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Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Review

July 2015 | By Richard Butler and Samuel Spencer

The Panasonic G7 is a direct descendant of the first ever mirrorless camera. Yet, despite this, the last thing it's trying to be is a mirrorless camera. Instead it's trying to be a non-specific interchangeable lens camera: a camera where you don't have to think about whether it has a mirror or not.

As a result it looks like a miniature DSLR and includes all the control points you'd expect. In fact it includes all the control points you'd expect from a mid-range DSLR, including twin control dials as well as plenty of buttons and switches. However, because it is a mirrorless camera, it is able to make good use of its fully articulated, touch-sensitive screen.

The specifications are pretty solid, too. 16MP isn't exactly cutting-edge at this point but 4K (UHD) video remains something of a rarity (at the time of writing), especially if you factor-in the fact that the G7 also offers focus peaking and zebra highlight warnings - two of the key tools necessary for shooting useable video that are often absent from its peers.

The G7 also tries to turn its video capability into a plus for people with no intention of shooting video: the latest iteration of Panasonic's '4K Photo' mode includes the option to constantly record 1 sec chunks of video that are written to the memory card the moment you hit the shutter button. This means that you still shoot to 'get the moment' but you're much more likely to be successful.

Camera specification highlights

16MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor
4K (UHD) video at up to 100Mbps, 30p/25p + 24p
4K Photo mode with 'Pre-Burst' mode
Fully-articulated touch screen
Wi-Fi for remote shooting and image transfer

The design of the G7 suggests Panasonic is hoping to attract would-be DSLR buyers, but the level of direct control also makes it competitive with the likes of Sony's a6000 (which also offers a built-in viewfinder and reasonable degree of direct control), Olympus's E-M10 or Fujifilm's X-T10. This means it represents something of a bargain for users who want this additional control but risks intimidating the first-time ILC shooter.

The Panasonic isn't, perhaps, the prettiest option in this company, but is the best specified if video and stills are taken into account. It's also one of the smallest of these cameras - especially if you consider the size of lenses that you might attach.

Specs comparison

	Panasonic G7	Canon T6i	Olympus E-M10	Sony a6000
Sensor resolution	16MP	24MP	16MP	24MP
Sensor size	17.3 x 13.0mm (Four Thirds)	22.3 x 14.9mm (APS-C)	17.3 x 13.0mm (Four Thirds)	23.5 x 15.6mm (APS-C)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Canon EF/EF-S	Micro Four Thirds	Sony E
Stabilization	None	None	In-body	None
LCD size/resolution	3" 1.04m dot			3" 921k dot
LCD type	Fully articulating		Tilting
Touch sensitive?	Yes			No
Viewfinder resolution	2.36m dot equiv	Optical	1.44m dot
Viewfinder magnification	0.70x	0.49x	0.58x	0.70x
Max shutter speed	1/4000 sec (1/16000 electronic)	1/4000 sec
Max burst rate	7 fps	5 fps	8 fps	11 fps
Connectivity	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi w/NFC	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi w/NFC
Video capture max. resolution	3840 x 2160 (30p)	1920 x 1080 (30p)	1920 x 1080 (30p)	1920 x 1080 (60p)
Battery life (CIPA)	350	440	320	420
Dimensions	125 x 86 x 77mm	132 x 101 x 78mm	119 x 82 x 46mm	120 x 67 x 45mm
Weight	410 g	555 g	396 g	344 g

One thing that should be apparent from this table that, with the exception of the occasional distinguishing feature, the specifications are all pretty similar. They all offer Wi-Fi, builit-in viewfinders and movable rear screens. Those cameras that don't have built-in image stabilization tend to be sold with image stabilized lenses so that, as a package, they offer similar capabilities.

The majority of these cameras have APS-C sensors, which are around 60% larger than the one in the Panasonic or Olympus, would you'd expect to give them around a 2/3EV noise advantage but also allows the Panasonic and its lenses to be significantly smaller, for the same equivalent focal lengths.

Interestingly, the sole DSLR we've included here also has a similar battery life, which is unusual, and a significantly smaller viewfinder, which is the cost that is usually paid for choosing an optical viewfinder (especially at this price piont).

Two cameras not included here, for reasons of space are Nikon's D5500, which offers similar specifications again but with much greater battery life (820 shots) an a 0.52x optical viewfinder, and Samsung's NX500, which offers no viewfinder but can shoot 4K video from a small crop of its sensor and is said to offer around 400 shots per charge.

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X, Y, and Z and ideally A, B, and C.

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Comments

Total comments: 453

Should I be concerned with the OIS of a G7? I have a hand tremor and have been doing well with the FZ1000.
Thanks, Dave

0 upvotes

I'll start by saying I am an Olympus E-M1 owner. In your cons, you mention that "Continuous AF performance not as good with Olympus lenses". If you are saying that the G7 focuses better with Olympus lenses than with Panasonic, I would just say that in my experience that is truly lens dependent.

However, if you are saying that Olympus cameras have better autofocus, I will call the police because you must be under the influence of controlled substances. As much as I love my E-M1, the G7 has a much better autofocus system. It is faster, accurate and it tends to focuses on the right subject in all points focus. I can't say the same for my E-M1, which often times tends to inexplicably focus on the background. Let's not forget the low light focus speed and lock of the G7. Using them both side by side, you can tell that the G7 is considerably faster to lock focus. Lastly, the E-M1's Continuous focus is truly unusable. The G7's actually works and will track moving subjects.

Comment edited 38 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

The "Conclusions" in the review is very good, but left out the potential purchaser who already is into MFT and has lenses. Compared to the GHx cameras and GXx cameras, at this price with these features and performance the G7 is very attractive indeed.

Noise at 6400 ISO (in the sample images) is bad, but it's equally bad in the GH3 and GX7.

