Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 – My Preview (English Version)
Here are a couple of GX7 news:
1) Two Magnum Photographer will use the new Panasonic GX7 for their work! More info at Lumixgexperience.panasonic.co.uk
2) In UK: 2 Days After Product Announcement and Reveals Pre-Order Campaign
Having just announced the new LUMIX GX7 interchangeable lens camera, Panasonic is pleased to reveal that consumers will have the opportunity to see the camera for the first time this weekend. Panasonic will be conducting previews of the camera at selected stores from Saturday 3rd August, only two days after the camera’s announcement. Additionally, consumers can pre-order the GX7 from the date of announcement and receive a free battery and leather case via consumer redemption.
The previews will be held at the following stores at weekends from the 3rd August until the 8th September ;
• Park Cameras, Victoria Business Park, York Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TT
• London Camera Exchange, 53 The Horsefair, Bristol, BS1 3JP
• Frank Wilkinson Cameras Ltd, 27 Friargate Walk, St Georges Centre, Preston, PR1 2NQ
• Jessops, 129-131 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2HU
• Cambrian Photography Ltd, 87 Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, II29 7SA
• York Camera Mart Ltd, 18 Church Street, York, YO1 8BE
• Castle Cameras, 329 Wimborne Road, Bournemouth, BH9 2AD
• Cameraworld, 14 Wells Street, London, W1T 3PB
• Clifton Cameras, 28 Parsonage Street, Dursley, Gloucester, GL11 4AA
• Comley Cameras, 7 St Peters Avenue, Cleethorpes, DN35 8HQ
• Camarthen Cameras, 1 Parkmaen Street, Camarthen, SA31 1DP
• John Lewis, 300 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1EX (Thursdays and Fridays only)
Working samples of the camera will be available at each store for users to try, as well as a dedicated Panasonic person to talk through product features and answer any questions. For further information on preview timing, please contact your local participating store.
In addition to the previews, Panasonic is pleased to announce a pre-order campaign where consumers can redeem a free leather case and battery worth £69.99 when they purchase a DMC-GX7 camera. With a stylish case to be proud of and the convenience of a spare battery, this enticing offer is set to be a firm incentive for those looking to purchase the new GX7. Effective from the date of product announcement (1st August) until the 30th September 2013, the free leather case and battery is claimed by consumer redemption to Panasonic (www.panasonic.co.uk/promotions).
Panasonic’s new LUMIX GX7 interchangeable lens camera sports a retro-classic design, and exhibits advanced features and creative functions that will help change your photography. The camera’s elegant design is evocative of the classical photographic age, making it perfect for the style-conscious enthusiast to carry with them every day. The LUMIX GX7 boasts the speed, quality and flexibility to turn daily scenes into unique reflections of your world.
140 Responses
I think you mean use not sue admin :p
It’s use not sue!
sue is quite another thing of use 🙂
Certainly a sure fire way of getting my attention in any case.
Especially id Sue is a Blonde
White iPhone …………………… Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
What’s happening with the OM-D rumors, not that I dislike the GX7.
Just curious to see if it is pretty much the same as all the m4/3 offerings now adays. Or if Oly is bringing a new steak to the table!
yum, steak! 🙂
Give me beef tenderloin too.
I need for my classic FT lens.
😀
yeah GX7 is yesterday’s news already
bring on the EM6 EM60 and a trio of f/2.8 zooms 😉
I’m going to the Bristol event on Sunday. I’m never in this region so I find it all quite serendipitous! I just hope they let me take the camera out for a quick spin.
@Heather
Your website article by Mathieu on EP5 and GX7 is in error. The EP5 and GX7 do not share the same sensor. The sensor will prove to be the most important difference between the two cameras I’m sure when the tests and previews of the GX7 are in. It will be better. 🙂
And perhaps they are indeed the same sensor?
The best from their sensor department again!
Same only in the sense black and white is the same colour or lack of colour.
