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The Panasonic Lumix GF1 is groundbreaking. It’s Panasonic’s first camera using the new Micro Four Thirds system created by Olympus and Panasonic. What is it? In short, it’s a standard whereby compact digital cameras can stay small but use interchangeable lenses despite not having an optical mirror.

Quick features: 12.1 megapixels CMOS sensor, 720p HD video, pop-up flash, 3-inch LCD display, battery life of about 350 shots, SDHC storage, mini-HDMI output, optical image stabilization, and comes with a 20mm f1.7 lens.

The GF1 introduces a new scene mode called Peripheral Defocus that automatically opens the aperture as wide as possible given the exposure constraints, and adds a mode that lets you adjust depth of field while shooting video. At first glance, the GF1 looks like a serious competitor to cameras like the Canon Powershot G11 and even Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-LX3.

So if you’re looking for a better and faster point-and-shoot without the weight and price of a dSLR, the GF1 is worth a look.

Buy for $900 from Amazon