0 upvotes

I have G6/GM1. Used the G7, for few hours, on a Panasonic supported workshop. Very impressed and, for me, the very big handling positive is the two control wheels: no pressing in action to go wrong and can be set to work just like the FZ50 e.g. in AP front wheel for EV compensation / back wheel for Aperture adjustment. Think of the G7 as a faster, better handling G6 with the added benefit of the 4K functionality.
I shall wait until the FZ330/300 production reviews/availability and rather than upgrade to G7 may well upgrade the FZ200 to the FZ330 for its weatherproofing and 4K functionality. Decisions, decisions, Thanks Panasonic for offering so much choice :-)

0 upvotes

This is not specific to the G7. I just have to write: Reviews should no longer say "USB 2.0 (480Mb/s)" because as we all know, USB 2's protocol - having to turn the bus around to acknowledge each packet - significantly reduces the throughput you can achieve. 480Mb/s divided by 10 should be 48MB/s but even the very best card readers can't get that, the good ones can get half of that. It is time for cameras to implement USB 3.0 at 5Gb/s because the protocol supports streaming and has bidirectional communication (no "turn the bus around"). It is a windowed protocol: during streaming it does not wait for an ack for each packet, the acks can be behind by "window size" number of packets. Anyone remember XModem? Good ideas never die, they come back about a million times faster.

2 upvotes

Why is this not offered as body only!

0 upvotes

My local Currys is offering this as body only. Sitting there forlornly cap off with its sensor soaking up the dust. You can see they are struggling to display mirrorless cameras which were an affordable option to the general public. For mirrorless they had 7 DSLR's well specified cameras which were Canon and Nikon and 3 mirrorless. The Sony 5100 and a Fuji, both more expensive than a few of the DSLR's and without EVF's and generally basic looking plus the G7 which was more expensive than all the other cameras but without a lens; with a lens it just would not have been competitively priced. I am sure there are reasons for the price but to the general public mirrorless must seem a lot of money for very little in return.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Update: I called Panasonic's help line and got immediate, thorough and useful help. The wi-fi now works perfectly.

0 upvotes

I have he same problem. I bought this camera because (a) I had (and like) an earlier generation Lumix; and (b) I wanted the wi-fi connectivity. Trying to get the connnection has been difficult and, yes, the instructions in the full (PDF) manual are not helpful. Time for Panasonic to step up to the plate on this.

0 upvotes

From your phone ~ go to your wifi setting - then turn off the Smart network switch option... then you should be able to connect to your camera and your smart phone.

0 upvotes

Received five days ago. Il looks fine but it seems non possible to establish a wifi connection to my PS (Windows). The instruction are extremely poor, on internet there is no support. I am very disappointed becouse the wifi connection for me was very important. Years ago I got a Canon Powershot and in two minutes I coul transfer pictures from the camera to PC.

0 upvotes

I tested both my new G7 and my GX7 with three lenses, using an Edmund Scientific Company Lens Resolving Power chart. Cameras set for shutter priority, on a tripod (OIS turned off) cycled through all shutter speeds at 1/3 increments 1/25 through 1/250, fired using 2-second self-timer.

Consistently I get maybe a one-step improvement in line pairs per mm resolved, often a bit less, or roughly a 5-10% improvement in resolution, using electronic rather than mechanical shutter. BUT — this is pixel-peeping. I have to magnify image 200% to see this, toggle back and forth between electronic/mechanical and squint with eyes close to the 23” monitor. The difference is within the range of differences on one zoom lens tested at different focal lengths on the same camera, and less than what you often see between center and corner sharpness on most zoom lenses. IMO this “issue” is a tempest in a small teapot. Except perhaps for devotees of pixel-peeping, don’t lose sleep over this. I won’t.

3 upvotes

I'll add to this (ran out of characters) that the difference is NOT like camera shake, which shows as a blurring of high-contrast edges. In my tests comparing electronic vs mechanical shutter, there is NO blurring -- just a roughly one-step (on that chart) difference in LPPM resolved. Across the board, no blurring. As I said, well within the range of differences I see among the lenses I own, or within the zoom range of any of my zoom lenses when tested.

Lenses used in my tests reported above were the newer Lumix 14-140 zoom, the kit zoom from the G7, and the Olympus 45mm f:1.8. Same results, all three lenses (tested at about 45mm focal length in all three cases). Ditto on the GX7.

BTW the kit lens is, in my tests, not great. Corners often sharper than centre, but had very soft and poor centre results wide-open at 25mm. Even my 14-140, never mind my wonderful Lumix 12-35mm f:2.8, can outperform the kit lens. Buy the camera body only, unless you don't have other 14-42 options.

3 upvotes

The kit lens sample I had was not very good either, think it is luck of the draw with much variation possible.

0 upvotes

The sample lens used might be a bit soft- the sample images are worse then the Pan GM1 and Oly E-M10.......for a new generation of sensor this is a poor performance- I'm thinking the lens might be the issue here as the images are far too soft in the studio test comparison.

0 upvotes

Not a new generation of sensor and depends on shutter

0 upvotes

It seems because the shutter, There is a button to switch the comparison to electronic shutter (rather than mechanical) and the image becomes just as crisp as for Olympus.

0 upvotes

... separate post due to character limitation:

I 100% agree with reviewer's favourable comment on the grip and how the camera fits in the hand. I held a G7 in the store and was immediately struck by how much more comfortably it fit in my hand compared with my GX7, G6, and G5 and as far as I can remember my previous Lumixes (GF1, GH1, GH2). I'm really looking forward to the arrival of my G7 order and putting it through its paces on my own series of technical and field tests.

Not everyone's hands are the same, but FWIW to anyone else, the grip is perfect for me.

