Panasonic Lumix DMC GF5

The Panasonic Lumix DMC GF5 is a small mirrorless camera from 2012 built around the Micro Four Thirds system. At 267g and 108 x 67 x 37mm, it stays light and easy to carry.

In-body stabilisation and touch control make it approachable for casual photographers and for anyone stepping up from a compact or phone camera without taking on bulk.

The Micro Four Thirds mount opens a wide choice of lenses as your interests grow, while the built-in flash adds light in dim rooms.

The GF5 pairs a 12.1MP CMOS sensor with the Micro Four Thirds format, a resolution that favours everyday prints and online sharing over heavy cropping. It scores 44 for Optics, a modest result, and places in the bottom 14% of cameras in our database for Optics.

In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake when you shoot handheld, which keeps slower shutter speeds usable indoors or in fading light. It does nothing for subject movement, so it helps most with static scenes such as landscapes.

The ISO range runs from 160 to 6400, and autofocus uses 23 points. The 4fps maximum burst rate suits casual moments and portraits rather than rapid action sequences.

There is no viewfinder, so you frame every shot on the rear screen. The Venus Engine FHD processor handles image processing, and the Micro 4/3 mount keeps a broad range of lenses available as your kit grows.

Video recording tops out at Full HD resolution, with a maximum frame rate of 30fps. That is enough for family clips, casual vlogs and web content, and Full HD remains a standard format for online sharing, though the resolution falls short of 4K. The Video score of 43 reflects these modest capabilities.

Recordings are saved in AVCHD or MP4, both with two-channel AAC audio, so you can choose between the two file types.

The 30fps ceiling rules out slow-motion capture, since no higher frame-rate recording mode is supplied. Built-in timelapse is absent as well, so both effects would need workarounds beyond the camera itself, such as shooting a sequence of stills and assembling them in software afterwards.

Composition and control happen on the 3-inch TFT screen. It offers 920,000 dots for a clear view, touch operation, and live view for checking the scene before you shoot. The screen is fixed, which makes framing at high or low angles less convenient.

The built-in flash gives you light for dim rooms or backlit portraits without extra kit. There is no way to attach an external flash, so that built-in unit is the only flash source.

The camera has no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for transferring images or remote control. Weather sealing is missing too, so it needs care in rain and dust, and there is no GPS. The Features score of 54 is modest, with the touchscreen, screen and live view contributing, while the absent weather sealing and Bluetooth limit it.

A single card slot accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, so large-capacity options are supported. With no second slot, you carry spare cards rather than relying on in-camera backup, and it pays to offload images during a long trip.

The DMW-BLE9E battery is rated at 360 shots, though no measurement conditions are supplied for that figure, so treat it as a guide to endurance rather than a guarantee, and pack a charged spare.

Charging only happens in an external charger, as there is no USB charging. The Storage & Battery score of 21 is limited, reflecting the single card slot, the battery rating and the missing USB charging. Plan capacity, pack a spare battery, and keep the charger with you when travelling.