The same source that sent me the real GF5 pictures sent me also that G5 picture. This looks quite a bit different from the [shoplink 22077]Panasonic G3[/shoplink]. So much more….rounded 🙂
Hope to get the real pics soon!
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148 Responses
Nice!
It looks like a really small and functional camera. I like it. I still want a GH3 for video though.
How …… unoriginal. *yawn*
Panasonic isn’t running an art gallery. Why does it need to look original?
Finnaly this is more a camera look- alike rather than a Toy G3
if they try harder, Pana can make a body in the shape of the lens :))
You mean like those old collapsible monoculars, as seen in pirate movies, etc? 🙂
There is the GF series for that 🙂
Sony used to make a film camera that was basically an elongated lens. It wasn’t very comfortable to use and not easy to hold steady.
It looks better I think. Looks quite comfortable to use. Very modern and unique to be sure, but not bad. The textured rubber grip on the front should make it feel better. After all, my biggest gripe with G3 is not the way it looks, or any technical flaw, it is the way it feels. To me it feels plasticy and cheap, with even cheaper dials and buttons. Hopefully they have addressed that. Looks like they could have.
@Eric I agree with you. Looks good (as does the G3). But was very disappointed in the build quality of both the GF3 and G3 when I handled them in-store. These lower end Pannys are not something I would recommend anyone buying without handling one first.
I have a GX1 w/finder and a G3 ( I got an opened box deal so it was so cheap), those really complement one another if you need two bodies. One picks up where the other left off…Gotta say…I LOVE both cameras..the G3 may be a little plasticy….for the money …it really offers a lot of camera…Truly. There are better cameras out there…but the price-point on the G3 is the sweet spot.
@Bob B. Correct, you are getting what you pay for with both the G3 and the GF3. Panny have got their strategy spot on with price vs. features and build.
Depends in which countries ! In the US perhaps, but elsewhere Panasonic prices are way higher; other manufacturers are fairers, not having the rest of the world subsidizing American customers.
I certainly can’t get mad at the design…and the “hump” won’t poke me in the eye like the flashless prism on the OM!!!
(hmmmm….I think I may have set myself up for abuse from all the Oly Fanboys….maybe?). LOL!
unlike the OM-D, this is a run-off-the-mill design, which means it will suit the mass 🙂
….but the images will look the same for half the price. I like both cameras….the OM is sweet…but this will use the same lenses and make comparable images…no doubt. It will even do some things better than the Olympus. I want both!!!!! LOL
1
A EPL1 will make comparable images most use cases too.
Actually the images will probably look better. And OM-D equals conformist-rebel body design (think apple marketing uniqueness). The worst of both worlds. Yeah, you and 4 million other people are seriously renegade.
I was waiting for my pre-ordered om-d, but i decided i go back to FT for now…..
I have the E-PL2 and G3 and images are not the same. Panasonic’s jpeg engine is the poorest of all manufacturers, whereas the Olympus engine is among the best. Oly also has in-body IS for lenses that don’t have optical IS, like primes. I prefer the G3 for video, but I’m hoping they will improve the jpeg quality.
looks really nice! lets see how much better it will be than gh2..
Nice design but I still prefer rangefinder design cameras .. Wondering what will be feature in this new G5 , hopefully Panasonic can bring some true innovation specs like what Fuji did .
Well Panasonic has caught up with oly really fast.
They both have models with the series 5, OM5 and G5!!!
Them have same sensor. 😛
Maybe that was the secret message behind Oh, My Goodness? OM5 + G5?
One thing for sure: if it turns out that the G5 has the same sensor as the E-M5/same image quality, there will be no end to postings from the Panny fanboys about how superior the G5 is over previous Pannys :-).
Looks weird, but not bad. Can somebody decipher what the lens is supposed to be? Looks unfamiliar.
It’s the 14-42X lens
thx! I saw the red X too late. 😉
Hope G5 has a really substantial grip, not like G3.
Looks powerful. A little bit like the Sony a77. Nice!
lov it !
looks very nice. will it have the 1.82 crop in widescreen mode like the gh2 and manual controls for video?