1 upvote

Very helpful review. One comment, on the Auto ISO implementation. All six previous Lumix ILCs I've owned have the same implementation. Doesn't bother me at all. I'm awaiting delivery of my G7 order, but on my previous Lumixes Auto ISO seems AFAICT to limit the shutter automatically to roughly the reciprocal of the full-frame-equivalent focal length in use, so e.g. with the kit lens at 42mm (84mm full-frame-equivalent) I'd expect to see shutter limits of either 1/80 or 1/100 on the metadata when the Auto ISO has kicked in (subject to the limits of the lens aperture and maximum ISO available). That seems to hold true whether or not the lens OIS is turned on (or on my GX7 whether in-body IS is turned on for a non-OIS lens) so this is a safe implementation IMO though overly conservative when OIS or IS is switched on. Better safe than sorry IMO so I'm happy with this, and it's one less setting to fiddle with when you change lenses. So AFAIC if G7 Auto ISO is the same, it's a plus IMO

0 upvotes

Would somebody be so kind to explain why fully electronic shutter adds supplementary image noise to the image? Does this mean that photos taken by electronic shutter are simply worse from the point of view of S/N ratio? Why can’t find anything on this subject on internet?

0 upvotes

There must be a reason why camera manufacturers stick to the mechanical shutter even though it adds complexity, vibrations and cost. I am not 100% sure why the noise increases with the electronic shutter but thinking back to the days I was working on computerized tomography I can imagine that before a read out there are all kind of calibration readouts which are done in darkness to reduce some of inherent bias which is specific for each photocell. Now without the mechanical shutter this is not as easy to do. In a CT machine this is done by closing the shutter of the Roentgen radiation source. It was important do this right before the scan (photography in CT parlance) because this bias is changing in time and is depending of temperature and many more black magic things. A physicist can explain this better I am only an engineer.

Comment edited 48 seconds after posting

1 upvote

like this one!

1 upvote

So I'm going to be annoying for a second...
My understanding of how to properly use a camera is zero. Thanks to you guys I will be learning on the G7... I am buying this primarily 4 the video functions, the versatility of the MFT mount, and the clean HDMI output. The 4k burst mode looks hella fun and I can't wait to try it. When I learn what the hell I am doing that is. (LOL) I think this camera is a great bargain 4 the money. I just wanted to say thank you to ALL you guys. I have found this website, it's staff, the reviewers, the commentators, everyone here...so helpful. I even appreciate the douche nozzles on here that complain about every-little-f***ing-thing, because, I even learn something from all their b**ching! You guys are the best and an incredible resource for someone trying to learn. I really appreciate all of you. So from someone that doesn't know s**t about photography or videography.. THANKS GUYS .. ur AWESOME!!! Special ty 2 Richard Butler 4 the review! End of gush..lol

2 upvotes

how do u tag a member? I don't know the symbol to put in front of their names...annoying

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Hi Richard- Everyone of us had to learn just like yourself and I own a GF1,G1,G2 and own the Fugi S5 Pro and Canon 5DMkII the later two weigh a ton, you can take a picture with the G1 or G2 and blow it up to 20X24" and see so much sharp detail it can scare you and in the 400ISO range you won't see what we use to call grain in the film days. I shoot at 1250 for air shows and natural light inside and get outstanding results. For me the G series Panasonic's gives more for less than any camera I have ever owned and you can carry them all day and not tire. Good Luck and enjoy your new venture.

1 upvote

Dissapointed camera - not much better than G5/G6 - next year will be far behind the competition.

1 upvote

I just used the compare mode above, tried the Fz1000 against the G7 and astonishingly, it shows the FZ1000 `beats` the G7 in nearly every respect, even pic quality, except ya cant change lenses on the FZ1000 (obviously)

2 upvotes

@XVOYAGERX: Apples and Oranges. The viewfinder on the G7 is a lot larger, plus we are talking about different formats (mft vs cx) so depth of field is different. And interchangeable lenses are a big deal.

Comment edited 17 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

nice cam dis

1 upvote

Yes it is.

1 upvote

" it's trying to be a non-specific interchangeable lens camera: a camera where you don't have to think about whether it has a mirror or not."

Can someone explain this point? When I shoot with a DSLR, I never bother to think about whether it has a mirror or not. When I shoot with mirrorless (or Sony SLT), I never bother think about whether it has a mirror or not.

The only time I have thought about mirror/mirrorless is for video: can't stand having to view through the screen when shooting video, so I prefer the mirrorless. But that was a one-time decision that took about 10 seconds of thought.

Is there any common shooting situation where one needs to think about whether it has a mirror or not?

1 upvote

Tell that to the people arguing about whether Mirrorless or DSLRs are superior.

My point is that this camera tries to (and does a really good job of) offer all the advantages of mirrorless and all the capabilities of DSLR, so that it's irrelevant which technology it uses.

5 upvotes

RB,
Thanks for the clarification. The whole "which is better" conversation reminds me of all the endless "Ford vs. Chevy" prattle of 40-50 years ago. And it is just about as likely to reach a useful conclusion.

My personal issue with MFT has been the long-standing 16mp resolution, which really could have been increased without loss of IQ. And finally Panny has done it with the sensible 20mp GX8 which is now on my "to buy" list.

1 upvote

That is one ugly camera.

And yes, it does matter to me.

Those who have no eye for design have no business using cameras in the first place.

0 upvotes

look at this frakkin' hipster

9 upvotes

Looks OK-ish to me, and I hold several design awards, so maybe it's all in the eye...

Actually, I must agree that it's not as handsome as the G6!

1 upvote

If you've no eye for design you're a pedestrian photographer -- a boring amateur or professional, it doesn't matter, but you've no business imposing your dull images on the world.

Become a dentist or plumber instead.

