World's smallest

Panasonic Lumix GM1 shortly after arrival (no lens attached yet)

    In the pursuit of happiness (a patriotic duty, no?), I spent way too much money for “the world’s smallest micro four thirds camera”—a Panasonic Lumix GM1. I’d been pining for one of these tiny beasts for many months. It’s not a perfect camera, but it fulfills my hopes and dreams vastly more than the disappointing OM Systems TG-7. I took the GM1 out on a short neighborhood photowalk on Friday and got some decent images using the 12-32mm kit lens that came with my GX85. For me, the camera’s biggest shortcoming is a combination of no viewfinder with a barely-bright-enough LCD screen: it was a sunny day and I had a bit of difficulty framing my shots. Later I found a way to make the screen a little brighter (higher luminence and saturation), so next time out in the sun might be easier. That said, I still managed to capture good stuff. Over the past three years of taking thousands of photos, I’ve attained a pretty high batting average with my style of shooting from the hip, and the GM1 plays into this strength.

    Some photos I shot Friday with the new camera: