Updated (November, 2011): Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

40

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Battery life
Great battery life
400 shots
Size
Really small
Mid size 119x71x36 mm
Interchangeable lenses
Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor cleaning
Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Sensor type
CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Thickness
Thin
1.4"
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

39

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Viewfinder
Great viewfinder
Digital
Touch screen
Touch screen
Less buttons
Startup delay
Almost no delay when powering up
1000 ms startup delay
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
3D
Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
External mic jack
External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-G2

Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 1000 ms vs 1400 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when turning on
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The DMC-G2's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $614.99 vs $1,125.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $510 cheaper (around 50% less)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-G2

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-GF1

Size Much smaller 119x71x36 mm vs 124x90x74 mm
Help
2.7x smaller
Thickness Much thinner 1.4" vs 2.9"
Help
2x thinner
Weight Lighter 330 g vs 416 g
Help
More than 20% lighter
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 400 shots vs 390 shots
Help
Almost the same
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 409 ms vs 423 ms
Help
Almost the same
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-GF1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
39 vs 40
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

advice

Need help deciding?

Ask the community!

I am considering either the DMC-G2 or the DMC-GF1,
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0
votes
by Steve-Nickols last month
Panasonic DMC-FZ45 vs Panasonic DMC-G2

Beginner looking for good quality photos with hd video capability, easy to use settings and a view...

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Battery life Great battery life Help
DMC-G2:390 shots
DMC-GF1:400 shots
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
60 seconds
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
DMC-G2:423 ms
DMC-GF1:409 ms
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12 MP
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 30fps
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
10.3 EV
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Color depth Poor color depth Help
21.2 bits
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
460k dots
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
DMC-G2:53.0
DMC-GF1:54.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
DMC-G2:493 ISO
DMC-GF1:513 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 body only

$700 with 14-42mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$376 with 14-42mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$849 - $997 with 14-42mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$260 - $279 with 14-42mm lens

Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Lens availability Much more lenses available
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Touch screen No touch screen
Samsung NX11

Samsung NX11

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$619 - $725 with 18-55mm lens

Screen type Has an OLED screen
Color depth Better color depth
Touch screen No touch screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$330 with 14-42mm lens

Lowest price Cheaper
Weight Lighter
Touch screen No touch screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$643 - $1,125 body only

$731 - $964 with 14-42mm lens

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Battery life Shorter battery life
Color depth Worse color depth
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$339

Image stabilization Image stabilization
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,199

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Screen size Significantly smaller screen

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

discussion

Showing 4 comments

Patrick Dowell (4:44 PM, March 13, 2011)
Compared to the GF1, the G2 will also autofocus a lot of the Olympus Four Thirds lens, which is great if you happen to have a few of those lying around.
 
Avatar for stevelink stevelink (2:04 AM, April 01, 2010)
Excellent, Christopher! I love your site, and the way you can quickly compare cameras! An awesome service for us photographers! If I do happen to get the Panasonic Lumix G2, I'd be happy to provide more insights.
Thanks again,
Steve
 
Avatar for christopherreid christopherreid (0:55 AM, April 01, 2010)
Thanks Steve,

Glad you like the site and thanks for adding that feedback on the G2, that's very helpful for users. We're trying to incorporate more and more info about every camera including processor info, special shooting modes (like panoramas), etc. We're always working on making the site better and we hope to add this info soon!
 
Avatar for stevelink stevelink (0:45 PM, March 30, 2010)
Greetings! I love your camera comparisons, however, at least in this case, you should have mentioned the difference in Processing Engine between the two. The GF1 has te older Venus Engine HD, while the G2 has a new Venus Engine HD II, which adds a few features that supposedly improve the image quality.
Thank you!
Steve