1 upvote

How did Ansel Adams and Matthew B. Brady, and Joe Rosenthal, and Annie Leibovitz and Diane Arbus and all the rest manage to get such great shots with such "ugly" cameras? No doubt your refined sensibility could have done so much better.
As if.
Your comments, Jake, manage to be both petty and silly at the same time.

8 upvotes

I am curious what camera's you think are attractive. I always thought Lumix camera's were very good looking camera's, I own a older FZ30 and I love the looks of it, along with the FZ-1000 and the GH4. I like the looks of Nikon and Canon's, but I will tell you that the Sony 7R full frame camera is quite ugly. I looks like someone from 1965 designed it, boxy, skinny and the grip looks like someone just stuck it on there with glue or something. My opinion, has nothing to do with how well the camera takes pictures but since you were talking about the looks of cameras, I just thought I would let you know what I think is a ugly camera.

1 upvote

Oh kay ... so the only photos worth taking are pretty looking ones ??

0 upvotes

strange, I always thought panasonic made some of the ugliest cameras and this one is actually one of the better looking ones..

0 upvotes

sykkys: I agree with you! I like the angularity a lot. Hate the look of the GH4. Wish JakeB could tell me which camera design he prefers!

0 upvotes

Seems like constantly writing to, and erasing from, a flash card would shorten its life tremendously.

0 upvotes

Yes, from 1,000 years to maybe 100?

Comment edited 34 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

I'm a vampire so that matters to me.

6 upvotes

Quite possibly the funniest thread I have read in 10 years...

0 upvotes

Do not worry, Slarpy, you will likely trigger the flash by mistake and dissolve in the ensuing light long before the card expires.

1 upvote

I just bought G7. Autofocus performance in video mode is the same as GH2. (Very poor and not comparable to Sony A6000).

4 upvotes

Needs to be mentioned more. Bringing 4K to the masses not so good when most don't expect to be setting locked focus or pulling focus by necessity. Higher resolution and larger sensor makes focus with fluid, speedy accuracy much more critical as well.

It is slightly better than LX100, GH4, and older m4/3 models but only slightly and not close enough to competitors I feel. Panasonic should be dominating in this area since they are video centric.

The Canons, Samsungs, and Sony's are much better with video AF even with older lenses not optimized for videos.

2 upvotes

> Panasonic should be dominating in this area since they are video centric

Well, that might be even a draw-back: not willing to hurt the video camera business.

0 upvotes

dis one es nice cam

1 upvote

Really a great one with the best model description.Good clarity pictures with high sensitive adjustment.All the one who likes it.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I don't want undiscriminatingly positive reviews, but this camera receives demerits because it has TOO MANY controls; they may "intimidate upgraders (EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN SAFELY IGNORE MOST BUTTONS..." (emphasis added.) Hard to see the logic there. Is it a problem just because the camera is priced like an entry-level DSLR? Would increasing the price solve the scary-controls issue?

18 upvotes

DPR: please offer a response to karlchwe's post!

0 upvotes

If G7 has an Recall down the road, how Panasonic handles it (as SN is off)?

Comment edited 11 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

Strange, begrudging review... An example: One feature that G-class users love is the Q-menu, a button to instantly access your own secondary controls (the primary ones being assigned to the custom buttons). In Butler's convoluted logic, "I'm not sure the camera needs its (increasingly dated looking) Q.Menu, in the light of how many custom buttons are available (though the customizable version can at least be pared-back to only include the features you want access to)."

Richard, the whole point of the Q-Menu is to include only the secondary controls each user wants; and I don't see any references to "increasingly dated" features in DPR's breathless reviews of retro cameras like the Olympus, Fujifilm and Leica nostalgia models. The Q-menu is a sensible and practical innovation that has stood the test of time.

What I'd really like to see is how the G7 compares to its peers and predecessors in shutter-shock sensitivity.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

22 upvotes

I agree. The lack of a touch screen Q Menu is what steered me away from the otherwise excellent LX100.

1 upvote

It's not the Q.Menu as such that I had the problem with. Generally I quite like it (though it could look a lot nicer/more distinctive if it were updated to reflect how much higher screen resolutions are than when it first appeared).

It's more that, after several weeks of shooting with the G7, I still couldn't find a way of setting it up that didn't leave me thinking 'maybe if I started all over again...' (and that's as someone who knows the Panasonic options pretty well).

The combination of hard Fn buttons, on-screen Fn buttons, Customizable Q.Menu and dial-repurposing button on the top dial, it's difficult to find a coherent way of setting it up that worked for all shooting situations. And that's worth highlighting in a camera in this class (I'd be more forgiving in a GX7, for instance). But this is a camera that I'd hand to people and they'd recoil from, based on the perceived complexity.

Comment edited 27 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Thanks for your reasonable response Richard. I think it depends on what type of "people" the G7 is targeted at. As you know, the micro4/3 lenses are not cheap. In my opinion, the G7 is not targeted at the Canon Rebel shooter, let alone the point-&-shooter. Panasonic is trying to increase their market share among photographers who invest in an exchangeable-lens system, in addition to trying to lure Olympus micro4/3 shooters to switch; and for that type of shooter, a variety of ways of customizing the camera makes sense rather than being "perceived complexity".

Also, the Q-menu is an interesting concept in a different way. I am a G5 shooter, after being a G1 shooter. My personal Q-menu has evolved with my skills and shooting style. It is great to migrate to the next camera body, program it like the previous one ended, and keep on evolving with a minimal learning curve.

Comment edited 4 times, last edit 12 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Chris Noble - I agree that it's potentially a boon to more experienced users. My concern was that, if judged on this basis, you suddenly bring the likes of the X-T10, a6000 and E-M10 into play, each of which has considerable appeal as stills cameras. The G7 isn't a stand-out stills camera in this company.

