When unpacking, I noticed the first thing that the supplied lens comes significantly smaller than the kit lens of a DSLR. This is no surprise, since the lens has to cover a smaller sensor. Surprisingly, however, I must admit that I had imagined the camera body more compact. In direct comparison with a Nikon D3200 (without lenses), the Panasonic Lumix G5 is only slightly smaller than the Nikon DSLR and therefore provides a decisive advantage in terms of fit to travel.
At the processing quality of the camera, there is nothing to complain about. The lens mount is surrounded by a metal ring, the rubberized grip in leather look looks good and provides support, the wheel for mode selection snaps pleasant and the buttons have good pressure points. The main negative point at the buttons is that the writing on the main buttons can not read well because they do not stand out in color but consists only of a contrast between rough and smooth plastic. Overall, the camera appears to be quite high in spite plastic case.
The supplied lens disappointed somewhat unfortunately on this point. The quality of the lenses may seem appropriate for a kit lens, but there is a bayonet made of plastic and the zoom ring can only be moved jerkily, as if a little oil would be necessary. Therefore, it is almost impossible to make very uneasy with this lens to zoom during filming, without the video, as the whole camera wobbles when rotating the ring. It is positive that a sun visor is included in delivery.
Taking pictures with the Panasonic Lumix G5 is fun. The menu system is very easy to learn and easy entry into the world of photography with scene modes, while the many buttons and the touch screen provide quick access to all settings. The autofocus is very fast and the fold-out screen is ideal for subjects close to the ground (see customer images) and facilitates composition. Who likes candid street photography, will be pleased about the possibilities offered by the silent electronic shutter combined with the unobtrusive triggering using the touchscreen. Unlike beginner DSLRs, means the Electronic Shutter available that thanks to the missing mirror passes no unnecessary time between shots. Thus, continuous shooting of 20 frames per second possible, although unfortunately only 4 megapixels. The change from optical to electronic viewfinders will not be easy photo traditionalists at first glance, but the electronic viewfinder has many advantages. The picture in an optical viewfinder seems to me though sharper before, but you know in the electronic viewfinder always exactly what you get at the end. Particularly Photo beginners can easily be fooled by the dynamic range of the human eye and are disappointed if the picture at the end does not look like you had imagined it, and for example has a total cross-faded, white sky with no detail. In addition, can be directly Show aids like the spirit level or the histogram while to find the right picture composition using the electronic viewfinder. The use of software-based art filter is also displayed in the viewfinder immediately. The effect of polarizing filters can be in my opinion much better understand the electronic viewfinder, because you immediately see how the sensor, the colors of the image processed quite differently. Manual focus (for example, I use old Canon FD lenses without autofocus) is the electronic viewfinder much more easily than in the optical viewfinder, because the image digitally magnified when focusing and thus more detail than is visible in the optical viewfinder.
Because of course, not everything that glitters is gold, there are also some things to complain about. The noise performance is compared to compact cameras very well, but not quite as perfect as in DSLRs. The mechanical shutter is a bit too loud (louder than the Nikon D3200 DSLR a), but for long exposures indispensable, since the electronic shutter does not support long-term exposures of eg 20 seconds. When taking pictures of a starry sky at night at 20 seconds exposure (60s maximum outside the BULB mode) is me also negatively noticed that the image quite a lot of "hot pixel" had and just as long the image edited in retrospect as the exposure time.
Wikipedia says: "In the digital photography are called hot pixels pixels that do not respond proportionally to the incident light, thus they appear brighter The Hotpixel accumulate especially at slow shutter speeds and high ISO values [...] hot pixels are.. mainly caused by manufacturing inaccuracies. "
This problem is indeed well known, but it is to me so strongly noticed at even no camera like the Lumix G5. However, it may also be that this is, unfortunately, is a Monday model at my camera.
The video function I use, although rarely, but I have nothing to complain about except the supplied kit lens, which makes a smooth zooming during filming impossible. Very good, I find that the camera has a stereo microphone and that you can change the video format, as opposed to my old Panasonic Lumix compact camera, AVCHD to MP4, which is much easier particularly for dubbing on the computer, as AVCHD files ever in countless folders come along and are then usually only with programs such as to open the VLC player.
= Summary =
(+) Solid build quality of the camera
(+) Small lens (compared to DSLRs) with sun visor
(+) Easy menu navigation, good camera software
(+) Art filters, scene modes for beginners
(+) Foldable Touchscreen
(+) Electronic shutter adjustable
(+) Good electronic viewfinder
(+) Free choice of format in video mode
(+) Stereo microphone
(-) Poor build quality of the kit lens
(-) Labeling on menu buttons difficult to read
(-) Not much smaller than a DSLR
(-) Long-term exposures are processed long
(-) Hotpixel
= Conclusion =
Overall, the Panasonic Lumix G5 is a highly recommended system camera for photos and videos. The range of compact lenses for the Micro Four Thirds System is appealing for photo enthusiasts who want to limit their creativity not only on the disappointing kit lens.
Owners of DSLRs speaks the camera rather not, because it is too similar to this segment and no great advantage in terms of size vs. Image quality offers.
Those who are looking for a compact camera with similar features or find the G5 is too large and can do without the good electronic viewfinder, folding screen and many buttons should, perhaps the Panasonic Lumix GF5 look that can be quite called little sister of the G5.
