Panasonic Lumix GM5 Kit
16 Mpx, Micro Four Thirds
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
3 reviews
Love it, highly recommended as a carry-all-day quality cam.
Bought this small camera before Xmas and it hasn't left my handbag ever since. If you want a quality camera the size of a compact, it's the model to choose and I highly recommend it.
+ the 12-32 manual lens is compact, well built and sharp. For travel or long walks I also use my older Panasonic 14-140 2nd gen and it doesn't feel unbalanced. Had I not owned this lens already, I'd have gone for the compact 35-100 which is now sold at a more reasonable price (315 francs). Why isn't it offered as a bundle?
+ the touch screen for focusing and direct access to the most used settings through the DISP button. But beware that exiting this screen through the DISP button produces a black screen. You need a 2nd press to get back to pix-taking mode.
+ the macro in automatic (iA) mode. Few high-end cameras offer this without using a dedicated macro lens.
+ the EVF. Yes it's tiny but perfectly usable even by a senior like me and very handy in direct sunlight.
- Indoor lighting and low-light automatic white balance (AWB) was a weak point of all Panasonic's camera I've used. It's improved on the GM5 but still not on the level of Olympus. Instead of using the supplied external flash I use a small and very sturdy Manfrotto Pixi tripod which I also highly recommend. Also use it when I want to control the GM5 from a smartphone via Wifi.
----- (five minus) for Digitec which listed the Panasonic DMW-BCH7E battery as an accessory of the GM5. Ordered 2 which my daughter brought to me in Paris and it turned out that they didn't fit. So 30+ francs went down the drain. Shame on you Digitec.Pro
- 12-32 lens, touch screen, macro mode, EVF
Contra
- Indoor and low-light automatic white balance (AWB)
- Beware of Digitec's list of accessories. Double check before you order.
compact, affordable and thoroughly usable micro 4/3 camera!
Lumix GM5K - solid micro 4/3 camera (2.0 x crop factor) with sharp and compact 12-32mm kit optics. the 16 megapixels are quite usable.
unfortunately, the package (GM5K) comes without body cap and rear lens cap. so if i need another lens or m42 old lenses with addapter, the kit lens remains without rear protection.
i need the camera primarily as a compact camera when i don't have my dslr with me. with kit optics, it fits easily into a jacket pocket! however, due to its small size, it is not comfortable to hold in the hand (like all compacts) when compared to dslr.Pro
- compact - fits in jacket pocket with lens
- up to iso 3200 raw quite usable
- compact small kit optics 12-32mm = 24-64mm 35mm
- micro 4/3 system has many good lenses and with addapter m42 lenses usable
- good menu navigation, touchscreen
Contra
- there is no camera cover or back cover for the kit lens in the kit.
- Battery life well below dslr level (approx. 400-500 pictures/charge)
- battery charger cheapest, hums and squeaks in operation :( :(
Does the job
I bought this camera to mount under a dji phantom drone, it is light and has a good intervalometer function which I use during my flights. it also has a multitude of different functions and modes, I prefer to set speed and aperture manually but I liked the panoramic mode.
Pro
- light
- complete
Contra
- the image quality degrades rapidly at higher ISO (for an eye used to SLR)
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