Introduction
Panasonic was first to launch a compact system camera all the way back in 2008, so it has a decently rich heritage on which to build its new releases
The Panasonic GM1 starts a new line for the company, bringing the total up to five now. There’s G, GF, GX, GH and now GM. The GM1, being the smallest, lightest and cheapest available is primarily aimed at beginner photographers, especially those who might be stepping up from a compact camera.
Featuring a 16-million-pixel Four Thirds sensor, the same as that found in the excellent Panasonic GX7, the GM1 is compatible with the extensive range of Micro Four Thirds lenses that are available – the greatest number of proprietary optics available for any compact system camera. As Olympus also uses the Micro Four Thirds mounts, all of their lenses are also compatible, as well those from thirdparty manufacturers such as Sigma and Tokina.
Alongside that sensor is a Venus processing engine, while the sensor is said to be capable of producing up to 10% better images at high sensitivity than the GX1.
Keen to keep the overall system size down, Panasonic is also launching a new standard kit lens with a focal length of 12-32mm (24-64mm equivalent) which is also ultra compact, collapsing down even smaller when not in use. A new 15mm f/1.7 pancake lens has also been launched.
Other interesting features include 1/16,000 shutter speed and silent shooting, thanks to its electronic shutter. It’s also got built in Wi-Fi and HD video recording at 60i.
The camera has a classic design, with a metal chassis. On the back of the camera is a three-inch, one-million-dot touchscreen, which is fixed.
Panasonic says that it will be marketing the GM1 primarily as a compact camera, rather than an interchangeable lens camera, despite its ability to do so. It is smaller, even including the standard kit lens, than the Sony RX100 II, the current best seller in the premium compact camera market – it is this type of customer the company is targeting.
Build quality and handling
The original point of the Micro Four Thirds design was that incredibly small cameras could be produced. Up until now, although we have seen some very small designs, none of them truly match the GM1, which almost needs to be seen to be believed. Coupled with the very small 12-32mm lens, this is a coat-pocketable device, if not yet a jeans-pocketable one.
Although it has a touchscreen, there’s still a satisfying number of dials and buttons on the body itself, especially when you consider its small size. On top of the camera is a dial for switching between the various exposure modes on offer, including aperture priority and shutter priority. There’s also a dial for switching between different focusing modes.
There is no dedicated dial for altering aperture or shutter speed, but, depending on the mode you’re shooting in, you can make changes to these settings via the scrolling dial on the back of the camera. It seems likely that a large majority of the people using this camera will use it in fully automatic mode, but it’s great that full manual control is available for those who want to experiment further down the line.
These dials, combined with the black and silver design, give it a classic, retro feel that will surely be appreciated by many style-conscious photographers.
On the back of the camera, the three-inch touchscreen is joined by the traditional four-way navigational pad, a menu button, a playback button, a movie record button and a trash button. You can control most elements of the camera via the touchscreen itself, but it’s nice to have real buttons to use as well for those who prefer it, or those who’d rather use a combination of the touchscreen and buttons.
You can also use the touchscreen to set the autofocus point, and if you like, to fire off the shutter release. Both are very convenient features when you need them, and make the workflow of using the camera much quicker than those cameras without a touchscreen.
Performance
It’s a struggle to give a full opinion on a camera’s performance at this stage of a review, but with the GM1 we can be reasonably confident as it shares the same sensor as the GX7, which we already know to be an excellent performer.
We’ve been able to use a pre-production sample of the camera to get an early indication of image quality, and so far we’ve been impressed. Colours are rich and vibrant, without being overly saturated, while there is an impressive amount of detail resolved by the 16 million pixel sensor.
Shooting at higher sensitivities, such as ISO 1000, does reveal some image smoothing and noise if you examine images at 100%, but as this is a pre-production version of the camera we can’t say for definite how this will perform in the final version. That said, it’s the kind of noise that you’ll only really notice if really scrutinising an image, not at normal printing and web sizes.
The GM1, like the other Lumix G cameras, comes with an impressive range of digital filters. It’s still true that you can’t retain full manual control while shooting with these filters, which is a shame, but we do think that the filters offered are the best on the market. We’re particularly fond of Cross Process, Toy Camera and the various monochrome options, but of course that will be down to personal preference.
Introducing a new compact kit lens is a smart move, as this keeps the overall system size down. So far, the lens seems to be a good performer, producing detailed shots and giving a flexible enough zoom range to be useful for the majority of situations. We’re excited to also use the new 15mm f/1.7 lens which is currently in development, as the maximum aperture of the new kit lens if f/3.5. You can of course attach other lenses from the Micro Four Thirds arsenal for even greater flexibility if you need it, but this is the kind of camera that Panasonic expects to be used with the kit lens for the majority of the time.
We continue to be impressed by the touchscreens on Lumix G cameras, and of course the GM1 is no different. Again, it’s a smart move to include a touchscreen on such a device, since a good proportion of the target users will be coming from a smartphone background. The GM1’s screen is very responsive and easy to use, making it great for setting autofocus points and even firing off the shutter release. The screen also doesn’t seem to suffer too badly from glare or reflection, but we will be keen to test this further when a full sample becomes available.
Early Verdict
It’s impressive that Panasonic has managed to compress its excellent technology into a body as remarkably small as this. When you consider that this camera is smaller than the Pentax Q range, which features a compact camera sized sensor, that feat seems even more remarkable. We can see this appealing to a wide range of people, who are after something which offers fantastic image quality without the bulk of something larger (even by Micro Four Thirds standards).
We’ll also be interested to know what kind of knock on effect the GM1 has on sales of cameras such as the Sony RX100 II. With the package being smaller overall, but with the bonus flexibility of changing lenses and a larger sensor, we can see many people being swayed by the GM1.
We’ll bring you a full review in due course.
Sample images
These images were taken on a pre-production sample of the GM1 and may not be representative of final image quality. Images have been resized to five megapixels at the request of Panasonic.
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The 12-32mm lens seems to be a good all round performer and can be used for a wide variety of subjects.
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Shooting at higher sensitivities, such as ISO 1000, does reveal some image smoothing and noise when examining the picture at 100%, but it’s not particularly noticeable at normal printing and web sizes.
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The GM1 is compatible with a huge range of Micro Four Thirds lenses if you do want more flexibility. This image was taken with a 25mm f/1.4 lens (which offers a focal length equivalent of 50mm).
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Using the touchscreen to set the autofocus point means you can quickly select the eye on a portrait for instance for very quick shooting.
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Colours straight from the GM1 are natural and vibrant without suffering from over-saturation.
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Even the kit lens allows for some shallow depth of field effects to be achieved.
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The GM1’s small size makes it the ideal camera for carrying around and shooting moments as and when you see them.
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The GM1 will also likely be an intriguing prospect for street photographers, with both its small size and the “silent mode” being particularly appealing. A wide range of digital filters is also available for a classic look.
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Several different monochrome filters are available, this one is “Silky Monochrome”.
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Another digital filter is Impressive Art.
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Cross Process emulates the classic darkroom technique. A number of different colour tints can be selected, including blue, green and red. This is a blue tint.
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The 12mm focal length at the wide angle of the GM1’s kit lens offers an equivalent of 24mm in 35mm terms.
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Lots of detail is captured by the GM1’s 16 million-pixel Four Thirds sensor.
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The Toy Camera filter adds a vignette to the corner to recreate the look of a cheap plastic camera.
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Fleeting moments can be captured quickly and easily by the GM1.
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Another example of a digital filter, this time the Bleach Bypass effect.
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