Remember, the GH3 was a new sensor too.
Yes GH3 was a new sensor and a different one from OMD and recent Pens note the different score on DXOmark ;). GX7 will be far superior to all.
You need to take another look at the DXO scores for the E-M5 and GH3. Same Sony sensor.
If you had both cameras youd notice they behave quite differently
The sensor has the same characteristics (mp, etc…), that’s what I meant originally but I should wrote it better 🙂
For me the differences between Oly and Panasonic are minimal because they do share the same sensor technology and I believe that the GH3/OMD, EP5/GX7 have the same last generation M43 sensor. Now maybe then each brand update it slightly in its own way every time they release a new camera. But using the OM-D and GH3 for example, all the differences I noticed where due to the camera internal processor more than sensor differences. But I could be wrong, I am not a sensor engineer 🙂
Jokes aside. There is a lot of people trying to spread misinformation about the sensors for example to suit their bias and extreme prejudice all in extreme bad faith. Nobody in GOOD Faith would dispute that the GH3 shares the same sensor with the OMD, EP5 and the other recent Pens.
However, when the reviews and tests of the GX7 are out, nobody in Good faith will dispute that the GX7 and EP5 shares the same sensor. The GX7 sensor will be far superior. Thanks for clarifying your position.
The GX7 was delayed because the sensor was not ready for launch last year. We now know that Panasonic was busy with the colour splitter and organic sensor. Having announced the completion of those 2 projects they then redesigned the GX7 sensor from scratch as claimed.
I will not be surprised if the new circuitry in the GX7 sensor is partly the result of their endeavours in noise reduction in collaboration with Fuji’s in the organic sensor. So I believe we will see a far superior sensor in the GX7 than the one in GH3 or EP5 and OMD.
Oops… second paragraph should be “nobody in good faith would dispute that GX7 had a different sensor from the EP5…”
the press release on the GX7 states that they developed a new sensor for the GX7 … no dispute or guesswork required
there are a number of lazy that say “same sensor as…” at that point I find it best to stop reading
I’m not holding my breath for anythin g better than the OMD sensor….
Key 2 things are how good is sensor, and how good is IS…
The only other thing i want to know is does it remote trigger flashes?
If all these things weigh in then they have an oly killer but they all have to weigh in fully!
Well, I’ll let you know as soon as I can put my hands on it 🙂
But if the GX7 sensor is that new (organic technology etc…), I think that they would have mentioned it in the official press release.
Plus, yes they say that it is a new sensor but in comparison to the GX1.
Anyway, I can wait to try it 🙂
If you had been following the news. The new GX7 sensor is NOT organic but the noise reduction circuitry panny came up with in collaboration with Fuji with the organic sensor may have found its way into the design of the new GX7 sensor.
Yes i is angree, i think GX7 sensor is better so GH3 sensor. Panasonic say the new sensor give 25% fewer noise so GX1 sensor give, by out reading, so from an DR 10,5 on GX1 to maybe an DR on over 13 on GX7.
Unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be better.
I love his (p)reviews.
Thanks for this complete preview, it’s great.
Maybe I’m alone, but I will certainly be disappointed by this protuberant huge grip.
Personnally I prefer a flat design, because I’m a manual prime lens shooter,, and mostly the camera is gripped by my left hand, at the bottom of the camera, my fingers around the lens.
In my experience (for instance with the M line Leicas) I noticed that my right hand is very free of moving “around” the camera, with only two fingers always fixed on : the the forefinger (on the release) and the thumb on the lever (that’s why i always make a DIY thumbie on my APNs to hold properly the camera).
For most of “young” photographers it may be weird, but in my experience I noticed that there’s a lot of imperceptible movements to find the good point of view, and the “right hand freedom” I described above allows it.
SO IMHO the GX7 is still a camera concept for AF lenses shooters with a only one hand gripping – and its a little bit too bad.
