Lumix G5 Camera Review (the latest addition to our family!)

For those of you lovelies who follow us on Twitter, you might have noticed I've tweeted about looking for a new camera. I've been debating purchasing a new one since before Christmas, but was a little tight on money. Thanks to some solid research, a phone call to my dad (he knows EVERYTHING about cameras!) and some hardcore saving time, I finally took the plunge...

Say hello to Vivid Please's latest purchase: The Panasonic Lumix G5

I've been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. My preferred camera is a Polaroid SX-70, and whilst I use my phone to take photos a crazy amount of the time, I also like to use my DSLR as well as occasionally switching to my little compact camera.  That's just the ones that I've been using over the past couple of years - I have a book shelf with more polaroid cameras than you'd care to imagine, not to mention a medium format camera and a couple of 35mm ones too. Oh! And a Diana :B

When I go travelling I usually take the first 4 cameras with me. That's about 2kg in my handbag... and I don't drive! As you can imagine, it's tough work, but I do love my photography. I've been looking to get a good all round camera that I can take away with me that has the same quality of photography as my DSLR, but is much smaller and lighter like my little compact camera. The ultimate combination on a low budget was always going to be a challenge to find!

A close up of my cute tiny anchor bracelet! 

I've been looking at bridge cameras, which are exactly the combination that I described, although for the budget I had, I found I was actually better off getting a souped-up compact camera. They seem to have much more settings, better macro abilities and a better screen for the money.

Look mum! Only one hand!

Whilst Nikons and Canons make the best quality cameras, Panasonic, Sony and all the other electronic companies are trying to break the market so badly they throw in a tonne of extra facilities that cost a lot more money on the big named cameras to win you over. It worked!

I do love those brands, but if you're on a shoestring you've got to look at the facts; a name is just a name. I chose the Lumix because it has a totally articulated screen, in my eyes knocking it out of their competitors park. On top of that it's touch screen. Selfie fans eat your heart out!

'Toy Camera' setting

This camera also offers several different portrait settings, and a butt-load of creative settings making it more like Instagram - and waaay better quality too. The only difference between this camera and a bridge is that it's slightly smaller megapixels, it works a little differently and it doesn't have a great zoom on it. In response to that, I'm not planning to put my images on billboards so I don't need them to be vast - something people fail to think about when they're looking at the stats. Plus, the great thing about this compact camera is that you CAN change the lenses - you cant on a bridge in the same price range. Pretty sweet, huh?

'Soft Skin' setting

As you'll probably guess by now, I'm pretty much in love with the G5. Its body shape is perfect for holding and shooting with one hand, it's light weight and it takes pictures like a bad ass. I've still got a lot to learn on all the different settings, but from the pictures I've shared so far you'll probably notice it's not rocket science! It's definitely an investment piece, but it means I'll only be needing 3 cameras instead of 4 on my next trip ;)

Do you have a camera that you love? Or have you been looking to get a new one?