This morning I've had a chance to go through the pictures I took & I've achieved a 100% success rate in terms of accurate focusing.
I certainly found the system a lot better to work with "in the field"
I was shooting in a gale, using the EVF and with very cold hands, so it was a good test.
Before, the two touch button system, followed by moving the thumb wheel to increase the magnification, followed by focusing the lens, then clearing the magnification, finally pressing the shutter could be very difficult, particularly with long lenses and wide apertures. I don't know about anybody else but I found that on some images, going through all of this had moved the camera in relation to the focus point, by the time I took the picture.
This new system is MUCH better & allows you to keep your right hand in more or less the same position throughout the whole process.
The GF1 is particularly suited to this as the thumbwheel is at the back of the camera. Obviously we all want the same system for the G1/GH1 but with the different layout and the thumbwheel button at the front, its not going to be so easy. The AE/AF lock button is in the perfect position, but I for one wouldn't want to loose that function.
The changes on the GF1 mean I now feel much more comfortable using both of these lenses & the 85mm F/1.8 is a real bonus as its a wonderfully sharp lens. I took quite a few shots at F/1.8 and they were all dead on for focus. Even allowing for the fact of the gale I was working in & the magnified image "waving about" in the viewfinder. With their fast apertures these lenses are ideal for hand held work and now I feel much more confident using them.
Finally in the light of Panasonic bashing in some recent forums, a thank you for providing a firmware update that helps us use non-Panasonic products more efficiently. The more we can encourage them to listen to user feedback, the better for all of us.
D