I tend to ‘cup’ with the left hand as well, around the bottom left corner of the body and the lends….but for manual focus lenses, I actually find ‘left hand freedom’ to be more important whilst the right hand grips on, especially given the added weight of old manual focus lenses, in which case the more bulky grip will be ideal I suspect. I’ve shot with PENs before and currently shoot with an OMD and a pet hate of mine has always been having to spend extra money on a decent add on grip, in the case of the OMD, a very expensive add-on grip.
I have to say though, the button layout on the GX7 looks first class and I especially like the nice positioned and nicely sized AEL button. I guess in coming weeks we will have many more reviews to absorb.
“I guess in coming weeks we will have many more reviews to absorb”
I hope so; and what about new cameras? After the Fuji X-E1 and The Panasonic GX7, we might see an Olympus and a Ricoh equivalent… Let’s see!
dont hold your breath for a new oly equivalent – it’s the EP5 for now.
if the price comes down it might even compete.
@Gekopaca I agree with you, but your (our) way to hold the camera needs a better grip when using a heavy lens.
I have no problems at all in using small legacy lenses or m43 primes on the almost gripless OMD-Em5, but when I bought Voigtländer 17.5mm I felt the need to add a better grip. The lens is heavier and longer, and the overall thickness of OMD is too thin, at least for me.
From now I use mostly very short and cheap lenses : Pentax 110 18mm f2.8, CCTV Pentax TV 25mm f1.4, Voigtländer Color-Skopar 28mm f3.5 for instance, they where perfect with a flat E-P2. But when I’m shooting with heavier lenses, as my C-Mount Fujinon-TV 12.5mm f1.4 modified by ekoehler7 or my C-Mount Cosmicar Television 75mm f1.4 (my heaviest one) I didn’t noticed issues . But : one photographer -> one ergonomy, right? 😉
I don’t see the grip as a problem … how far that evf pokes out I do see as a problem (the very proud EVF on the G6 is one of two reasons I’m not getting it)
sure the GX7 evf is a lot lower profile than the clip on jobbies
the EM5 is much more discreet and Fuji X-E1 and Sony Nexus7 6 & 7 are all also much lower profile
I’m probably the only one, but the EVF is a reason not to get the GX7 … give me an EM5 or EP5(no evf) instead
I agree entirely. That jutting out EV is going to get stuck in any pocket. It makes the GX7 much thicker than the GX7.
Then fold it up, or put it away. Sheesh.
er, I think its fixed!
how do you put it away or fold it up?
The gx7 is actually smaller than the em5. And quite frankly having a built in evf on a small camera is a plus
The em5 isn’t more discrete than an xe1 either thiugh that depends on the lens
I’m interested in what situation you see the evf profile being an inconvenience? Hanging around the neck/shoulder? In a bag?
If it’s around the neck/shoulder you can always tilt the viewfinder up 45 degrees and the camera will sit flat.
Really comes down to what type of lenses you use. I find the small grip of the E-P5 perfectly suited for small primes. However, it’s not as comfortable with the lens I use the most for sightseeing, the 12-35mm. Fine for two-handed shooting, but not so much for one-handed shooting. The same went for the OM-D. I found that if I was shooting anything other than a small prime, the landscape grip was a must, which made the camera a lot bulkier.
I think the GX7 has the right compromise. The grip looks large enough to use with lenses like the 12-35, but is still significantly smaller than the OM-D paired with the landscape grip.
What you should do is go to Camerasize compare, and look at the GX7 and at the E.M5 (sorry) from the TOP.
Then you’ll see that the EVF and the grip make the GX7 much thicker. Thickness is not v. important if you carry the camera with a body strap, but it is quite a factor if you wish to carry it in a large pocket or in a vest.
