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I LIKE my cameras a discreet black or muted silver.
The test piece of the DSLR-like GH1 came to me in a deep shade of red.
It is like meeting a lawyer in a red velvet suit for the first time.
Then you get into a working relationship with him and any misgiving melts away.
Ditto for the GH1.
In its heart beats a large image sensor - about the size of those used in Olympus DSLRs.
The GH1 does not have a DSLR's mirror or prism but its lens can be changed.
Although the 461g body is lighter than that of an entry-level DSLR, the GH1 is solidly built.
The grip is comfortable.
No hard plastics are used in this 12.1-megapixel camera.
The viewfinder is a revelation.
With 1.44 million pixels, it is more than six times sharper than most camera LCDs.
Through it, even my drab office cubicle looked slightly more cheerful.
I found it easy on the eye and brighter than the optical viewfinders in entry-level DSLRs.
The 3-inch LCD can be swung out and turned around. Self-portraits, overhead and worm's eye shots can all be accurately framed. v DSLR users will marvel at the ease with which they can switch from this snapper's LCD to its viewfinder.
No switches are involved.
Just use your head: Bring your eye to the viewfinder and two sensors on the right of it will sense your face.
The camera will automatically switch off the LCD and activate the viewfinder.
The LCD comes alive less than a second after you power up the camera.
Use the LCD to frame your shots exactly as you would with a compact.
The big difference is how much faster the autofocusing works compared to compacts.
The GH1 takes a split second - DSLR speed - to focus on a subject.
It does not get any easier.
At the cycling track in East Coast Park, I snapped two quick shots of an old man riding a bicycle.
Both shots captured the colours and details well - down to the many folds of skin on his bared belly.
The GH1 is also a camcorder - able to capture video footage of up to full HD quality.
Just press a dedicated video button to start and to stop.
Unlike DSLRs, the GH1 continues to focus while a video is being shot.
My footage of Marina Bay was sharp - even the steel lattices on distant cranes can be seen.
With its kit lens, the GH1 weighs 891g - heavier than a fully loaded Nikon 5000D - a popular entry-level DSLR.
But the GH1 kit lens spans 28mm to 280mm - three times the zoom range of a standard kit lens.
In a Chinese restaurant lit with a mix of energy-saving and fluorescent lamps - a scenario that would befuddle even DSLRs - the white balance of the GH1 was confused.
I adjusted the balance manually using a porcelain teapot as a white reference, taking less than 15 seconds to do so. Easy.
Final say
The ease of a compact, the reliability of a DSLR and the picture quality of a HD camcorder meet in this imaging mate.
It comes in black and gold too.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
