wongyboi
Established
14 Days in Japan: Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo
Between December 2009 and January 2010, I traveled to Japan for 2 weeks with the Panasonic GF1 w/ 20mm 1.7 as well as my Leica M6 w/ 50mm 2.0 Hexanon. I had no previous experiences with the GF1 and this was the first time I had truly tested the camera. My initial impressions of the GF1 was that it is a fantastic, simple and convenient camera for travel. I agree with Craig Mod's Himalaya review but I will touch on some aspects that I have personally noticed.
Top: Yokohama. Noise at ISO400 is noticeable and ISO800 should only be used in desperate situations. With the pancake lens at 1.7 and ISO400, most situations are covered.
Bottom: We queued at at Tokyo Imperial Palace for about 30 minutes and waited another 45 minutes to see the Imperial family. This was on the 2nd January, locals flock to temples and shrines during the New Year period.
The Camera
Small, compact and rugged. When you have the pancake lens attached to this camera while traveling it no longer becomes a burden to carry your equipment around. Strap it to your shoulder or around your neck and the weight difference compared to carrying a low-end DSLR (or Leica M6) is noticeable. What I loved about the camera was that by the end of each shooting day (usually from 8am to 9pm) I would not be feeling sore from carrying the camera. The camera never left my side and throughout the day the lens cap would always be off - ready to shoot.
Viewfinder Issue
I noticed a few people stating their concerns that the lack of a viewfinder hinders their shooting and how they 'see' the scene. I admit that I was one of them. However, after a day you don't really notice that you are shooting differently. I quickly adapted to the 'flow' of the GF1. Shooting with the camera at a distance away from your eye quickly became a non-issue.
When it comes to using the movie mode I did find many of my hand held scenes to have slanted horizons. It does become difficult to judge angles on a moving display especially when you have the camera below or above eye level (but at least you have the luxury of being able to see the scene).
Top: Overlooking Lake Ashi, the pancake lens is very sharp at 1.7 and unobtrusive compared to other cameras. Found it easy to capture moments like these without people being suspicious. I also fell in love with the focal length (40mm). Great all-purpose lens.
Bottom: Taxis in Japan can be pricey. Drivers wear formal uniforms and they stand out under the light of the city.
Camera Layout/Design
Simple and makes sense. The only fix I would recommend is the placement of the single/continuous/compensation/timer switch. It is very flimsy. Too often I found myself wondering why the timer would trigger whenever I pressed the shutter; without realizing that while turning the main mode dial I had also turned changed settings. I tend to stick with aperture priority but often switch to iA mode whenever I hand the camera to someone else for candid shots. If you are likely to switch between modes often then this will be an issue.
At this point I would also mention that with iA mode, anyone can take great photos without knowing how the camera operates. This may sound silly but in my previous trips with a Canon 1Ds I would ask other members to take my photo only to find out that I was out of focus or because the metering was off. With the GF1, set it to iA mode, hand over the camera and you are almost guaranteed a well-exposed clean photo. In iA mode, I noticed that the camera will always choose f1.7 ISO 100 Shutter Speed 1/30 as the limit before upping the ISO automatically.
Top: Museum of Science and Technology, Odaiba. Some people say the shutter noise is loud. I say, by the time you have taken the shot the shutter noise doesn't matter.
Bottom: Shinjuku skyline.
The Bad
Video
Japan Video Montage
Overall I love this camera. It's fast, fun and easy to use. It's a serious camera for a serious travel photographer but at the same time anyone can pick one up and start shooting. I can go out and take great travel photos and then switch to iA for family/candid shots (and use the flash if required). The GF1 with pancake lens is a great combination. Add a gorillapod for video/long exposure and you have a great low-weight travel kit.
Between December 2009 and January 2010, I traveled to Japan for 2 weeks with the Panasonic GF1 w/ 20mm 1.7 as well as my Leica M6 w/ 50mm 2.0 Hexanon. I had no previous experiences with the GF1 and this was the first time I had truly tested the camera. My initial impressions of the GF1 was that it is a fantastic, simple and convenient camera for travel. I agree with Craig Mod's Himalaya review but I will touch on some aspects that I have personally noticed.
