The 12.1-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 ($1,499.95 direct with Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 lens) isn't just a solid D-SLR—it's also a darn good HD camcorder. In a well-lit environment, the camera can produce high-quality still images, but it can also easily and silently refocus while capturing HD video—a feat other D-SLRs have failed to master. No other camera we've seen makes shooting video this simple. I do have some gripes, however: Namely, the GH1's high price, its underwhelming low-light video and still-image capture. Even so, in many ways it's an impressive hybrid device.

This is the second camera on the market to adhere to the Micro Four Thirds standard (the first being its predecessor, the Lumix DMC-G1), which was designed to reduce the size and thickness of D-SLRs. To save space, the camera forgoes the mirror box you'd find in a traditional D-SLR. (The mirror box is used to reflect what's captured through the lens and show it on the viewfinder.) Panasonic also opted for a "contrast detect" autofocusing system, which has smaller parts than a "phase-detect" autofocusing system. And there's a Micro Four Thirds lens mount with a smaller diameter than on other D-SLRs. The thing is, though, the DMC-GH1 isn't that small: Its body weighs 0.93 pound, but the included 14-to-140mm lens weighs 1.03 pounds, making both together no lighter or less cumbersome than a traditional SLR. (See the slideshow for a size comparison.)

The viewfinder may be a deal breaker for some. It's an electronic viewfinder (EVF), which is really just a small LCD screen. All the details (such as face detection, menus, and picture playback) that appear on the larger LCD screen can be viewed on the smaller screen, and because of the EVF's resolution (1.44 million pixels—higher than the LCD's), they look sharp. But it has the same motion-blur problem as the larger LCD screen, and is less clear than a true optical viewfinder.

The GH1's Micro Four Thirds "contrast detect" focusing system allows for smaller parts, but it slows the camera down. I used the Shooting-Digital.com shutter release test to measure the amount of shutter lag on the DMC-GH1, and the result was 0.43 seconds—more like a point-and-shoot camera. Traditional D-SLRs, like our Editors' Choice Canon EOS Rebel T1i, can hit 0.1 second, meaning there's virtually no shutter lag. What's more, because of this limitation, the GH1 can crank out only about 2 images per second at its maximum resolution. The T1i ($899.99 list), the Nikon D5000 ($729.95 list), the Nikon D90 ($999.95 list), and Canon EOS 50D ($1,299 list) can shoot 3.4 frames per second (fps), 4 fps, 4.5 fps, and 6.3 fps, respectively, and all cost less than the GH1.

In PCMag.com's photo lab, I use a hardware and software suite called Imatest to objectively gauge image quality. Imatest results indicated that pictures taken in well-lit conditions (specifically, at ISOs 100 to 800) are a bit soft but offer low noise; at ISOs 1600 and 3200, images are sharp but very noisy.

At ISOs 100 to 400, the GH1 captures 1,500 to 1,600 lines per picture height. The larger sensors in the less-expensive Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 offer, respectively, 2,000 to 2,100 and 1,700 to 1,800 lines per picture height. They also deliver less noise in low light. At ISOs 1600 and 3200, noise becomes an issue for the GH1. The Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 can keep noise levels below 1.5 percent, which is the level at which noise becomes visible; the GH1 can't do the same. At ISO 1600, noise is at 1.62 percent; at 3200, it's at 2.19 percent. These numbers represent an improvement over the G1 (which produced 1.9 percent noise at ISO 1600 and a whopping 3.39 percent at 3200), but the GH1 is still outperformed by cameras like the T1i and D5000, which cost much less.

Most every D-SLR that can record HD video has some kind of limitation when it comes to focusing. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Nikon models D90 and D5000 can focus only manually while shooting video; the Canon T1i can autofocus on a single area, but it takes a few seconds, and the lens mechanism makes a loud noise that gets picked up in recordings. The GH1 is the exception: Just like a standalone camcorder, it offers manual focus, fast and silent single-area focus, and a continuous focus that can automatically refocus on a moving subject.

In well-lit conditions, the GH1's HD video is breathtaking. Because of the wide range of depth-of-field settings a D-SLR lens offers, you can put your subjects in focus while leaving your foreground or background in soft focus, which gives you professional-looking results you can't get with most camcorders costing less than $1,000. In low light, video has the same noise problems the GH1's still images do, but that's a common limitation with sub-$1,000 camcorders.

The GH1 records in 720p30 (30 progressive frames per second), creating MPEG files that can be dragged, dropped, and played natively on your Mac or Windows PC. You can also shoot in AVCHD in either the super-sharp 720p60 (60 progressive frames per second) resolution or the film-like 1080p24 (24 progressive frames per second). Unfortunately, neither Windows XP or Vista PCs nor Macs natively support these files (although Windows 7 will). Mac owners will need to first import videos into iMovie to convert them, and Windows users will need to pay for video-editing software that supports AVCHD—the free Windows Movie Maker doesn't.

Complementing the video's image quality is great-sounding audio; there's even an input for a microphone (2.5mm stereo mini jack)—only the Canon 5D Mark II offers this feature. Any microphone that terminates in a 2.5mm jack will work. (Panasonic will be releasing a boom mic designed for the DMC-GH1 that mounts to the hot-shoe port.)

The HDMI-out port is the best way to connect the camera to an HDTV for viewing HD video or photos. The DMC-GH1's HDMI port is also smarter than most, as it supports "HDMI Consumer Electronic Control" (HDMI-CEC). If the HDTV you connect to the GH1 also supports HDMI-CEC, you will be able to control the camera and navigate its menus by using the HDTV's remote—with no programming required. (Check out this video to see HDMI-CEC in action.)

The lens included with the DMC-GH1 is an image-stabilized 14-to-140mm lens (35mm equivalent: 28-to-280mm, 10X optical zoom). It was designed for the DMC-GH1, so it's silent when focusing, which means you hear no mechanical noise when refocusing during video recording (unlike with the Canon T1i). This is the only silent lens compatible with the DMC-GH1. The DMC-GH1 is compatible with other Micro Four Thirds lenses (there aren't many), and with Four Thirds lenses via an adapter.

Because of its terrific camcorder capabilities, there's no other D-SLR like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. The HD video innovation is offset by some limitations. The Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 take better still images and cost about $500 less than the GH1—but they don't do video nearly as well. If you can cough up $1,500 and want a dead-simple and full-featured D-SLR and HD camcorder hybrid, the DMC-GH1 fills the bill.

Benchmark Test Results
Check out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1's test scores.

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