Ergonomics and processing
At first glance could pass the Lumix GF5 as something massive compact camera - especially if, like our test model, equipped with the extremely short "Pancake Power-zoom" lens is. Even taken in the hand, it is in this first impression: press camera and lens together not 400 grams on the scale - it is the one-and-bred GF5 mirrorless system camera! But small and light may be beneficial, as long as the camera is waiting in your pocket when you are. When it comes to taking pictures but then, wuchtigere cameras are generally better in the hand and provide more room for controls in a decent size. The GF5 is no exception: a small roughened hump at the front and a measly finger rest on the camera back hardly enough that the GF5 can also keep one hand safely. In addition, some of the few switches are tiny sums already advised. This is especially true for the thumb that allows the camera on and off. Responsible for the lack of space is not only a compact camera body, but also the display, which measures three inches in diagonal lush and with 920,000 pixels dissolves very fine. As with its predecessor, it is also at the GF5 permanently mounted and can be folded swing neither. When shooting in bright sunlight, this design proved but sometimes as a shortcoming, the viewfinder image was then just too dark. A further complication is that the GF5 not be equipped with an electronic viewfinder.
Waiting for it on the screen with a feature that is rarely found in cameras: It is touch-sensitive. As can easily get over that GF5 with ordinary switches and buttons a bit stingy. Fingertip tipsters and wipers to navigate almost like a smartphone through the clear menus, sets the focus point on the desired subject or game zooms into the picture. Quite as fluid as an iPhone, however, does not respond to the GF5 touch inputs - they expected quite jagged fingers tipsters, they followed a trail hesitant. However, the touch screen is a welcome adjustment assistance, especially since it can be combined well with the still existing combined Vier-Wege-Wippe/Einstellrad. While the left hand with your fingers tipsters dictates the general direction in the menus, you select in parallel with a twist of the dial to select the entries - the proceeds extremely fast and convenient. But as virtually the touch display - it also has its drawbacks: The screen is inevitably covered after a short time with a layer of fat, a regular cleaning cloth can by no means lacking in the photo or jacket pocket.
If you have the design on the rear display firmly in mind, the GF5 is hardly a mystery. Getting used to tend the zoom lever on the lens - the focal length of the "Pancake Power Zoom" is similarly adjusted as a compact camera by motor. This works reasonably well, especially since the focal range is run through a leisurely pace. Alternatively can be zoomed by finger wiper on the display - which has proved useful but not as much. If you want to focus manually, is also dependent on a corresponding lever on the lens, precise focusing is thus but a little time hooking matter. No criticism has to put up with the other hand, high quality metal casing that was painted dark red in our test model, but also in black and silver is available. The stainless-steel tripod mount sits nicely in the optical axis, memory card and battery are hidden under a flap at the bottom of the camera stable, only the right side cover of the interface is a bit fiddly. The compact design but calls their toll - an attached quick-release plate blocked the battery compartment. The battery lasts for about 360 shots (based on CIPA standard), but Panasonic sets the GF5 at an adult charger so that an optional second battery can charge at any time, regardless of the camera.
Amenities include Panasonic has always been to allow manufacturers who do not save at the automatic functions. Since making the GF5 no exception, it is equal to 23 scene modes with lavish. The choices are in such special programs such as "Silky skin" or "Clear Portrait" but also "Romantic Sunset" and "Radiant Eclipse". The extent to which the novice really supported or rather confused, is undecided. After all, helping with a gallery
But in general, the unexperienced photographer will always go entirely into the hands of the "Intelligent Auto Mode", which selects from seven shooting modes still the most suitable. Here you can always steer by "defocus" feature with a finger swipe on the touch screen, the depth of field - so change the aperture. More engagement opportunities, the "Intelligent Auto Mode Plus" - it allows the photographer to exposure and color rendering change. So make full automatics fun, but the photographer is not totally incapacitated. Experience shows that did not last long, however, the fun, offering the effect programs. Panasonic has increased the number to 14 in the GF5, they alienate recordings as a "star filter", provide a "miniature effect" or make the photo "impressionistic".
As an adult, the camera system keeps GF5 course semi endemic features and manual controls available, how serious photographers want. It can be operated either as a visor as a time machine, also can completely control the exposure manually. Also, the distance can be adjusted by hand if required. Here, the display will automatically show a magnified view when the focus is changed. Sharpness, contrast, saturation, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 [Photo: Media North] noise suppression of internal image processing can be individually configured and saved as an image style. Five customizable Picture Styles Panasonic has already been programmed, and there is a sixth space for a custom style. Upon request, records the GF5 in RAW format and opens up all the possibilities of post-shoot processing on a computer.
In low light conditions, an almost minute-board flash for a little more brightness. He jumps, either automatically or by pressing a button from the lively shaped hump out on top of the camera, but with a guide number of 6.3 (ISO 160) extremely weak in the chest and lit the edges of the image were significantly higher than the center. A way to connect an external flash unit, Panasonic has denied GF5. When image stabilization Panasonic uses an optical system, the tested power zoom is equipped with an appropriate stabilizer. Series images, the camera according to the manufacturer with a maximum of four frames per second. For RAW images, however, after only five shots end with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 with X Vario 14-42 mm [Photo: Media North] photo series, with JPEG pictures only free space is on your memory card limits. Impressive is how quickly and reliably the GF5 focuses. There is hardly a blink of the eye, to focus the signal sounds - even much more expensive DSLRs focus not all as fast as the Lumix GF5. If necessary, support a more intrusive the autofocus assist light in his work.
