In the Field: Panasonic DMC-GX1 for Travel Photography

When you’re travelling, whether you’re a beginner or a pro photographer, there are a number of reasons why you might want a low-budget camera at your disposal. Some photographers need a secondary fall-back option. Others don’t quite feel comfortable bringing along their bulky pro setup. And there are many smartphone photographers who would like to upgrade to a camera without having to break the bank. 

Either way, there are plenty of affordable options open to you—especially when you buy used. Some more-than-capable setups are available for well under £100 or £200. And, because you have access to decades’ worth of DSLRs and mirrorless models, you’re spoilt for choice. But which one should you choose for your next big adventure? 

In preparation for a trip to Petrolo in Tuscany, Italy, travel photographer James Popsys acquainted himself with an old favourite—the Panasonic DMC-GX1, which he bought used from MPB for less than £200. Can the ten-year-old camera still pack a punch in 2022? Check out the images and see for yourself. Over to you, James.

One of my favourite lenses is the 20mm f/1.7 ASPH II. Lots of people have said, “Why don't you get a tiny little Panasonic Lumix and strap it to the back of the lens?” I thought to myself, “It's an obvious thing to do.” So, I picked up the Panasonic DMC-GX1. It’s one of my favourite cameras ever. 

I first bought one of these in 2011 or 2012. Basically, it's the first camera that I ever fell in love with—for its functionality and its looks. Actually, it looks like a really cool camera. Today, I'm going to shoot with it in Petrolo. 

I picked up this camera from MPB and it was less than £200! This camera doesn't have a front dial, but it has quite a sensible solution, which is that the back dial you can press. When you press aperture priority mode, at least it flips between aperture and exposure. So you can see and take down the exposure. And then once I've done that, I can press it and it goes to aperture and I can narrow the aperture. Obviously, it does different things in different modes, but quite a clever solution. 

One of my favourite things in the world is walking around somewhere in Italy early in the morning in the sunshine. 

I’m definitely hamstringing this camera by using this lens without an ND filter. I want to shoot a lot of f/1.7, but I can't because it's bright and the camera has a maximum shutter speed of 4000th of a second. So, that's a bit of an issue. 

Also, when it comes to brightness and shooting in places like Tuscany—really sunny places—this camera has no viewfinder. You could buy an external viewfinder, but I don't have one for this trip. All I have is this back screen, and that makes viewing your photos in some instances a little bit difficult. Aside from that, though, I've really enjoyed it. 

I really like this camera. It doesn't feel ten years old to me, and I think that's because it was ahead of its time. Ergonomically, it's super comfortable. There are some giveaways that it's ten years old. Apart from the condition of this specific model, it has ‘full-HD’ on the top of the camera, which you don't tend to see cameras boasting about nowadays. But apart from that, I do still think it looks quite modern.

Now, there is every chance I'm looking at this camera with slightly rose-tinted lenses. And that's because this was an incredibly important camera to me. When I had this camera, it was about the time that I started thinking about photography as a potential career. I was really enjoying photography and I thought, could I do this as a job? And that's a thought that stayed with me for a long time, and through that period I had this camera. Maybe my memories of that time and using this camera have been romanticised for me. I do really like it.

I’ve talked about some of my favourite cameras of the past, including the Panasonic DC-G9. Often I'm asked, why don't you still use those cameras if they're your favourite cameras?

I suppose it's much like cars. Many people drive their favourite cars, they might have had a two-seater thing in the past and they don't anymore. It's because they've got four kids and they need a minivan, which means that your favourite thing is no longer the best thing for you to use. It's much the same with my cameras now, with regard to things like video and autofocus. And that's why I'm using big Sony cameras now, as opposed to the Panasonic DMC-GX1. 

But because this is still more than good enough for most things, the GX1 is still a perfect little 16-megapixel travel camera.

Looking for more travel photography content?

This article is part of the MPB Guide to Travel Photography, our comprehensive look at the travel photography genre with advice, recommended camera equipment and interviews with some of the most exciting travel photographers today.