Considering buying one of these – looking for experience of using the touch screen on the GF2 over the screen+dials of the G2, also how do you get on without the viewfinder on the GF2?

I have the G2 and am very happy with it. I never use the touch screen, and I would not buy a camera without a viewfinder.

Cool thanks, I had a look at them at lunchtime and whilst the digital viewfinder is a bit odd when used to an SLR, it still felt nice to have one. G2 is nicer to hold, GF2 perhaps higher spec, decisions decisions…

I have a GF1 and a G1, they are both great, GF1 gets used more as the video
is great kids etc, as the G2 has video I would choose the G2 – unless you were considering the 20mm lens to get portability , then the GF wins as it is , with the 20mm actually a fantastic portable camera with great quality.

The elephant in the room is the 4/3 adaptors for other systems, I have a number of nikon and leica lenses that are now in use with both the GF1 and G1, I picked up both the GF1 and G1 from ebay, for under 150 each , adaptors are cheap.

So, micro 4/3 is a great thing for folks who have a collection of existing 35mm lenses , for folks who are starting out without lenses it is something of a mixed blessing, yes the cameras are compact, but the 4/3 specific lenses are very expensive and limited in range , the 20mm
is probably the worst VFM lens ever , it does not have stabilisation and
should cost a 1/4 of the rrp .

I have 3 Nikon digital SLR bodies, they are now rarely used , as the Panasonic cameras GF1 with video , and G1 are more fun, unless you use flash regularly.

Not sure if this helps… for me they were cheap camera bodies that digitised some existing lenses, and added instant HQ video as a bonus.

Selling my Panasonic G1 here is interested. I think its the same as the G2 apart from the touch screen. mint, boxed.

Got a GF2 and love it, I’m very much point and click and it does the job for me.

Ive got a G2 and its very very good, picture and image-wise there is little (if anything) to choose between it and a GF2 but I felt the G2 was better to hold: its a bit more weighty and has a better side grip, also if you use the macro lens its better balanced than a GF2. Touchscreen is surprisingly useful particularly the “nice tap to choose your point of interest focus point” feature. The digital veiwfinder is very useful too.

The G2 is probably a bit too big to take with you on bike rides unless you have a good small camera bag that can fit inside or onto your camelbak. If ultimate portability and pocketability is an issue get the GF2.

Dony worry about micro 4/3rds lens issues, get the panasonic macro lens and the awesome 20mm pancake lens and your pretty much sorted for most situations.

Cheers folks.

I found the G2 felt better in the hand too, although the jessops anti-theft thing wasn’t helping, the GF2 felt a bit slippery and unsecure in the hand by comparison.

Thing thats making it difficult is everywhere is flogging off the 2 lens GF2 with the 14-40 and 14mm lenses for £20 more than the G2 with the 14-40, I quite fancy the 14mm lens for low light use. I’ve got a canon eos 28-80 lens but by the time you’ve bought an adapter there is almost no saving to keep using that, plus its much bigger.

coolhandluke – I’m quite keen on the video and touch screen but thanks for offering.

Finishthat – what Nikon adaptor do you use, and where did you buy it?

I’ve had a GF1 and sold it to move to a G2. Main reason was the lack of a viewfinder, in bright sun I just couldn’t use the screen effectively.
I’ve found the G2 to be a great camera with good image quality but the size is still an issue if you’re looking for portability. Its almost at the point where I may as well take my SLR so I’m looking to move to a Canon G12 instead.
Drop me a note if you want a mint boxed G2!

Interesting on the viewfinder, thanks. I’ve pretty much decided on the G2….but then the GF2 is so small… and 2 lenses for the same price…

I have a GF2 and love it, it doen’t seem to suffer from the usual compact problem of thinking for too long and missing the photo. I also have a Nikon D5000 and the quality of pictures that the GF2 takes is pretty close until you start blowing them up to massive prints. I don’t find that I miss the viewfinder and I don’t really bother with the touchscreen. Yes the lack of viewfinder can be a problem in bright sunlight or when trying to hold the camera really steady on a long zoom but Im not taking intricate pics in bright sunshine and how often do you actually find yourself in bright sunshine in this country?

I have 3 lenses for my GF2 the afformentioned 20mm f1.7, a 9-18 Olympus and a 45-200 zoom. I find that the 20mm is rarely off the camera as it takes such good pics and is nice and small, the 45-200 is bigger than the body, but is good quality.