Review: Panasonic Lumix GM5

Introduction

Back in October 2013, Panasonic first introduced the GM1. This was a line of new super-small cameras, which despite its small size still managed to fit in a 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor. Naturally, this means it could use regular Micro Four Thirds lenses too, just like other Panasonic and Olympus compact system cameras..

The GM1 was actually smaller than some compact cameras on the market, most notably the Sony RX100 II, but it came with the benefits of both a larger sensor and interchangeable lenses.

Now, Panasonic has managed to push the concept even further. The GM5 keeps the same sensor but adds a viewfinder and hotshoe, making it all the more appealing to experienced photographers who want something small and light which is still capable of producing high quality images.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

The camera now also comes bundled with a tiny flash in the box which you can attach to the hotshoe. If you prefer, you can also use other flashes and accessories.

There have been other improvements, including a sensitivity expansion setting of ISO 100, which takes the full range to ISO 100-25,600 (it's 125 at the lowest setting on the GM1); a boost in the maximum continuous shooting rate from 5fps (frames per second) to 5.8fps, or 5fps with AF tracking engaged instead of 4fps; the addition of Snap Movie mode; and Manual Creative Control when recording video.

Wi-Fi is built-in, but unlike some of the other Panasonic compact system cameras, there's no NFC. Panasonic claimed that with the GM1 that there simply wasn't room for the chip inside the camera's diminutive body. Panasonic has included a QR code which can be scanned for quicker setting up of Wi-Fi connectivity for the first time. Wi-Fi can be used with Panasonic's Image App (available as a free download for both iOS and Android) to remotely control the camera, or for quick sharing of images to social networks.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

Also new is Eye/Face Detection AF, Highlight and Shadow adjustment and Panasonic's Creative Panorama – the ability to add 18 of the 22 Creative Control options when shooting panoramic images.

Like the GM1, the GM5 has a 921,000 dot, 3-inch touchscreen for composing images, making settings selections and scrolling through images. It is now joined by a 1,166,000 dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) to make image composition and review easier in bright light – or for those who just prefer to use viewfinders rather than the screen on the back of the camera.

Full HD video recording is available in both AVCHD and MP4 formats at 24p. You can also record time lapses and stop-motion animations quickly and easily with the camera.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

In order to keep the overall system size down, the GM5 comes bundled with a smaller kit lens than other Panasonic compact system cameras, coming with a 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 retractable pancake-style lens. In 35mm terms, that's a range of 24-64mm. There's a huge range of lenses available for the Micro Four Thirds range, though, and it's not just limited to those manufactured by Panasonic; Olympus lenses are also compatible, as well as those from third-party manufacturers such as Sigma and Tokina.

So what's the competition? There are a couple of different ways to look at this. The GM5 goes up against other miniature compact system cameras, such as the Nikon 1 range, or the Samsung NX Mini, but it's worth noting that these cameras only feature one-inch sized sensors, which are some way smaller than the GM5's.

On the other hand, given their size and the likely target audience, the GM5 is also up against premium compact cameras, such as the Sony RX100 III, the Canon G7X and potentially cameras like the Fuji X30 and the Canon G1X Mark II.

Build quality and handling

When you first lay eyes on the GM5, it's hard to believe that it is a compact system camera at all and that the lens is detachable. Although it won't fit in a pocket in your jeans with the slim 12-32mm kit lens attached, it will certainly go in a coat pocket, which makes it a very appealing everyday walk around camera.

Although the GM5 is now a little bigger than the GM1 before it, it's still incredibly small for an interchangeable lens cameras, and the viewfinder doesn't do too much to add to that size, sitting neatly in the top left hand corner of the body.

Other than that, not too much has changed about the design and handling of the camera. If you're using the kit lens, you will need to extend the lens before you can shoot as it collapses down to save space. This makes it slightly slow when you're starting up for the first time, but you can always leave the lens extended if you plan on taking more shots a short while later.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

As it has a touchscreen, Panasonic could have opted to omit dials and buttons, but happily there's a satisfying number of these too, making them complementary to each other.

On top of the camera, you'll find a dial for switching between various exposure modes, including semi-automatic (P/A/S) and manual modes (M). There's also Automatic, Creative, Scene, Video, Panorama and a slot for a set of custom settings – useful if you want to quickly access a particular group of settings, such as high sensitivity for low light shooting, say.

Also on the top plate you'll find the on/off switch and shutter release, along with a dial for choosing a focusing mode. You can choose between AF-S (single), AF-C (continuous) and manual. There's no lock on this dial, but it is reasonably stiff so it's not too likely you'll accidentally knock it out of position.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

The back of the camera has seen a slight redesign from the GM1. There's a standard four-way navigational pad, with each directional key assigned to a specific function too, such as up for sensitivity (ISO) or right for white balance. There are also a couple of new customisable function buttons, found just next to the viewfinder. By default, these buttons control the viewfinder operation and the Wi-Fi operation, but you can set them to any one of a staggering 134 different functions. You'll find a further seven customisable function 'buttons' on the touchscreen itself; again these can be set to whichever function you find you use most often.

Whereas before a scrolling dial doubled up as the navigational pad and was used for altering and shutter speed, there is now a dedicated dial just next to the thumb rest for changing these settings. You can push the dial in towards the body to switch between changing aperture/shutter speed and exposure compensation when in semi-automatic mode, or between aperture and shutter speed when in manual mode.

