Conclusion Get the lowdown
Features How they compare
Performance Real world benchmarks
Differences Technical showdown
Reviews Word on the street
Competition Others to consider
Discussion Answers and opinions

Compare with...

Sony NEX-F3
Samsung NX1000
Olympus PEN E-PL5
Nikon 1 J2
Canon PowerShot G15

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

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Nikon 1 J1

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from $329

12 MP
Four Thirds CMOS
3" LCD

Released June, 2012

Indeed, with a pancake lens like Panasonic’s own 14mm f/2.5 fitted, the GF5 is about the same size as a typical fixed-lens compact camera, even though it boasts a much bigger sensor.

Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)

from $299

10 MP
Nikon CX CMOS
3" LCD

older Released September, 2011

As we'd expect from Nikon's DSLR and Coolpix ranges the cameras' auto WB behavior consistently produces generally accurate colors and natural, attractive skin tones, too.

Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)

Conclusion Which is better for you?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

Nikon 1 J1

79%

72%

FeaturesView Details

54%

67%

Popularity

72%

86%

PerformanceView Details

84%

72%

ReviewsView Details

Winner

Nikon1 J1

Overall Score

Features Key features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 compared to the Nikon 1 J1

MP12

Four Thirds

The GF5 certainly fits that bill, with fast 0.09 second auto-focusing, a 12 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, 1080i HD video, touchscreen interface and 4fps burst shooting.

Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)

10 MP

Nikon CX

Each of the Picture Control modes has its own default contrast, sharpening and saturation default settings, but if you'd prefer to take a little more control, you might find that it's worth your while experimenting with the sharpness settings.

Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)

megapixels

0 MP

Lumix DMC-GF512 MP

Nikon 1 J110 MP

20 MP

Though it's the same resolution as the GF3, the GF5 incorporates a new version of the 12-megapixel sensor with an updated version of its image-processing engine.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by c|net (Aug, 2012)

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

Nikon 1 J1 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)

sensor size

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

Four Thirds sensor

Lumix DMC-GF5 Four Thirds sensor

Nikon 1 J1

Nikon CX sensor

Nikon 1 J1 Nikon CX sensor

The GF5 is the fourth in Panasonic's range of small-bodied 'GF' Micro Four Thirds cameras, and sits below the G3 in the current lineup.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by DPReview (Apr, 2012)

In linear terms, a Four Thirds chip has a 1.36x longer diagonal than the Nikon CX imager.

Nikon 1 J1 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)

body size

Lumix DMC-GF5108 x 67 x 37 mm

Nikon 1 J1106 x 61 x 30 mm

As such, it's small, lightweight, and inexpensive, and when paired with the ultra-compact Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS kit lens, the GF5 is about as close to offering truly compact camera ergonomics as we've seen in an interchangeable lens camera.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by DPReview (Apr, 2012)

With an essentially grip-less design, the Nikon J1 is very much a two-handed affair that requires you to hold the camera's weight in the left hand, clutching the lens, and use your right hand for balance and operating the controls.

Nikon 1 J1 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)

focus points

Nikon 1 J1135

Lumix DMC-GF523

200

The diminutive DMC-GF5 certainly fits that bill thanks to its exceedingly quick and reliable auto-focus system, expanded range of in-camera creative effects, hand-holding scene modes, great image quality and improved low-light performance.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)

In the complete auto AF, it selects the focus points quickly, but inconsistently; for any given scene, it will choose different sets of points each time you prefocus.

Nikon 1 J1 by c|net (Sep, 2011)

Performance Real world tests of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 vs Nikon 1 J1

DxOMark image quality

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

50.0

Lumix DMC-GF5 50.0

Nikon 1 J1

56.0

Nikon 1 J1 56.0

With the benefit of this context, the GF5's role is clear - to put large-sensor image quality into the hands of people looking to upgrade from their compact camera.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by DPReview (Apr, 2012)

Ultimately, the photo quality is very good-and occasionally excellent.

Nikon 1 J1 by c|net (Sep, 2011)

DxOMark low light performance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

573 ISO

Lumix DMC-GF5 573 ISO

Nikon 1 J1

372 ISO

Nikon 1 J1 372 ISO

In low light, it pays to shoot raw at ISO 800 or higher, as you can get much better results; better detail handling and less smeariness, although you do get a lot of clipping in the dark areas.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by c|net (Aug, 2012)

I wanted a camera that takes good pictures at night and now I can say I've got one!

Nikon 1 J1 by Cristina (Dec, 2011)

shutter lag

0 ms

Nikon 1 J194 ms

Lumix DMC-GF5180 ms

100 ms

imaging-resource.com

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds and there's also a Bulb option for exposures up to 4 minutes long, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)

The camera takes about two seconds to turn on, and then shoots with virtually no shutter lag or recycle time — though if you shoot continuously, the camera slows down significantly after about 40 shots.

Nikon 1 J1 by David-Pierce (Oct, 2011)

continuous shooting

Lumix DMC-GF54 fps

Nikon 1 J160 fps

With a fast card the camera can maintain a JPEG burst for about 15 frames at 4.2fps, after which the pace drops to about 2fps.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by c|net (Aug, 2012)

Burst shot is fast enough to shoot a running kids.