Yes, go to camerasize and you’ll see the staggering, mind blowing, coat-pocket-ripping 12.1mm (less than half an inch) difference In depth
How bout mentioning the em5 is 20mm taller? A coat pocket cant fit chunkier things, but not taller things
And that’s without the “necessary for normal hands” horizontal grip
Camera Size reports a 12.7mm or 1/2 inch difference in thickness. It might not seem like much but it’s quite a lot for something as small as a camera.
In regards to the protruding EVF, it will be subject to greater wear and tear, especially when it goes in and out of pockets and bags. The camera does not fit as well into bags because of the protrusion.
Actually, I have the E-P5 and E-M5 and the evf on the E-M5 prevents me from putting it in a jeans pocket. I can do it with the Pen and the 20mm. It has to do with the depth of the E-M5; every mm counts! Not the end of the world, but the depth does matter if one wants to put in a normal-sized pocket. Options are always nice, and the GX7 might be able to work around this problem by flipping the evf in the “up” position.
Looking forward to seeing the results on the GX7, appears that both the E-P5 and GX7 are pretty much feature-same right now. Future m4/3 devices will need the sensor improvements for me to get super-excited. PDAF and improved high-ISO are all that I require now, honestly everything else is pretty much incredible as is.
Yep, excellent review!
I was extremely happy to see Constant Preview in the settings menu!!!
I, too shoot mainly manual primes, but do prefer a good solid grip, which was one of the reasons I bought a GH2 over any of the Pens or GF1. But, I do understand your preference for a flatter body, having been a Konica and Nikon film camera shooter.
Overall, the GX7 is looking great! I can’t wait to try one out. Un fortunately, it may be quite some time before they hit the US… in black anyway.
A very good, no BS, review. Congratulations, you’ve done more for the camera than any group of Panasonic suits from marketing.
Yes, an detailed, no-nonsense review, in contrast to the types you get from Kai on Digital Rev.
“s well as a dedicated Panasonic person to talk through product features and answer any questions”
unlike other big camera companies, I think panasonic is trying it’s best to please customers and try to get feedback out of them, I mean, The GX7 has all the features that was asked of them a year ago, even when they launched the GH3 they were listening to suggestions and feedback, and later with the G6 they offered peaking among other requested features !
I think that’s the way to go, bravo panasonic, bravo,
Magnum photographers – product images of choc ices?
my current smartphone from 2011 has NFC, it’s been around awhile…
That’s a misleading title, its clearly not a UK tour! Where are the Scottish events? Or do we not matter Panasonic?
@upnorth
Frank Wilkinson Cameras Ltd, 27 Friargate Walk, St Georges Centre, Preston, PR1 2NQ
York Camera Mart Ltd, 18 Church Street, York, YO1 8BE
…not too far although they should really do Glasgow, Newcastle (Jacobs and Jessops closed down) and Belfast
you could always contact Panasonic Lumix?
Touchy. It includes England and Wales, ergo “UK Tour.” When someone announces a United States tour, you don’t see people in Montana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, & so on, get all bent out of shape because they do not have a stop.
Yes, you do.
I am particularly interested in a viewfinder – soon I would like to switch to micro43 from my old Canon 5D markI, which I adore for its large viewfinder. I heard that Olympus VF4 comes very close to fullframe EVFs – how is Panasonic’s EVF in comparison with them?
Inferior.
wow you’ve handled one already – any more useful insights
Inferior bow exactly
Yeh, but only so an OVF. 😛
Heres a more useful and leagues less moronic answer:
The vf is indeed quite big on the vf4, almost as big as the biggest vf out there (1dmk4). Up until the gh2 they were almostbas big on panasonic bodies too, getting abtad smaller on the gh3. The one on the gx7 is, according to the previews, at least as big as the vf4, but also has the benefit of being able to show 100% of adobe rgb colors and at 240 fps it can certainly keep up with real life
Size of the optics of VF-4 viewfinder is more than double than the GX-7 viewfinder.
Also, no report of any problem with VF-4 so far vs initial report of color tearing found with the viewfinder of GX-7.
