Panasonic Lumix GM1 Review 2024: Best Compact Micro Four Thirds Camera?

[@single-shot-video]

I first got into MFT with my GM1. Shortly after I bought the 20mm Panny pancake, to get great Bokeh. From there I got the GM5 and the GX85, and added more lenses. I was able to travel with just a bum-bag and use three lenses to get great results. I have now migrated to the Fuji X Series and off loaded my MFT Cameras except for the GM5 and 20mm 1.7 Pancake. I still use it along with my X70 & X100V. Great fun to use and still happy with the results.

[@Kim_Alexander]

Thanks for sharing your photography journey! The GM1 and the 20mm Panny pancake are a great combo. It's impressive how you've traveled light and still achieved great results. I still use my X100F a lot and am thinking of getting an X100V. The X70 looks awesome, but I've never quite gotten along with its field of view. Keep having fun with your photography!

[@NatLife]

when I was in Malaysia more than a decade ago, I bought the GH3. It has a fully articulated screen and good viewfinder. Still use it today as daily spontaneous driver. The swivel touch screen is remarkable. Have the compact 20mm 1.7 pancake on. Beats any high-end silly Smartphone easily.

[@Ferunetto]

I paired this camera with a lumix 14mm lens and I love it , so pocketable!.. I also paired it with my M zuiko 40-150 pro and is a ridiculous combination but I love how these small cameras can still work with high-end lenses. Moreover, since the m43 lenses are so cheap, I like to play and compare my results with different body+lens combinations and the GM1 is still one of my favorites.

[@Kim_Alexander]

@@Ferunetto cool the 14mn sounds like a good option when I get my hands on a gm5 :)

[@jb-612]

A lens such as the Panasonic 15mm f1.7 is still small and portable, and has a dedicated aperture rings, that pairs very well with GM1/GM5 Cameras :)

[@Kim_Alexander]

@@jb-612 cool had no idea about that lens, I hope to get my hands on a gm5 soon I think the 15mm would be great on that camera.

[@highwayman1224]

A couple of years ago I bought a Lumix GX9 because I was looking for a smaller camera size and I've loved it ever since. I've also got a Sony A7RV and a6700 plus an Olympus OM-1. A couple of days ago I came across a video of the GM1 and thought damn, now I want an even smaller camera! I found a beautiful blue one on Ebay this afternoon with the 12-32 kit lens and it was too pretty not to buy..... Can't wait to get it. It said it has the English menu so hopefully it does, but I'm sure it's basically got the same menu system as the GX9 so I guess I could figure it out if not 🤷

[@tobiasdavid3096]

The Lumix 42.5 f1.7 and the Lumix 35-100 f4-5.6 work perfectly with this camera.

[@overnightdelivery]

The new 9mm works pretty nice with the GM1 too 😉

[@jocko_]

I have the GM1. It has been my travel camera for the past 10 years.

[@coreoffour]

Hi! I myself, like you, have recently learned about the GM1 and subsequently the GM5 in the past year or so. I've loved them both for a bit but now i feel like the honeymoon phase is over, and had some thoughts. I feel like this camera holds the key to why M43 manufacturers stopped making cameras this small. There's a threshold of size vs utility when it comes to small cameras and the GM series sits right outside of the golden zone. The body maybe small but the lenses are generally too large, especially when the body doesn't have IBIS. It's kind of like mirrorless full frame; the bodies can be small, but the lenses will always be comically huge if you want them fast. There's only a handful of lenses that match well with the GM1/5 and the most popular 2 (the 14 and 20 pancakes) have too wide a circumference where you can't lay the camera flat on a surface. Even the 15 they came out with to pair it with the GM5 is slightly front heavy and it not being a pancake makes it absolutely not pocketable by any standard outside of a generously large jacket. By that point you need a proper way to carry it or have some sort of conventional strap. Then it's like... why not just carry around a slightly larger and heavier camera that can have IBIS and a proper viewfinder and a tilting screen... etc? Or on the flipside carry a 1 inch point and shoot that can actually fit in your pocket? It really is too bad because when I first saw this thing, I was absolutely enamored by it and I still want to love it. But in use, the novelty wore out more quickly than I imagined it would.

[@Kim_Alexander]

the GM series cameras is a niche type of camera. There is defentky trade offs. Personally for me a one inch point ans shot is of the table. The images this small sensors renders just don't makes it for me. I kind of liiked that the lens was slightly so bigger than the camera since it provided a good resting point for my finger. personally I don't have any need of ibis since I mostly shoot moving subjects. But either way it's a cool little camera that fits the needs of some people. And yes it's ridiculous how lenses got bigger but that's because peaople generally complaining on technical thinks rather then looking at the image character a lens provide. Not getting bether when a bunsh of you tubers taking pictures on brick walls and letting that define a lens. Rather the actually making good images. But then again making a technical review of a lens take 1 day. Making a real review and understanding how the lens renders images takes weeks. Thanks for your comment!

