’s also used for current Panasonic Lumix compact system cameras and lenses.

HID Stands for High Index Dispersion, a type of glass used in Tamron lenses that helps to minimise chromatic aberration.

HSM Sigma’s Hyper Sonic Motor is used in some of its lenses to provide faster and quieter autofocus operation.

IF Stands for Internal Focusing, and is found on many lenses from many manufacturers. The lens is constructed so that it doesn’t change in length as the lens is focused. It also means that the front element doesn’t rotate – which can help with the use of some lens attachments, such as petal-shaped lens hoods and polarising filters.

iFn Stands for i-Function, a feature of Samsung NX cameras which allows photographers to access a number of key camera settings via a button and ring around the lens.

II This stands for second-generation – a classic lens that’s been updated in design by the original manufacturer.

III Stands for third-generation.

IS Stands for Image Stabilization – optical camera shake reduction found in a wide number of Canon lenses.

L Stands for Luxury, and is used to designate Canon’s best pro lenses, which have superior build quality and weatherproofing.

LD This features on Tamron lenses that use one or more Low Dispersion lens elements to help reduce chromatic aberration.
mm Stands for millimetres – used to measure the focal length of a lens.

OIS Optical Image Stabilisation – the system used on Panasonic lenses to reduce camera shake.

OS Optical Stabilization is  the system used on some Sigma lenses to reduce camera shake.

PC-E Stands for Perspective Control-Electronic. Used to designate Nikon’s range of tilt-shift lenses, which enable you to move the front elements on the lens to avoid or exaggerate lens distortion. They are commonly used in architectural photography to ensure vertical lines remain parallel in the picture.

PZ Stands for Power Zoom,  a servo-assisted zoom facility found on some Panasonic compact system camera lenses.

PZD Stands for Piezo Drive,  a type of ultrasonic motor used in Tamron lenses to provide  fast, quiet autofocus.

RF With Rear Focus, the group of elements nearest the camera are used to focus, providing faster autofocus. This feature is found on super telephoto lenses.

SAM Stands for Smooth Autofocus Motor – used in recent Sony Alpha lenses.

SD Super-low dispersion –  the glass used in Tokina lenses  to reduce chromatic aberration.

SDM Supersonic Drive Motor, Pentax’s fast, quiet focus motor.

SLD Super-low dispersion – lens elements in Sigma lenses that reduce chromatic aberration.

smc Stands for Super Multi Coating, a seven-layer coating used on Pentax lenses to reduce light reflected the lens itself.

SP Super Performance – a long-standing tag found on top-of-the-range Tamron lenses.

SSM Supersonic motor – used for high-speed autofocus in top-of-the-range Sony lenses.

SWM Silent Wave Motor,  the high-speed quiet AF motor used on Nikon’s AF-S lenses.

TS-E Tilt-shift Electronic – Canon’s range of perspective control lenses (see PC-E).

UD Ultralow dispersion – type of glass used in Canon lenses to reduce chromatic aberration.

USD Ultrasonic Silent Drive, Tamron’s fast, quiet AF motor.

USM Ultrasonic motor – fast, low-noise autofocus motor used by some Canon lenses.

VC Vibration Compensation – optical camera-shake reduction system on some Tamron lenses.

VR Vibration Reduction, Nikon’s image-stabilisation system.

WR Weather Resistant – found on certain Pentax lenses.

XLD Extra Low Dispersion; glass used in some Tamron lenses to reduce chromatic aberration.

XR Extra Refractive – type of glass used in Tamron lenses. It can bend light at bigger angles than normal glass, helping make the overall size of a lens smaller.

ZA Zeiss Alpha – a range of Sony lenses made by Carl Zeiss.

Panasonic Lumix G: tips for using your digital camera

jmeyer — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:05:21 +0000

This week: Panasonic Lumix G cameras

So you think you know how to use your digital camera? Like many of us, you may have a DSLR or compact system camera but tend to use only a handful of its features.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ digital cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your Panasonic Lumix G camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite digital camera. The 5 tips below come from experts at Panasonic who have developed and use Panasonic Lumix G cameras and know this range inside and out, but the rest we’d like to come from you.

If you have your own Panasonic camera tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below – or send them jeff.meyer@futurenet.com. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide of Pansonic camera tips that come not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with these cameras.

