Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds System (MFT) design standard developed by Olympus and Panasonic. It was announced by Panasonic in March 2010 along with the Lumix DMC-G10. The G2 was introduced as the successor to the Lumix DMC-G1 camera, with upgrades such as 720p high-definition video recording capability in AVCHD Lite and Motion JPEG formats.

Key features of the G2 include a touchscreen interface that allows control of many camera functions including touch-based selection of focus points within the live view frame. This duplicating the control options provided by the physical dials and buttons on the camera body. The G2 was sold with a redesigned 14-42mm Panasonic kit lens that was lighter and less expensive than the 14-45mm lens included with the G1.

At launch, the suggested retail price for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 with 14-42mm lens kit was $800 USD in the United States market. It was available in black, red and blue color options.

The Micro Four Thirds system
The Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system is a camera design standard jointly developed and announced in 2008 by Olympus and Panasonic as an evolution of their previous Four Thirds System. Like the Four Thirds System, it uses a 4000 x 3000 pixel sensor, but in a more compact camera body design enabled by eliminating the reflex mirror and optical viewfinder.

A key advantage of the smaller MFT sensor is that it allows for more compact and lightweight native lens designs compared to larger APS-C and full frame sensors used by Canon, Nikon and others. The smaller image circle of MFT lenses also enables slimmer camera bodies. The 2X crop factor of the MFT sensor compared to 35mm full frame means that lenses can be designed smaller and lighter for any given angle of view. For example, a typical MFT 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens weighs 112g and measures 50mm long, while an equivalent Canon APS-C 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens weighs 190g and is 80mm long.

Unlike the Four Thirds System which was optimized for DSLR designs with a mirror box and optical viewfinder, the MFT standard pursues a mirrorless approach. MFT cameras use an electronic viewfinder or LCD screen for live view, eliminating the complex optical path required for an optical viewfinder. This enables more compact camera bodies and lenses. The MFT standard is also designed for seamless switching between stills and HD video recording.

The short 20mm flange focal distance of MFT cameras, compared to over 40mm for most DSLRs, allows virtually any existing interchangeable lens to be mounted via an adapter, albeit with only manual focus and aperture control. This means legacy 35mm film lenses and lenses for larger format cameras can gain a second life on MFT bodies, providing high quality optics at low cost. The 2X crop of MFT effectively turns a 50mm full frame "standard" lens into a 100mm portrait telephoto lens.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 features
Upon introduction in March 2010, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 was marketed as the world's first interchangeable lens camera with an articulated, touch control LCD. Also added was 720p HD video and a redesigned physical user interface, changing placement of dials and button controllers, and an electronic viewfinder. Notably, the G2 was not capable of full 1080p HD video as was the then top-of-the-line Panasonic GH1. The ability to choose the focus point by touching the desired area on the screen was implemented in all Panasonic MFT cameras introduced after the G2. Other manufacturers such as Sony with its new NEX family of cameras, and Olympus in its PEN E-P3 MFT camera also incorporated use of the touch screen feature for camera controls.

The "new" 14-42mm kit zoom lens was less expensive than the original optical image stabilized 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom lens that came with the G1. The 14-42mm kit lens is lighter, but longer than the original 14-45mm kit lens, features a plastic, rather than metal lens mount, and omits on-off switch for the in lens optical image stabilization system. However, the 14-42mm optical image stabilization system on-off could be controlled through camera menus. Many enthusiasts regard the 14-42mm kit lens as a step down in both optical image quality and build quality from the original 14-45mm kit lens.

Body colors and MSRP
The camera is available in three colors — black (suffix K), red (R) and blue (B). MSRP in the United States for the body and 14-42mm kit zoom lens was $USD 800.00.

Successor model
The G2 camera's successor model is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 which was announced in May 2011.