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WarrantyBeyond any applicable Newegg return policy, this item is warranted independently by the product's Manufacturer or a Third party. Below is a summary provided for convenience only and may not be accurate or current.
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Pros: -Compact and Light, make it a ease to use -Settings are quite easy to nav. through it menus -Like the design & looks -Did I mention paid under 300 at sale price
Cons: -None, so far I have any... However brought camera for upcoming outdoors trip perhaps more comments afterwards
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Jimbo in Thailand
2/6/2013 5:21:53 AM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 3/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 4/5You WON'T be disappointed with the GF5K!
Pros: I have been searching for a compact camera with the largest CMOS image sensor that I could find without breaking the bank. Great low-light/night shots have been my H-o-l-y Grail for years and the GF5K does not disappoint. Its large backlit (17.3 x 13 mm) image sensor performs much better than I had hoped. I've taken several low-light/night photos at ISO 1600 and am blown away by the image quality. I literally can not discern any unwanted noise/artifacts up to and including ISO 1600. Images taken at ISO 3200 aren't bad either. And not only is ISO 6400 on tap, but you can force it up to ISO 12800 to snap that once in a lifetime photo. Sure it will be noisy, but the capability is there if you need it.
Folks, let me be clear about this when I say that the super-high ISO capabilities of this camera put it in the same lofty class as many DSLR cameras, but without the expense, bulk, and weight. If excellent low light shots are your forte, you can't go wrong with the GF5.
Another great pro is that this camera is FAST. It cold-starts quickly thanks in part to not having to extend a stowed power zoom lens. It also auto-focuses almost instantly.
Did I mention that the GF5 is full featured? It not only features all the manual control you would expect in an interchangeable lens camera such as Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Automatic Exposure control, etc., but also features Intelligent exposure control options which will just about guarantee beautifully balanced images with very little effort or experience on your part. All you have to do is point, zoom, and shoot. It really is that easy.
There are also a ton of Scenes and Effects available to tailor your shots as you desire.
Cons: Since Newegg doesn't ship overseas I had to have my brother forward the package to me here in Thailand. I was a bit shocked to find how lacking the packaging was. The camera box was sitting inside a slightly larger box with almost no protective packing materials. In fact it was sitting loose on top of some folded up brown paper, but none was on top so the camera had almost no protection and was, again, loose in the outer box. Even though the package looked a bit rough from handling, luckily, there was no damage to the camera.
Newegg, if you read this, please address this problem as others have also commented on receiving items with shoddy packaging lately. Bubble wrap should have been used on all sides.
OK, on to the camera. My camera arrived with the lens barrel binding, i.e., not smooth at all when framing a shot anywhere between wide and tele. With use it's gotten smoother and hopefully the problem will go away altogether. I imagine it's just the lens on my GF5 so hopefully you won't suffer the same issue.
Because the GF5 camera body is very small, compromises had to be made in the controls layout. There is no mode selector dial on top like you would expect in a camera of this class. Instead there is a single multi-function rotary dial selector switch to the right of the LCD on the back. It works well enough, but finding and changing settings requires manipulating the dial and/or the touchscreen LCD. I won't kid you, there is definitely a learning curve to this menu system. It's not horrible, but it's not great either. Since the camera takes extraordinary photos I can certainly live with this one major caveat. I did deduct 1/2 an Egg for this & 1/2 an Egg for Newegg's shoddy packaging.
Other Thoughts: Folks, for the money this is a fine camera. This is my 2nd Lumix model. The first was an FZ50, and IMO, Lumix cameras have excellent image sensors. I snagged my GF5K last month during Newegg's super-duper 50% off $299.99 deal with free shipping. In fact, I couldn't pull the order trigger fast enough.
One final thought. The included 4-42mm F3.5-F5.6 manual zoom lens (28-84mm SLR equivalent) is fine, but sure wish Panasonic had included an F2.8 or faster lens to take advantage of the excellent Micro Four Thirds backlit image sensor. Oh well, I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too, at this price range.
Hope this review helped. Enjoy your new toy!
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Della's Mom
1/12/2013 12:05:10 PM
Tech Level: 4/5
Ownership: 4/5
Rating: 5/5Awesome pictures
Pros: Fits in my purse with lens on, a huge advantage over DSLR Ability to manually adjust shutter/aperture AF fairly quick IS works well Scenes present creative possibilities as you take the picture Low light has still worked well for me
Cons: Haven't found many Don't like the Overhead Strap, prefer wrist strap (obviously not a deal breaker)
Other Thoughts: I'd been waiting for a smaller DSLR, this is close enough for me!
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Ed
1/1/2013 5:41:03 AM
Tech Level: 4/5
Ownership: 3/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Others are jealous
Pros: Touch screen, tones of optional settings, small and esay to carry and handle, movie button and auto setting buttons are in easy spots
Cons: ?? Haven't found any yet
Other Thoughts: Easy to use and takes great pictures and 1080 videos
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N/A
12/14/2012 9:19:28 AM
Tech Level: 3/5
Ownership: 2/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 4/5Excellent for the price
Pros: Fast shooting, easy to understand menus. Great looking pics and video. Well built. Size Availability of lenses
Cons: Not sure if this is a con in this class but maybe a bit more manual control
Other Thoughts: This was a perfect choice for me. I wanted close to DSLR quality but with the ability to carry the camera easily. The camera feels quality and is very quick to start up and start shooting and achieves good results in low light. When I compared it to the J1 and the Nex5 the price difference made all the diff. For my needs it was a win.
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