As the first company to introduce a compact system camera, Panasonic has led the way in terms of innovation in this sector of the market.

The latest Micro Four Thirds camera introduced into the fold is the Panasonic G5, which it believes to be one of its best cameras to date.

Of course, a lot has changed since 2008, and now only Canon has so far declined to join the market. Panasonic shares the Micro Four Thirds format with Olympus, and, as it has been established the longest, it currently has the largest lens range (if you exclude the Nikon J1/V1 which can be used with F-mount lenses via an adapter).

The Panasonic G5 is an addition to its G line-up of compact system cameras (CSCs), rather than a straight replacement for the G3 (read our Panasonic G3 review). The company says it has identified a gap in the market for the G5, which includes a number of improvements over the one-year old G3.

Features

Featuring a newly designed 16 million pixel digital sensor and the latest Venus Engine VII processor, Panasonic promises that this combination in the G5 delivers images which are cleaner and freer of noise than seen before on a G series camera.

As the G5 is considered a 'step-up' camera, it features a number of new and exciting extras in the package. This includes Eye Sensor AF which can automatically detect when the camera is lifted to the eye to begin autofocusing.

Also new for the G5 is the option to use the LCD screen as a TouchPad to control autofocus points when using the EVF.

Some ergonomic changes have also been made, with a new larger grip and the introduction of a Function Lever on top of the camera. A silent shutter mode has also been included, to help with discreet shooting.

Other features include full HD video recording, six fps shooting at full resolution, sensitivity reaching ISO 12,800 and Intelligent Auto mode.