14 DAY TRIAL // Pictured for the first time in a series of leaked photos that made their appearance at the end of last month, the Panasonic Lumix GX1 has now been made official by the Japanese company with availability expected in mid-December.
The GX1 comes as the true successor of the Panasonic's popular Lumix GF1, which was one of the company's first Micro Four Thirds cameras.
This means that the camera features some improved specs over the previously launched GF2 and GF3, the star of the show being the new 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor and Venus engine, this combo enabling the camera to reach a maximum ISO of 12,800.
In addition, Panasonic also touts an impressive 0.09 seconds autofocus speed, after the subject is selected by simply tapping the 3-inch, 460,000-dot touchscreen.
An external electronic viewfinder can also be attached to the Lumix GX1 by using the camera's hot shoe and this offers a 100-percent field of view at a 1.44 million-dot resolution.
As far as video recording is concerned, Panasonic's latest creation can capture 1080/60i HD video utilizing either MP4 or AVCHD compression.
"Panasonic expects the Lumix GX1 to please a lot of photo enthusiasts who have been eager for a technology upgrade comparable to the Lumix DMC-GF1, which continues to be a very popular digital camera with dedicated followers who appreciate the compact size, yet high quality of photos and video," said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.
"The Lumix GX1 is an extremely flexible and capable digital camera with fast AF speeds and outstanding image quality.
“Plus with a built-in flash and a hot shoe allowing for accessories like an external view finder, the GX1 is a powerful compact system camera that is small enough to be a photographer's everyday camera choice," concluded the company's rep.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 will be available in black and silver bodies starting mid-December in two kit versions. The first one of these bundles the GX1 with a 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 POWER O.I.S lens for $949.99 (689 EUR) while the other comes with the 14-42 standard zoom for $799.99 (580 EUR).
Panasonic will also sell the Lumix DMC-GX1 as a body-only configuration for $699.99 or about 508 EUR.
