Left – LX5 is a compact camera. Right – GF2. Image source Photography Blog
The Panasonic GF2 has full manual control in Aperture Priority mode thanks to a new feature called flicker reduction.
The Panasonic GF2 is a nice 2nd body for video. It lacks the GH2’s native 24p mode (though PAL model comes close with 25p in a 50i stream), lacks the new sensor and has a touch screen which counts out the use of viewfinders but apart from that, it’s a nice camera.
The GF2 also has a new feature called Flicker Reduction. Not sure if the final GH2 production run will also have this – quite possibly. It seems that Panasonic listened to our reactions in PAL land regarding lack of 25p and it also has a nice side-effect. This allows you to shoot in both PAL and NTSC regions with the appropriate shutter speed to avoid flickering under fluorescent lights, I believe. It seems to override the auto-control of shutter speed, which can only be a good thing. When used in conjunction with P,S or A modes it gives you something approaching full manual control.
• Flicker reduction (sets shutter speed to 1/50,1/60,1/100,1/120 in video mode)
• Manual audio control (mic levels) as the GH2
• But no external mic jack
• Same sensor as GF1, G1 and G2
• Same image processor as GH2
• 720/60p for slow motion (horray!)
Panasonic say that “The LUMIX GF2 has 17 Scene modes, most which can be used during video shooting, too.”
I’ll take that as reading P,A and S can be used in video mode but full manual (M) is just too hard for girls.
Let’s thank our lucky souls we have flicker reduction mode to avoid those daft high shutter speeds in P and A mode.
Finally, Panasonic have coined a phrase for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras like this. ‘DSL’. Not to be confused with the internet broadband technology of course. I prefer DEVILS – Digital Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens System or possibly in the case of the GF2 – GFC. Girlfriend’s Camera.
