DxO Mark has gotten around to benchmarking the sensor used in Panasonic’s new Lumix DMC-GF2, which despite having an ISO range of 6400 (1 stop more than the GF1), still features the same sensor powering its predecessor, the GF1. Well, it should come as no surprise then that the two cameras score almost identically, or as DxOLabs puts it:

As soon as one sees the use cases scores, the similarities between the two cameras are more than obvious. Portrait and Landscape scores are exactly the same. The Sports score is a bit higher for the GF1, but only by a mere 7 points (out of 500)—which means that the two sensors have the same limitations when the light is weak, despite the possibility for the GF2 user to select ISO 6400. Neither camera is able to rise above the “30dB noise-9EV dynamic range” limit (synonym of good image quality) above ISO 500

This isn’t to say that the GF2 doesn’t offer advantages over the GF1, some photographers will enjoy its smaller size, touch screen controls, and “Full HD” 1080i video option. But if you were hoping for any improvement in image quality, there’s little need for existing GF1 owners to upgrade to the GF2.

Shop for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2