What this camera lacks in the looks department, it more than makes up for in build quality and features. This is a really solid feeling little camera, with a surprising amount of weight to it for its size. It’s comfortable to hold, with every button and control adorning its surface being accessible and easy to operate.

So far, I’ve been pretty impressed with the picture quality the GF1 can produce too. Results in high contrast scenes have been a little disappointing, but I’m still getting to grips with the camera, so I’ll give it a more thorough workout before casting my final verdict on this aspect.

Colours are generally pleasing, if a little on the warm side by default, and there’s plenty of scope to adjust your images in-camera using the various colour options and scene modes. I’ve had a quick play with the new Peripheral Defocus feature and had some decent results so far – I’ll look forward to getting a bit more creative with the camera on my next outing.

For now, here are few initial test shots – more later – and look out for the full review in issue 90 of Digital Photographer, on sale 30th November 2009.