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favourite settings and functions and get more out of your Lumix G camera starting today! So without further ado…

Panasonic Lumix G: tips for using your digital camera

Panasonic Lumix G Tip 1: Focus anywhere
Many system cameras allow you to choose a focus point within the frame from a number of pre-set positions. Panasonic Lumix G cameras allow you to select any point in the frame to be your focus point. Simply enter the AF Mode menu (right button) and select single area. Then just touch the screen where you would like to focus. If that is not precise enough, try Pinpoint mode from the AF Mode menu. The focus area will be magnified to allow you to select the precise point.

Panasonic Lumix G Tip 2: Improve your 3D photos
The 3D lens available for Lumix G cameras offers some unique photo opportunities: here are a few tips to get the best results. Imagine the frame is a TV screen – a subject 1m away will appear to be at screen level. Anything closer will seem to be leaping out of the screen. If your subject is 2m or further away it will give a feeling of depth.

Compose your photo with objects both close and far away, to enhance the feeling of depth. The most effective “leaping out” effects are objects in the centre of the frame – objects that leap out from the edge can look strange in 3D.

Panasonic Lumix G Tip 3: Pull focus in Movie Mode
By using the touch screen in conjunction with the movie mode on Panasonic Lumix G cameras, you can give your videos a professional feel. You can change focus from foreground to background – or between two people in a frame – simply by touching the screen. This produces a much slicker and smoother result than attempting to manually pull focus by turning the ring on the lens. For the smoothest results, use a tripod to minimise the chance of the camera moving when you touch the screen. Practise before shooting your video clip.

Panasonic Lumix G Tip 4: Use the GX1′s hidden function buttons
The Panasonic Lumix GX1 is popular with camera enthusiasts because of its classic camera style and control. Put simply, it has more dials and buttons than most Compact System Cameras and for many photographers, that’s a good thing. There are 2 function (Fn.) buttons on the body of the camera, but did you know there are 2 more hidden on the touch screen?

Simply press the arrow tab on the right side of the touch screen and Fn. 3 and Fn. 4 appear. They are pre-set to “Level Gauge” and “Histogram” respectively, but – just like any function button – you can set them to whatever function you need.

Panasonic Lumix G Tip 5: Maximise your AF speed
Lumix G cameras are known for their ultra-fast Auto Focus speed and accuracy, making it easier to capture those fleeting moments. But it is not just the camera body that determines the speed of the auto focus – the lens plays an important part too.

If you want to speed up your AF even further, look for Lumix G lenses with the “HD” logo. This means they are ideal for HD movies, but it also means they are ultra fast at focusing – for both stills and movies. For the fastest possible result, pair up the GX1 camera with a power zoom “X Series” Lumix G lens – and focus in 0.09 seconds!

READ MORE

Camera tips

DSLR tips

Photo Ideas

Panasonic G2 Video Review

dcworld — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:57:34 +0000

Hands on with the micro four thirds G2 camera from Panasonic

With the G1, Panasonic introduced a whole new genre of cameras. The G2, introduced back in March is basically a straight update of that camera. Updates to the body design include touch screen technology, an improved button layout and better lens mount. Internally, ISO has been bumped up and HD video has been included. So does the performance of the G2 measure up? Click on the link on the right to read a full in-depth review of the G2 and its sister camera, the G10.

DSLR vs Micro Four Thirds: head to head review

dcworld — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:29:36 +0000

Both these cameras cost around £600 – but can a Micro Four Thirds hybrid really challenge a conventional DSLR?

What’s the point of a big and bulky DSLR that looks like a decades-old film camera, when pocket-friendly compact cameras can do pretty much the same job? We pitched a Nikon D5000 SLR against a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera. But which one will come out on top in terms of handling, style, features and most importantly, image quality?

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Back in the heyday of film photography, film naturally needed to be kept in the dark – apart from when you were actually taking a shot. In 35mm SLR terms, this meant a flip-up mirror, optical viewfinder and mechanical shutter were all essential. By contrast, modern digital compacts ditch all this paraphernalia and cut to the chase with a much smaller design, even though they don’t have the luxury of interchangeable lenses.

Micro Four Thirds hybrids, like the award-winning Panasonic DMC-GF1 and Olympus PEN E-P2 rewrite the rules, combining the slimline form of a digital compact camera with the facility for changing lenses, so you can fit the ideal glassware for any shooting scenario. But, compared to a similarly priced D-SLR like the Nikon D5000, does a hybrid camera give you the best of both worlds or just a second-rate compromise? Find out on the following pages, where we put both systems through their paces.