Panasonic viewfinders are really “inferior”.
Excellent review of the GX7. Looking forward to seeing the new stuff coming from Olympus. 🙂
3D level is interesting. 3 custom presets is also a nice touch.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/panasonic-gx7/panasonic-gx7A.HTM
Oh God, what is this BS I’m reading ? NO BLACK BODY FOR THE US !? WHAT? what kind of idiocy is that ? Deep down I knew this couldn’t be so perfect, Pany had to fck up somewhere…Is this a temporary stock issue or do they intend to keep it that way ? Are we supposed to buy from Europe now ? I really don’t want to resort to Ebay to buy this camera, I need to see the black version in person before I buy.
Just WTH Pany !?
BTW, kudos to imaging resource, very thorough review, well done.
Buy from Canada. They have black GX7, though more expensive.
Will the GX7 have the capability to set Minimum shutter speed in Autp-ISO mode? Does this video mention it?
Full frame ?
I find that video above amazingly boring. It’s like somebody reading an Encyclopedia in bad english gesticulating like a madman with the enormous hands of a peasant. Someone who has to pour some heavy beverage down your throat 🙂
Also the two Magnum photogs seem very marginal ones, like the one living in Georgia, plus they didn’t shoot anything yet with the GX7.
I really wonder how Magnum photogs, who used to shoot with a masterpiece of simplicity like a Leica can deal with a Luna Park of features, some completely unnecessary, and still come up with the ‘decisive moment’ 🙂
Did you forget to take your pills, racist? Your moron, ignorant personality is showing off again.
Btw, your English is far worse than his.
Relax, I am just stating the obvious: it was pure torture to spend half an hour with that gentleman and his accent: in his words Panny became Panazonic, and Lumix , Lumigz.
Perhaps Admin can tell from what depths of Germany is accent is?
BTW nice complicated camera if it takes a German half an hour to explain the menus – Oly has definitely a rival in mind blowing complexity.
Never be anxious though: blue pill or red pill?
Whatever pill you may take, it’s a waste of time. You won’t stop acting like an idiotic racist.
Check the author other reviews, it’s his way to present products: giving all the informations.
I’m sure you prefer a review like “it’s awesome! Files are fantastic!”.
Simple (perverted) minds like yours need basic inputs.
You should have been banned long time ago because of your racist comments but it seems poor people like you (actually you are the only one THAT bad) are safe in this site.
I’m more than relax.. Yaaaawn, your comments are boring and relaxing, please keep writing about humps and I’ll sleep..
Yes, I confess, I’ll take anyday a Kai, over a hard labouring Saxon peasant 🙂
As for racism, you should look deep inside you, because you seem prey to what you reproach to others.
I consider all the EU citizens MY own citizens, so I feel free to pull their leg. YMMV, white American (?) trash 🙂
Be careful, amalric, you do NOT want to piss off the Americans. We bailed you out of two wars. Maybe we’ll just look the other way when the next one comes your way.
I don’t believe it, we are watched by the NSA day and night so if we side with the Russians, the 7th Cavalry will cross the Ocean in a split second.
Trouble is that they watch you too, one billion calls recorded last month in the US. LOLOL.
Please note that they will record this too, so watch your words ‘True Homer’ 🙂
Did I find you on a bad day, or are you just always this boorish?
Boorish? Yes. Always.
I would add toxic.
“Perhaps Admin can tell from what depths of Germany is accent is?”
Ad hominem, hu?
Amalric, are you joining the ranks of 43r trolls – or it it just a bad day?
P.S. Ralfs Fotobude’s address is just out-side the Hamburg, in Schleswig-Holstein state, North of Germany.
P.P.S. IMO, accent and mistakes aside, the video was as good as any write-up about the specification sheet with the firmware menus’ walkthrough. It wasn’t made to win any cinematographic awards, but to let us peek inside the (pre-production) GX7. And for that I’m thankful. (BTW, the quirkiness probably can be attributed to the fact that the guy on the same day has made two more videos about GX7, 1 hour in total, but in German.)
Thanks for your friendly and helpful comment. Because I always want to learn from criticism and make my videos better, I would appreciate to see a video from you about the new GX7. But please in German. And don’t worry, I don’t mind, if you have a little english accent.
Ralf, sorry for my being so direct. Just learn to relax a bit from Kai, who is so vain. Your accent might even become a plus 🙂
Besides I could review also in French and in Italian, but I don’t know if I could pull half an hour. Hard work. German method is admirable. I advise you to keep your big hands in the background, however 🙂
Sorry about that.
Big hand,… the is only camera so is small. 😛
Sorry amalric, but you are not just being direct: you are being disrespectful.
That is unfortunately not the first time, along with all the posts where you simply don’t make any sense. Well I would find your attitude tolerable if you brought anything of value to the table but that is not the case.
I think it is a pity that your noise degrades the quality of the info of the sites you visit, when other people are putting a lot of effort to contribute.
That’s a tall order.
I am not necessarily interested in buying the new camera, so why should I learn by rote all the menus, and dedicate to it *half an hour*?
What is missing in the review is the real reason why one should get the camera. All cameras have menus, that’s the most boring part of it.
It is not enough to say that the grip has a nice tactile feeling. Tactile is not everything in a camera. In fact I saw the review from beginning to end. and I am still unconvinced by the GX7.
Can one say that or is there censorship and blackguard in this forum? You don’t even have the main data about the camera, that is IQ, and yet you begin to fret. What will you do when you become and adult, weep? – LOL!
Well maybe some of us do not need other people to tell us why we should buy something.
Believe it or not, but some of us can analyze alone what they need and what they like.
Such an objective and descriptive video can therefore help independent minded people (regardless of their age) to get a better idea of a product before its availability.
It is also a way to stimulate our GAS and feed it at the same time.
If you don’t like it, don’t watch it ! In fact, I don’t really understand what you are doing on this site, except for trolling and trying to sound smart.
You are an incredibly rude person, your comments serve no greater purpose other than to reveal you for the abhorrent person you are. It seems you carry with yourself an air of superiority, I couldn’t imagine anything more laughable than that idea….I would guess that all here see you for what you really are. The gentleman in the video deserves credit for putting in the time to add something of value…something which quite clearly cannot be said for you. A little bit of human decency and respect please.
Amalric is lower than a snake belly. Only whale feces are lower, because they float at the bottom of the sea.
Ralf, don’t waste time with him.
I like your reviews, I find them complete. Yes, they are long but also interesting, as you describe every aspect of the gear. Keep up the good work!
Yes, he won’t waste time with you either. He doesn’t belong to the hairdresser category.
How’s the beautification lately, darling?
Last week Noa sent me a nice email, and retweeted a pic I posted, so yes, I’m quite happy of my work, thanks! 😉
Hey Ralf, I like your reviews because you are very quick with testing new cameras and VERY comprehensive. I guess the videos could get a little bit less exhaustive (for you too) if you wouldn´t explain every little silly feature in depth. Just short and sweet – what is new, why is it exciting, how does it compare and how do you like it…
Ralf keep up the good work, it is much appreciated! A variety of reviewers and reviewing styles is always welcome.
Ralph, your reviews are thorough and functional … it is exactly what I am looking for (either that or I have to download the manual).
Digital rev is more for entertainment and laughs, but not useful or serious.
We are made differently. I enjoy Kai’s levity, while he goes right to the gist of the camera. Neither he or I will ever buy all the cameras, so one must see first if there is a motive to do so with the specific one. His levity is very akin to British understatement, but he does so without the stiff upper lip.
He also actually shoots in the street, he actually *takes real pictures*, so then you see how the camera would behave in your hands.
