Lumix GF2

I hope I can get this camera one day :D

I saw this in a sudden

Then fall in love with it

The GF2, while clearly sharing the GF1's blood-line, is a substantially different design. It's less cluttered, and the resculpted handgrip and curved fairing around the hot shoe make it look more elegant and, dare we say it, feminine. It's superbly finished, with an all-metal body shell that gives it a reassuringly weighty feel - you can't help but feel that this is a quality product.
The array of buttons and dials that covered the GF1's body has been heavily culled. Gone are the mode dial and drive mode lever from the top plate, along with the AF/MF, AF/AE lock, depth of field preview and display buttons from the back. Meanwhile 'Quick Menu', 'Fn' and 'Delete' have been consolidated to one single button. The removal of these external controls is substantially - but not entirely - made up for by a redesigned user interface that relies substantially on the new touch screen.
The camera may have slimmed down and lost many external controls, but thankfully the features list has scarcely been trimmed at all. The net result is a camera that's simpler and less intimidating for newcomers, but also one that's less likely to appeal to more advanced users.

In your hand / grip

The GF2 sits nicely in your hand , and despite its reduced size is comfortable to hold. The redesigned grip follows the line of your second finger perfectly, and the click-dial that controls exposure parameters is ideally positioned for thumb operation. However we found to the 'Play' button to be a little too close to the thumbgrip, and all too-easy to press accidentally when holding the camera normally or picking it up (not a big deal - a quick half-press of the shutter is all it takes to switch back to shooting mode).
The other buttons, however, aren't in such easy reach without shifting your grip - this is a camera that really demands two-handed operation. The customizable 'Q. Menu/Fn' button is relatively poorly placed if you wish to program it for a commonly-used shooting function such as Auto Exposure Lock or Auto Focus Lock, as it requires a substantial shift in your thumb position to press it. For advanced users this is perhaps the biggest step back relative to the GF1, which uses a dedicated button beside the thumbwheel for AEL/AFL. One other, minor irritation is that the power switch is also a little less well-positioned for quickly flicking on and off with your index finger.

The GF2 looks wonderfully svelte with the 14mm F2.5 pancake prime, but add a zoom (as we suspect most users will want to do) and, rather like the Sony NEX-3 and -5, things start to look a little out of proportion. The images below illustrate this, with the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS kit zoom mounted; this combination certainly isn't pocketable in any sensible fashion. In this regard Olympus's clever collapsing kit zooms offer a distinct advantage.
Note also that this lens actually offers slightly less telephoto range and depth of field control than the fast, fixed zoom on the Olympus XZ-1 compact we reviewed recently. Food for thought if you're considering buying the GF2 with just the kit zoom.