However, I tried to stress that its video capabilities are so strong that, if you have any significant interest in video, then this should overcome all those concerns. With any serious consideration of video, it is a stand out camera.

0 upvotes

Richard, duly noted. Thanks for your contributions to your readers' posts, we appreciate them! One final comment in my opinion and I will sign off: sensor quality has reached an asymptote. Ergonomics, customizability and lens lineup is where the competition now lies.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

nice camera

0 upvotes

I can only take this severely nit-picking review to mean that cameras are getting so good that there is really nothing meaningful to complain about.

6 upvotes

True, but I'd rather read a nit-picking review than a glowing one. The internet (and dpR) is full of advertorial goading you to buy everything reviewed. It's refreshing to get some criticism. The readership can decide what's important to them.

4 upvotes

I think the same, most reviews should(not must) point out the weaknesses in the cameras, as the strong ones are already said in commercials or ads.

2 upvotes

under specs section it would also be nice to see a current price tab as well .

0 upvotes

Your ad blocker is probably blocking the tabs with 4 stores current prices listed.

1 upvote

Just a word of advice -- you owe it to yourself to actually use this camera -- and then draw your conclusions. This camera is phenomenal. Even as a stills only camera, this is one of the best handling and performing cameras I've experienced. Excellent controls and a well thought out touchscreen that adapt to you, not the other way around. The one thing that amazed me most it that there was almost no 'breaking in' period -- the G7 is almost immediately intuitive. An extension of not only the hand, but of the eye and mind. I enjoy shooting with the mirrorless cameras I have from Sony and Olympus -- but this is truly an incredible camera -- literally state of the art.

This camera is as elegant and exceptional as a Steinway Piano (even if you're not a pianist, play a note on a Steinway and you'll see what I mean...). Well done Panasonic.

10 upvotes

this paid add was brought to you by ....:P

2 upvotes

Rinkos, thanks for your reply. I'm just thankful for living in this era where the cameras we take for granted would have also seemed pretty amazing to photographers like Amsel Adams or Gordon Parks. Continue to develop your photographic knowledge and use whatever camera inspires you to make great images.

3 upvotes

I have got my hands on the G7 and the H-HS12035E 12 -35 lens. What a brilliant camera this is and I haven't touched my Nikon since getting it. A joy to use and so much less weight to lug. The Panasonic G7 Hands-On Field Test on youtube clinched it for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJKRgMPk1BU
Knockout video too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65R3JSrYino

If you are in the UK it's a lot cheaper to get the lens from Amazon in Germany than locally.

Comment edited 56 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

Wow.. Well said!

1 upvote

Interesting review. Thank you, Richard and Samuel.

1 upvote

I wonder if there is enough improvement to swap out my G5 for this camera, if I don't care about 4K video.

2 upvotes

In same situation as you with my GH1. If I am going for it, it would be for the new feature of extracting stills from 4K video, which is a big thing. No more blinking in group photos, think about catching the exact moment... always. This seems to me a game changer.

0 upvotes

With the G1 I have taken pictures and blown them up to 20X24" and they are tack sharp at ISO 400 and show little to none grain and they do not weigh more than I do. From the GF1,G1 to the G2 they are all suburb cameras and crank out beautiful colors and detail, all for a price that does not hurt the wallet.

0 upvotes

@dpreview look up your last sentence on the introduction page ;)
"and Samsung's NX500, which offers has no viewfinder"

1 upvote

Argh. I probably need to be more decisive about how to phrase things.

0 upvotes

What a pig ugly camera. Looks like a Zenit product!

4 upvotes

Agree. wish it looked more like GH2.

0 upvotes

Agreed, but the retro-macho look is getting back in style...

More seriously, do you prefer a camera that looks good around your neck to one that makes your pictures look good and handles well to boot?

1 upvote

@ whitebread.

It's not either/or, Captain False Choice.

0 upvotes

Well Whitebeard I currently own a Fuji X-T1 which looks good, shoots and handles well in my opinion. It's a combination of all those things that makes the experience more engaging.

0 upvotes

Thanks for the review, which seems balanced and fair. Did you get a chance to plug an HDMI cable in to see if live view is available in shooting mode.

1 upvote

Cough, cough.....

1 upvote

good camera, i want hav one

0 upvotes

Great camera, I always wanna have one!

0 upvotes

Offering 4K as well, the G7 is a strong competitor to Pana's own GH4 now. As long as I don't need a heavy weather-sealed MFT-cam or want to do video on a pro level, I see little reason to spend double money.

I would have liked to see pictures yet showing how severe the effect of shutter shock, so now I don't bother much about that.

Instead, I'm concerned the electronic shutter read-out-time still might be at 1/10 sec (as with G6) or 1/30 sec (as with GH4) thus keeping rolling shutter "features", and still dropping precious bits of every pixel.

Meanwhile, I am missing two things I really would have wanted.

a) Burst mode - Shooting raw, instead of "rapid burst, continous shooting" I'd only get the good old "tooshort burst, looonger wait".

b) IBIS - While Olympus an Sony proudly present their brilliant 5-axis-IBIS, Panasonic insists in their OIS, ignoring the issue of tilting, that is already solved by others.

So I won't buy now. I will wait for Pana's GH5 and Oly's M1 II to arrive.

1 upvote

IBIS or 4K. Pick one. Oly & Sony chose the former. Panasonic chose the latter - for this model. That's why Panasonic also has the GX7 with IBIS for stills-priority shooters.

0 upvotes

Another day another cut & paste job:

Page 4: "It lacks a couple of the more basic functions that can be really useful on some of its rivals. It would be really useful to be able to zoom in to the chosen focus point in playback mode, to check focus and shake, sadly this is something this is absent."