The video features the GF5 Panasonic has improved compared to its predecessor. Firstly, the camera on the film soundtrack now in stereo. Secondly, the GF5 records at low resolution in modern MP4 format instead of the somewhat outdated Motion JPEG format of its predecessor. If we choose as AVCHD recording format, which GF5 impressed with Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and a frame rate of 50 frames per second. The sound level can be adjusted in four stages, autofocus and zoom are either active and visible in the video, if desired, the camera to automatically focus when shooting, but a little hesitant. While the autofocus is virtually noiseless, the power zoom does however clearly noticeable on the soundtrack. In playback mode lacks the GF5 nothing substantial. Pictures can be cut and rotated, videos can be divided. The GF5 offers a simple slide show feature that provides five different transition effects to choose from.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 with X Vario 14-42 mm, The picture quality Lumix GF5 sets like all system cameras from Panasonic has a sensor in the Micro Four Thirds format. It has only about a quarter of the surface of a small image sensor. As is to be welcomed that Panasonic did not increase the resolution over its predecessor - it remains at around 12 megapixels as with the GF3. However, the Live MOS sensor of GF5 has been developed from scratch, according to Panasonic. Thereby that lie ahead of the photosensitive layer circuits were constructed and arranged such that they let through more light. A design principle, which generally benefit from dynamic range and noise performance. The latter is also intended to enhance the latest generation of image processor with the lyrical name of "Venus Engine". The noise reduction is now working in two stages, the dark and bright image areas independently denoised. How these measures affect the image quality, the GF5 had fitted with the Pancake Power Zoom "14-42 mm in the test laboratory of digitalkamera.de and show in practice. As always, the detailed annotated and provided with many diagrams laboratory protocol for a small remuneration be purchased as a PDF file (see related links).
A first glance at the laboratory data shows that during the design of very handy zoom lens, the engineers had to go in terms of image quality obviously some compromises. This enables the lens revealed at open aperture towards a significant decrease sharpness to the image corners, which only disappears almost entirely from F8. When the brightness of the image edges are also treated somewhat neglected, at full aperture the lens vignetting by more than half an f-stop - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 with X Vario 14-42 mm [Photo: Media North] is in uniform surfaces quite visible. Dimming reduces the problem somewhat, it creates not entirely out of the world. Wacker, the kit lens on the other hand, suggests the distortion. She stays with a maximum of one percent barrel shape in the wide visually critical. The resolution, however, is only moderate, it is even in the best case, well below 40 line pairs per millimeter (lp / mm), the long telephoto end are less than 30 lp / mm reached. Good compact cameras that can also, for example a Sony DSC-RX100 that dissolves even higher.
But what about now with the performance of the sensor? The signal to noise ratio of GF5 falls even at ISO 800, just below the critical level of 35 dB, but then stays here all the way up to very high ISO 3200. A clear indication that the higher the ISO speed noise reduction of the "Venus Engine" always engages stronger. This impression was reinforced a view of the measurement of the texture sharpness: Its curve decreases steadily, but remains well up to ISO 3200 in the green zone. ISO up to this limit allows the use GF5 with acceptable quality smears quite - this is confirmed by the visual impact of the practice photos. Although the pictures seem increasingly smoother from ISO 800, but only beyond the ISO 3200, there is clearly visible structural losses. If you reduce the output resolution, but also the sensitivity of ISO 6400 specification provides very useful results.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 with memory card slot and battery compartment [Photo: North Media] this is true only with respect to the noise. The dynamic range is from ISO 6400 only a meager 7.6 f-stops (EV) and succeeds only at ISO 400 on the magic limit of 10 EV scratch. The GF5 thus has some trouble with strong contrasts. This is similar to the tonal range of the images. It covers only at ISO 400 of 200 of 256 possible levels, with the blue and red channel are always differentiated clearly worse. With the color rendering it takes GF5 also not quite accurate, particularly cyan and orange tones it moves vigorously. However, works very precisely, the white balance, the same goes for the automatic. Even under difficult mixed light the auto white balance is usually found in the appropriate setting.
Conclusion The Panasonic Lumix GF5 offers a very handy camera system, which is mainly used in combination with the flat zoom lens G Vario "Pancake Power Zoom" 14-42 mm barely larger than a full-blown compact camera. Smart is the touch-sensitive display that allows the camera to operate afloat. Since it is easy to forget that the dedicated switches and buttons to be slightly small. However, the high-resolution screen is rigidly and in bright conditions too dark. The camera is well-equipped and in addition numerous automatic functions and extensive Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 offers with X Vario 14-42 mm [Photo: Media North] possibilities for manual configuration. Particularly recommended are the lightning-fast autofocus and contemporary video. The on-board flash is powerful enough, the ability to connect an external flash unit is missing the GF5. Not convincing in all respects, the picture quality of GF5. Noise performance and detail reproduction, although the amount of time, the dynamic range is likely, however, like to be a little higher. The very compact kit lens exploits the potential of the 12-megapixel sensor is not it dissolves only moderately. The biggest advantage of Lumix camera system GF5 compared to a similar sized compact camera is its extensibility. Thus it is recommended primarily for photographers who want a handy camera system, yet can do without an external flash.
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