I think the reason for the more substantial grip may be that Pany is merging the G5 and GH3 into one body hence the need for the grip to handle larger lenses. I do think there will be a separate all new metal model with EVF and higher specs but based on the GX series.
Looks like a plastic bodied Kodak EasyShare P&S to me.
Looks like Samsung NX10/11/20, which is not a bad thing IMO. There are only a few camera shapes: brick, rangefinder and DSLR and Panasonic has them all covered. They should have made GX1 with EVF in the top left corner to look like a rangefinder, but somehow they, together with Sony, Olympus, Fuji and Nikon, try very hard not to imitate each others mirrorless camera shape. Maybe only in entry level class, to some extent.
Sounds like Tim from uptight New York, Panny hater to me.
And: it seems to be very small – even smaller than the E-M5.
How did you make that conclusion!? It does not look any smaller than EM5 which everyone initially felt was huge until hands-on photo’s started showing up.
Looks about the same of the G3 in size… The OM-D is a bit longer.
The rubberized, more substantial grip looks good. If the EVF of the G5 is less protruding at the back (not visible in front view) than on the G3, it would imho be a big step forward. The G3 is already very portable, only the protruding EVF makes it somewhat clunky.
Anyway, as I like to use Oly lenses frequently (9-18 and 45) I will go with an Oly body next time, just for IBIS.
It’s funny that no one complains about how the EM5’s EVF protrudes from the back.
Because it protrudes very little compared to let’s say G/GH series?
It’s better than the G/GH but not ideal.
Yeah, the VFs on panasonics have always stuck out. My L1 and G2 both stuck out.
Here’s a comparison between the G3 and EM5. It makes the overall thickness about 5mm more, which is more than 10% of their total depth. (select top view)
http://camerasize.com/compare/#289,185
Because that’s the reason:
http://j.mp/GDr8Mf
for me it´s very nice to have this protruding EVF. I wear reading glasses for the near field and I can look through the VF without taking the glasses off. That´s absolutely impossible with the NEX 7 !!
Even better is the VF2 for the GX1. You can adjust it and look from above.
Totally agree. A protruding EVF is very practical as you can look straight into it w/o having to press your nose or cheek to the camera body. It gives you the same functionality as the high eyepoint design in top-level SLRs without the drawback of ambient light entering into the gap between viewfinder and eye as well as into the necessarily large ocular of a high eyepoint finder.
“A protruding EVF is very practical as you can look straight into it w/o having to press your nose or cheek to the camera body”
^That’s why you put the EVF in the top left corner. No need to protrude then….at least not for those of us that are right eye dominant.
But then you lose the vertical viewfinder to lens alignment.
Rangefinder style works best with shorter lenses, longer lenses throw off handling.
That alignment was there in the first place only because it allowed easy optical light path with biggest viewfinder image. (small viewfinder was one failure in Oly E-300)
Anyway with no need for space for film roll body should end as close to lens mount (or mount be close to edge) as possible in case of viewfinder above lens.
I prefer a protruding EVF.
That or an EVF in the corner of the body as NEX and Fuji Xpro1.
Saves my nose from being squashed, and the LCD from being smeared.
@fan_guo_lai_xiang_xiang
I agree, that really bothered me on my G1. The EVF was always getting snagged around something in my backpack. Hopefully someday we’ll have a m4/3’s camera with a flush EVF a’la the NEX-7, but that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon.
EVF protruding is a good thing, up to a limit of course.
Nice. Very modern and functional.
The hump (assuming the render is correct) looks a bit mysterious, hope it makes the built-in flash much more functioning. Will see later leaked image and specs…
This is kinda doubtful and looks very shopped – can’t tell really.
