Panasonic Lumix DMC G5: New features and a new sensor

Panasonic made some refreshing changes – new creative features, improved ergonomics, and more filming options – in its latest addition to its highly esteemed Lumix G-series. The G5 also helps Panasonic inch forward in its quest for better and better image quality. Its DxOMark Overall Score of 61 makes it the second highest rated Panasonic sensor, behind the Lumix DMC GH1, in DxOMark’s database.

The G5 performed well during DxOMark sensor testing for color depth – capturing a variety of colors and reproducing them richly, with it peaking at 21.4 bits at around 200 ISO – making it an ideal camera for photographers attracted to portraits and colorful outdoor nature photography.

The camera also had applaudable results for dynamic range. The G5 would make many landscape and architecture photographers happy with its ability to capture details in high contrast images that include bright highlights and dark shadows.

But Panasonic’s newest Lumix camera was dragged down by a mediocre low light score, which should give pause to sports, entertainment, and other photographers who heavily depend on a camera that excels in poor lighting. The camera’s threshold for producing quality images in low light was around ISO 700, pretty disappointing in a camera era that includes some true low light stalkers.