Of the two manufacturers committed to the Micro Four-Thirds standard, Panasonic has shown the greater competence in industrial and user interface design; all their cameras so far have exhibited a high level of desirability and innovation, albeit harshly segmented in recent years between models intended for Professionals and those for Consumers, the latter word an industry-wide pejorative synonym for Idiots Who Can't Look Up The Word 'Aperture'.

The new GX1 looks to be different: a great choice for _anyone_ wanting a quality digital camera. It accommodates the beginner with a dedicated "Intelligent Auto" button. In that mode, one just points and shoots like any old camera. Touchscreen functions are included for the iPhone set, but are thankfully optional, and will yield to the dial and button-centric controls that enthusiasts appreciate, if asked. It also looks like a camera should — none of the Panasonic GF3's toylike, plastic curves — with a well-sized front grip and an accessory port for flashes and an electronic viewfinder.

Its new 16-megapixel sensor outperforms the standard 12-megapixel sensor used in most Micro Four-Thirds cameras, including Olympus's flagship PEN E-P3. A new ISO ceiling of 12800 is promised, and low-light performance and noise reduction are reportedly improved through a numerical advancement in the marketing mumbo jumbo of the proprietary VENUS ENGINE. The optional (but recommended) "X" series zoom lenses are powered and have slider controls where a thumb would rest, and fold down to a minimal profile when not in use. As our hypothetical beginner slash user grows in confidence, this camera will probably keep up to the point where he starts charging for wedding assignments and wears an accessory vest whenever babies might be around.

Simplified 'Consumer' models like the sub-$400 Olympus E-PM1 (short for PEN Micro 1) dangle words like "SLR quality" and entice those in the market for a tiny pocket birthday party camera to upgrade their photographic ambitions for a few dollars more, but the condescension of "ease of use" design that removes useful dials and buttons, without corresponding advancements in the usability of their user interfaces (you shall know it by the massing of options hidden behind menu items that take a minute to access), only does these customers a disservice. They inevitably end up being used no differently than the tiny pocket birthday party cameras, except they don't fit in pockets and are more frustrating when they fail.

Without having used one, I can say that this is the Micro Four-Thirds camera I would buy with my own money today. Its design intentions are in the right place. It accommodates aspiration with a full set of features. Nothing about it condescends. Its greatest limitation is its price.

Shop: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1X Camera, with 14-42mm X Power Zoom Lens (Black)