Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 review

The trickle of intermediate SLD (single lens direct view) cameras of last year has turned into a torrent this year, with several new models from Samsung, Sony and Olympus hitting the market. Panasonic’s gambit this year comprises two Micro Four Thirds cameras: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10, which we’ve already reviewed, and this, the pricier and more fully featured Lumix DMC-G2.

To look at, the G2 isn’t much of a departure from its more affordable cousin. It looks like a more compact version of a DSLR, a feat it achieves (as all SLD cameras do) by shrinking the distance between lens and sensor, and removing the optical viewfinder. The body is clad in the same disappointingly cheap-feeling resin plastic, and it’s all but identical in appearance.

Under the hood, it uses the same 12.1-megapixel 4/3in sensor, and many of the rest of the specifications and capabilities are the same too, including the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, and pop up GN11 flash.

Look closer, however, and critical differences do begin to appear, the first being that the electronic viewfinder is far superior. Where the G10’s EVF sported a lowly 202k resolution, the one in the G2 is seven times the resolution at 1,440k, and it makes focusing and framing shots in bright conditions much, much easier.

We’d go so far as to say it’s the best EVF we’ve used in a camera of its type, and it’s also improved by the addition of a sensor to the right, which turns it on when you lift the camera to your eye and switches it off when you look away.

If you prefer to use the screen, you’ll find enhancements there too, although not as dramatic. The G10’s screen is actually the same resolution as the G2’s – a bright, usable 460kpixels – but it’s fully articulated just like the original Lumix DMC-G1

More interesting than this is that Panasonic has also added touch capability. This enables some useful features, such as touch focus with subject tracking, and certain less essential ones, such as gesture navigation in playback and a touch-activated shutter.

Investigating the exterior of the camera reveals a couple of refinements to the build, the G10 adding a dedicated movie button on top, just behind the shutter button, and an autofocus area dial on the left, mounted atop the focus mode dial. The lens mount on the G10 is metal rather than the plastic mount found on the G2.

Finally, video options are more sophisticated. The G2 is able to shoot at 720p/50 in AVCHD Lite format (for up to 100 minutes), whereas the G2 is limited to Motion JPEG. There’s also an input for a stereo microphone, allowing you to improve on the mono audio from the integrated mic.

Aside from the improvement in audio recording that brings, however, the difference all the changes make to image quality are minimal, which is to say it’s as good as the G2 but not outstanding. The most impressive aspect is the lens, from which chromatic aberrations and geometric distortions are kept to an absolute minimum.

Elsewhere colours are balanced and dynamic range is almost the equal of what you’d expect from a DSLR of the same resolution. However, with a smaller sensor than its larger DSLR rivals and the new pretenders to the SLD throne, high ISO performance isn’t as impressive as it might have been. Where the Sony NEX-5 was able to produce usable shots up to 3200 ISO, the G2 will only hit the heights at 800 or below. At 1600 ISO noise is noticeable and obtrusive, as you’ll see from the sample photographs in the gallery.

Still, performance is excellent, especially the autofocus, which is very quick for a contrast detection system. We found it locked onto subjects quickly in good light, and although it struggled a little in darker conditions, it’s helped by an assist lamp at close quarters, and with continuous autofocus activated in movie mode we found it tracked subjects quickly, quietly and reliably.

Switch on the G2 and you’ll be taking your first photo in 1.2 seconds. In top quality JPEG mode shot-to-shot time is an impressive 0.8 seconds, while in burst mode the G2 can manage up to 2.7fps in top quality JPEG mode.

And video quality is excellent for a camera at this price, with decent sound recording from the onboard mono microphone, plus silent, continually active autofocus. Most of the time we found we were simply able to switch the camera into its automatic mode, hit record and get good results, but for more creative videographers there’s also a program mode that allows exposure compensation to be applied, plus a depth of field control that allows you to gradually switch between portrait and landscape style shooting.

This coupled with the G2’s good performance and the improvements in handling mean the Lumix DMC-G2 is a pleasure to use, and make it more of a serious photographer’s tool than the Sony NEX-5. The subject tracking and touch focus make a real difference to the way you shoot video, and with that brilliant viewfinder it's a better camera overall than the G10. But with slightly disappointing performance at high ISO, and physicals more bulky and less appealing than its SLD rivals from Olympus and Sony, it’s by no means the perfect camera.

Author: Jonathan Bray
PCPRO