Panasonic’s micro four-thirds DMC-GF1 spotted in leaked picture

You probably remember the G1 and GH1, Panasonic’s well-received contributions to the micro four-thirds photography world. The GH1 was respected for its HD recording capability, although the “micro” aspect of the camera was somewhat lessened by the enormous kit lens. The GF1, leaked in a PDF and captured at Chinese forum Xitek, appears to be the result of an unholy union between the GH1 and the LX3K. The body, in fact, is so similar that we might as well call it the same one. But while the D-Lux had a fixed lens, the GF1 obviously employs an exchangeable system and a M4/3 sensor. I call it hot.

This really looks interesting. I know John loved the LX3K’s Leica cousin, and the GH1 has been well-reviewed, but will this combo have hybrid vigor or the opposite? I can’t rightly say, since efforts to put a large sensor in such a small body (Sigma’s DP1 and DP2) have been troubled, to say the least. I hope Panasonic can pull it off, though, because with a little lens like the one pictured, that’d be a fantastic walk-around camera.

Update: I should have noted some salient specs. 12.1 megapixels, 460,000-dot 3″ LCD, video seems to be at 30FPS but that could certainly change.

[via DPReview forums]

This post is tagged: CrunchArcade, gf1, Headline, Panasonic, panasonic gf1, Photography