Panasonic GX1 Performance

Generally very good speed for a Compact System Camera, though a few sluggish numbers.

Startup time wasn't bad for a Compact System Camera, but shutdown was sluggish. Numbers for the G3 were 1.4 and 2.2 seconds respectively. Buffer clearing times were good with JPEGs, but slow with RAW files. Buffer sizes were similar to the G3.

Mode switching was reasonably fast. Play to Record was a hair faster than the G3's 0.8 second. Record to play was slower at 2.0 seconds, but a bit faster than the G3's 2.2 seconds. Displaying a recorded image took slightly longer than the G3, at about 0.3 second versus the G3's 0.2 second.

The Panasonic GX1's autofocus was very fast for a camera that uses contrast detection. The GX1 produced full-autofocus shutter lag (with the subject at a fixed distance) of 0.259 second using 1-area (center) AF with the 14-42mm X kit lens. 23-area AF was very slightly slower at 0.260 second. These times are still just a touch slower than the average consumer SLR, but faster than the G3, which took about 0.29 second to focus with the older 14-42mm kit lens. (The new X lens likely makes a difference here.) Enabling the flash increased lag quite a bit to 0.477 second, but that's still faster than the G3 which took 0.567 second. Shutter lag was 0.250 second compared 0.318 second for the G3 in continuous mode AF. When manually focused, the GX1's lag time dropped to 0.082 second, which is a touch faster compared to the G3's 0.091 second lag. The GX1's prefocused shutter lag time of 0.072 second was also a bit faster than the G3's 0.080 second lag.

To minimize the effect of different lens' focusing speed, we test AF-active shutter lag with the lens already set to the correct focal distance.

Single-shot cycle times were pretty good, and a bit faster than the G3. We measured 0.56 second for large/fine JPEGs, 0.53 second for RAW and 0.54 second for RAW+L/F JPEGs. The G3's results ranged from 0.64 to 0.67 second.

Continuous High Speed "H" mode was faster than the G3's, at about 4.1 frames per second for JPEG, RAW or RAW+JPEG files, compared to the G3's 3.4 frames per second. Please note that Live View is not available during a burst in H mode. In Super HS mode, we managed 20.4 frames-per-second (about the same as the G3), though resolution is only 4 megapixels in that mode.

Full resolution buffer depths were generous for large/fine JPEGs, at over 20 frames (we suspect there is no limit with a fast card), but when shooting RAW files buffer size dropped to 10 frames, and 8 for RAW+L/F JPEGs. This is on the shallow side for an enthusiast model, but a bit better than the G3's 7 frame buffer for RAW and RAW+L/F JPEGs. Buffer depth in Super HS mode was very good, at 40 frames. Buffer clearing was a little sluggish when RAW files are present, though.

The flash recycled after a full discharge in 5.8 seconds, which is a bit slower than average for its class, and a bit slower than the G3's 5.5 seconds.

Download speeds were fast, quick enough that you probably won't feel the need for a separate card reader, even with large memory cards. (Note that this test was performed with a SanDisk Extreme Pro 45 MB/sec SD card: Slower cards would likely show slower transfer times.)

Bottom line, the Panasonic GX1's performance is very good overall for a CSC. Autofocus is very fast, and full resolution burst speed quite good, competitive with most consumer SLRs. Startup, shutdown, some mode switching, and buffer clearing times were a little sluggish, but reasonable for its class.

Slightly below average battery life for a Compact System Camera.

The Panasonic GX1 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack for power, and comes with both a single battery and charger. The CIPA rated 300-340 shots per charge depending on the lens is a touch below average for a Compact System Camera, and much lower than a typical digital SLR when using the SLR's optical viewfinder. We strongly recommend getting a second battery for your GX1 if you plan any extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))