Panasonic Lumix GM1 – Mighty Mini (Part 3)

Flare could be seen in strong against-the-light shots that included the sun, but there was no trace of chromatic aberration, which is a very good thing.

Panasonic Lumix GM1 sample image at ISO 1250

White Balance performance too was excellent. Other than a slight yellow cast under Flash preset, and slight reddish cast under Incandescent lights, White Balance performed most satisfactorily. Some users may feel that the images on GM1’s LCD are not as ‘punchy’ as those on the LCDs of some other cameras but this could be due to the less contrasty LCD on the GM1 (in fact I would consider the contrast in GM1’s LCD to be ‘normal’, whereas most other cameras have comparatively ‘contrasty’ LCDs).

Brand New Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GM1KS Compact System Camera

Darkening of corners was noticed at all apertures at the widest end (24mm equivalent). Barrel distortion was seen at 12mm and just a bit at 14mm; there was no noticeable distortion at other marked focal lengths. In terms of sharpness, the GM1 performed very well. Images out of the box were reasonably punchy and with good colours.

The GM1’s smaller capacity battery (680 mAh) may not pose a problem to every user but if you intend going for a overnight shoot, don’t forget to carry the battery charger; better still carry an extra battery.

Panasonic DMW-BLH7E Lion Battery Pack for DMC-GM1.

Value for Money

The Panasonic DMC-GM1 is not yet launched in India (expected to be launched soon) and our guess is that the Indian price will be around $1,000 with the 12-32mm kit lens.