14 DAY TRIAL // As you might know, the biggest imaging event of the year, Photokina 2014, is underway in Cologne, Germany, and key players in the industry are present on the grounds showing off new products.
Panasonic had a few things for us too and one of its new products comes to update the GM series of compact cameras. The new gear is called Lumix DMC-GM5 and is a revamp of the Lumix GM1.
The new Lumix GM5 is a tiny, compact camera
With that in mind, we’ll tell you that the camera sports a 16MP Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor, the same that lives under the hood of the predecessor.
The sensor works hand-in-hand with a Venus image processing engine to get the job done. Panasonic is also offering a 12-32mm kit lens to go along with the new compact camera. The bundle is expected to arrive from mid-November onwards and will be priced around $900 / €695.
But what stands out with the new Lumix GM5 is that the camera comes equipped with a 1,166k-dot electronic viewfinder which, according to Panasonic, is the equivalent of a LVF (live viewfinder).
Furthermore, it gets the same 100% field-of-view and 100% color reproduction treatment as the Lumix GX7.
Advancing even deeper into the land of specifications, we find that the little GM5 comes with a contrast detect AF system. On top of that it has face/eye detection AF, low light AF, pinpoint AF, and one-shot AF modes.
On the back, Panasonic has attached a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD screen that comes with touch capabilities. The small camera bundles Wi-Fi, like most of the shooters we saw get unveiled at Photokina, which enables fast file transfer and remote shooting.
In the ISO department, users will find a range from 100 to 25,600 to take advantage of plus a maximum shutter speed of 1/16000th of a second for action photography.
The GM5 adds a hotshoe
Another interesting aspect we have to highlight is that the compact adds a hot shoe, so photographers will be able to mount an external flash unit, too.
In the video department, this tiny photo companion can shoot full HD video at 60p (both in AVCHD and MP4 formats).
On top of that, it comes equipped with a “Snap Movie Mode” that allows you to record a 2/4/6/8 sec movie as you are snapping a still image.
Panasonic has also launched the Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4.0-5.6 (70-200mm equivalent on full frame) with Mega Optical Image Stabilization and the Lumix Vario G 14mm f/2.5 II (28mm equivalent for full frame).
The first option will take you back a hefty $1,500 / €1,158, while the 14mm lens can be yours for $315 / €243 a pop.
