Panasonic GF2 announced

Didn't Olympus do something similar with the EP line? I'm not shocked about this or disappointed (more like, "eh, so what"). It's just not geared toward the enthusiast market (read: us). The touch screen is perfect for the audience that is used to using an iPhone or a Droid camera. I think camera makers are probably pushing toward the cell phone end anyway, because they probably see some sales loss. The phone UI is just different. I won't be surprised when cameras started having a Facebook upload feature (button). :p


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This is the low-end child of the Panasonic line, and it's obvious they're feeling price pressure. I wouldn't look for the GF line to be the high end. That said, I really like the form factor.
 
ebino said:
Panasonic retreated; leaving Sony NEX 5 as the dominant large format compact in the market.

Until the launch of Fuji X100, it seems like there is nothing else in the horizon to challenge Sony.
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Not so, check out the Samsung NX series. APS-C sensor.
 
much as I am a fan of dials and analogue controls... don't dismiss touch screens... done right they can offer a better way to access the more complex functions - look at an iphone, an ipad... though then again.. photography isn't actually that complex.. well the mechanics of taking a picture aren't that complex - getting it in focus and getting enough light on the sensor can all be sublimated to the camera and it will often get a better guess than you can...

deciding what makes a 'good' photo is still down to the photographer

will I buy a GF 2 .. well no... because it doesn't offer me anything i don't have from the cameras I have( E-P1, Oly 510, Canon 5D Mk2) which are still better than I am a photographer... but I do applaud Panasonic trying to look afresh at how the photographer interacts with the camera

If the GF2 doesn't meet with your lofty ideals or fanboy fantasies then don't buy it...and go take photos with the camera you have


its about the image not the equipment

K
 
I think Sony taught Panasonic that small and simple is the key to sustained high-volume sales. Sony is still selling buckets of NEX-3/5 cams in Japan. That target market isn't us, it's upgrading point-&-shooters who don't constantly diddle their interfaces. Looks like the GF2 might have some appeal there.

That said, I don't think Panny wants to lose tons of enthusiasts. The question is going to be how the new interface works in practice. Looks like mainly what's missing is the mode dial and the AE/AF Lock button? Control wheel is still there, WB/ISO/Focus/Burst are on the 4-way toggle. The GF2 still has more useful buttons than NEX, IMHO.

Everybody has different needs. I stay in Aperture Priority most of the time, and need to access +/-, ISO and WB quickly. Doesn't look like much of a problem for me.

I generally dislike touch screens, but the G2 has shown me they can be useful and I might be able to get used to them...
 
PCB_RF said:
..The GF2 still has more useful buttons than NEX, IMHO.

Everybody has different needs. I stay in Aperture Priority most of the time, and need to access +/-, ISO and WB quickly. Doesn't look like much of a problem for me.
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FWIW, the newest NEX firmware update pretty much solved any interface issues, and the assignable buttons and banks work pretty well. Everything from WB, ISO, +/-, and manual focus magnification all the way to creative styles, HDR, and panorama can be be programmed to be accessed directly. Since I shoot RAW and shoot in M, S and A mode, I don't really find myself going into the menu at all now.
 
Looks like the GF line just became a sell out. They should just have given this camera a new name... it isn't anywhere near the GF1
 
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