A button on the back of the camera opens a quick menu with common settings such as Photo Style and Image Quality and, like the customisable buttons, this menu can be changed to suit your specific needs.

To set the autofocus point, you simply tap the area on screen you want to use. Or, if you prefer buttons, you can press left on the navigation pad and then use the directional keys to move around to the point you need.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

The EVF has an eye sensor which detects when the camera is lifted to the eye, switching the EVF on and the rear LCD off. This makes for a lovely seamless transition between using the two. The viewfinder is quite small, but the image itself is bright. It may not be something you'll want to use all the time, but it's handy to have at times when the sun is bright or it just feels more natural to use a viewfinder (such as when shooting portraits).

One handy feature which Panasonic has brought across from its other G series range is TouchPad AF. This is a setting which is activated via the main menu and allows you to continue to use the touchscreen to set the autofocus point even while using the EVF. You have to be careful of your nose touching the screen and accidentally changing AF point though.

Remote controlling the camera using the Image App is a great experience as Panasonic has afforded a high level of control; you can change white balance, sensitivity (ISO), metering, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation and more from within the app. You won't be able to zoom the lens in and out though, unless you have a power zoom optic.

Performance

As the GM5 uses the same sensor and processor as the GM1 (and therefore Panasonic's more advanced GX7), we had no doubt that images would be great, and happily those expectations have been met.

Direct from the camera, images are bright and punchy without seeming to be too oversaturated. If you want to boost vibrancy and contrast, then you can change the Photo Style to Vibrant, or if you need to mute the colours slightly you can choose the most appropriate Style for your needs. You can also shoot black and white images in this way too. The good thing here is that shooting with these parameters can be done in raw format, giving you the standard colour version should you require it down the line.

Detail resolution is excellent, with beautifully crisp images even when viewing at 100% at lower sensitivities. As you move up the sensitivity range, naturally more noise is introduced and a little detail is lost, however, at ISO 800 there's still plenty of detail and minimal noise, while at ISO 1600 images still look great, even at large sizes. Images remain more than usable at ISO 3200, especially at normal printing or web sizes,

Panasonic Lumix GM5

At the time of writing, it's not possible to view raw format files using Adobe Camera Raw, but Panasonic's Silkypix software is bundled in the box. Using this shows that a significant amount of noise reduction occurs with JPEG files at high sensitivity settings, and while this results in a generally pleasing look, if you're concerned about preserving very fine detail, you can pull some of this back by working with the raw files to get a balance you prefer.

The camera's general purpose metering system does an excellent job to produce accurate exposures, with hardly any need for exposure compensation – though in high contrast situations it can help to dial in a couple of stops occasionally.

The automatic white balance copes well with different lighting conditions. In natural light, shots taken with auto white balance are almost indistinguishable from those taken with the sunny or cloudy white balance presets. Under artificial lights, colours can be a tiny bit off, tending towards warmer tones, in which case switching to incandescent, or even setting your own custom white balance is handy. If you shoot in raw format, you can always adjust the white balance during the editing stage.

Generally speaking, autofocusing speeds are very quick, especially in good light, where the camera is capable of locking onto the target almost instantly. As the light drops, speeds drop a little too, but even under relatively low light, it's still pretty impressive. It's only when the light reaches near blackness that the camera really struggles.

Panasonic Lumix GM5

The 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens makes for a great walkaround lens for everyday shooting scenarios, covering a good range of focal lengths. Shooting at mid-range apertures such as f/8 gives sharpness right the way across the frame, while you can also get pleasing shallow depth of field effects using the f/3.5 maximum aperture. If you want to purchase another lens, it's worth looking at something with an even wider maximum aperture, such as the 25mm f/1.4 lens for really shallow depth of field effects, and for shooting in very low light.

Panasonic cameras have a great range of digital filters, and it's pleasing to see them now being available in semi-automatic or manual modes. This means you can retain full control over aperture or shutter speed (or both) while adding a creative look. It's also great that you can shoot in raw format with filters, meaning if you decide that the Cross Process (or whatever) effect isn't for you after all, you can revert back to a standard image. It's worth experimenting with the different filters to find those that you like, but my favourites include High Contrast Monochrome and Bleach Bypass.

Noise and dynamic range

We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

These graphs compare the GM5 with the Panasonic GM1, the Olympus OM-D EM10 and the Sony Alpha 5000.

JPEG signal to noise ratio

Panasonic Lumix GM5

Analysis: The GM5's JPEGs have the best signal to noise ratio of the cameras in this group, right up to an ISO (sensitivity) setting of 1600. Beyond that, the noise levels are pretty even amongst all four cameras.

Raw signal to noise ratio

Panasonic Lumix GM5

Analysis: The GM5's raw files show a signal to noise ratio more or less in the middle of the group across the range of sensitivities. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is visibly better at higher ISO (sensitivity) settings.

JPEG dynamic range

Panasonic Lumix GM5

Analysis: The GM5 shows an odd dip in dynamic range at the lowest ISO setting (100), and at other sensitivities it lags slightly behind the other cameras in this comparison.

Raw dynamic range

Panasonic Lumix GM5

Analysis: The raw dynamic range results are much better and the GM5 is visibly better than the rest at ISO (sensitivity) settings of 1600 and higher.

Image quality and resolution

As part of our image quality testing for the Panasonic Lumix GM5, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 100 the Panasonic Lumix GM5 is capable of resolving up to around 24 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100: