Steve Huff is busy testing the GX7 and on top you can watch his hands-on video. But as you know US readers can buy only the Silver version at Amazon US, Adorama, Samys and BHphoto. At least this was correct until today. For the first time the Black GX7 is for sale via [shoplink 42163 ebay]BigValue on eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink]. But you have to pay an extra $150 for it 🙁
More new deals:
Silver 14-42mm lens for $259 at Amazon US (Click here).
GF3 with kit lens for $279 at Amazon US (Click here).
86 Responses
I am very close to buy it 🙂 (orginally I wanted the E-P5 but…)
My E-P5 is fine. I have tested it extensively and it shows no sign of the DPR phenomenon? Love the camera.
So it’s a lottery then? Lucky you, Mr Winner. Like all lotteries, your luck is riding on the back of the bad luck of many others with E-P5 problems. Olympus need to acknowledge this, fix it, advise of fix, hopefully offer retro fix, or be seen as an unprofessional company. I reckon they will opt for the latter option.
Cool!
At least they didn’t take as long as Olympus to deal with this silver only silliness.
Having to pay extra for a color (especially black) is asinine.
Almost as dumb as people paying $300 extra for black lenses or $100 for a lens hood.
Oh… wait… people actually do that!
Clearly you did not buy camera in the 70’s when black was a $15-$20 option on some cameras. OTOH $150 is an expression of the free market. You are free to cheap out on silver but your hipstah quotient will suffer.
AFAIK, as long as it takes good pics and works well, it may come in poop brown color. All this color mania is completely beyond me.
Do you also wear whale pants?
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.designpublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/whale-pants.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?82316-Pink-Pants&h=449&w=283&sz=81&tbnid=ygpIc57yfWNg6M:&tbnh=151&tbnw=95&zoom=1&usg=__f9Cb4e69CKIm6geO5x_9no5H8hY=&docid=s_7MYMmRNXaCeM&hl=en-US&sa=X&ei=xqxSUuGjFdi14AO3mYHYCQ&ved=0CC4Q9QEwAQ
I agree with Lorenzaccio. As for Mr Whale Pants, I am sure you had your colour preference for them too.
The point with the GX7 is that both colour versions look great. But if Oly can offer their competitors in both shades at the same price, then Pany should too IMHO.
I am not that picky about my camera color…but I would not buy a camera if it was only offered in “poop brown”. So somewhere in the middle there is a balance.
Panasonic is offering the GX7 in black and silver. Panasonic is not charging a premium for the black model…just cheezy retailers trying to capitalize on American vanity and laziness.
Nothing has been said…but I believe that they are having stock issues with the black camera and the US isn’t taking on MFT like other areas of the world so the US will have to wait until there is sufficient stock. That’s all.
Which of course causes an outcry.
If you are crafty you can get a black GX7 in the US without paying a premium. You just have to think out of the box.
I find it all to be amusing.
$150 premium for black? Sheesh!
At least black GX7s are starting to land in the US.
They’ll get the silver discount soon anyway
Looks like Panasonic caught Olympisitis!!!
Charging more for black will only alienate customers and build resentment. Customers don’t mind paying extra for value-add features, improved IQ and better build quality but we are not stupid enough to think that there is any extra production cost in producing black iterations.
I don’t want silver as it screams of tacky “look at me” which will only attract thieves und unwanted attention – but I will be damned If I will fork out an extra 10% for black, I will just buy from another manufacturer who doesn’t treat me like n nincompoop.
Sure there are people who will pay extra for black but any benefit you get from them is lost in brand damage with others that might have bought your product but went elsewhere.
1. Panasonic’s is not charging a premium…some retailer is. (I believe Panasonic is having stock issues and that the will eventually ship the black cameras to the US at no premium).
2. Deciding on the right/best camera for your needs should really NOT have color or the charge for color at the top of the.list “if” you are a photographer.
Never said that it was at the top of my list – Panasonic just doesn’t have anything that unique that it wouldn’t sway me to an alternative. For example I just sucked it up with the Oly 75 1.8 because there just wasn’t anything that came close to that lens for portraiture. But then Oly released it in black two weeks later to my disappointment. In some suburbs that I shoot, a silver lens just asks for attention from potential crims. I like retro cameras because I can black tape over their logos and look like im shooting with an old film camera which no thief is interested in.
Maybe you only use your camera at polo matches and golf tournaments so aren’t likely to be robbed, not everyone is like you and some of us require subtlety in the design of our cameras and lenses.
Biran (u would think you could get your own name right?)
I don’t shoot polo matches OR golf tournaments.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/10059329066_40d051c88f_o.jpg
Just because it’s being sold in the US doesn’t mean it has a US warranty, buyer beware.
It may also be PAL models (25p, 50p) coming from Europe and Asia.
Exactly! These are almost certainly gray market cameras. Hopefully from Canada, with the same specs as the US version, but if these are Euro cameras there are going to be a lot of unhappy campers.
He chose a lower Olympus Camera over a better built, better IQ GX1, Because to him, “it feels better”. I can’t take him serious when he reviews Panasonic cameras, but he sure does like Panasonic lenses. In his perfect world, Panasonic would only make lenses for Olympus bodies.
Even in the video, he CONSTANTLY mentions Olympus cameras. And while he has some points, (plastic feel), he wants to dislike the GX7, but I bet he likes the camera over Olympus’s latest a lot, he just would never man up and say so..
The GX7 is what M43 users BEEN asking for, and now it’s here. They’re are no excuses. This is THE M43 camera.
I felt the same way, he looked like a man torn. So biased against Pana bodies but you could tell he REALLY did like the GX7 (how could you not?!?).
By the way, in his last crazy comparision he chose GX7: if he’d considered it crappy he would never had chosen it. What he does not like it’s its cheap construction feeling, compared to EP5.
Leave a comment on his review and tell him he’s not a man because of his thoughts..
He no longer allows comments that don’t agree with him lol
No, he simply is tired of offensive comments from anonymous trolls, most of them were written at posters. Something Admin should do in his website too: allowing comments only to those who register and log-in, and take responsability for what they write. Exagerate and be banned. You can disagree on mr. Huff posts, just do not offend people or him.
Feel of a camera is important to some but really calls out to our desire for jewelry.
Maybe what Panasonic has to do is to add a little ballast like manufacturers did to cordless phones so people would think they had “quality”.
Very much almost
Ibis, jpeg, evf – holding me back
I think we were asking for a RF style body, I don’t remember anyone asking for a tillable VF that sticks out six inches on the back and catches on everything in sight. I guess if you like a handy place to hang your jacket, then the VF is the perfect accessory for slapping a coat hanger on.
Sarcasm
By the way, I’m LOVING the GX7!!!
My Canon 6D is getting jealous…
interesting is comparison leica/fuji/pana on stevehuff site …gx7 & voigty very nice!
Exactly, I don’t think mr. Huff is biased, he simply stated his opinion saying that GX7 feels cheaper than EP5, but this does not mean that it’s a bad camera at all. In fact he chose it for his last crazy comparision and what I get is that the last Panasonic camera is really a good performer.
How about an “executive summary” on these videos you post. While I value Steve Huff’s opinion I really don’t want to spend 18 minutes of my life on something that could likely be summarized in 2 or 3 sentences.
Lazy sob
It is an open ended presentation. No conclusions can be drawn from it. 🙁
Plasticky!
Calling a camera with a magnesium body and top and bottom plates just doesn’t make any sense. It seems Huff is trying to find any excuse to criticize it.
the above should have said “calling it plasticy” doesn’t make any sense.
The camera has a magnesium “body”. Panasonic is always “slippery” with the terminology.
The top plate, bottom plate and back of the camera are plastic…and apparently the dials are cheesy as well.
Any proof of the plastic top and bottom plates? Or is this just your assumption. Looking at photos of the bare body it looks like it’s all metal to me.
If you have such an itch – scratch it yourself
This guy doesn’t care about the GX7….he is in love with Steve…. (exhibit A: 18min video)
He takes more selfies than ANYONE on the internet. ANYONE. Again and again…then he plays dress-up…and takes some more!!!!!!
Who cares what this vain, narcissist has to say, anyway? (Exhibit B: Self-portrait at the top of his GX-7 review).
…i.e….it is NEVER about the camera…it is ALWAYS about Steve!!!!!
With his:
Ona Brixton Bag
Cole Haan Shoes
&
Rimowa Topas Luggage…..
Look at me….look at me….look at me…..
(wow…what did this guys mother not give him?)
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am glad that he found something shinier to be a background for his head in his ceiling fan! 🙂
If it’s from Big Value it will likely not have a US warranty. I bought from them before on U.S. eBay, and although the Camera I got was new, it turned out it was for the European market. I complained to them that it only had a European electric plug, so they sent me one for the U.S. They, of course, never explained this on the auction listing. I am sticking with my silver GX7 preorder. The GX7 looks better this way – more retro.
How do you guys know the black GX7 on Ebay isn’t from Canada? The guy could’ve bought one and is making $150 profit on it.
How do we know if you are a gummy rabbit? Maybe you are just a regular rabbit.
Somebody needs to tell Mr. Huff what exposure delay mode actually is and that you no longer need to push in the rear dial to switch functions since it also has a top dial around the shutter button. That’s one of the major usability upgrades in the GX7 and he totally missed it thinking you have to shoot it like an old GF model. Also it would have been nice if he had also walked through the video menu since video capability is one of the things that sets Panasonic apart from Olympus.
Except no ibis in video mode…
And no audio input…
Good points but also not covered.
Yes, but it’s great that you now have the option to either use the dual-mode rear Control Wheel or the new front dial. The front dial can also be reprogrammed for something else, too.
Options are good.
Absolutely, my point was that the reviewer had no clue about that.
The tiltable viewfinder doesn’t make sense really – how is it useful?
Your eye still has to be right at the viewfinder whether from the top or not to use – unlike the lcd screen where you can shoot from the waist.
Would rather the viewfinder is more flush to the camera body than sticking out so much.
It makes shooting low to the ground much easier. I was pleasantly surprised how much more comfortable it is when getting very low. Sure you could use the tiltable screen for that but old school photographers really like looking through a viewfinder 😉
I didn’t think so until using it, but by tilting it just slightly, it keeps your nose/cheek (smudges) off the LCD which is nice. I’ve also had far fewer “snags” with it sticking out than I seem to always have with my em5’s eye piece, and the gasket surrounding the eye piece is far more solidly built than the em5’s as well. I’m surprised that thing has stuck around as long as it has on my cam.
Just because you don’t find it useful (or think you won’t) doesn’t mean everyone feels the same way. Not everyone works like you do, or wants the sames things you do.
…and another nutcase troll has escaped.
yes. you.
LOL. He seems to think that the E-M1 is for pros an enthusiasts, and the GX7 is for snapshots of the kids and the dogs.
Well, if you steadily practice with your GX7′ you can advance to puppies and kittens!
First review i have seen from him. Seems like a panny hater. How silly calling the gx7 a point and shoot step up. So, i guess every m43 except em1 is a p&s step up???
I got the impression that more than anything, he likes to hear himself talk. An 18 minute review with 5 minutes of substance and several inaccuracies. Way to shoot your credibility in this industry in the foot.
In this industry, you don’t need credibility. All you need is readers who occasionally click through the ads…. Controversy drives success, not accuracy.
The days when journalists actually tried to get things correct are fading rapidly into the distance. Today, being first is more important than being accurate.
It seems like the old 20mm f1.7 focus a little faster on the Lumix X7 than on the OMD em5, and much faster than on the GF1 of course. That alone is a good reason to get the GX7 if you are about to get a new m43 camera.
What happened to the video-will-be-top-priority-for-olympus-guest-post-by-vincent-verweij 43rumors post? It’s gone.
Guess : Olympus headquarter was in total disagreement with it’s german manager and asked to remove the article?
Well…the manager in.that article diametrically opposed what Mr. Terada had to say!
Thankfully I copied the article if somebody needs it.
it is the first time I understand the issues in video i.e. the framerates. OTH I have no ambition of becoming a video director.
I leave that to the ambition of GX7 owners. Filming dogs and pets must be a real treat, if I follow S. Huff 🙂
AA filter cost at least $150
GX7 does not have AA filter.
Why this is not reflected in the price of the camera?
What is your reference for an AA filter costing $150? I stand to be corrected but that figure sounds rather exaggerated.
And where is your proof that the GX7 has no AA filter? This was rumored early on, but I’ve seen no confirmation that it’s true.
Does GX7 has that real time blinkies (over exposure) feature like Olympus has ?
I mean it’s a key feature for me but problem with all Olympus models including E-P5 is that blinkies are hidden when you use small autofocus points !!
That’s why I’m asking if panasonic has it (GH2 does not) I would be inclining to purchase GX7.
ha ha love that line : “The GX7 feels more plasticky in comparison” steve huff. hard to swallow for pana fanboy. He’s right panasonic bodies always feels cheap with poor built quality same thing with their lenses… Plastics, plastics. Lumix sucks plain and simple.
And “Feeling” Cheap is much different from “Being” Cheap. But please, continue with the Panasonic hate, I’ll be enjoying this GX7 of mine.
The camera has a magnesium “body”. Panasonic is always “slippery” with the terminology.
The top plate, bottom plate and back of the camera are plastic…and apparently the dials are cheesy as well.
🙂
Proof?
Looking at photos of the bare chassis, the top plate sure looks like metal to me.
Looking at the photo of the bare chassis….
http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/images/uploaded/GX7_Magnesium_body_slant.jpg
There is no top plate
There is no bottom plate
There is no metal back
The grip is plastic, too.
I don’t care whether it is metal or plastic or paper. This camera with these (as impressive as they are)features is worth 500 Euros and not more. The DSLR wannabees in EM-5 and EM1, less than that. After all, the sensor is quite small and you can not squeeze blood out of stone. That is the bottom line. Unrealistic prices.
Well..if it is made of paper you can buy for $5!
Almost as unrealistic as your expectation that price and size are correlated. That’s why a small, 2-seat Ferrari is so much cheaper than a big, 5 seat Chevy Impala, right?
Not off the mark. For a small sensor camera that is the case. Look at the price of the GX1 now compared to its launch price. If Panasonic/Olympus just sell these for a just price to start with, it would be beneficial for the buyers/users as well as the companies selling them. Instead they try to clear their inventories for several years.
I think Steve Huff really drives home the point that
“the best camera is the one you like to use the most”
be it olympus, panny, nikon, canon, sony, or fischer price.
i wish he got into finer points of video and the camera but what the heck…nice piece
one more thing,
I’m sure the black ones will be coming soon and they will be the same price. looks like resellers are jacking up the price for black.
What is wrong with Huff? He makes countless comparisons with the EM1, mentions it should fairly compared with the EM5, then makes countless more comparisons with the EM1. I can’t wait for his review of the E-P5 where he makes countless comparisons with the GH3!
One thing you can count on with whatever he reviews it will include a self-portrait…maybe more!!
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