I think the grip looks very low-profile and that’s going to be.. what’s the word “unergonomic” as far as I’m concerned. I think someone said the right thing regarding the GF5, that there’s no point reducing the grip to a profile any smaller than a pancake lens, since you’re only making the camera slimmer at the cost of user comfort. But all in all, I do like these DSLR-style housings much better than the blocky Oly E-M5 look, or the toylike PENs.
one word: ugly
Looks pretty good to me. I’d upgrade my G3 to this one if there is nothing missing (from G3) plus some extras 🙂
It’s hard to judge from the photo alone — I hope it’s not fake– but so far so good: the slanted shutter button is very welcome. I’m looking forward to see more of this camera.
Wtf happened to the GF4 and the G4???!
Is it a cultural thing? I thought only us Chinese avoided the number 4! The Japanese don’t have anything against that number, do they?
It’s a bad number for both. But even if it wouldn’t, don’t you think they want to sell the camera in China as well?
It’s exactly the same as China, actually. The traditional word for four, “shi”, also means death. The Japanese actually tend to use “Yon”, the word for four from an otherwise archaic form of the language, for most uses of the number in order to avoid saying “shi”. The same also goes for seven, where they use “nana” instead of the proper “shichi”.
The grip is obviously larger, since the shutter button is placed on it. And G3 needed a more substantial grip. The dimensions seem almost the same as G3 when compared with similar front view.
My only real complaint about the G3 is the slipperiness of the grip, so a rubberized grip would be a very welcome addition!
IDK guys… I don’t like it much… Mainly it looks like all their cheap P&S… It might sound childish…but I would want my expensive mu43 Cam to look different & more substantial…
Except this isn’t an expensive m4/3 cam.
IDK guys… I don’t like it much… Mainly it looks like all their cheap P&S… It might sound childish…but I would want my expensive mu43 Cam to look different & more substantial….
I like it, this was a good move. Hope we see a GH3 with redesigned metal body soon!!
Looks good and sexy, compared to G3. Will it have the same sensor too?
Looks like one of those superzoom cameras. Not a bad form factor.
Looks like it also has a hugely improved grip, just like the GF5. Good news. It’s good that Panasonic values ergonomics over looks. Having an even, smooth metal body looks good, but it’s not easy to hold in your hand for a long time.
Leica inspired design!
Would it have a swivel LCD or not is the most important issue for me.
Only slightly less ugly than the G3.
Re-looking at both of them, I am not actually sure that I find them ugly. But I surely do not like their shape that much.
Another cheap plastic Panny……….
Except that the G3 was metal…. =P As have been the other Panny cameras released since the that one,; the GF3 and GX1 are also aluminum builds. I *highly* doubt this one will be plastic.
metal frame and casing are two different pair of shoes. Would be news to me that any Pana camera except the GF1 and GX1 had a all metal construction.
Same boring camera. Let’s hope it functions can make it’s looks irrelevant.
It’s funny how everytime I see a Panasonic I think I like, I then realize that I can never consider it because it doesn’t have in body stabilization.
+1
I really like the looks of this camera. The lack of ibis all but rules it out for me as well, and my personal preferences lean more towards the Oly jpegs than Panasonic’s. Too bad, I probably miss out on some great cameras because of that.
I suppose if you had a DSLR then you would have never considered having any Nikon or Canon camera? Frankly in my opinion up the the latest iteration of 5 axis IBIS in the EM5 I would not have preferred an Oly IBIS over lens OIS especially as the live view in EVF not stabilized and could not be used for video. While some previews have indicated the new IBIS is very good even at tele end there is a user review posted on 43rumors which indicates the improvement is less substantial.
Reportedly the high hump on the EM5 is required partly to house the many sensors required for the IBIS so maybe maybe any future models using the same would be of similar size and shape?
These new m4/3 products with their very good high ISO performance for most circumstances do not even need IS as setting a higher shutter speed is preferable to IS anyway in my opinion unless you are using slow lenses in the first place and insist on using very low ISO and shoot mainly stationary objects.
If you think the E-M5 has a high hump I strongly recommend you never visit Ayers Rock. You’ll hate it. 🙂
Interesting as I have visited Ayers Rock and love the view and have been to the top of Kilmanjaro’s dome 3 times! However when mountain climbing I want something small enough to pack and am more likely to take something the size and shape of my GF1 instead.