[@coreoffour]

@@Kim_Alexander​​⁠Thanks for the reply! But if image quality in a small package is important, wouldn't you say, be better off with a X-T10 with the 27/2.8? or any of the Sony NEX lines? Or any of the E-PL/M series from Olympus? Or a Canon EOS M with the 22 F2 which is insanely, almost the same size as the GM? (I'm trying to choose cameras that are similar in size and price range as the GM1/5). I'm not trying to argue or anything, I'm just genuinely curious when the slightly smaller size of the GM can be seen as an advantage over other cameras that are only marginally larger, have a larger sensor, and most of all, at times even cheaper, including the glass. I also feel like you're underestimating the quality of what a 1 inch sensor can do since your channel seems to only be focusing on larger sensor cameras (even if they are old) but to each their own. I certainly wont be selling my GM1 and 5 anytime soon since I really do think they are cool. Keep up the great work sir.

[@Kim_Alexander]

​@@coreoffour There is no point arguing over cameras; they are all different but serve the same purpose. The models you are mentioning are great cameras as well. I used a Nex 7 when it was released and even picked up one just recently. Besides that, I have used many Fuji cameras. In terms of image quality, the NEX and Fuji line is slightly better, but in terms of ergonomics, they are miles ahead. Focusing on the portability aspect, they lag behind. The issue with small cameras like the GM is that they are for a limited market. I got one just as a fun extra camera, but most people don't get extra cameras just for fun; they get one camera. And having this as the only camera is doubtful. I think they are missing an opportunity here in the design itself. If they actually added more of the essential exposure controls on buttons, it would be completely different. Now the secondary functions like timers, play button, a record button, mode dial, focus switch take up primary space on the camera. The slightly larger cameras like the E-PL series make, in many ways, more sense. But buying cameras is sometimes not about logical things, rather about what you actually want. I have used many 1-inch sensor cameras in the past, but they just don't work for me. I don’t get any feeling for it, and they often come with functions, zoom lenses, and things that I don't need or want. Personally, I prefer one camera with one focal length when I do my photography. Though when I do commercial jobs, I bring all the lenses I have on my work camera. But when I use a camera in my spare time, it's all about having a good experience. My favorite cameras have been the Fuji GFX50r, Nikon DF, Fuji X100 series, X-E3, and the X-T series. They just feel good in the hand and look good to the eyes. Since most cameras deliver more than good enough image quality, the look and the feeling are factors that I prioritize. And the price for an X-E3 with a 27mm is the same or even less then a GM1 with superior ergonomics. But even so im still going to pick up an GM5 when the opportunity comes :D

[@qvarfoto]

Tjena! Schysst video :) I myself bought the slightly larger GM5 shortly after testing out my friends GM1 back in 2016 and I still have it. I opted for the "big bro" mainly due to its EVF, which the GM1 doesn't have, and it also has a slightly more convenient dial for changing settings. They are both extremely nifty little gadgets. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it, it made me want to go shoot something with mine. Cheers

[@Kim_Alexander]

Thanks for commenting glad that I can inspire.. I want to try the gm5 top!

[@randomstuffman01]

Hello from Canada, toronto. GM1 is a great little camera. I use mine frequently. Thanks.

[@Kim_Alexander]

Hello from Sweden! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the GM1. It's definitely a fantastic little camera. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@DanilynSajulga]

Number 1 fan here from Philippines

[@wearetrackclub]

Nice review, Kim! Great points. Really cool shots too 👌

[@Kim_Alexander]

Thanks! 🙏🙏🙏

[@Centauri27]

You're right about this being a cult classic! I tried to find one used, and the ones I could find were $500-$600 CDN--as much if not more than when it was new! I ended up getting a close facsimile: the GX850. This little gem can be considered the successor to the GM cameras, but without the reputation and sky high price. It only cost me $179 CDN. 😄

[@tim33peter1]

yeah, it's hard to find a brand new GM1 in the market no matter in ebay or in Taobao. All used...

[@samer2wakim]

I had a sony RX100 V for a year, And i bought this GM1 thinking the Micro Four Thirds would be better, I am soo disapointed with experience. I don't love shooting with this camera, even the image preview on the screen is soo bad that I don't even know if the focus is right

[@Kim_Alexander]

@@samer2wakim to bad the camera didn't worked out for you. we all value different things of cameras. None of your issues was any issues for me. I hope you find a great camera for you!

Le regalé esta cámara a mi novia hace años y desde entonces le tengo un poco de envidia. Ya no la volví a conseguir a un buen precio. :)

[@Kim_Alexander]

I think that if you're patient, you might eventually find one at a good price, or you could even try out the GM5. Meanwhile perhaps you can use your gfs camera

@@Kim_Alexander i do

[@photobyandy]

woow looks handy :)

[@Kim_Alexander]

you can fit two of them in one hand, and 4 of them in both hands! :)