The Eaglet has Landed

The UPS man just came. I mentioned to him that it's supposed to snow tonight—but only two inches. "Oh, that's two inches too much!" he shot back, as he raced away. UPS men move fast, I've noticed. Maybe they're just scared of Lulu. She tends to have that effect on delivery people.

Anyway, I'm very pleased to report that my Panasonic GF1 has finally arrived! It's been just a day short of one month since I ordered it. It's the first new digital camera I've bought for myself in a long time.

From what I've heard—this is just scuttlebutt—Panasonic is favoring the Japanese home market with early deliveries, and the GF1 has been very popular in Japan. It's been very popular all over the world, actually. Wherever cameras are sold. Supplies have been arriving, they're just very intermittent.

If you've been waiting, Amazon lists one GF1 with the kit zoom in stock now, from Wall Street Photo, at a $100 price premium, and is expecting a shipment of the GF1 and 20mm ƒ/1.7 (the lens I bought) on the 13th of this month; according to them you can pre-order one from this page, although it's possible you still might not get one from that shipment, I imagine. (At least, you shouldn't blame me if you don't—I had to wait too, don't forget.) You can pre-order a GF1 with the kit zoom from the December 13th shipment from this page, with no price premium (other than having to pay early list price, which is usually a sort effectively a "premium" in itself, although not technically). 

A veritable DMD! In my hot little hands at last.

Mike

Featured Comment by Jeff Goggin: "I hope you enjoy yours as much as...well, as much as you enjoyed mine. :-)"

Comments

[COOP]

I'm LOVING my GF1, and having fun shooting with the beautiful 20mm pancake, as well as my Leica M 35mm summicron! (the poor man's M9!!) It's a terrific little camera.

Did you buy the viewfinder too?

Here's a flickr set of my GF1 photos, mostly from a recent trip to Japan:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coop666/sets/72157622803166815/

[julius0377]

Here in Norway the situation is different for some reason. I purchased my GF1 with 20mm lens about two weeks ago over the counter, and the largest photo store in Norway (www.fotovideo.no) has three bodies and five body-zoom kit's in stock at the moment.

Even the M9 that has loooong waiting lists just arrived, I had to wait for this one though, but only about three weeks.

[Miserere]

Maybe they're just scared of Lulu.

Why would a delivery man be afraid of an online publishing service...?

;-)

[juze]

Ah, I do envy you. My personal Christmas will have to wait till January, though ...

[Julian]

The waiting time seems to be a North America thing. I had no problem buying mine over the counter in my local camera shop in London last month. The controls are a little bit more fiddly than I would like, but overall it's a great little camera, and small enough that I do take it with me most of the time. It also acts as a great light meter for my Hasselblad!

[erth]

I was in Japan a few weeks ago, and I looked everywhere for an English version of the GF1, but no luck, Panasonic only does Japan version in Japan! Pity, it was cheaper there by a few hundred. Never mind, I got mine in Singapore on the way home. By the way, don't drop it on its edge, I did--I have bent the flash, and I'm still crying into my pillow about it.

[John Parks]

Isn't that always the way? Guy gets a new camera for photographing the great white squirrel, and it snows!

It'll be tough spotting the critter, but good luck to you.

[mike]

What?!?! No video of the unboxing?!?!

[robert e]

Woohoo!

Coincidentally, UPS brought me a DMF today--a nicely worn-in M2. Oh, yeah!

[Mike Johnston]

John,
Ha! Thanks. I'll need it, where the crafty GWS is concerned.

Mike

[Jay Frew]

Ah-Ha...just the thing you have been waiting for...impeccably timed to coincide with your previous post no less...ingenious!

Now you can get-on with the "Format Size vs Print Size" comparison between 6x6, 35mm and M4/3.

;~))

Have fun with your new DMD!

Cheers! Jay

[Erez]

Congratulations !!!!
I was looking at this or the Pen as a second camera... Probably early next year...

[charlie]

Take a picture of your Cat and post it on Flickr!

[Ed Taylor]

Mike -

I have had mine since a while before I wrote the review, and it is still my favorite digital camera ever.

I still would like in-body stabilization so I would have stabilization with my 20mm, and I wish it would flip my images automatically when using that lens, but I have not found anything else that really bothers me much.

It is a great camera with consistently great IQ. The video looks great as well.

I could go on and on, but, in short, you're going to love your new camera.

Your friend,

Ed

[Carsten Bockermann]

Fortunately both the GF1 and the 20/1.7 lens are readily available over here in Germany. I bought the lens two weeks ago for use on my Olympus E-P1. Definitely an improvement over the 17/2.8 Olympus lens.

[Robin P]

Perhaps your US UPS men are more cheerful than ours? - here in the UK I've met many different delivery men at home and at work, without fail the UPS men are dour and miserable, perhaps it's the uniform or the ugly brown van makes them that way.

Cheers, Robin

[David Littlejohn]

Let us see some pictures. It's been a while since you've published any of you own stuff.

[James Liu]

I've always liked UPS guys here in the States. The guy who brought coffee to my shop in New York's name was Paul, and he always had a smile on his face. He also joked that me and one of my coworkers should form a hiphop boyband.

Did I ever tell you about how I got my M3 delivered? I was on my way to work on a bike, saw a UPS truck coming up the street, and on the off chance that it was on the truck, asked the driver if he had a package for my address. He did. Unboxed the camera right there on the sidewalk, and rode to work in a big hurry. Sorry, no video.

