Look Ma, no Mirror

DSLR is an abreviation for Digital Single Lens Reflex. DSLR cameras make use of a mirror which is placed between the lens and the camera's sensor, which reflects the light passing through the lens up to the viewfinder, allowing the photographer to see exactly what the camera sees.

When the shutter release button is pressed, the mirror swings out of the way, the shutter is opened and the light is captured by the digital sensor.

With the Panasonic G1, there is no mirror. Instead of a mirror the camera makes use of a digital sensor and a display screen inside the viewfinder. So, essentially, while you are looking through the viewfinder, you are looking at a live digital image of the subject in front of the camera.

Why did they do this and does it matter

Removing the mirror and the accompanying pentaprism has allowed Panasonic to make the camera a lot smaller.

In fact, when placed next to comparable offerings from Nikon, Canon or even the dainty Sony A350, the Panasonic looks like a pint-sized pocket rocket.

This makes it perfect for anyone who wants to carry something better than a compact point and shoot, but who needs to economise on weight. Hikers, bird watchers, landscape photographers or even the casual vagabond traveler, will love the power and versatility in this tiny package.

Purists will of course say that all this comes at a cost and will point to the fact that because you are looking at a digitally relayed image in the viewfinder, rather than light reflected by a mirror, there is a tiny time lag between what you see and what is happening in front of the lens.

We have found this delay almost insignificant, and it certainly is a lot less than the shutter lag (the time between when you press the button and the moment the image is captured) on most compacts.

We have even take the camera to a football match and were able to capture fast-paced action shots without any problem.

The only thing we did not like was the fact that when you switch to manual focus mode, it enlarges a tiny part of the image in the center of the viewfinder, forcing you to focus here. That makes it very hard to use manual focus on moving subjects. This, it has to be said, is a very small sacrifice and one that very few photographers will ever notice.

The best LCD we've ever seen

Enough about the viewfinder already, the best feature by far on this camera is the LCD, or the screen on the back, for the uninitiated.

It swivels, it tilts, it's as bright as a spark and it even makes tea if you ask it nicely.

You can swing it away from the camera and it will allow you to compose and even focus shots with the camera held away from eye level.

At rock concerts you will be able to hold the camera above the crowd and still get the perfect shot of Bryan Adams doing his thing on stage, or when photographing children, you will be able to look them in the eye without breaking your back.

It even has an image preview function that will emulate the effects of slower shutter speed and adjustments in depth of field.

Now if only I can only find a way of unscrewing it and fitting it on my £3000 Nikon...

Lenses and Accessories

Whenever a new player enters the interchangeable lens market, they face on significant challenge and that is the fact that there are a limited range of lenses and flashguns available for their specific lens mount.

Lenses from one manufacturer will not necessarily fit another and it takes a while before there is a sufficiently broad choice available.

Panasonic has launched the camera with two high quality offerings: a 14-45mm wide angle and a 45-200mm telephoto lens, both of which are surprisingly light and extremely sharp.

They have also announced that Olympus will be adjusting a range of lenses to fit the Panasonic, which will be a major boon and should broaden the available range to suit most amateurs.

Final Verdict - Who this camera is for

We loved this offering, so much so that Mrs Sutton is expecting one under the Christmas tree. (She's not been promised one as much as she has demanded to have one, but hey, if it keeps the peace, I'm happy.)

The camera is ideal for those who want to take the step up from point and shoot compacts, but who do not yet want to lay out the capital on a Nikon or Canon system.

It is a very good learner's camera and all the functions can be used in either auto or manual.

If on the other hand you are a more experience photographer and are just looking for something a little more compact and light-weight without being feature light, you could do a lot worse.

In our opinion, this is a real winner and we can't wait for ours to arrive in the post. (Just because I've promissed it to the missus does not mean I can't play with it till Christmas, does it?)