Bottom: We queued at at Tokyo Imperial Palace for about 30 minutes and waited another 45 minutes to see the Imperial family. This was on the 2nd January, locals flock to temples and shrines during the New Year period.
The Camera
Small, compact and rugged. When you have the pancake lens attached to this camera while traveling it no longer becomes a burden to carry your equipment around. Strap it to your shoulder or around your neck and the weight difference compared to carrying a low-end DSLR (or Leica M6) is noticeable. What I loved about the camera was that by the end of each shooting day (usually from 8am to 9pm) I would not be feeling sore from carrying the camera. The camera never left my side and throughout the day the lens cap would always be off - ready to shoot.
- The camera is solid and did take a few knocks but I did not have any issues with function by the end of the trip .
- Each battery last a whole day of shooting + previewing on the LCD.
- Turning the camera on and off is quick. Similarly, the camera quickly switches from stand-by mode to shooting mode.
- Movie mode comes on quickly but lags when you try to stop recording.
- Art filters are fun but should never be a reason to buy a camera (or decide between cameras).
Viewfinder Issue
I noticed a few people stating their concerns that the lack of a viewfinder hinders their shooting and how they 'see' the scene. I admit that I was one of them. However, after a day you don't really notice that you are shooting differently. I quickly adapted to the 'flow' of the GF1. Shooting with the camera at a distance away from your eye quickly became a non-issue.
When it comes to using the movie mode I did find many of my hand held scenes to have slanted horizons. It does become difficult to judge angles on a moving display especially when you have the camera below or above eye level (but at least you have the luxury of being able to see the scene).
Bottom: Taxis in Japan can be pricey. Drivers wear formal uniforms and they stand out under the light of the city.
Camera Layout/Design
Simple and makes sense. The only fix I would recommend is the placement of the single/continuous/compensation/timer switch. It is very flimsy. Too often I found myself wondering why the timer would trigger whenever I pressed the shutter; without realizing that while turning the main mode dial I had also turned changed settings. I tend to stick with aperture priority but often switch to iA mode whenever I hand the camera to someone else for candid shots. If you are likely to switch between modes often then this will be an issue.
At this point I would also mention that with iA mode, anyone can take great photos without knowing how the camera operates. This may sound silly but in my previous trips with a Canon 1Ds I would ask other members to take my photo only to find out that I was out of focus or because the metering was off. With the GF1, set it to iA mode, hand over the camera and you are almost guaranteed a well-exposed clean photo. In iA mode, I noticed that the camera will always choose f1.7 ISO 100 Shutter Speed 1/30 as the limit before upping the ISO automatically.
Top: Museum of Science and Technology, Odaiba. Some people say the shutter noise is loud. I say, by the time you have taken the shot the shutter noise doesn't matter.
Bottom: Shinjuku skyline.
The Bad
- Focusing in movie mode: the lens tends to 'search' when auto-focusing. More importantly however is that Craig Mod mentions that it is best for shooters to use manual focus. While I do agree, there is however a big flaw with this suggestion when using the 20mm 1.7 pancake lens. Focusing from one extreme to the other requires you to turn the manual focus ring at least 2 whole revolutions (not simple by any means). When shooting hand held videos this may be okay for fine focusing but if you intend to pull-focus or switch focus between 2 objects that are relatively far apart you will not get good results without a tripod. To compare I used a Leica - m/43 adapter. Manual focusing using a 50mm Hexanon is much easier and camera shake is reduced dramatically.
- LCD: is deceptive. You will notice the camera adjusting the white balance automatically on the LCD screen but this is no representation of the final product. Although this won't be an issue if shooting raw or setting the WB manually, I have noticed that images on the LCD appear much more saturated and contrasty. I'm sure most photographers have come across this in other cameras but it is something you need to be aware of nonetheless.
- Manual: don't bother learning about shooting video and the differences between each video setting from here.
Video
Japan Video Montage
Overall I love this camera. It's fast, fun and easy to use. It's a serious camera for a serious travel photographer but at the same time anyone can pick one up and start shooting. I can go out and take great travel photos and then switch to iA for family/candid shots (and use the flash if required). The GF1 with pancake lens is a great combination. Add a gorillapod for video/long exposure and you have a great low-weight travel kit.
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