Nikon D90 vs. Panasonic GF1

[arun21]

I am looking for a new camera.

I realize the GF1 is not a true DSLR, but it is a much smaller form factor than the D90, and both are similarly priced - and to boot I can find a great deal on both on ebay.

Can anyone provide any insight on why I should definitely take one of the other? D90 obviously takes better photos, but the GF1 still has many of the manual functions available on a dslr and is much smaller/easier to carry around and can be treated more like a point and shoot.

Any help appreciated! :-)
thanks.:aureola:

[Frog]

The least expensive I see at B&H is 1199 if you want a lens(the 18-105)
Yes you can get it without a lens for 809 and I'm pretty amazed the price has dropped that much.
Now if you find a GF1 and a D90 with a lens on ebay for nearly the same price, I would advise you to check out the dealer thoroughly. Most ebay camera dealers are selling gray market which means they were not intended for import to the USA and Nikon will NOT honor the warranty. I'm pretty sure the dealer will say they have a warranty for it but I've heard nothing good about the outfits that fix any problems...long, long turn around, often deny there's a problem, etc. That's Nikon and I don't know about Panasonic.
There are good dealers on ebay, Cameta being one of them. Check their site and make sure they are an authorized dealer..

As for the choice between the two, it all depends on what you want. You can probably get some really decent shots with the Panasonic but you'll always be limited by the lens that's on it. On the other hand the D90 will slowly but surely suck your wallet dry as you figure out that you want this lens and that lens and a tripod and a flash and maybe some filters, and some extension tubes, etc.
I see now that the G1 also has some lenses
Your photo horizons will increase dramatically but you have to pay for it.

Be sure to check our dealer reviews before you buy.

[Photo-John]

D90 obviously takes better photos

The photographer takes the pictures, not the camera ;)

The D90 will have better image quality, better auto focus, a faster frame rate and a lot more lens choices. But you may keep the GF1 with you more since it's smaller and lighter. I think we need to know what kind of shooting you intend to do. Depending on what you want to do, one camera might just be wrong for you. For instance, if you wanted to do a lot of sports shooting, I'd definitely steer you away from the GF1.