I owned several Nikon FMs and loved their feel and shape so am glad that Oly has produced the OMD-EM5.
But the OM-D does use the IS for video, and for the EVF.
uhm is it just me or did panasonic skip the GF4 and G4??
So no GH3 but GH5?
The number 4, is considered unlucky in Japan hence no LX4, G4, or GF4. So there will be a GH3 just not a GH4
The Japanese don’t like the number 4 and 9 because of their pronunciation.
Four is pronounced “shi” which is the same pronunciation as death.
Nine is pronounced “ku” which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture.
Nice. Very organic. I like it!
Hi,
Nice. But hope Panasonic could put in more robust flash accessories (including wireless option etc.) this time round!
It’s too small. My G3 is already too small, and it looks smaller, less to hold onto.
Actually, comparing the two in photoshop based on the hotshoe size, this camera seems to be slightly LARGER than the G3, particularly around the grip area. Not to mention the rubbarized grip should make it a lot better!
So with the GF5, you get a hump with a rubber grip, while with the E-M5, you just get the hump?
+1
And yet, ironically, in your profile pic, you are holding a tiny camera.
Yawn
They moved the focus assist to the ‘right’ side 🙂
I hope this render is fake, it looks like a cheap super zoom :(. G3 looks much better.
Very nice. I think it looks better than the G3 (which I have and love). I really like the rubberized contoured grip, as well as the integrated shutter release.
I suppose the GH3 will follow the same design principles, which is a good thing in my book… I really hope it will come with a second control dial.
Guys, it’s not significantly smaller than the G3. In fact, the grip area is actually definitely larger, if only by a couple of milimeters. The camera is slightly less tall at maximum height(like, 1 or 2 mm less)but the grip is a couple of milimeters wider and taller, as well as being rubberized and having a finger grove now. Here’s a quick rough comparison I made based on hotshoe size. I might be off by a milimeter or 2 since the G5 image is so blurry, but regardless, any difference in these dimensions is almost negligible, and the only significant size difference is in the grip, where the G5 wins.
Heres my comparison. In the bottom picture, the white one is the G3. You can see how the grip on the G5 extends further horizontally and vertically.
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/1030/compare3.jpg
Thanks for making the comparisons for all to see. The G5 does look more massive but is just as small at the same time. I really think the G5 and EM5 will challenge the larger DSLR dinosaurs if IQ appears to be as good as projected.
That camera would look funny with a rounded vertical grip 🙂
Can’t tell much from that rendering, but I think it is an improvement. I never liked the G/GH designs, it was like they were designed by a committee. (And probably were 🙂 ) I wonder if Panasonic is making each line more distinctive? GF=compact, G=middle ground, GH=(semi)pro?
And GX?
They already did that in the last iteration (GF3, G3, GH2). But they still have a lot of potentioal to expand the series. When you look at Canon, Nikon, Sony, they all have more models.
Maybe Pana will split the GH series into hybrid and hybrid-semipro, and the GX into sans VF and with VF.
Thanks for posting this rendering. I am surprised to see Pany modifying the body of G3 which may be shared with the FZ150 after only 1 year but the new grip does look more substantial and most seem to like it. Will be interesting to see what the new specs are? Wonder if its IQ turns out to be very similar to that of the new EM5? I do think it wise to mate with a kit Xlens which will really show its smaller size in comparison with the EM5 and other DSLRs. The top EVF hump looks smaller design and I hope for a more compact high resolution EVF with less protrusion.
Design reminds me of the Leica’s Full frame DSLR. is this going to be weather proof as well?
The G-series is Panasonic’s entry level with viewfinder, no way it’s going to be weather proof.
Rather ugly little thing
I just wish Panny and Oly could create a camera together!
Panny handles de video part and Oly the photos – and the IS system.
Boring, boring, boriiiiiinnnnnggggg. Until Panny do something different or build a GF1 with VF in the corner I can’t see myself spending another penny with them.
I like it. Reminds me of a Pentax istDL2 I once had.
