Kai from Digitalrev tested the GX7 and he quite likes the camera. That said the video is a bit…let’s says….unexciting. Kai are you a bit tired lately? Feel free to come and visit me for a snow vacation in the Alps 🙂
GX7 store links:
Silver GX7 body at Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Samys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK , Amazon JP.
Silver GX7 with 14-42mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Samys, Henrys, Wex Deutschland, WexUK, Amazon UK.
Black GX7 body at Henrys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan.
Black GX7 with 14-42mm lens at Henrys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK, Amazon UK.
Black GX7 with 20mm lens at Henrys, Wex UK, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan.
Silver GX7 with 20mm lens at Henrys, Wex UK, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan.
69 Responses
Wow, Kai being positive about a camera and actually using its features, quite uncommon :p
I own a GX7 myself and I can confirm everything he says in his review. The only thing, build quality is not that great compared to E-P5, it feels much more plasticky in hands than in looks. But everything else is very good.
Love my E-P5/ VF4 combo…can’t put it down!
Admin says Kai is “un exciting” but with lines like “when gripping the camera it feels like you are holding onto the marshmallow man’s buttery cheeks”….I was still very entertained.
Spell check got me…that should read: “marshmallow man’s buttock’s cheeks”….pretty funny.
But gx7 sits in hand far better than e-p5. Although I like vf4 a lot more, its far bigger than tunnel like one in gx7. I played with it for a while and my eyes were getting tired quickly. With vf4 no such problems. Only a bit less crisp and sharp picture. But biggest reason was limited bulb mode in gx7. Its only 2min, no long night exposures, sadly 🙁
I played with GX7 while bringing my E-P5 at B&H last week,.as a ex Panny user [ GF1,G3,GX1] i must say there is a lots of improvement especially from GX1, ,i love the grip handling better than my E-P5,.i know is a little bit plasticky , but i found GX7 14-42 kitlens is slightly more faster to lock on focus rather than E-P5 with 17mm.,i see on both screen ,that GX7 tend to have a more warm AWB,.the bog diference ,.is the view finder of course ,.the E-P5 is far more better,.compared to GX7, and it seems like the color on the EVF on GX7 is inaccurate , with the color that come out on the LCD screen,.which something does not happen on E-P5 in this case.
The GX7 trumps the E-P5. There’s no other way to put it. You may say it feels Plasticity, but it has a Magnesium body. People “claim” the VF4 is better, yet doesn’t come with the camera, brings the price of the E-M5 UP, and its not built in. GX7 has a better grip, IQ is great and it beats the E-M5 in price!
I would say the OMD took the GX1’s shine, but the roles have reversed this time. Even Steve Huff, who’s a PEN fanboy likes the GX7 over the E-P5. It’s THE BETTER camera.
I can’t wait for the reviews to prove this.
Dint get the “plasticky” comments about the GX7.
I’m holding mine right now and it feels damn solid… okay, I’ve got my Voigtländer 25mm mounted on it, which gives it a tank-like feel . ;-). I compared it the the EP5 at B&H and the GX7 simply feels and handles better all around.
I think its the perfect combo. The lens hood makes it much longer, but bo biggie and with the focus peaking. I shoot in manual a bit more.
Maybe one day, I’ll be able to splurge on the V25mm.
Agreed. I still feel like the evf is too small at the opening end. I will try the accessory eyepiece
I use a B+W folding rubber lens hood on mine. It makes a nice protective bumper, too. 😉
@stravinsky… I think the main problem with the EVF is that it’s kind of wide-open and there’s no definitive physical position when looking through it. After a couple of hours I found the best way to position my eye. I’m getting the eyecup extension, too.
Mr. Reee
Feels. Better to you. I happen to prefer the feel of the E-P5. I think it feels more solid, I prefer the VF4 over the Pany finder and like the raised, central location of the VF. I am not a previous Penn owner, this is my first. The camera just feels more solid and fluid to use in my hand than the GX7. Both are good cameras, The 5-axis stabilization and features like live bulb bring the E-P5 over the top for “me”.
There are certainly pluses and minuses with both. The offset LVF is taking some adjustment (I’ve been shooting with a GH2 for 2 1/2 years) but the compactness of the whole package is great. I miss the articulated screen a bit, too.
Constant Preview in M mode (95% of my shooting) is an incredible feature. I’d love Live Bulb, but rarely shoot very long exposures. So, you get some, you give some. Oh well…
Same thoughts, trying vf4 and gx7 I like vf4 far more. Its just impressive how big and easy to watch it is. And second big dissapointment from gx7 is silly maximum 2min ibulb mode. Just why on earth the put such a limit in otherwise amazing body?
Maybe the sensor will explode after 2 minutes.
I watch a lot of Digital Rev…he clearly doesnt like it at all…he’s very very sarcastic when he’s describing it. In other videos he seems to care more but this was more like it may have been forced on him to do a review. I hope others see it that way the way he reviewed it seemed like Jane didn’t even want to be there with it lol…that’s just my observation of this video with Kai…
*kai dumb auto corrected to Jane…
how does this work…
their company (digitalrev) is sponsored by Canon and this is a known fact (they are highly subjective).
they are the makers of the worst review of OMD E-M5 on the internet (the camera that revolutionized the m43 industry and the one I am very proud of using) – so bad it wasn’t even funny (I could stand some other critical reviews but this was the last nail, unsubscribed)
they lack knowledge of the system completely – and making stupid remarks (tiny sensor tiny sensor tiny sensor) there and for example here as well..
‘incomplete video package’
please, give me a break Canon guys, this camera might not be £5000 D4 tank build kit but shoots better video than ANY camera out there (waiting for the hacks) – Kai lost me long time ago, unsubscribed and happy
they don’t even mention history of Panasonic in video department (only that their cameras are fugly) starting with GH2…
or lenses, have you seen him mentioning the stellar selection of tiny lenses the system has? Oly 24mm, Panasonic Leica 25mm, Olympus 45mm…etc Not mentioning kings like 75mm or upcoming 12-40mm F2.8?
this review is a joke again, at least he wasn’t so negative though – this camera is revolution yet again (and yes, Olympus owner and big fan here, used to own GX1 though, quite a bad camera to be honest with horrible skin colors, screwed white balance and bad bad screen so sold it)
putting my GX1 on my to-see list (I didn’t like E-P5 as controls were really bad there, compared to my E-M5, plus this faults like flash button, give me a break)
There are much better photography channels out there, plus he’s not amusing how he used to be
I meant Oly 12mm F2.0 and of course, I need to see GX7 in person
I don’t care it is ‘plasticky’, plastic is actually quite cool long lasting material – the only thing that matters for me will be weight and if I can carry it with me all the time (which isn’t quite alright with my EM-5 or EM-1 that I played with in London 2 weeks ago in Jessops)
omg £800 pounds, just checked, that is some AMAZING price considering that is just amazon, he doesn’t even mention this…
if I get it for £700 I don’t see a point why NOT owning this beauty….
When it hits <500 Euros, I will get it. Fair price. I think by January 2014 that will happen. 🙂
Maybe it will hit 500 $ in January, but it willstill cost 900€ here…
I doubt it will drop that quick. The GX1 dropped considerably, but I see the GX7 holding onto its price.
I am patient and also thank the blind Oly fanatics who keep claiming anything that comes from Oly is the best. They will bring the prices down quickly (and the whole m43rds with that!)! 🙂
800 pounds… that’s pretty heavy for a camera 🙂
Yeah. um. I watch a lot of digital Rev too…I think you’re reading into this a bit much. He clearly likes the camera.
He just seemed happy, but unexcited. In all honesty, it’s a great camera, it’s just not mind blowing for a reviewer. He praised everything he felt should be praised, he criticized everything he felt should be criticized, not much more to ask for. Also, it’s always nice to see Alamby participate.
This is why I now avoid Digital Review. After watching a few videos, I started to figure out he is more focused on being clever/cute (esp with the girl & all) than in aspiring to present useful info in a clear, unambiguous manner.
Some people think video reviews should also be entertainment, but I guess I’m just not one of them.
Admin, you should not invit for vacation a guy who wear such douchebag shoes 🙂
But it doesn’t mind : The GX7 seems to be a very good camera, with or with not this review.
Actually, based on several of his more recent camera reviews, this review of the GX7 is a ringing endorsement. He was far from his sarcastic worst. I think he was really bummed out because he couldn’t go after the camera for any serious deficiencies. Good job, Pany. A bored Kai, is good for m43.
Did you check out his red socks?
I think so too. He really wanted NOT to like it, but couldn’t help to do so =).
I liked it =).
At the end of the review Kai said that the focus is not class leading (or similar expression). Could someone compare it with – relating to focusing speed – to OMD E-M5 and E-M1 on m4/3 lenses?
I decided not to buy a Gx7…but the camera focuses VERY fast…just NOT with the 20mm f/1.7 lens that comes in the kit that Kai has.. (That is why I sold my 20mm..and Panasonic re-releases the lens and it still has dog-slow AF …and they make it the kit lens on their latest fast-focus camera…go figure???…yes, I know all of the other attributes of the lens…but not correcting the AF in the re-release is perplexing in 2013).
Admin if he accepts be sure Alamby joins too.
Better yet, invite Alamby only
The presenter should have a double espresso to wake himself up.
I wonder how much Crapasonic paid Kai to make this video. Must have been a hell of a lot!
(Stick to your strengths, Crapasonic: Stick to making toasters!)
…grow up…..
Crapasonic feeds the child troll with toasts 😀
I wonder if olympus appreciates how far up their butt I can stick my nose. I can almost smell all the new cameras they’re going to push out!
OMD — up your rectum?? Given how big the OMD supposedly is, it takes a huge a$$-hole to wish for that.
—
Crapasonic?? Eh? Same low level.
—
From what I have seen, the GX7 looks like a fantastic camera. And I think the same of the E-M1. Two very nice cameras that should give an excellent compromise between image quality and good lenses that are easy to bring along and actually use.
comments such as these make me wish for 25% of the comments censored out.
weeding through all the fanboys, trolls and mental patients is a big task – and now crass like this – why?
the signal to noise ratio on this site has taken a serious dip this year.
Actually i kind of agree. Never has Kai been so happy about a camera that he’s reviewed. I think this is a first. Panasonic must of paid him a hefty amount for him to sell out like this.
Doesn’t make much sense to test ISO when out of focus?
Indeed, how dumb was that? Can’t believe it
the 50p is really useful
these 40 fps are not with 16mpx shots, aren’t they? can’t find anything out there
They’re 4MP, I think.
The GX7 is the M43 camera to get. It ticks most of the boxes and its what most M43 users were asking for. Its a great performer. I doubt we’ll see one negative review.
I just wish they’d hurry with raw support. I don’t shoot jpeg on any camera.
+1
The GX7 kind of grows on you, I must say.
Lightroom 5.2 handles GX7 RAW files.
Use Adobe DNC. I think that it is free…..I have to use it for my EP5 for lightroom 4 and PHotoshop CS6.
I have an up-to-Date version of LR sitting here but I have to update the OS on my iMac first…and I DREAD the process!!!!!!!! LOL!>
BTW CS6 has ACR 8.2 built-in (well, as long as you’ve run “update” recently) which will handle GX7 raw files natively, just do file->open on one…
Kai rocks as always. Good review. Its has lots of nice gadgets but pictures at iso 1600 are decent and at iso 6400 are rubbish. Its a good looking camera and takes nice pictures. So there you have it with M43. A lot of gadgets but pictures not so good. M43 could be really good if they would price their products a lot lower because the pictures are not so good. And picture is what counts with a photo camera. M43 should target the 500 euro market with their EM1 and GX7. For example NEX6 with kitlens is 600 euro and is in every way superior to M43.
Right now I look through my Canon 6d Raws and what do I see: Nois at base iso in the shadows, if I push them too much (2-3 ev), some soft pictures, maybe front/back focus and I see noise at 100% – ok, it looks better than high iso Raw files from the Omd Em5 that I downloaded but not THAT much better. At iso 100-3200 the difference between the systems is not so big and mft has many advantages over old school dslrs.
Keep on dreaming.
You obviously never handled Canon 6d Raw files.
Nex6 better than all m43? You are so funny! Were you wearing a clown costume when you wrote that?
The Nex 6 as a camera is lacking with regards to image quality it is “better” than any mFT camera
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/832|0/%28brand%29/Sony/%28appareil2%29/793|0/%28brand2%29/Olympus
I tried the GX7 for a short while yesterday, maybe too short. My first impression is that I don’t really like the grip. Kind of crazy, because it looks so much better that E-M5 for example. I am not saying that the E-M5 has a good grip, but it fits my smaller hands somehow better. :S I also didn’t like the plastic flash unit which seems flimsy and the front dial did not feel that great as well. But I had it only in my hands for like 2 minutes, maybe too short. The clerk was also standing next me and then I never feel at ease to get the real feeling for a camera.
The rest was superb and it is an awesome camera, respect Pana! BUT there is one catch: the EVF is horrible for glasses users! Oo I couldn’t see the corners and the sides at all and had to move my head. That is a no go for me on this camera (maybe there is a menu option to use a smaller part of the screen?) The G6’s VF was better, despite being big, too. The clerk said that another customer had this complain as well the day before.
Now, I am torn: GX7 pars or surpasses the E-M5 in every aspect other than IBIS, weather sealing and maybe OOC JPEGs right from the factory: silent mode, video, peaking, tilt VF and time lapse. But I just like the feel of E-M5 better and especially its VF is “better” for me. It would also be a better match for the 12-40 (no OIS) and produce smoother videos due to IBIS with all lenses.
@ Pana-Oly: Make a Panoly OMIX G-M5 which combines: GH3 video specs and E-M1 foto specs and build in a GX7 package, of course with peaking in video, 5-axis IBIS and VF4 viewfinder.
“@ Pana-Oly: Make a Panoly OMIX G-M5 which combines: GH3 video specs and E-M1 foto specs and build in a GX7 package, of course with peaking in video, 5-axis IBIS and VF4 viewfinder.”
Great news the GH3 already has the same image quality as the E-M1 along with better video.Take a long hard look at any of the RAW samples and tell me where the E-M1 does significantly better than the GH3/GX7/E-M5/E-P5/E-PL5/E-PM2.
I wasn’t talking about IQ. I was talking about the specs. The IQ hasn’t changed really since the E-M5. GH3, E-P5, GX7 and E-M1 are essentially the same. But GH3 has no IBIS, no peaking, no color creator and I am not sure about panorama (that would come from GX7) or Time Lapse. Finally it has no PDAF possibilites and is kind of heavy (50g again on top of E-M1, but I wanted GX7 package).
The GH3 is spec-wise already dated in a lot of areas. But I have to admit that most of these specs are not essential to good quality pictures or videos at all, except for IBIS in video.
Well, color me surprised, Kai actually liked a m4/3 camera! I think it’s time to gather some water and non-perishable food just in case this is a sign of the apocalypse.
I’m glad he actually took the time to go through some of the most important features and didn’t gratuitously bash the camera like he does with most m4/3s, that’s a good sign for the GX7, panasonic should put a label on the box and on advertisements that reads ¨GX7 : The only Kai-proof m4/3 camera¨.
On the other hand this is the first review I’ve seen where they mention the presence of an AA filter, can anyone confirm this ?
I think the GX1 was the first camera that Panasonic made that wasn’t fugly. GF1 was not bad too, but the GX1 was sexy when it first came out.
+10 Still is!
But the GX7 has it beat! 😉
Unless I missed it, his “review” did not say a single word about: 1) image quality, 2) AF performance, 3) LCD/EVF quality (other than LCD is reflective), 4) video quality. So it’s another typical Kai review. The guy is laughing all the way to the bank.
I must admit I want to see Kai less and less.
And Alamby more and more.
She should do her own reviews.
(And she’d probably use a wrist strap.)
Kai finally with GX7 review .
& I think he is delighted with the camera .
As for me , still not yet into real shooting with my GX7 .
Bypass the street last week , saw somethings interesting so try to have some tests .
Below are 2 links of photos to share here .
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u619/yuntayy/P1000089121013_zps677177ad.jpg
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u619/yuntayy/P1000081121013_zpsbd2b15d6.jpg
Let me know if someone know the name of it .
Cheers .
I think he sounds and seems unhappy, dissatisfied and out of place. And as usual a bit too cool and cocky. It ought to be about the camera, and not himself. There are limits… :/
personally I hate this guy and his review crew.
I think Chris Nicolls is a much better youtube reviewer.
and Chris is handsome too.