What I don't like about the Panasonic GF1
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I have been using the GF1 exclusively for several hundred photos now over the last few months, and I have to say that I really like it a LOT. However, a few things drive me crazy...
1. When I wear my prescription polarized sunglasses and shoot in portrait mode, the LCD goes black - polarized glass crossed with polarized glass. What a drag.
2. No orientation sensor. When I import my photos into LightRoom - I have to manually rotate them. What's up with that?
3. No viewfinder. Although there are some wonderful advantages to not using a viewfinder - particularly for candid shots, I do find that I want one outside (especially when I am wearing my sunglasses). I like the fact that I can carry the GF1 without the viewfinder - the GF1 with 20mm prime is an outstandingly small package to get that level of quality - but I also miss having the viewfinder option. I think that the optional Panasonic EVF is in my future for the times that I really need it, but I may wait a few months and see if they come out with an upgraded one - maybe similar resolution to the one on the GH1. If I was a Panasonic marketing guy, I might release such a thing post GH2.
Just my $.02
(This post was last modified: May 14, 2010, 20:18 by paskelius.)
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Reminds me of my rants back when digital cameras were new and the manufacturers didn't have a clue.
Someday they'll get it right?
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Keith Alan Wrote:Reminds me of my rants back when digital cameras were new and the manufacturers didn't have a clue.
Someday they'll get it right? I wouldn't say that they didn't get it right - its a wonderful camera. I'm just venting over a few things that bug me...
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You can still make a viewer or buy one that comes with starps to mount it in the lcd.
http://www.hoodmanusa.com/products.asp?dept=1017
Nikon D3100 with Tokina 28-70mm f3.5, (I like to use a Vivitar .43x aux on the 28-70mm Tokina), Nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye, Quanteray 70-300mm f4.5, ProOptic 500 mm f6.3 mirror lens. http://donschaefferphoto.blogspot.com/
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Good advice Don. There is also an optional viewfinder available - but I am waiting to see if a nicer one is released. Another option is an optical viewfinder but those are relatively useless if you use a zoom.
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Interesting points Mr T... I've never taken notice of polarized glass before - I wonder if it's just common to that camera or whether it's more prevalent?
The orientation sensor is definitely a glaring omission.
With regards to the viewfinder - I thought they had one as a hotshoe accessory? Or maybe I'm thinking of the EP-1/2.
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Yes Jules - there is one as an optional hotshoe accessory. I was hoping not to need it - but I think that I do - particularly given the polarized glass issue. I won't be getting rid of my prescription sunglasses anytime soon and I regularly wear them outdoors - so it is a problem that needs to be solved for me. I have never had that problem with any other LCD screen before.
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1 - Liquid Crystal depends on polarization to work; I don't know if LED/OLED displays function the same way. Some LCDs are better than others, it seems.
2 - Drives me nuts!!! They make a camera that can recognize people that it's photographed before, but I have to rotate the photos myself?
3 - The EVF on the GH1 is significantly better than the one for the GF1, but it's still not as precise and useful for framing as a good optical TTL finder. But since I want very precise framing, an additional OVF wouldn't do what I want it to. Life's a barter. After all, if I wanted a D700, I'd use one.
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matthew Wrote:3 - The EVF on the GH1 is significantly better than the one for the GF1, but it's still not as precise and useful for framing as a good optical TTL finder. But since I want very precise framing, an additional OVF wouldn't do what I want it to. Life's a barter. After all, if I wanted a D700, I'd use one. So true. My plan right now is to get the optional EVF - but I can wait a bit - so I will see if anything *improved* is announced in the next few months. I am going to hike Iceland next Summer and am seriously considering just taking the GF1 and a couple of accessories / lenses with me. Taking my Nikon is still TBD - size and weight are critical on long backpacking trips. The current EVF will do if nothing else is available. If I were only planning to take the 20mm, I would consider an OVF - probably the Voigtlander one - but that makes no sense if I bring another lens - particularly a zoom.
I still like the option of taking the viewfinder off and just carrying the GF1 / 20mm combo by itself when I am on the streets or on the trail. I sincerely wish that I had that combination last year in Morocco - it would have absolutely rocked in the souks...
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Interesting thought - a hotshoe is a hotshoe right? Would the Olympus OVF accessory work on the Panny? I'm assuming that it's just a "dumb" framing device that isn't electonically controlled in any way.
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Rob, travel and crowds is exactly what the GF1 is great for - I absolutely can't imagine doing a serious hike with an SLR kit now that I have the GH1. I reserve the right to change my mind after I've looked at the photos I took while in Chicago yesterday, but I didn't miss carrying my D700 at all. I took the bus in (15h), walked around for the day (19h), and took the bus back (12h) with my three-lens kit, and if I had used the 700, I would have been shooting with only a single small prime and still carrying about the same weight. No thanks.
Julian, any optical finder will work with any hotshoe - as long as it's mounted over the centreline of the lens and not off to the side of the camera. After that, it's just a question of the focal length / field of view. Naturally, since it's not coupled (like a Leica, for example) you'd need a different one for each lens or be able to imagine what a different focal length would see.
One huge catch is that with an optical finder, there's no way to confirm focus. That's not a big deal if you're using an autofocus lens: just set it to the centre point and recompose as needed. If you're using a manual focus lens, however, you're out of luck unless you are really good at estimating distances and zone focusing. That's not so bad with a true manual focus lens, like my new-to-me 135/2.8 AI, which goes from 5 feet to 8 feet over a 90 degree arc; my AF-D 85/1.8 uses that same travel to cover its entire focus range.
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matthew Wrote:Rob, travel and crowds is exactly what the GF1 is great for - I absolutely can't imagine doing a serious hike with an SLR kit now that I have the GH1. I said the same thing when I bought my little compact camera a few years back, and it was true for a while. Then I got itchy again and longed for the beautiful viewfinder, the instant feedback with zooming and focusing, being able to flick and play with settings using control dials, etc... 
I would really like to hear a few months down the road to see how the new breed holds up, and the percentage of time it's actually used vs a DSLR.
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