The new Panasonic Lumix GM1 is unbelievably small. It’s just hard to believe that Panasonic somehow managed to stuff a 4/3 sensor inside of a camera body this compact.
The GM1 features a 16MP sensor with a Micro Four Thirds mount. Amazingly, it has a 3-inch LCD touchscreen display. It captures 1080/60i HD video and offers a maximum still image frame rate of 5fps. While all of these features are pretty much standard on other mirrorless cameras, the small scale at which Panasonic delivers them in the GM1 sets it apart.
The compact 12-32mm lens is just as impressive as the camera body. It is a perfect companion to the tiny GM1, offering a 24-64mm equivalent field of view. Of course, any other Micro Four Thirds lens will work on the GM1 as well.
The faux leather body wrapping has a nice feel and looks great on the little camera. The extra grip, while not included, is a helpful accessory in adding some grip to the small body.
In my short time with a working preproduction model at PhotoPlus 2013, I was impressed with the overall controls and handling. The touchscreen works great. AF is fast and accurate. And moving the AF point around on the touch screen is easy by just tapping the area of the screen when you want the focus area to be.
The above image of the Panasonic GM1 next to the Canon G12 point and shoot camera shows just how compact this little guy is. With a camera that offers as much power as the GM1 in such a small package, it’s going to make it tough to choose these advanced point and shoot models going forward.
The Panasonic Lumix GM1 is available from Photography Bay’s trusted retail partner, B&H Photo, at the following link:
Panasonic Lumix GM1 at B&H Photo
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