Nikon 1 J1 by Take1 (Mar, 2012)

battery life

0 photos400 photos

Lumix DMC-GF5 360 photos

Nikon 1 J1 230 photos

imaging-resource.com

Battery pack, Battery Charger, USB Connection Cable, Shoulder Strap, CD-ROM / * Body cap not included for DMC-GF5X kit / ** Lens rear cap of H-PS14042 lens not included for DMC-GF5X kit.

Lumix DMC-GF5 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)

After 9 days of continuous shooting using the built in flash - and HD video - the most disappointing feature was short battery life - the battery failing before my 8Gb video card was filled on one day - my purchase before the trip - much to my regret did not include a second battery.

Nikon 1 J1 by Michael-Horn--mikie (Apr, 2012)

Differences What are the advantages of each

Full specs comparison

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

Read review

Advantages compared to the Nikon 1 J1

Significantly higher resolution screen	920 k dots	vs	460 k dots
2x higher resolution screen

Larger sensor	Four Thirds	vs	Nikon CX
Around 95% larger sensor; higher quality photos

Has a touch screen	Yes	vs	No
Somewhat common; Fewer buttons, interact directly with menus

Significantly higher light sensitivity	12,800 ISO	vs	3,200 ISO
4x higher light sensitivity; Avoid blur in low light situations

Significantly more photos per charge	360	vs	230
130 more shots; Longer battery life

Much more highly reviewed by consumers	84.11%	vs	72.48%
More than 15% more highly reviewed by consumers

More contrast-detection focus points	23	vs	0
23 more contrast detection focus points; Better autofocus in low light settings

Less noise at high ISO	573 ISO	vs	372 ISO
Around 55% higher low light performance

Higher resolution	12 MP	vs	10 MP
Around 20% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints

Marginally more recently announced	Apr, 2012	vs	Sep, 2011
Announced date 6 months later

Longer long exposure	60 s	vs	30 s
2x longer long exposure; Capture creative photos such as night sky movement

Nikon 1 J1

Read review

Advantages compared to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

Much faster rapid fire	60 fps	vs	4 fps
15x faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion

Many more phase-detection focus points	135	vs	0
135 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings

Better overall image quality	56.0	vs	50.0
More than 10% better image quality

Shoots high speed video	Yes	vs	No
Somewhat common; Create slow motion video

Larger dynamic range	11.0 ev	vs	10.0 ev
10% larger dynamic range

More color depth	21.5 bits	vs	20.5 bits
Around 5% more color depth

Much faster max shutter speed	1/16000 s	vs	1/4000 s
4x faster max shutter speed; capture fast action

Thinner	30 mm	vs	37 mm
Around 20% thinner

Smaller	106 x 61 x 30 mm	vs	108 x 67 x 37 mm
Around 30% smaller

Reviews Word on the street

	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5		Nikon 1 J1
	Rated 90% Read the review (Apr, 2012) The GF5 offers the same tiny body design, cutting-edge touchscreen and pared-down user interface as its predecessor, with the principal added benefits of a larger ISO range, higher resolution LCD screen, wider range of filters, reintroduced stereo sound and even faster auto-focusing than the already snappy GF3.		Rated 80% Read the review (Oct, 2011) The Nikon 1 Nikkor 10-30mm standard zoom is thus equivalent to a 27.2-81.6mm (or, practically speaking, 28-80mm) FX lens in terms of its angle-of-view range.

	Rated 78% Read the review (Aug, 2012) June 2012 To go with the higher-resolution LCD, Panasonic redesigned the look of the touch-screen interface, and it's a lot more attractive than before.		Rated 75% Read the review (Sep, 2011) Take for instance, the sensor, which is smaller and lower-resolution than all but the even-more-expensive Pentax Q. With a 2.7x focal-length magnification factor, that means the kit 10-30mm lens has the equivalent angle of view of 27-81mm.

	Rated 84% by 6 users at amazon.com Between Panasonic and Olympus there are some fantastic lens available; prime lens on a Micro 4/3 body that will take just as good of images as prime lens on DSLR cameras and better yet they will not break your bank. Rated 80% by by J.-Gebauer (Mar, 2013) The camera has excellent image quality and far exceeds the image quality of a point and shoot. Rated 100% by by dalexander (Mar, 2013) The benefit of no viewfinder is it keeps the body size to a minimum but it is more difficult to view the screen in direct sunlight. Rated 80% by by J.-Gebauer (Mar, 2013)		Rated 82% by 104 users at amazon.com I also purchased the 30mm-110mm lens and have been very happy with the quality of the pictures. Rated 80% by by Kentucky-Rose I avoid this by using the aperture priority mode at iso 400 or less so that I can change the aperture (lens opening) to make sure that the shutter speed is fast enough to avoid blurred images. Rated 80% by by Robert-Cullers--RCullers This is very good camera takes good pictures and the video this is my first camera and i love it. Rated 100% by by Oscar--Theog187 (May, 2012)