My "New" Panasonic GM5

My “New” Panasonic GM5 

I am in love with this little camera. This really surprises me, as it and it’s predecessor, the GM1, did not appeal to me when released (October 2013 for the GM1 and September 2015 for the GM5). The GM1 did not appeal to me because it lacks a viewfinder. And I think I was turned away from the GM5 originally because the reviews suggested it was simply too small for the user to be able to ergonomically manage the physical buttons.  

The purchase of a used GM5 on eBay for $360 last month was a rather spontaneous purchase. I’m happy I pressed the “buy now” button. The copy I received is in mint condition. Separately I bought the Panasonic additional grip for $50 which I find to be an essential accessory for a secure hold. 

So far, the small size has not bothered me.  If it were my primary camera perhaps I’d be frustrated with the single small control dial, and the weight imbalance if I use my bigger Olympus and Panasonic glass.

GM5 with available grip (attached to a base plate)

So far, what feels good and decently balanced on the camera is the Panasonic 12-32, 45-175, and 15, and the Olympus 25 and 60.  The 45-175 and 60 seem rather long (3.5” and 3.2” respectively), but they are light. The heaviest lens of the group is the 45-175 at 7.4 ounces. This weight seems to handle nicely on the GM5 with the grip attached. But perhaps that is partly because it zooms internally.  This means that it does not extend when zooming, thereby keeping the center of gravity closer to the camera body. The Olympus 60 weighs 6.5 ounces and does not extend either, as you’d expect for a prime lens. All the other lenses are short and featherweight at less than 5 ounces each. The zooms mentioned above are stabilized.  The primes are not.  The GM5 does not have in-body image stabilization.

What I like is the high quality images I am getting from what is not much bigger than a point and shoot camera, and which fits easily in my jacket, ski parka, or even the hand warming pockets of the LL Bean fleece pull-over I wore during Thanksgiving when I took the photos below.

I made my life easier for the images below by bouncing straight up to the white ceiling.
Arguably, better lighting is obtained by bouncing up 45% from horizontal and
off to one side or the other... or even angling rearward.

All but the first image below were taken with the little Olympus FL LM-3 flash, which I had modified to work on the Panasonic body (see prior blog post). My family is used to me using a flash indoors, so it didn’t seem to interfere with the activities and the antics of the children.  Yes, it would have been nice to have not used a flash at all, as that would have also allowed me to shoot in silent mode. On the other hand, the flash kept the ISO lower (about half) than what would have been needed with ambient light alone. As it was, except for ISO 500 for the first image (and only non-flash photo in the group), these shots are at ISO 800-3200. Without a flash, these ISO numbers would have been 1600-6400.