A double tap on the image enables selective zoom focus at up to 16x magnification. Every Panasonic camera has had this identical functionality for the past half decade.

Comment edited 10 minutes after posting

4 upvotes

Didn't work for me with the LX100 :/ Using G7 and LX100 back to back I always tried to tap it's screen lol

Best way to review images with either is the EVF - so much sharper than the LCD panels Panasonic uses. Zooming in on the LCD doesn't tell you nearly as much.

0 upvotes

I guess I should've clarified I was referring to the touchsrceen ILC's!

The LX100's magnified review is activated with the zoom lever. 2x, 4x, 8x and 16x just like all the others.

1 upvote

In the review, we were referring to one-tap press to instantly magnify the area of the image under the AF point used at 100%

We know very well you can double-tap on the screen to magnify it. But that's not what we were referring to.

Perhaps next time, you might ask us to simply clarify what it is we're talking about, rather than suggest we copy and paste reviews into one another.

3 upvotes

By your logic, you're suggesting that:
1. Photographers are oblivious to where they place the AF point; and
2. A double tap on the point of focus, with 2x, 4x, 8x, or 16x magnification, which is subsequently moveable by touch, does not allow for a review of focus and camera shake; and
3. The above functionality is so lacking that it's enough to underpin the claim that the camera "lacks basic functions that can be really useful on some of its rivals."

Comment edited 9 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

No, that's not our logic at all. Pros require one-tap focus-check, as it's much faster than double-tapping on the area of interest, then continuing to tap, or turn a dial, to get it to 100%.

We'll have to go back and double check how many of its direct rivals have this, but more and more cameras have it (all higher end ones do from Canon and Nikon, of course), and it's something we'd like to see in every camera.

Have you seen our Sony a7R II and RX100 IV videos, by any chance? That's how it should work. Oh, and Sony didn't used to do it, and we got the same complaints you're making from many of the Sony loyal when we pointed it out.

And yet, the outcome of us, and people like us, pointing it out was that Sony implemented it, and photographers, including those Sony loyals benefitted.

So when you're sitting their complaining, perhaps give some thought to the purpose of your complaining, vs. the purpose of ours...

3 upvotes

And that's fair enough. However the cameras you list in the review as direct G7 rivals probably should in actuality have that functionality if you go on to make the claim that they do.

2 upvotes

And lastly (sorry, it's frustrating), perhaps consider reading back through the review from the perspective of those who will find it of most value, ie, prospective owners.

It will read to them that not only are there shake issues, but the camera lacks the ability to check for them. So you'll be none the wiser until you get home.

And that's going to be a major disincentive to anyone who values their photography. Hell I wouldn't buy a camera that reviewed like that.

Clearly there is some capability to review focus/shake there, and it's not a major imposition to activate (likely be second nature to those familiar with mobile phones).

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 13 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

@ Rishi

You must need the patience of a saint responding to such dolts.
LOL.

1 upvote

My comments have merit JakeB, and he knows it too. Everything I raised is factually correct and predicated on common sense and reasoned thinking.

Feel free to add something constructive to the conversation if you wish. Or continue to gutter snipe to your heart's content. I'll happily LOL along with you, although I suspect we might be laughing at different things.

1 upvote

No, you misread our actual statement in the review, misinterpreted it, then blamed us for posting factually incorrect information, rather than politely asking what we actually meant in the statement you yourself misread.

So, no, I don't know that your comments 'have merit' or that they were predicated on anything other than misreading our statement.

Considering that Sonys and Samsungs now automatically magnify the used AF point at 100% with no more than 1 click (after our harping on about this to them), it's safe to say that the rivals do offer it now, and pointing this out is just us imploring that Panasonic do it as well, b/c it's the most logical way to check focus. There should be no debate about that.

0 upvotes

All due respect Rishi Sanyal, but if you specify inside the review what the "rival" cameras are...

"makes it competitive with the likes of Sony's a6000, Olympus's E-M10 or Fujifilm's X-T10."

...then it is improper to claim the camera lacks the basic functionality of its "rivals", if the "rivals" you've nominated don't have that functionality either.

My point specifically is that if you read it from the perspective of someone who is not familiar with the cameras in question (therefore not yourself, nor I) then it will read very clearly and succinctly that the G7 lacks the ability to check focus and shake.

Which is an erroneous claim.

I happily concede that a one-button 100% magnify might be a more "efficient" means of accomplishing it, but I disagree with the implied assertion that a double-tap for between 100% to 800% magnification doesn't allow for focus/shake assessment at all.

2 upvotes

PS. Your arguments make all the sense in the world to anyone who:

* Currently owns or is downgrading from a high-end CaNikon camera; and
* Is consequently familiar with one-button 100% magnify; and
* Is intimately familiar with Samsung's and Sony's newest cameras; and
* Is aware that the DPR staff have been haranguing manufacturers to implement 100% magnify in lower end models.

So basically yourself, your DPR colleagues and a few select others (ie, camera nerds).

Which suggests the review is written BY dpreview staff FOR dpreview staff. The rest of us will be "misreading".

2 upvotes

Ok fair enough. We'll update this text to be clearer.

2 upvotes

Appreciate your patience and for taking the time to reply.

2 upvotes

After reading previous posts, I AM so glad I purchased the Panasonic FZ-1000 camera. Yes, it has a fixed lens, but the guts seem to have most of what the new G7 claims to have.

I did lots of reading up on 4K video. I almost purchased a Sony 4K video camera, but after reading all the negative reports on their rolling shutter issues, I read that the FZ1000 seems to have less of that problem. Also, using pan effectively, will reduce the effect.

Stills and video are terrific with this camera. Even if someone gave me a G7, I'd still be using the FZ1000!

3 upvotes

It has the same processor.
Panasonic doesn't really leave stuff out. So yeah you pretty much have what the G7 offers.

