Panasonic G2 review coming soon…
Hello to all! Its Wednesday night and even though its kind of old news, earlier today I received a Panasonic G2 to review! I have been snapping away around the house with it to see how it handles and have been quite pleased. I will be shooting with it for a 2-3 weeks and then writing up a detailed review of the camera with loads of real world results. The two lenses I am shooting with the camera will be the 20 1.7 and the kit zoom. I’m heading to Chicago for a few days this weekend and will be giving this camera a workout 🙂 So far, I like it quite a bit. The Panasonic G2 is a micro 4/3 camera that competes with the Olympus E-P2 and E-PL1 (both of which I have shot extensively) and I am anxious to see if I like the Panny more than the Olympus offerings. So far, I am really digging the swivel LCD and the EVF (which is very nice). The HD video seems great and the form factor, build and feel are also superb for a camera in this class. After shooting this camera I am looking forward to checking out the newer GH2, due out in November.
Ill have more from the G2 throughout October as well as a full review, so be sure and check back!
Below: Just some quick test snaps around the house to see how the camera handles and does in lower light…
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Those are some stunning shots Steve. I can’t believe they’ve not had any PP other than the camera’s Silhouette setting.
I know it’s a different sort of camera but I’d love to know how you rate this camera against the D-Lux 5.
John
As a GF-1 owner the colours of the G2 seems to be better to me. And the rendering a little more smooth? Have you done any PP work? Or shot in a “special” new vivid mode or something? Think it could be just a new internal processing engine.. Perhaps there is a firmware update for the GF-1 soon..
Best regards. Keep on your great work.
These are out of camera JPEGS but I was using the Silhouette setting for most of them, which I love. Very smooth, very deep blacks.
The GH1 has, by a fair margin, had the best M4/3 sensor of Gen 1 M4/3. It looks like the GH2 will continue that tradition. From what I have seen so far 3200 looks very usable with little loss of detail (The 3 processors for the video really help the stills quality too). Also, the touch focus, beautiful EVF, handy swivel screen really add a ton of usefulness to the m4/3 with very little corresponding size and weight trade off. Also, the auto focus on the GH2 is twice as fast as on the GH1. I have seen it demoed on the 14-140mm and it is really really fast. End to end it is faster than many of my Nikon lenses. It is a shame that Panasonic focused so much on improving the video (a niche use) of the GH2 to the exclusion of stills (the primary user) but that is another discussion entirely.
A point that many people miss with all these mirror-less cameras is the size of the camera package has mostly to do with the lens. Put the 20mm 1.7 on the G1/G2/GH1/GH2 and it is for all practical purposes as small as the Pens and GF1. Put the wonderful 14-140mm on the latter and they will seem big and unbalanced. The NEX may be a small camera but when the long lenses come out they will be bigger than the m4/3 lenses. Also, you can’t dismiss the crop factor. If Panasonic would ever get a clue about what a great camera they have for the professional stills shooter and make a 300mm f4 with doubler, 12mm f1.4, 25mm f1.4, 42mm f/1.4 and 35-100mm f2.8 then birders, wilderness photogs, and more would flock to the m4/3 system.
I’ve long advocated the GH1 was the best all around camera in the world. It was never the best in all categories but it is superb in just about every category. It is a shame Panasonic wasted so many resources on the poorly conceived 4/3 system because now they seem gun shy to make the lens that would make the m4/3 system truly blow everything else out of the water. (They are wasting time and resources again with the 3-D fad. No-one wants to always have to find a pair of crappy plastic glasses to watch movies or read a book. Until the holographic projector gets invented 3-D will be a cool treat every now and again but not a day-to-day thing. Olympus still hasn’t gotten the clue about the 4/3 system)
Didn’t Leica just come out with a V-Lux 2 camera? Or is that older technology?
The V-Lux 2 is a small sensor mega zoom. Quality will not be up there with even the D-Lux 5 or any M4/3.
Yeah, I was just reading about it. It’s a Panasonic FZ100 or something like that. They released the Panasonic last year, and this camera is exactly the same only more money. I wonder why they released it at all? Especially since micro 4/3rd cameras are all the rage now.
Not sure but I think they should have skipped the V-Lux 2. Wont sell well for them IMO.
I agree. I think that’s why it really hasn’t leaped into the media so much like the D-Lux 5 or similar.
I’m looking forward to read your GH2 review instead!
Yea, Im excited to try out the GH2 as well. Soon!
Sweet! This would be interesting 🙂 I’m a die hard PEN fan!
Thanks, yea, I am a PEN fan as well and never gave much thought to the G1 or G2 but now that I have been shooting with it and the wonderful 20 1.7 I am finding the files to be very nice. Plus, I love the controls on the body as well. The EVF is great. Panasonic make some great cameras..the GF1, the LX5, this G2 and soon the GH2 which should be REALLY nice.
How does this G2 compare to your EP-2 and the GF-1? Is it a step up, equal to, or less than? Just curious.
So far…I like it better than the E-P2 as I am liking the built in EVF. It also feels much nicer in my hand than I imagined it would. Its small, but solid and the controls are all out on the body, which is also very cool. Ill write more next week, actually, my review will probably be next week. Ill also have some side by sides with an X1 just for giggles. 🙂