Panasonic Lumix GF1 VS GH2

I have been impressed with my GF1 camera over the last year, so in December I decided to get the newer GH2 after reading some enthusiastic reviews about it. The GH2 is a top of the line photo and movie camera that lived up to my high expectations and I can highly recommend it, despite this I decided to sell it.

GH2, 28mm, f/5.6, 1/320

Why I Sold the GH2

I spent my Christmas holiday in Stockholm, and brought with me my new camera, thinking I would take many memorable pictures. I guess I forgot one of the reasons I really liked the GF1, its small size. While the GH2 is a small camera for what it is, it is a little too big to easily put away in my jacket pocket. So I basically did not bring it along where I would normally take most of my pictures. The GH2 needs planning for me to use it, the GF1 does not. As the GF1 is smaller and more point and shoot styled, it also feels more anonymous.

The 14-140mm (28-280mm in 35mm terms) lens had a great x10 zoom range and a quick and silent autofocus while being smaller and sharper than its APS-C cameras competitors. I liked it very much, until it got dark, until I wanted to put it in my jacket or until I compared the pictures with my portable, sharp, fast aperture 20mm pancake.

1080p/24 video from the GH2 looked great on the HDTV, but as I am still learning about video, the GF1 is more than adequate. The increased ISO performance and megapixels in the GH2 were good to have, but the improvement was not good enough for me to defend the spending and increased bulk.

I had hoped that I would get the same good experience with the GH2 as the GF1, but I did not. Instead I rediscovered why I liked the GF1 so much in the first place and sold the GH2.

GF1, Leica 45mm Macro 1:1, f/2.8, 1/25, Lumix text on lens cap

What I Did Instead

While using the GH2 I found the Electronic View Finder (EVF) very useful, not necessarily to frame the pictures, but to hold the camera more stable while shooting. I tested this with many shots and found an investment for the external LVF1 for my GF1 worthwhile. While some has criticized the quality of the display, I find it adequate, I would not do without it.

I liked the 14-140mm, but thought I could get some more interesting lenses to increase my creative possibilities. So I decided to get the Leica 45mm f/2,8. Perfect for getting a close perspective with its 1:1 macro shots and I also found it to be a very good portrait lens; I really like the contrast and bokeh of this lens. Together with the 20mm I have some flexibility and two fast aperture lenses to experiment with on the go (and some money left to spend on more lenses like the small 14mm, which would fit well with my kit. More on that development later).

iPhone, My current setup