I sure hope Photokina brings some sort of surprise. EM-5 is slated be my first big buy into a post-film system and I expected Panasonic to be the first to create a pro-level compact mirrorless (EM-5 is almost there with the exception of no pro after-sales service).
In fact, if they come out with a L1 successor with the Panasonic advantage of video (or at least the hackability to enbale it) I’d buy it as a second body. MF film camera and a LF capable Polaroid takes care of the rest for me.
I almost think the biggest announcements will come before the big shows, as it is usual nowadays. But that means hands-on at the shows, which is nice! 😉
Looks better than the current model.
Myself, being an optimist, I still hope for that illusive “very high end” Pana to emerge at Photokina. Maybe with a sensor similar to Fuji x-pro1 without AA filter.
Dear all leaks: Rumors on that one, please!
It looks like they’ve melted a G3! As long as there’s a deeper grip, this will be better.
Another hunk of Panaplastic.
I don’t understand all the negative comments about plastic. If properly engineered, plastic is a wonderful material to use for making things. Boeing now makes entire airplanes out of plastic (787 with primary carbon/epoxy structure). F1 and most other race cars are predominantly plastic structure.
It all depends on how the engineers use the plastic. In many ways plastic is superior to metal. It is lighter and often bends and springs back instead of denting or breaking.
I own a GH-1 and it is all plastic structure. I have never doubted the quality of the construction. It is perfectly serviceable for its purpose. Also, let’s not forget that most of the micro 4/3 lenses have plastic structure. They work just fine and are very rugged. I believe they are made of polycarbonate, which is an extremely robust plastic.
So, as an engineer, I think people should stop bashing on plastic. You may have a personal preference for metal, but that does not mean that something made out of plastic is automatically junk.
We all know modern camera gear is a mixture of plastic and metal with the ratio wildly tilting one way or another, but ideally it’s a beefy metal construction with a plastic/metal shell.
I guess it all depends on quality of plastic, its finish, how its weighted and also the underlying frame construction and how tightly the plastic body conforms to it. I have in my hand a Ricoh GXR and it has a good heft and no flex.
I’ve only really handled the GH2 from Panasonic and I’ve found it to be a bit plasticy and has a bit of flex. The plasticyness I have also felt with the X100’s rear believe it or not, which was one thing that sent me to Ricoh.
It’s hard to placate me though, seeing as currently I shoot MF film with true tanks from another era. But I’m sure I’ll be pleased with the EM-5.
By the way, the G3 body plastic is particularily a very high quality one.
What’s with the recent design fad in cameras of rounded edges? Personally don’t like it.
the G3 is NOT PLASTIC, it is aluminium.
NOT PLASTIC
NOT PLASTIC
NOT PLASTIC
It’s funny with all the plasticy comments about the G3. They can’t have handled the camera, not even read a review.
+1
Rounded edges because this is NOT 1970!
I guess cameras will get blobbier and blobbier then.
I find the more rounded bodies easier in hand for me. I have a number of old cameras (collected) that resemble bricks LOL. I shot with some of them and have shot with quite a number of DSLRs from the original Canon D30 forward and really like rounded edges better than squared off ones. Just my own preferences.
I don’t get it. While it’s not NOTHING, what a camera looks like is about last on my list. Seems pretty superficial.
What difference does it make what it looks like (within reason, at least)?
Agree – image quality, function and build quality is important, looks is way down on my list too.
For RAW-only, m4/3 photographers who put priority on ergonomics, control layout, UI, and IQ, the G3 is the best bang for your buck hands down. If you feel the need to pay more than double the price for a retro look and an over-rated IS system you’ve got the OM5.
I am not a Panny fanboy at all and have owned Olys in the past, but no one can deny how great the G3 is at its price point. There is nothing that even comes close to comparing, and once the great Vitaly completes the G3 video hack, they will be a hard camera to find.
Hopefully this G5 follows in the G3’s footsteps in terms of overall performance, features, useability, and price.
Also, anyone who says the G3 is cheaply built, has obvioulsy not used it for any substantial amount of time It has a great balance between construction strength and weight and buttons are more than adequate build-quality.