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Specifications and verdict

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

If there’s one essential when trying to make the most of a stunning photo opportunity, it’s that you’ve got your camera handy at the time. Compact cameras score highly over D-SLR outfits because their pocketsized, lightweight build means you can take them anywhere, anytime. The Panasonic GF1 just about fits this criterion when mounted with the diminutive Lumix 20mm ‘pancake’ lens, but with the kit 14-45mm lens fitted it’s no longer a pocket camera, unless you have ludicrously enormous pockets.

It’s still a lot smaller than the Nikon D5000 with its 18-55mm kit lens, and only about half the weight, but it certainly can’t be considered a ‘compact’ camera. There are distinct advantages in the D5000’s comparative chunkiness, in that it feels much more comfortable and natural in the hand. Combine this with the way the camera locks into your face when using the viewfinder and camera shake becomes much less of a problem at slow shutter speeds, especially when you take the lens’s excellent VR (Vibration Reduction) system into account.

However, the GF1 fights back with a triple-mode stabiliser for giving full-time, record-only or panning correction when used with compatible lenses like the kit 14-45mm kit lens (but not the 20mm pancake lens). Even so, in our tests, the D5000 gave much more consistent anti-shake performance. When it comes to taking photographs, the biggest difference between the two cameras is naturally that the Nikon has a conventional D-SLR viewfinder, flip-up mirror and shutter, and the Panasonic doesn’t.

Anybody graduating from a digital compact camera will feel right at home framing compositions on the Panasonic’s LCD rather than using an optical viewfinder. It’s not the greatest screen in the world, being too reflective for comfort in bright sunshine and having a merely average 460,000-pixel resolution, although this is still double the Nikon’s screen resolution. Our only real issue is that the refresh rate of the LCD makes panning difficult, because the picture is a bit jerky. For an extra £185 you can buy an optional DMW-LVF1 electronic viewfinder, but this proved even jerkier when panning in our tests. Also, because it mounts in the hotshoe, you can’t use the viewfinder and a flashgun at the same time

The time-honoured, traditional SLR shape of the D5000 makes it a much more natural fit in the hand than the flattish GF1, but there’s more to effective handling than this alone. One of the things that sets most D-SLRs (especially upmarket models) apart from compact and hybrid cameras is that they have dedicated buttons for direct access to important shooting parameters such as ISO, metering and autofocus options, drive modes and white balance. Perhaps a little oddly, these are almost entirely lacking on the D5000 and the smaller GF1 puts many more options in easy reach of your thumb.

Both cameras offer a ‘quick control’ arrangement, more recently adopted by the new Canon 550D, utilising the rear LCD screen and main camera buttons for access to shooting settings. Ultimately though, it’s not so much ‘quick’ as not overly laborious and there’s room for improvement in both models. Another factor is that the small, tightly grouped control buttons of the GF1 are best suited to slender fingers and you certainly wouldn’t be able to access the finer points of shooting settings when wearing gloves in cold weather.

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Specifications and verdict

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

System stand-off Both the Nikon and Panasonic are 12Mp cameras, but the GF1 is a Micro Four Thirds design. This means that you get a native aspect ratio of 4:3, more suited to conventional computer monitors and old TVs, but less ideal for widescreen viewing and popular print sizes. With this in mind, Panasonic has also added choices for 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios in stills shooting, which makes for much more versatility than the Nikon’s standard D-SLR 3:2 aspect ratio.

The downside is that you’re only using a relatively small area of the sensor, so you take a hit in the maximum available resolution. Arguably the most important reason to buy a ‘system’ camera rather than a digital compact is that it gives you access to just that – a complete system that includes alternative lenses and other accessories. Buy a D5000 or any other Nikon camera and you get access to a veritable warehouse-full of compatible lenses and add-ons, not only from Nikon but also from third-party manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina.

The range of Micro Four Thirds lenses from Panasonic and Olympus are comparatively tiny and, while you can fit regular Four Thirds lenses via an adaptor, the Contrast AF system used in the GF1 means that only relatively few of them are autofocus compatible. On the plus side, autofocus speed is amazingly quick for a Contrast AF system and much faster than the D5000 in Live View, in which the Nikon swaps to Contrast AF and proves painfully slow.

In video-shooting mode, the GF1 comes into its stride with the option of continuous autofocus, which is unavailable in the Nikon. Both cameras have a maximum movie resolution of 720p, which is second-best compared with the 1080p offered on some of the latest cameras. For outright video quality, the GF1 has the edge.

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Specifications and verdict

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 (first picture):
Colour rendition: Colour is punchy and natural, adding impact to shots taken in almost any light. This shot uses the Landscape picture setting.
Autofocus: The 11-pointphase-shift AF is accurate, complete with advanced dynamic area, auto area and 35 tracking, although the kit lens’s autofocus is sluggish for a Nikon AF-S.

