I’ve long lamented the discontinuation of the utterly tiny Panasonic Lumix GM series of cameras, and imagine my surprise in 2022 to learn that I’m not alone. The camera has proven to be a most loved app, and YouTuber and photographer Robin Wong breaks down why.
The premise of the Micro Four Thirds system was, at least initially, small size and great performance. In the early days, there were a number of gems released for the system, and it seems that Olympus and Panasonic have fallen short in size and weight with cameras like OM-D E-M1X, it’s always refreshing to go back to a camera like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1, with which I’ve spent years and years attached. Aside from the Canon and Nikon cameras I’ve used for professional work, the GM1 is the camera I spend the most time in my hands with.
The reason for this, as Wong points out, is size. It’s actually about the size of a deck of cards, but it packs what, in 2013, the top Micro Four Thirds sensor in the range. Although it was only a 16-megapixel sensor, to this day it still packs a relatively good amount of dynamic range and high ISO performance. It was the same sensor (basically) used in higher end models like the GH series of the time. Even three years later, my specs are much higher Panasonic G85 rocked the same sensor, more than enough for casual and professional photography. Case in point, it’s a great camera for a street photographer.
Robin Wong also carried it through the streets of Malaysia to create some lovely images.
The camera has a few downsides. The lack of a viewfinder was a big problem, according to Wong, but it was remedied by the next camera, the GM5, in 2015, as Wong notes. In my experience, while Wong praises the speed of the autofocus, it is just that, but that may be because I recently messed up. Canon EOS R6. Battery life is terrible, which makes sense since the battery is so small.
It does have some conveniences, though, such as a pop-up flash that can be bent backwards for (quite dim) bounce, and a touchscreen for easier autofocus control and access. to more advanced features.
With Olympus exiting the Micro Four Thirds game and Panasonic focusing on full-frame cameras, perhaps OM System’s new manager, OM Digital, will find the next direction for Micro Four Thirds. I definitely hope it’s a return to these amazing, small cameras. With the price of GM5 models hovering north of $500 on eBay, there’s definitely a niche for it. A modern sensor with this body size would be perfect.
Would you like to see the return of a GM-like camera for Micro Four Thirds? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