But the G7 takes interchangeable lenses and has a sensor twice the size. May not matter to you but it may matter to others.

0 upvotes

Hi bruce, i also have the FZ1000, i think its a superb camera, after owning it for 3 days, my Canon 60D was for sale in E-Bay, it may have a 1" sensor, rumour says in many forums that its made by Sony, and boy what a cracker of a sensor it is, (thanks Sony) my 60d pics just were not as sharp or detailed as the FZ1000`s, i was not the only one to state this fact, also the 60D was left gasping at the starting gate feature and performance wise, video wise, its brilliant, i am not a silly pixel peeper, lets face it, if ya print an A4 picture from its 20mp setting ya cannot pixel peep the printed photograph, i know there are camera`s out there better than it, i admit that, but for me personally the FZ1000 is the best camera i have ever owned so far, i love it!

2 upvotes

I'm looking at this as a supplement to my FZ1000 for night work. I agree with the praise of the FZ, but it's very weak in low light. If this is an FZ with a bigger sensor it could be worth having.

0 upvotes

I cannot see the advantage of the electronic shutter if the noise is this bad! Not only bad noise but severely shifted colors in shadows! Further, is the flash sync limited to the mechanical shutter? And why would this low shutter speed sync make this camera attractive to the flash fill shooter?

0 upvotes

The advantage of electronic shutter is that it is completely silent. This means you can get BTS pictures/video without disturbing a shoot already in progress. I would imagine wildlife would also appreciate silence. They usually do.

0 upvotes

Most cameras sync isn't much higher unless using a leaf shutter. The electronic shutter is attractive to use for sharper 1/8 to 1/200 photos and silence...the mechanical attractive for better image characteristics besides sharpness...sadly one have to choose between them unless using a higher shutter speed. It makes me think this is the reason for such high noise reduction being standard as silent mode is programmed to the down button by default and is begging to be used.

Just remember to turn it off before shooting videos or audio won't be recorded!

Usually for switching from still photos to videos the ritual is deactivate silent mode, check stabilization setting, and switch to release priority AF or MF unless you want aggressive/bouncy AF hunting. If using MF - switch to Monochrome Liveview since the accurate peaking setting is very subtle.

0 upvotes

The advantage is no shutter shock.

0 upvotes

Remember the weeks of hype over the Canon 750/760D. We had pre previews, hands on, preview, review, post review, Canon littering the top of the news page day after day. DPR are dropping the G7 like a bad smell.
Oh I'm imagining all this of course?

2 upvotes

The G7 kicks the crap out of both these Canons, heck even the G6 could also, seems there has been a bit of the Panasonic micro 4/3 bashing in this review, yet they gave the G6 a great review, but the G7 is miles better, but more negative, duh!!! yet the `Canons are superbly superior, sorry, dont think so, i had a 60D, bought a G6, 3 days later the 60D is on E-Bay, it stood `no chance` against the G6 both in pic quality, video, and features!!

3 upvotes

I don't remember any hype surrounding those Canon models. There was coverage, yes, but it's not what I would call enthusiastic coverage.

0 upvotes

The T6i didn't get any rewards. Which has been nearly half a decade for any camera reviewed in this class.

So Canon isn't superior according to Dpreview quiet the contrary.

1 upvote

The RAW still image quality of the canons is distinctly better than the G7 in the DPR studio scene. Even more so at higher ISO.

So it depends on how much you value such characteristics.

2 upvotes

@ greivogel.
I also checked the raw image quality in terms of dynamic range.
And it guess what it's better then the Canon's. Despite them having a larger sensor in that aspect

1 upvote

We rated the G7 considerably higher than any of the new Rebels...

1 upvote

Actually the G7 viewfinder alone kicks the crap out of all the entry level and mid-range Canon DSLRs. 70D or 7D are the only ones who might have a viewfinder as good.

1 upvote

The only way I can see here that silver is justified, is a heavy weight on the shuttershock problem. A 2/3 stop difference with the best APS-c sensors is what you can expect given the size, so it is not a poor performance. Comparetively it is on the same level and 2/3 of a stop is barely notable.
Menu: I am all for better menu's so I hope Panasonic listens but if it is similar to my GH4 (and I think it is) I would like to note that by far the most reviewers I came across actually liked Panasonic menu's a lot. I barely have to use my booklet so to me it seems rather intuitive.

So you get very good stills, virtually state of the art video, fantastic autofocussing that does allow for all sorts of shooting including action, a great EVF, a swivle screen, I think they mentioned good ergonomics.
And that at that price. What do you have to do to take the gold?

6 upvotes

Should compare the G7 at ISO 800 to the Samsung NX500 at 1600...more than 2/3 EV difference

2 upvotes

Ichiro: it is 2/3 of a stop according to dpreview and it is 2/3 of a stop according to DxO throughout the range. COlour sensitivity fares a little better for the NX specifically at higher ISO and DR fares a little better throughout the whole range for the GH4 9bein 1/2 of a stop behind).

These two seem good proxies for G7 and NX500.

6 upvotes

Not sure how the 2/3 stop is determined but the EV pushing and ISO tests on this site itself show the NX500 looking better at 1 stop higher - not equal - which mean more than 1 stop better, let alone 2/3rd of a stop. My own photos show similar that they are not as close as being proclaimed. Additionally the Panasonics tend to overstate ISO, especially in video recording mode.

It's ISO 800 looks more like 1" sensor at 800 ISO than it does Samsungs ISO1600. This dont confirm 2/3 stop and real world photos tend to bring out the differences more so and especially with RAW.

Take the 30 seconds to compare G7 ISo 200 with 4EV push to NX500 with 5EV push...or 3 vs 4...the G7 looks good bit worse in comparisons with more noise and mush - less detail, less saturation - despite understating ISO, though less than predecessors.