“m4/3 photographers who put priority on ergonomics, control layout, UI, and IQ, the G3 is the best bang for your buck hands down”
Right, and those tiny manual control buttons on the G3, like the 4-way controller, that sit almost flush with the camera body are soooo ergonomic. The DISP/Fn1 button is actually recessed into the camera back, which makes shooting so darn easy. (/snarc) Yes, the G3 has a pretty nice touch screen, but some of us prefer to use the EVF and the button controls, especially when we’re shooting in bright sunlight and the LCD screen is hard to read. The buttons on the OM-D and on a lot of older Panasonic cameras are much easier to feel and press. IMHO if Panasonic doesn’t come to its senses and make the buttons on the G5 bigger and easier to handle than those on the G3, they are making a HUGE mistake,
I use manual control buttons on the G3 95% of the time and they cause no issue at all (including the Fn1 button that is slightly recessed). The buttons seem to be the same size as my GF1 and I’ve never heard people complain about the GF1 buttons.
Either way, it’s unfortunate that you have that issue because you’re missing out on a great camera designed for people who are on a budget but require a well-rounded, versitile, quality product that producses fantastic images. A pleasure to use as a photographic tool.
Best of luck finding the “right” camera for you.
It does not look ugly. Maybe a little boring, but in a good way. The grip and shutter release button looks very good, I bet the grip shutter release will work great for a lot of us. It looks like a very good functional camera for the m43.
Admin – any rumors as to when Pany will actually introduce the GF5 and G5 and any specs?
Many thanks for what you have provided to date.
Just bought my g3 6 months ago. if its the same sensor then i think ill skip this generation. it looks pretty functional though i thought panny would step it up in the style game to compete with fuji/olympus.
There’s nothing wrong with the design of the G3 and the vari-angle LCD is great. In hardware, I do wish for an improved EVF that doesn’t protrude too much and more comfortable.
This looks pretty much the same size and design as the G3, but with improved hand grip courtesy the GX1. The G3 is a good size, so this is a physical improvement, but I’m not going for any more Lumix bodies until they improve the jpegs.
This looks like a nice camera to hold. I also like how Panasonic made the design closer to the stylings of their FZ-150 superzoom camera. Perhaps they’re trying to make the G5 the logical step-up from the superzoom, which is a good marketing idea.
I’m still on the G2. Why not make it right the first time and be done with it….
LOL, they are NEVER ‘done with it’.
I’m still on the GF1.
grip looks good. the only thing i dont like about my g3 is that i cant hold it with one hand and push the lower buttons.
on the other hand, a few years back you could’t operate a camera with this IQ in one hand at all.
I quite like it. I think Panasonic would be wise to keep it looking different to their bridge cameras though. They need to be a little step up in quality from them in my opinion.
I quite like the smooth design of this and especially the rubber grip, that alone makes a big difference to quality feel. Something I wish the E-M5 did better. The NEX-7 does score some points here over the E-M5 which is more on a par with NEX-5n in feel. I will probably modify the grip on my E-M5 with something more comfortable when it arrives.
I actually like the look of this camera quite a bit. It manages to step away from film SLR tradition and look like a very modern camera, without falling into the hole of looking too futuristic or like some industrial designer’s wet dream. (Unlike, for example, the new Pentax, which is about as polarizing as it gets with camera design.) I’m glad to see what looks like a real rubber grip, too, instead of the tiny patch on the G3 or the all-aluminum surface on my GF2.
On second look the image looks fake to me..
It’s not a photo it’s a rendering so it should look fake. I like the look of it, hopefully it keeps the swivel screen of the G3.
What’s interesting to me is that this body may well be what the GH3 also will look like and not only the G5? I seriously doubt Pany would drop the popular swivel screen after its redesign only last year but a higher resolution screen is possible and would be welcome. I hope the EVF has also been redesigned to have less depth as Pany has said they were working on an higher resolution EVF for the GH3.
I hope we get to see a picture or rendition of the back of the G5 and a little more about its specifications?