Panasonic GF1 (second picture):
Colour rendition: In Standard film mode, colour renditioin can be quite insipid. Even in Nature mode, this shot lacked vibrancy.
Autofocus: The GF1′s autofocus is surprisingly swift for a ContrastAF system with a generous 23 AF points. Accuracy is generally precise, but it struggles with targets that lack detail.

Detail and definition

The combination of the Nikon’s image processing system and kit lens delivers great definition and plenty of fine detail. This is equally true when shooting in JPEG mode instead of resorting to RAW quality mode, which is just as well as Nikon doesn’t include free processing software. JPEGs from the GF1 look a lot softer by comparison, although there’s marginally more consistency through the sensitivity range, with fractionally less apparent smoothing at high ISOs. It preserves fine detail much better if you shoot in RAW and use the bundled Silkypix Developer Studio software to convert images to JPEGs.

Nikon D5000 (first picture): Fine detail is retained well, even in deep lowlights and bright highlights, giving excellent apparent sharpness throughout.
Panasonic GF1 (second picture): The GF1′s images look rather softer, especially when shooting in JPEG mode, putting more reliance on RAW capture for best results.

Metering and dynamic range

The light metering system on the D5000 is Nikon’s 3D Colour Matrix II, which uses a dedicated sensor to measure both brightness and colour information. This works brilliantly with the built-in, fully automatic or user-adjustable Active D-Lighting system to ensure that, even in igh-contrast shooting conditions, detail is retained in dark shadows without highlights being washed out. The GF1’s 144-zone multi-pattern metering system does a decent job, following tradition by erring on the side of caution and preserving highlights at the expense of lost shadow detail.

Nikon D5000 (first picture): Uncanny metering accuracy is boosted by Active D-Lighting, as featured on Nikon’s pro-level DSLRs, to enhance dynamic range.
Panasonic GF1 (second picture): In our tests, the GF1 seemed almost paranoid about blown highlights, often delivering dull-looking images with lost shadow detail as a result.

Both of the cameras offer a barrage of picture styles, such as Standard, Dynamic, Vibrant, Landscape, and so on – the GF1 going rather further with the choices on offer. However, in almost any setting, the Nikon delivers punchier results and its Active D-Lighting function does a much better job of rendering tricky, high-contrast scenes. In our tests, images also looked consistently crisper and sharper from the Nikon, by a clear margin.

Metering and dynamic range The light metering system on the D5000 is Nikon’s 3D Colour Matrix II, which uses a dedicated sensor to measure both brightness and colour information. This works brilliantly with the built-in, fully automatic or user-adjustable Active D-Lighting system to ensure that, even in high-contrast shooting conditions, detail is retained in dark shadows without highlights being washed out.

The GF1’s 144-zone multi-pattern metering system does a decent job, following tradition by erring on the side of caution and preserving highlights at the expense of lost shadow detail. The Nikon has a focal length conversion or ‘crop factor’ of 1.5x, whereas the Panasonic Four Thirds system is 2.0x. This means that the D5000’s 18-55mm lens has an equivalent zoom range of 27-82mm and the GF1’s 14-45mm lens gives a similar effective range of 28-90mm. The main difference is that, because depth of field is mostly dependent on ‘actual’ focal length, the Nikon gives a slightly tighter depth of field – great for blurring the background of portraits – whereas the GF1 will do a better job of keeping close and distant objects sharp in landscape shots.

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Specifications and verdict

The Verdict:

Is size really important? It certainly can be. For example, pop a pancake lens on a GF1 and it’s small enough to sneak into a venue that wouldn’t let you through the door with a clunky D-SLR. And despite its diminutive build, the GF1 is bristling with features. The ability to swap lenses puts the GF1 ahead of a regular compact but, without a mirror and shutter, there’s a perennial danger of dumping dust on the sensor even if the Panasonic (like the more protective Nikon) has a sensor-cleaning system.

The Nikon handles more naturally, and an upside of using a viewfinder instead of holding the camera at arm’s length is that camera shake is less of a problem. An electronic viewfinder is available as an optional extra for the GF1, but it’s too jerky for panning and denies hotshoe access. As a ‘system’ camera, the real decider is that the D5000 gives access to a truly vast selection of Nikon and third-party lenses and accessories, whereas add-ons for the GF1 are quite limited and often very pricey. On top of that, the Nikon simply delivers better all-round image quality.

