Panasonic GM5

Tom Gross · Sep 15, 2014

I think Panasonic USA has shot itself in the foot by not offering body only. I already have the 12-32, so why would I want another? At least they could offer a choice like the 15mm f1.7 like they are going to do in Europe.

I have hoped for a G7, but since that seems to be out of the question, I would buy the new GM5 if I could get body only or kit with 15mm f1.7

cprevost · Sep 15, 2014

I'm sure they'll offer a body only option once the initial orders are in. Pre ordered mine today. I was going to pull the trigger on a Oly em10 which is better on paper. This one looks too fun though. Could not resist.

kenw · Sep 15, 2014

Tom Gross said:
I think Panasonic USA has shot itself in the foot by not offering body only. I already have the 12-32, so why would I want another? At least they could offer a choice like the 15mm f1.7 like they are going to do in Europe.

I suspect if they do offer a body only option you will still buy the 12-32 kit and sell the lens. Going all the way back to the GF1 this has been the best way to buy the smaller Panasonic cameras that are kitted with a "nice" lens. If you buy the kit you get a $300 lens for like $100.

Tom Gross said:
I have hoped for a G7, but since that seems to be out of the question, I would buy the new GM5 if I could get body only or kit with 15mm f1.7

It would be awesome if they would kit with the 15/1.7 in the US as that would probably be the cheapest way to buy the 15 if past experience with Panasonic kits is any guide.
--
Ken W
See profile for equipment list

Tom Gross · Sep 15, 2014

That makes sense if you can sell the 12-32, but there is a much larger supply out there now, so price would be less.

You know one can still not buy the G6 without the ubiquitous 14-42.

f2toms · Sep 15, 2014

But, we can buy the GM5 without IS ?

Terminal Boy · Sep 15, 2014

Body only in black please, Panasonic.

Tom Caldwell · Sep 15, 2014

Tom Gross said:
I think Panasonic USA has shot itself in the foot by not offering body only. I already have the 12-32, so why would I want another? At least they could offer a choice like the 15mm f1.7 like they are going to do in Europe.

I have hoped for a G7, but since that seems to be out of the question, I would buy the new GM5 if I could get body only or kit with 15mm f1.7

Some enterprising Taiwanese vendors will happily remove the lens, sell body only for $100 less and resell the lens for $300.

But a realistic body-only price would be good.

But as always lenses are "cheaper" sold as a body kit. Roll on some body kits with the mouth watering premium lenses ....

35-100 f2.8 and I am in ...

Tom Caldwell · Sep 15, 2014

Viviners said:
Having read various rumour sites on the web, I am confused as to whether the GM5, due to be announced on Monday, has in-body IS or not.

It is a bit of a deal breaker, if not, as I have mostly non-IS lenses.

Any thoughts?

I hate to be a "told you so" but I did predict that if the wish for a built in evf in the GM2 were satisfied then the next campaign would be for IBIS, then a tilt lcd, then ... and soon enough a GX7

Right now the GM5 lacks a built in flash and probably IBIS, lets start asking for them to be put back in, but now there seems no GX8 to fall back on .... curses!

Tom Caldwell · Sep 15, 2014

Viviners said:
Well, it's been announced but not a word about in-body IS - not that I can see anyway. :-(

Link 1

Link 2

The ex-GM1 battery is going to take a hiding anyway, I guess IBIS would be a few punches too far. I guess I will just have to manage - the kit lens has IS built in, maybe the battery can stand it? The GM1 is a battery and a half per day in my book, the GM5 might be similar. Always best to carry the spare.

If I read it right IBIS is only really useful for slow kit lenses anyway. Lenses with apertures wider than f2.0 might not desperately need it and f2.8 should be borderline. But IS on f1.2 is a luxury best enjoyed when that lens is stopped down to truly need it.

brentbrent · Sep 15, 2014

safaridon said:
The GM5 was not meant to include everything and leaves room for the GX7 series above it with its tilt screen, larger moveable EVF, and IBIS.

I agree, and I'm skeptical of what appears to be just speculation that the GX series is being dropped. I don't think updates are necessary every year, nor that the absence of a GX8 this year means that it won't be released next year.

f2toms · Sep 15, 2014

GM5

1) No Flash ?
2) No IS ?
3) No LX8 ?

Some, Many of us Struck Out Today, Absolutely No Panasonic Interest ! (for me)

Le Frog · Sep 15, 2014

Tom Caldwell said:
Viviners said:

Well, it's been announced but not a word about in-body IS - not that I can see anyway. :-(

Link 1

Link 2

Click to expand...

The ex-GM1 battery is going to take a hiding anyway, I guess IBIS would be a few punches too far. I guess I will just have to manage - the kit lens has IS built in, maybe the battery can stand it? The GM1 is a battery and a half per day in my book, the GM5 might be similar. Always best to carry the spare.

If I read it right IBIS is only really useful for slow kit lenses anyway. Lenses with apertures wider than f2.0 might not desperately need it and f2.8 should be borderline. But IS on f1.2 is a luxury best enjoyed when that lens is stopped down to truly need it.

--
Tom Caldwell

I fear we will hear you once too often reminding us (with good right) that you told us so. But even though, as you have pointed out, there is no free lunch, and there will always be trade-offs between size and features, the new arrangement will probably prove to be better overall than the old one (although, as I am more and more convinced in second and third thought, not sufficiently so to make us regret having been early adopters).

I, for one, in principle I would not cry for the lack of a built-in flash (which I never use, anyway). But IBIS would expand by a couple of stops our ability to engage in low light photography with some of the best available primes, like the 20/1.7 and the 45/1.8 (I have already reached the limit on a couple of occasions, with1/30 shutter speed at 1.7 aperture and 25000 ISO; and 25000 ISO is a setting that should definitely be avoided). And I certainly wish for a 2nd curtain (although, if we had a 2nd curtain, fill-in flash would become far more usable; then we would start asking again for a built-in flash...)

