Readers who follow this blog will know that my initial impressions of the GM5 were not positive.
However further use has convinced me that the camera has some redeeming qualities and is reasonably pleasant to use, as long as one is aware of its limitations.
The redeeming qualities are:
* It can form the basis of a very compact yet capable ILC kit suitable for indoor or outdoor use with small fast prime lenses.
* Very good picture quality.
* Zippy performance in single shot mode.
* No shutter shock issues with EFCS.
The limitationsare:
* Small size leads to ergonomic compromises although some of these are due to poor design decisions.
* limited continuous shooting capability.
* Limited, but adequate, selection of suitably small lenses.
Ergonomics
Setup Phase
This follows the current Panasonic M43 ILC formula, seen in many other Panasonic M43 cameras.
The graphical user interface is very good. The content is quite voluminous and could be daunting for a newcomer to the Panasonic Menu system although not in the same league of obscurantism that you will find in an Olympus or Sony camera. It is time Panasonic revised their Menu System to achieve greater coherency with more meaningful groupings of like items. Canon and Nikon do this better.
Menu navigation is easy.
Setup Phase Score 10/15
Prepare Phase
This is quite decent for a small camera with modest functional ambitions. There is a standard Mode
Dial on top with the usual iA, P, A, S, M settings plus one Custom mode access point and direct access to the panorama setting which is nice.
There is a Set-and-SeeFocus Mode dial to the left of the shutter button. Given that this camera will be used most of the time in Single Shot Drive Mode then using this dial for Focus Mode makes sense.
The Mode Dial is very small and difficult to turn even with two fingers so switching modes requires the capture process to be interrupted and the camera dropped down to turn the dial. Likewise the Focus Mode dial.
There is a standard Panasonic Q Menu button with up to 15 user assignable functions and two Fn buttons.
For the record I assign ISO to the Fn1 (Wi-Fi) button and Drive Mode to the Fn2 (LVF) button. If you want to use Wi-Fi it will have to be allocated to Fn 1 or Fn 2 as it cannot be allocated to the Q Menu. This would push Drive Mode back to the Q Menu.
On the Custom Q Menu I put AF Mode, Stabiliser and Quality (RAW/JPG).
Prepare Phase Score 10/15
Capture Phase Holding
Without an accessory handle the GM5 feels a bit precarious to me. The thing is so small and thin that
I am unable to get a proper hold on it.
Matters improve with an accessory handle but the holding position is cramped and still not very secure.
Holding score without handle 4/20
Holding score with handle 6/20
Capture Phase Viewing
There is a built in EVF always at the ready. The eyepiece is small and the view is also small and not particularly sharp or detailed. There is dioptre adjustment and a sensor for automatic switching between EVF and monitor.
The eyecup is small and unable to effectively exclude stray light.
The monitor is fixed, 75mm wide and 40mm high, making it approximately 16:9 aspect ratio in a camera which produces stills of 4:3 aspect ratio. This encroaches on the control panel on the right side of the monitor, impairing operation.
The EVF and Monitor are both adjustable for style (Viewfinder or Monitor style) and are both adjustable for Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Red Tint and Blue tint.
I find the Monitor good to go with default settings but the EVF needs Brightness +5, Contrast -6, Saturation 0, Red Tint 0, Blue Tint 0, for a realistic looking view of the subject.
Both EVF and Monitor have all the usual and extensive Panasonic data displays which can be selected or deselected and cycled on and off with the Disp button.
The EVF and Monitor can be configured to look the same for a seamless segue from one to the other.
Viewing Score 10/20
Capture Phase Operating
Operating this camera is not a particularly enjoyable or streamlined experience. There are sufficient controls to get the job done but the process lacks smoothness and easy control of exposure and focus parameters.
The single (rear) dial is small and rather stiff, requiring the tip of the right thumb to bear on the dial to turn it. If it were larger and more prominent the pad of the distal phalanx of the thumb could more reliably operate the dial without the need to flex the interphalangeal joint.
The dial does have push-clickfunction enabling Exposure Compensation with the same dial. It has a click-turn action with each click representing a 1/3 EV step change in parameter.
All the buttons are small but there is space on the camera to make most of them larger. If the monitor were not so wide the control panel could be larger allowing a larger Cursor Button set and larger surrounding buttons.
There is a little ridge to the right of the cursor buttons which has thus far prevented me from any inadvertent activation of the right cursor button or Video or Disp buttons.
Panasonic [Direct Focus Area] is available and I use this. The outer edges of the cursor buttons are sufficiently raised and sharpish to make this reasonably easy to operate by feel.
I move ISO to Fn1, Drive Mode to Fn2 and AF Mode to the Q Menu. White Balance can be allocated to the Q Menu if desired.
It is possible to control Aperture in A Mode (or Shutter speed in S Mode), ISO, Exposure Compensation, AF and MF if required while continuously looking through the EVF and with little disruption to the grip with either hand. The process is just not as elegant as it could be with a better thought out set of user interface modules.
Operating Score 12/25
Review Phase
There are not enough control modules to permit scrolling from one review image to the next at the same level of zoom and same position in the frame.
Otherwise Playback functions are standard Panasonic fare and are probably far more extensive than many people will ever need.
Review phase Score 2/5
Total Score 48/100
Comment:The GM5 could have scored better with more thoughtful design at the concept and implementation stages.