Getting a new camera is a treat. Enjoy it. Would love to hear what you think of that camera a year on.

[Gianni Galassi]

Mike, you will enjoy this gem, which IMHO plays in the digital age the same role as the Leica Model A played in the 20s. Under film-era lighting conditions, the jpg files delivered by the GF1 are practically indistinguishable from raw. And the in-camera lens correction is a winner.

[Christopher Lane]

Mike,

All I can say is congratulations. Hmmmm...I guess that's not all. I want:

1. Continuing reports.
2. A review of the LVF.
3. Sample images at various ISOs (just for the heckuva it).
4. Sample videos (I know, a stretch).
5. Print offer.

Happy Holidays!

Chris Lane

[John Camp]

I've virtually abandoned my other cameras for the G1 and the GF1, and of the two, it's the G1, rather than the GF1, that I most often reach for. The 20mm is more-or-less permanently attached to the GF1. I carry both of them all the time in my car, with the full line of lenses, in a bag I bought to carry Leica gear -- and the Panny package, even with two bodies rather than one, is lighter.

Thom Hogan believes that two new Panny bodies are coming next year, calling them the GF2 and the GH2. I'm really looking forward to the further development of this system. I would like a long prime -- 135mm or 150mm (270 or 300 equivalent.) The Panny's long zoom is fine, but it's too big. A nice compact IS f2.8 135 prime would be excellent. Also, a 45-50 prime, as a portrait lens.

My biggest fear is that they will drop the twistable LCD from the G1 follow-up. For me, that thing is worth its weight in gold.

The sensors could use a step up, too, but I'm not unhappy with them as they are. I hope the sensors are chosen to optimize still photos rather than video...

JC

[David H]

Is it pocketable?

[John Brewton]

I'm real happy you guys love your UPS service. I spent the entire summer trying to get my Minolta 5400 repaired and UPS damaged it every time it was returned!! (three times) I finally gave up and threw it in the trash. They also did a similar thingy with my Cal Audio cassette deck. It seems that with electronics it's a crap shoot out there.

[Catto]

...and that was the last we saw of Mike.
R!

[Stephen Gillette]

Ah, the excitement! By coincidence, I met with a colleague/buddy today, and he brought his new Panasonic GH1, with kit zoom AND 20mm f/1.7. Very impressive. You get the feeling that Panasonic is listening to—and designing for—photographers. The focus was very fast. (I did manage some camera shake with the 20mm, forgetting that it is not image-stabilized...)

I think the GF1 is even better looking than the GH1. Ho boy!!

[Paul H]

Come on down to New Zealand, where it is allegedly summer (doesn't bl**dy well feel like it!!), buy a GF1 and have a nice photographic holiday. The GF1 is available over the counter here too.

Have fun with it, & maybe Santa will bring some extra bits for it.

[Roy Feldman]

I got mine /w20mm a week ago and did a photo essay for our public radio web site with it:
http://michiganradiopictureproject.org

[Paul]

Mike,

Would you ever post the raw file from a picture online for us to play with? Just a test picture of some sort. I'm very interested in this camera but I've definitely become used to the files I get from my 5D mk 1 and I'm wondering if I would be terribly dissapointed or be able to handle what the camera was putting out. I do wonder why camera reviewers don't do this more often.

Just a thought.

Lucky you! I hope you enjoy yourself.

Paul

[Xurxo]

Great Moment!! :)
I wish you great shooting with your DMD!

[ed hawco]

Oh, man, this is killing me! I've been drooling over this camera since it was announced, and I just know it would be my favorite camera ever. But I can't really shell out the cash right now. More kill: a store I pass on the way home from work has them in stock right now. *Right now!*

Oh boy. I can feel that impulse stirring in my gut. I think I'm going to be leaving work early...

[Eudoro Lemos Jr.]

Well, Mike congrats!! Next purchase: Voigtlander 40mm optical viewfinder!
About the mistery of the disappearing of G1's and GF1's in american market,there's a simple economic reason: The dollar ultimately is considerably weaker compared with both yen, euro and other currencies...
And the suggested sale price in Europe historically is clearly higher than in US.
Panasonic sales in Europe bring home at least twice the net profit margin than selling in US, so...
With the LX-3 it happened exactly the same.

Eudoro
Rio, Brazil

[pete]

curious here in the uk a local camera shop had a number of them and mine arrived from warehouseexpress the next day.

[Ade]

Many congrats and ah, much envy. If I can suggest the perfect companion to provide some suitable inspiration for your new DMD... (Hurry - it's a limited print run of 2000 copies. Got mine yesterday and it may yet be my choice for photobook of the year. I have no links with them other than as a reader.)

[Pak]

I just bought mine from the computer halls of Low Yat Plaza in Malaysia. I went to over 10 stores all of them out of the 20 mm pancake, and most of them only having the kit version with the zoom.

Which I eventually took. It's a great setup -- but I do yearn for the fixed lens and by habit keep trying to bring it up to my eye!

Also learning that the technique to this is totally different -- for instance taking shots holding the camera above my head or to the side would not have occured to me before with my M6 or SLR.

It's all good fun though -- and certainly a different camera experience to the norm. Hope you're enjoying yours as much as I am.

Cheers, Pak