I have my GF1. Oddly enough, a local camera shop got it ahead of Amazon—well ahead, apparently, since Amazon isn’t supposed to get the 20mm kit I pre-ordered for some time. Initial impressions, with ~50 shots of random crap:
- Build quality is excellent, but not over-done. It’s a nice package. It’s a little bigger than the Canon G9, but not so much so that I’d put it in another category. I have a case that I use to store the G9 on my CamelBak while riding—the GF1 fits in it without the 20mm lens on, but not quite with. Pretty close, though.
- The rear LCD is amazing. It updates very quickly. It think it might be even better than the one on my D700. I’ll have to look at them back-to-back.
- The menu system is pretty good. In general, I like the G9 menu system better, but that could be because I’m used to it.
- The camera reacts very quickly. It’s a much more agile handling camera than the G9.
- The focus modes are a nice surprise. It has a “lock, then follow” mode that works very well with the baby running around.
- The _f_1.7 lens is nice. Leads to a nice bright image on the LCD, even in low-light conditions. I haven’t shot enough to tell how sharp it is, but that’ll take some time.
- The shop I bought it from didn’t get the optional EVF in stock, so I’ve still got my order placed with Amazon. This camera cries out for it; I keep feeling like I should put it up to my eye, even though I rarely did that with the G9.
More to come….