Panasonic GM5 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in September 2014 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.8 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GM5 a good camera? The GM5 has a Camera Elo of 1773. This rating puts the GM5 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GM5 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Panasonic GM5 is more than 10 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2014.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Panasonic GM5 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GM5 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GM5	99 mm	60 mm	36 mm	211 g	220	n	Sep 2014	US$ 749	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M10	119 mm	82 mm	46 mm	396 g	320	n	Jan 2014	US$ 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M10 II	120 mm	83 mm	47 mm	390 g	320	n	Aug 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic FZ1000	137 mm	99 mm	131 mm	831 g	360	n	Jun 2014	US$ 899	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic G6	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G7	125 mm	86 mm	77 mm	410 g	350	n	May 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic GH2	124 mm	90 mm	76 mm	442 g	330	n	Sep 2010	US$ 899	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GM1	99 mm	55 mm	30 mm	204 g	230	n	Oct 2013	US$ 749	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GX1	116 mm	68 mm	39 mm	318 g	320	n	Nov 2011	US$ 699	ebay.com
10.		Ricoh GR	117 mm	61 mm	35 mm	245 g	290	n	Apr 2013	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Ricoh GR II	117 mm	63 mm	35 mm	251 g	320	n	Jun 2015	US$ 699	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic GM5 was launched in the US market at a price of $749. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check GM5 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic GM5 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic GM5 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic GM5	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	22.1	11.7	721	66
2.		Olympus E-M10	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.8	12.3	884	72
3.		Olympus E-M10 II	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	23.1	12.5	842	73
4.		Panasonic FZ1000	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.1	11.7	517	64
5.		Panasonic G6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.3	11.5	639	61
6.		Panasonic G7	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	4K/30p	22.8	12.4	904	71
7.		Panasonic GH2	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	21.2	11.3	655	60
8.		Panasonic GM1	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	22.3	11.7	660	66
9.		Panasonic GX1	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	20.8	10.6	703	55
10.		Ricoh GR	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.6	13.5	972	78
11.		Ricoh GR II	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.6	13.7	1078	80
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The GM5 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GM5 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GM5 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1166k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.46x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Panasonic GM5 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GM5	1166	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	Y	1/500s	5.8/s	n	n
2.		Olympus E-M10	1440	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
3.		Olympus E-M10 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Panasonic FZ1000	2359	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/4000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Panasonic G6	1440	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	n
6.		Panasonic G7	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	n
7.		Panasonic GH2	1534	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
8.		Panasonic GM1	none	n	3.0 / 1036	fixed	Y	1/500s	5.0/s	Y	n
9.		Panasonic GX1	optional	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.2/s	Y	n
10.		Ricoh GR	optional	n	3.0 / 1230	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.0/s	Y	n
11.		Ricoh GR II	optional	n	3.0 / 1230	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the GM5 has a touchscreen. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example, when trying to adjust the focus point.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic GM5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Olympus E-M10	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Olympus E-M10 II	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Panasonic FZ1000	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Panasonic G6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Panasonic G7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Panasonic GH2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Panasonic GM1	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Panasonic GX1	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Ricoh GR	Y	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Ricoh GR II	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the GM5 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Further information on the features and operation of the GM5 can be found in the free online Panasonic GM5 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the GM5. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GM5	3.5/5	+	..	77/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	US$ 749	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M10	4/5	..	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Jan 2014	US$ 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M10 II	4.5/5	+ +	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Aug 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic FZ1000	4/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2014	US$ 899	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic G6	4/5	+ +	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G7	4/5	+ +	3.5/5	80/100	5/5	4.5/5	May 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic GH2	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2010	US$ 899	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GM1	3/5	+	..	78/100	5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 749	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GX1	3/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2011	US$ 699	ebay.com
10.		Ricoh GR	5/5	..	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Ricoh GR II	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	US$ 699	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check GM5 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

~

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  CAM-parator  »  Panasonic GM5 Review