Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 12.1 Megapixel Micro System Digital SLR Camera Body (No Lens), Touch 3.0" 460K LCD, 720p AVCHD Lite/Motion JPEG Movies, Black

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Digital Camera Body gives you superb picture quality in a lightweight (19.68 oz, 558 g) package, using interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lenses on its compact mirrorless body. You can change settings with the normal buttons and dials, or you can simply touch the interactive 3" (7.6 cm) LCD Touch Screen (which rotates 180 deg. horizontally and 270 deg. vertically) to operate autofocus, shutter release, exposure compensation, photo size, ISO sensitivity, white balance and other functions. You can also engage the iA (Intelligent Auto) feature which automatically selects one of six specialized modes to optimize exposure and focus for whatever subject you're shooting. Many playback functions are also available using the Touch Screen.

When your subjects are groups of people, such as friends and family, iA will enlist Face Recognition mode--the G2 will recognize up to 3 faces and optimize focus and exposure. The G2 also allows you to pre-register subjects in the camera with full-face portraits so when you compose your photo the names of the registered people show up on the LCD.

The G2 has full-time Live View which works with both the LCD and the Live View Finder. This means that you can see how adjusting exposure compensation, white balance, aperture and even the shutter speed will affect the image, before you take the picture.

Whether using the touch screen or the dedicated video record button, the G2 shoots HD movies in Motion JPEG or AVCHD Lite formats at 1080x720 resolution, allowing up to 180 minutes of continuous recording time while retaining excellent image quality and sound. You can engage the camera's Movie mode for a variety of professional movie effects such as blurring images that transition into focus.

With advanced technology and convenient touch screen operation, the Lumix G2 appeals to advanced photographers as well as novices who want excellent image quality, user-friendly features and interchangeable lenses without the complexity and weight of a digital SLR. No conventional controls have been removed, so it can still be operated in the traditional manner. The G2 uses the eye sensor to the right of the electronic viewfinder (inherited from the G1), to detect when your face is close to the viewfinder and disables the touchscreen, to prevent unintended nose operation of the Touch Screen features.