It is more video camera than stills camera regardless. And great at it.

1 upvote

I've shot over 5,000 photos with the Panasonic G7 since it arrived, and I LIKE THIS CAMERA! Here's why:

- EVERYTHING on this camera is adjustable/customizable, so I can work out how I want to assign buttons, wheel operations, etc. for the way I like to use the camera. I change the white-balance presets to be what I want and then I change the settings for both the EVF and the rear screen to show me what I'm getting. I set up each photo mode using its adjustment controls for a specific purpose.

- I can use the electronic shutters at all times (except for flash photos), with no sound and no shake from the shutter.

- Carrying and using this small and light MFT gear is just plain FUN!

- I can work on the resulting images in Gimp to get results that print SHARPLY and well for tonality, color, and smoothness to 16.5"x22"+ image area.

What more could anyone want? BTW, brief MFT lens reviews (with some surprise lenses!) are at:
http://www.david-ruether-photography.com/MFT-Lenses.htm

7 upvotes

Cheaper lenses :) I mean the good quality primes like the nifty fifty.

Comment edited 56 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I'm going to buy this camera for my trip to Japan. It's a great deal with the 14-140mm lens.

3 upvotes

While you are there, try picking up a Pana-Leica 25mm 1.4. Truly a prince amongst lenses!

0 upvotes

I decided to get the LX100 instead. The G7's EVF was in the wrong spot for a left-eye shooter.

0 upvotes

Some nags that I noticed after a few weeks with one

- While autofocus is good for still images, it's rather poor for video. Especially if you left on Focus Priority. Still images, eye detection doesn't mean the eye will be in focus half the time.

- Definitely does have shutter shock using the mechanical shutter and it can soften even 1/160 flash photos.

- Image quality in general is behind APSC from 4 years ago. Even at low NR settings it really attacks hair and yet still leaves some Panny color blotches now and then - much less than LX100 though. High ISO not as good as studio tests would make you believe.

- AWB is worse than any camera used/tested/owned recently.

Basically to use the 4K video, prepare for custom or tuned white balance and setting focus.

And head's up - if you turned on silent mode for taking photos, then you start taking a video, will not record audio!

0 upvotes

Also - - Build quality seems very poor, several small and rather flush buttons, EVF difficult to use because you have to shift your eye around to see different areas in focus (had others test to see if it was my eyes)

The good is properly set up 4K video is rather nice up to ISO 2000, doesnt get very hot during recording, and battery life was better than expected.

0 upvotes

Hi,
which lenses have you used when observing shutter shock? In my experience with the G6 shutter shock is very dependent on which lens I use.

0 upvotes

14-42mm and 20mm only. I've used other m4/3 cams with a reputation for shutter shock and was untouched by it but it was rather noticeable with the G7. Turning in Silent Mode and strongly lowering noise reduction made a drastic difference. The first day I was shocked how soft it was. A firmware update that could improve video AF and maybe microadjust timing of the shutter release would make it worth the money.

0 upvotes

I ordered this camera and the panny 15mm 1.7 last week. While I have my 5d ii, I'm looking for something light, quick, and with good image quality for shooting family. Additionally, I wanted the great 4k video capture this camera provides. For absolute quality, I will use full frame, but I don't need that kind of quality all the time. This camera will be just perfect for my needs.

2 upvotes

Don't forget to comment after you get to test it :)

0 upvotes

Im on the same boat, however as UE citizen im capped to PAL system due to hard lock in G7. So i can't get 60/30 fps which is quite shocking, and thats a deal breaker for me.
GH4 is to big, and GX7 or incoming 8 is not so video dedicated as G7....so, no luck and i have to wait for 5D mk4.

0 upvotes

Just what the world needs, another fugly retro-styled camera. I much preferred Panasonic's modern styling to Olympus' retro. Meh!

1 upvote

Duly noted. We will alert management.

8 upvotes

Doesn't look retro to me. More like a modern DSLR with some some pronounced edges.
Olympus OM-D is much more "retro" design than this is.

2 upvotes

I do think there is an obsession with keeping a form factor that was built around film cameras. If they could get past this, cameras would be far more ergonomic.

1 upvote

@pixelriffic: I don't believe that. In the last 27 years of digital photography, we've had practically every conceivable combination of size and shape; do you honestly believe that if one of those combinations had proven to be ergonomically vastly superior to all others and viable with regards to what needs to fit inside it TODAY, that it wouldn't have stuck around?? Or that some magical combination nobody's ever thought of exists out there in the creative ether?
Here, refresh your memory:
http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2013/10/30-most-important-digital-cameras

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

4 upvotes

The split-bodied Nikons remain the best form factor, IMO.

1 upvote

Was the autofocus test done with a Panasonic lens? If so, how well can it focus with an Olympus lens?

1 upvote

Read the review, it is in there.

0 upvotes

Sorry, I didn't see where they said what lens they used. There's a sample from the Lumix but they don't say outright whether the AF test was done with the Lumix, unless they want the reader to assume that. (And even so, it doesn't say how it performs with non-Panasonic lenses.) But maybe I missed it so would you be so kind as to point it out?

3 upvotes

The AF testing was performed using the Lumix 14-140mm F3.5-5.6.

0 upvotes

Thanks Richard. How quickly does it focus with an Olympus lens?

0 upvotes

It's not a question of speed, it's a question of C-AF consistency. We didn't test an Olympus lens in as much detail, but without DFD, the camera doesn't get as many shots in-focus and seems less confident about sticking to a subject.

0 upvotes

Thanks Richard.

0 upvotes

I know m43 is a system, but why would one want Oly (unstabilized) lenses on a Panasonic body? Most Panasonic lenses are stabilized, except for short focal lengths.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 453

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