What are the features like?

Nikon D5000: From its pivoting ‘vari-angle’ LCD to its customisable shooting options, the D5000 is feature packed. 4/5
Panasonic GF1: Panasonic must have used a shoehorn to squeeze so many features into such a small camera. 4/5

How well do they perform?

Nikon D5000: The Nikon produces spectacularly good images in the most challenging of conditions, and with little fuss. 5/5

Panasonic GF1: Images can be pleasing, but the best results take a lot of coaxing, with liberal use of camera settings. 4/5

Are they good value for money?

Nikon D5000: Great value, the D5000 also gives access to one ofthe most cost-effective ranges of lenses and add-ons. 5/5

Panasonic GF1: The Micro Four Thirds system currently lacks depth and breadth, weakening the GF1′s overall value. 3/5

Specifications:

	Nikon D5000, 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Mega OIS
Street price:	£550	£575
Image sensor:	12.3MP APS-C CMOS (23.6×15.8mm)	12.1MP Four Thirda Live MOS (18×13.5mm)
Focal length conversion:	1.5x	2.0x
Viewfinder:	Pentamirror, 95% coverage	Optional DMW-LVF electronic viewfinder (£185)
Stills aspect ratio:	3:2	4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Lens mount:	Nikon F-mount	Micro Four Thirds
Memory:	SD, SDHC	SD, SDHC
Metering modes:	Matrix, Centre-weighted, Spot	Multi-zone, Centre-weighted, Spot
Focusing modes:	11-point Single, Dynamic/Auto area, 3D tracking, Face Detection	23-point Single, Area, Tracking, Face Detection
Video – max resolution	1280x720p, 24fps	1280x720p, 25/50/60fps
Shutter speed:	30 sec to 1/4000 sec, plus Bulb	60 sec to 1/4000 sec, plus Blub (max 4 mins)
Integral flash:	GN12 at ISO 100	GN6 at ISO 100/td>
Flash sync:	1/200 sec	1/160 sec
Flash modes:	Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow-sync, rear curtain	Auto, on, off, red-eye, slow-sync, rear curtain
Drive modes:	Single, Continuous (4fps), Self-timer	Single, Continuous (3fps), Self-timer
ISO sensitivity:	ISO 200-3200 (100-6400 extended)	ISO 100-3200
Exposure modes	Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual, plus scene modes	Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual, plus scene modes
LCD monitor:	2.7inch, 230k pixels, vari-angle	3-inch, 460k pixels, fixed angle
Body (WxDxH)/weight	127x104x80mm/560g	119x36x71mm/285g
Drive modes:	Single, Continuous High Speed (9fps), Continuous Low Speed, Self-timer, Quiet	Single, Silent, High-speed (10fps), Low-speed Continuous (3fps), Self-timer (2 or 10 secs)
Battery life:	510 shots (CIPA)	380 shots (CIPA)
Power supply:	Li-ion EN-EL9a	Li-ion DMW-BLB13
Weight:	1,180g body only	1,240g body only
Transfer:	USB 2.0, Video, mini HDMI Type C, PictBridge	USB 2.0, Video, mini HDMI Type C, Pictbridge
Software:	Nikon Transfer, Nikon View NX	PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0 HD, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 SE

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Introduction

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Handling and design

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Camera performance

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Image quality

Nikon D5000 vs Panasonic Lumix GF1: Specifications and verdict

See this head to head in the next issue of Digital Camera, Issue 99 on sale 4 May 2010.

Panasonic Lumix FT1 Review

dcworld — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:45:24 +0000

Panasonic’s FT1 offers HD recording, but is it tough enough?

You can drown it, you can drop it, you can freeze it; Panasonic’s Lumix FT1 takes all manner of abuse in its stride and still manages to shoot creditable HD video. But can it take on the mighty Olympus Mju 8000?

At first sight, Panasonic’s FT1 looks the nearest rival to Olympus’ mighty Mju 8000. It’s a similar size, weight and shape and is also waterproof, shockproof and operable down to -10 degrees.

The buttons are small and close together and the markings don’t stand out well. The Shutter and Zoom buttons are right next to each other on the top of the camera. It’s far too easy to take a picture when you simply meant to zoom in or out.

The FT1 worked fine after freezing, though the battery level indicator dropped considerably. It had no problems shooting underwater and survived a drop test onto a hard floor unscathed.

The Panasonic’s 1,280×720 HD Movie mode is a bonus, but for ultimate toughness it has to play second fiddle to the Olympus.