Panasonic's latest Micro Four Thirds snapper is the smallest and lightest yet. But will it live up to the reputation of the GF1 and can it topple the Sony NEX-5 as the supreme compact system camera? We've unboxed it for some first impressions…
Straight outta the box
At first glance, it doesn't seem enormously different to the GF1. Bit smaller, as promised. The most noticeable change is that the fat mode dial's disappeared from the top panel and a few buttons have disappeared from the back. No, this isn't a simplified GF1 – a new touchscreen interface is there to deal with loads of the settings.
Ooh, touch control
Sometimes touchscreens can be a hindrance, but Panasonic has been very smart. For a start, some usual controls such as ISO and white balance are still accessible from the D-pad. More importantly – and we love this bit – the touch Quick menu can be customised to contain just the settings most important to you. Just want exposure compensation and ISO on there? You can. Lovely.
Alongside the GF1
Did we say a "bit smaller"? We meant a lot. Panasonic claims 18% smaller than the GF1, which doesn't sound much but, well, is. It's even just about pocketable with the 14mm pancake lens. It's not so comfortable to hold, but that's the price you pay. As well as the actual price, of course.
This article originally appeared at Stuff.tv
