S. H. Lew,

I agree with David -- the Metz mecablitz 48 is a great choice! B&H has a special deal until the end of December which lowers the price to around US$200 and includes free shipping in the USA:

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/532280-REG/..." target="_blank">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/532280-REG/...

When you compare flashes, remember to check whether they use 2 AA batteries or 4 AA batteries. In general, the more batteries, the greater the power and the faster the recycle time. The FL-36R uses only 2 AA batteries, while the Metz 48 uses 4 AA batteries and can take non-rechargeable lithium batteries, which are the absolute best for flash work (though not the most economical). Unlike the Metz 48, the Metz 36 does not swivel and will not accept lithium batteries.

In short, the Metz 48 does almost everything you could ever want in a flash. The company has a reputation for high quality products. You won't go wrong with that flash.

If you have US$200 to spend, the Metz 48 looks like the best buy. If you would rather spend US$130, the Vivitar DF-383 is a powerful, versatile, full-featured TTL flash with all the features you are likely to need on the GF1. I have the DF-383 and am happy with it so far. I haven't subjected it to heavy use, so I cannot speak to reliability, but I consider it a good value if you need a flash for occasional light use.

Good luck!

Fred

Jane,

I don't have either the GF1 or the 14-140mm superzoom lens, but I do have the E-P1 and the G1, the 45-200mm super telephoto lens, and some even larger and heavier Four Thirds lenses. I can offer some suggestions based on general experience.

If you hold the camera body with both hands, a large heavy lens will put strain on the lens mount. What you want to do is hold the camera body with your right hand (so that you can operate the shutter button) and support the lens underneath with your left hand. This takes the strain off the lens mount and will help you balance the camera better.

The 14-140mm lens is a little over 3 inches long. You'll need a different kind of camera case to carry it around when mounted on your GF1 (e.g., one of the holster style camera cases from Lowepro). The best thing would be to take your camera and new lens to a good camera shop and try some cases on for size to find the best fit. If you don't have a good camera shop nearby, you can take some measurements and order a case online from B&H.

Enjoy,

Fred

P.S. The 20mm f/1.7 pancake is a wonderful lens! I just got one for my E-P1.

P.S. The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Four Thirds zoom weighs 3 pounds. The Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 Micro Four Thirds zoom weighs about 3/4 pound in comparison -- that's one quarter of the weight! To be fair, the Sigma has a maximum aperture which is constant throughout the whole zoom range, and the Panasonic doesn't. Still, there's a whopping big difference in size and weight between the two zoom lenses. I know which one I'd rather take on a long hike. :)

Dear Other David,

I feel your pain. :) Selecting a camera is often a difficult decision. Here are some questions which might help you.

1. Do you want In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) so that any lens you attach is image stabilized?

2. Do you want to autofocus legacy Four Thirds lenses?

3. Do you want to use the Olympus EX-25 macro extension tube or the Olympus EC-14 or EC-20 teleconverters with Four Thirds lenses?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you need the Olympus E-P1. If you answered no to all of those questions, the Panasonic GF1 will give you faster autofocus and a higher resolution LCD, plus a built-in flash and an autofocus assist light.

If you want to use an electronic viewfinder (EVF), you can get the Panasonic GF1 or the recently announced Olympus E-P2, which comes with an EVF as part of the standard kit. If you like the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens (which is a "fast normal prime" lens), you can buy the lens separately and use it with any of these cameras.

Good luck with your decision!

Fred

Dear David T.,

Thanks for posting my comment on your website, and for giving me such a warm welcome!

The 45-200mm zoom lens now sells for under US$300 at B&H. Yup, it does offer a "wicked long FL" :-) in a very small and light package, too. It uses Panasonic's Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which works really well. I'm amazed at how well it stabilizes the image at 200mm. I recently tried it while holding my E-P1 in one hand with the zoom lens set at 200mm, and the image on the LCD was really smooth and steady -- not jittery at all like you might expect with such a long telephoto.

Unfortunately, I can't post any GH1 videos myself -- I don't have that camera. I've read so many good things about it, though. I recently started a LinkedIn subgroup for Micro Four Thirds Videographers, and some of our members are using the GH1 for pro video projects. For example, Michael J. McNamara (from NYC) got Panasonic to sponsor an underwater video shoot he did with the GH1!

You're more than welcome to join any of the Micro Four Thirds groups on LinkedIn.

Thanks again,

Fred

Dear David,

Thanks for posting this nice review of the pre-production version of the Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into writing it, and the pictures are a great addition to the text.

I own two MFT cameras myself: the Panasonic G1 and the Olympus P1. I considered getting the Panasonic GF1, but the Olympus P1 does several things I need:

1. will autofocus Four Thirds lenses
2. supports the Olympus EX-25 macro extension tube and EC-14 and EC-20 teleconverters
3. has in-body image stabilization.

None of the Panasonic MFT cameras offer any of these features -- not even the GF1.

By the way, you mentioned that the MFT system has no long lenses except the 14-140mm 10x superzoom video lens. What about the 45-200mm super-telephoto lens? With an equivalent focal range of 90-400mm, that certainly qualifies as a long lens. The optical (in-lens) image stabilization definitely helps with handheld shooting (though mounting the camera on a tripod with image stabilization turned off is the recommended way to shoot with a long lens).

I'd be careful about comparing the Panasonic 14-140mm video lens to any lenses from Canon and Nikon, pro or otherwise. The Panasonic lens was specifically designed for video and has high-end features such as a silent AF motor and seamless aperture adjustment. Panasonic is arguably the first camera manufacturer to get video right on a hybrid still/video camera. Even Canon and Nikon cameras struggle to keep up with what the Panasonic GH1 can do with video -- like zooming with continuous autofocus while recording video, for example. The Panasonic GH1 and 14-140mm video lens are really in a class by themselves.

Finally, I want to invite you and all your readers to join the new Micro Four Thirds Photographers group I recently started on LinkedIn. For a link to the LinkedIn group profile, just click on my username at the top of this comment and see my IntenseDebate profile in the left margin.

David, thanks again for sharing your experiences with the MFT system. I think it's a great system with a bright future -- it could well become the future of digital imaging!

Best wishes,

Fred Chapman
LinkedIn Group Owner
Micro Four Thirds Photographers

P.S. I posted a link to your GF1 preview on my LinkedIn group.