To the right up top is the PASM, custom, scene, presets and motion picture mode with its 'professional-like' tweaks. The collar of that dial lets you change the frames from single, continuous and multiple. Also, while you don't end up pressing it by mistake, right next to the shutter release is the filming activation button is. Genius – as it’s exactly where it should be, as you might be using the electronic viewfinder to compose stills and then shoot some video. Now, it doesn't have to leave your face.
Full manual control plus the usual collection of program modes and intelligent auto to fall back on
The iA (intelligent auto) button is up top too, with a very fetching and unmissable neon blue light around it. A feature from the Lumix point-and-shoot ranges, iA is the fail-safe of all program modes – you really cannot take a bad picture with this. All the technology that goes into making 'human error' invisible on these cams is brought to bear – and a good thing too. Sometimes your subject doesn't care that you don't have the right white balance set. “Did you get it?” Erm no, I am still three key presses away.
A solitary jog wheel sits on the back for getting through options and menus in the old way, along with dedicated buttons for white balance, ISO, quick menu, display and the like. All make sense and you are soon getting through an operating system that is tried and tested. It has a typical Lumix menu layout – simple and intuitive.
Take the DMC-G2 out of auto and you have plenty of control available such as the nine white balance presets – the usual suspects – and dialled-in kelvin too, very nice. Having total control over the colour temperature gives you a thousand more looks and real control over mixed lighting situations, instead of having to fool it or making do. You can also white balance bracket three exposures, just in case you want to hedge your bets.
For those who find shutter speeds and apertures too daunting, there are 26 scene modes. Bracketing has three, five or even seven frames and can be notched up in 1/3 or 2/3 steps. So that could be every aperture available on a sunny day. There is also a My Colour mode for using one of seven not-so-subtle presets of dynamic art and monochrome.
Controls are well thought out for both still and video use
The pop-up flash works well in close proximity and for fill-in. There is also a hot shoe, though I have never tried the TTL capabilities with Panasonic guns. Both sRGB and Adobe RGB colour spaces are on-board, and the DMC-G2 can shoot still images in either compressed JPEG or Raw file formats, or both at the same time.
COMMENTS
Yes
Yes, it does all those things.
Look at the top view of the camera. The dial on the left controls the focus -- full continuous auto, auto, and manual (for manual you can get a handy zoomed in view via the electronic view finder for pin sharp photos). You focus by twisting the lens barrel.
The PASM wheel to the right allows both aperture and shutter priority, both adjustable via the jog dial on the back (it's on the front -- much better -- on the GH1).
I suggest you head over to DP Review for a full (very full) photographers perspective. I guess El Reg is catering to the general gadgetista's interest here.
re: "Blinkers"
No they haven't. They've made APS-C and fullframe 35mm shaped sensor cameras.
Christian Erhardt of Leica had this to say about micro 4/3:
“Our lenses our designed to work best with full format, the light can hit different pixels of the sensor at a very extreme angle–once you have that, the image may be slightly out of focus, or not as bright around the edges.”.
But he also explained why Leica choosed to not join the MicroFourThirds alliance: “One reason why we’ve decided not to move into Micro Four Thirds is that we have looked at the sensor size and realized that it cannot produce the image quality that we need. Therefore we decided to stick with the full format in addition to APS-C. It’s all about the ratios“.
The K-x
The major reason that I never bought a K-x as a cheap backup camera (I'm a Nikon and Leica user otherwise) is that the f'king thing only takes AA cell batteries, not proper solid camera batteries. Even feeding the thing 2900mAh rechargables, the run time is pans,a nd spares are bulky.
Sure, give it the capability to take consumer batteries too- but let it run on proper camera batts. My Ricoh GR Digital 3 runs on the usual lithium camera battery- but can also take AAA cells in the same compartment if you remove the normal battery.. due to clever engineering.
Otherwise the K-x is a fine little camera, nice image quality, snappy focus (certainly compared to cheap Canons) and available in a load of cheerfully loud colours.
Err no redux
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Leica are actually on record that they will NEVER make an EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangable lens) camera, as the 4/3 factor doesn't suit their optics set up at all.
Err no
The sensor size isn't that far from APS-C, which you find in low and midrange DSLRs- in quality and noise terms. Full frame is different, but then only bodies costing £1500 upwards have these in.
