Panasonic’s New Mirrorless Camera Is Smaller Than Many Point-and-Shoots

   Tiny cameras usually have tiny sensors. A camera that fits comfortably in your pocket almost never has interchangeable lenses. The pint-sized Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 breaks both of those rules, packing the same 16-megapixel Micro Four-Thirds sensor and processing engine as the higher-end Lumix GX7 in a body that‚Äôs just 1.2-inches deep. That makes it smaller than the Sony RX100, but with swappable lenses and a bigger sensor.

 The GM1 weighs a little more than half a pound with its kit lens attached, but it‚Äôs not made out of plastic. Instead, it has a magnesium-alloy frame that‚Äôs super light, but still very strong.

 While the sensor and the processor are the same combination found in the GX7, the GM1 makes a few functionality trade-offs in the pursuit of miniaturization. First and foremost, it doesn‚Äôt have as many physical controls as bigger cameras, although it does have full-manual, aperture-priority, and shutter-priority modes. Those are controlled by its back-mounted scroll wheel, and its manual-focus controls are adjusted using a touchscreen slider. There‚Äôs a focus-peaking view to help you get it right too.

 Video-capture is a bit different as well. The GM1 shoots 1920 x 1080 video at 60i and 24p in AVCHD format (and 1080p/30 in MP4 mode), lacking the 60p setting found in the GX7. It has the same 3-inch screen size as the GX7, except the GM1‚Ä≤s display isn‚Äôt adjustable. It also doesn‚Äôt have an EVF or a hot shoe, but kind of makes up for it with a little pop-up flash that you can angle upward with your finger to use as a makeshift bounce flash.

 Another cool trick? You can control this little camera from a smartphone app. The GM1 has built-in Wi-Fi and a companion app for iOS and Android that lets you use a phone as a remote control and a live-view screen.
 The Lumix GM1 will compete against mid-range DSLRs and premium compact cameras for your money. It‚Äôs priced at $750 as a kit with an optically stabilized 12-32mm/F3.5-F5.6 kit lens, and it‚Äôll be available at some point this holiday season in all-black or sharp-looking black with silver trim.