You were also right, unfortunately, that the evf would be tiny and the price for getting it would still be a less convenient lcd. But, again, in practice the new arrangement might work better overall

You were fortunately less right that there is no space for more manual controls; there is, and there is still room for improvement too.

Well, anyway hopefully the rumors about IBIS etc did not come out of nowhere. Hopefully, Panasonic has already, hidden somewhere, a design and maybe even a prototype... which we might see in GM8, or whatever it will be called (although this might require further advances in miniaturization). Hope dies last, right?

At least Panasonic got on thing right - the main thing: that size can change only marginally.

AG · Sep 15, 2014

Not trading build in flash for EVF. Hopefully GM1 price slide down.

cprevost · Sep 15, 2014

Hopefully they keep building the GM1. It'll hit a different market. Lower the price on the GM1 and keep enough of a price differential to make both cameras marketable. Both are really nice packages in their own right if they tick the right boxes for what you need.

kenw · Sep 15, 2014

cprevost said:
Hopefully they keep building the GM1. It'll hit a different market. Lower the price on the GM1 and keep enough of a price differential to make both cameras marketable. Both are really nice packages in their own right if they tick the right boxes for what you need.

In an interview with someone from Panasonic it was specifically stated that the GM5 is not replacing the GM1 and that both will be manufactured. The PR guy said this is one reason they didn't call the new camera the GM2 - it isn't a replacement for the GM1 but rather a parallel product.

I agree they are each good cameras that fulfill different needs.
--
Ken W
See profile for equipment list

AG · Sep 15, 2014

make sense to keep GM1. Though GM5 could keep flash not as popup but build into front, taking much less space. Or to be replaced by array of 8-10 of super bright LED(like in latest flashlights). Such array would work in darkness & would be useful for video...

sderdiarian · Sep 15, 2014

Le Frog said:
You were also right, unfortunately, that the evf would be tiny and the price for getting it would still be a less convenient lcd. But, again, in practice the new arrangement might work better overall

You were fortunately less right that there is no space for more manual controls; there is, and there is still room for improvement too.

At least Panasonic got on thing right - the main thing: that size can change only marginally.

I had my fingers crossed they would somehow preserve the built-in flash and, more importantly, more usable screen aspect ratio of the GM1. But alas, apparently there's only so much you can do while preserving the small size that's at the heart of the GM series.

http://j.mp/YNDP4h

Knowing what I do now, I would have much preferred they had instead simply added a flash/viewfinder hotshoe to the GM1 and called it a day. Instead we now have two cameras, each with undesirable compromises baked into their designs.

I'd say I see an opening for Olympus, but instead they've gone larger rather than smaller in their new E-PL7, and I suspect this will be the only new small mFT from them for awhile. Looks like I may well be back to an E-M10 as a back-up camera to my E-M5, but the GM1 still tugs at my heart.

--
Sailin' Steve

Le Frog · Sep 16, 2014

sderdiarian said:
Le Frog said:

You were also right, unfortunately, that the evf would be tiny and the price for getting it would still be a less convenient lcd. But, again, in practice the new arrangement might work better overall

You were fortunately less right that there is no space for more manual controls; there is, and there is still room for improvement too.

At least Panasonic got on thing right - the main thing: that size can change only marginally.

Click to expand...

I had my fingers crossed they would somehow preserve the built-in flash and, more importantly, more usable screen aspect ratio of the GM1. But alas, apparently there's only so much you can do while preserving the small size that's at the heart of the GM series.

http://j.mp/YNDP4h

Knowing what I do now, I would have much preferred they had instead simply added a flash/viewfinder hotshoe to the GM1 and called it a day. Instead we now have two cameras, each with undesirable compromises baked into their designs.

I'd say I see an opening for Olympus, but instead they've gone larger rather than smaller in their new E-PL7, and I suspect this will be the only new small mFT from them for awhile. Looks like I may well be back to an E-M10 as a back-up camera to my E-M5, but the GM1 still tugs at my heart.

cprevost · Sep 16, 2014

No doubt the GM6 will improve on the GM5. Probably better EVF and flash sync. Dpreview says "The EVF works very well, and I found it a real pleasure to use." I"m hoping that's the case. The smalishness of the viewfinder may be mitigated a bit by a screen that's way brighter and has better viewing angles with less glare than GM1 so the viewfinder may not be needed as much. I put one on pre order to hold a place for one. If the initial reviews come up short I'll cancel the order and go with the em10 instead. I think this is going to be a winner though. People who have the GM1 really rave about it. This one looks like it fixed most of the minor gripes people had with the debut model.

Le Frog · Sep 16, 2014

cprevost said:
No doubt the GM6 will improve on the GM5. Probably better EVF and flash sync. Dpreview says "The EVF works very well, and I found it a real pleasure to use." I"m hoping that's the case. The smalishness of the viewfinder may be mitigated a bit by a screen that's way brighter and has better viewing angles with less glare than GM1 so the viewfinder may not be needed as much. I put one on pre order to hold a place for one. If the initial reviews come up short I'll cancel the order and go with the em10 instead. I think this is going to be a winner though. People who have the GM1 really rave about it. This one looks like it fixed most of the minor gripes people had with the debut model.

I do rave about the GM1 (and I certainly recommend the GM series over the considerably bigger EM10)! Functionally, the main difference between GM1 and GM5 seems to be that the GM5 has a faster autofocus better manual controls and a hotshoe; small evf+16/9 lcd v. 3/2 lcd is a matter of preference. So, for me, the GM5 is not a compelling upgrade.

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