I don’t need to know the hundred items of a menu of a camera I won’t buy. I need to know if a camera will give me fun. Kai has the secret of the *fun factor*
Granted my German is very limited, but anytime I try and converse with somebody in German, they very kindly hold up their hand and start talking to me in very good English. It is rather embarrassing. Mein Deutsch ißt so schlecht! 🙂
Your German “eats” poorly? 😛
“ist”
Ha! I got excited with the es-zett. There’s no delete option on these comments. 😉 How about some umlauts instead?
Ich bin sehr wütend auf mich.
Your German “eats” poorly? 😛
“ist”
Amalric is a poop stain on the internet.
Even your mother hates you.
How dissapointed I am!!!
I was really looking foreward to getting this GX7. And they just had to BLEEP it up. Freking MORONS at Panasonic. First the 42.5 has unnessary OIS to to jack up the price!!! And now they just happen to omit the MIC jack for some STUPID remote jack — WHO WAS THE IDIOT that made that decision!!
I guess I staying with Canon after all….
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHHahahahHahahahahahahah……whaat?
I spent some time in Cameraworld and Jessops today with two different GX7 bodies. The camera feels great and the new grip is excellent. Viewfinder also lives up to high expectations, though not comfortable for vertical shots. However, I tried my Canon FD 28mm lens both with and without in-body stabilisation and noticed very little difference.
“though not comfortable for vertical shots”, so you will use screen for this?
Viewfinder is always preferable to screen, IMHO, and is still usable for vertical shots, just not as comfortable as the square-shaped LVF2 used on the GX1. When I expressed my dissatisfaction, the Panasonic representative said there was an optional square eyecup.
I miss round eyecups. I don’t know any humans with rectangular eye sockets.
Neeeeh, maybe after an loooong Saturday night, can eye feel rectangular. 😉
Since the GX7 will be available (in some countries, anyway) in a kit with the new 20mm lens, is there any chance they’ll have some samples of the new 20mm lens at these previews? I’m still waiting to hear of anyone actually trying the lens. Lots of people seem to assume it doesn’t have faster and/or quieter autofocus than the old version, but I’m still holding out hope.
Alan, the 20mm lens was not available at either of the London previews today. Nor did they have the kit lens, which apparently has been made marginally smaller for the GX7 and is not the same as the one that comes with the GF6. One thing I was not aware of is the camera had a focus scale graphic which shows the infinity point when using manual focus. The AF/MF switch is very well placed.
This scale you speak of…I assume it displays a distance scale of some sort when using native lenses, does it actually show the distance in meters/feet ? I ask because this could be a VERY useful features for zone focusing.
MJ, it was just a bar that turned red at and beyond infinity, with a marker where the current focus is but no scale. Apparently this was introduced a few cameras ago but I hadn’t seen it before as the GX1 doesn’t do it.
That sounds exactly like what the G6 has. I would’ve liked a scale in the display, but maybe it’s not that easy to calculate the exact distance. I was assuming the red area was “beyond hyperfocal distance” rather than “beyond infinity”, since why would you want to focus past infinity? (Though I know some lenses allow that.)
Thanks for the reply about lenses at the preview!
Yes, my mistake
The big question is, will it actually ship in September? Then again, I hope I’m one of the first to get it on amazon.
Panasonic is screwing us in USA, with the silver/black body only, but it seems this is “THE” MFT camera to get!
Some more detail after comparing the pre-production GX7’s IBIS at 28mm with the 14-42 stabilised lens at the same focal length. Perhaps Panasonic will improve it for production but currently the in-body stabilisation is much inferior to the lens stabilisation. The Panny lenses seem to recognise when your movement drops below a threshold and the image becomes very stable, but the in-body equivalent doesn’t seem to do this, it’s just a vague and barely noticeable (at 28mm) improvement over turning it off.
I can’t see it mentioned on any of the news articles, but both Panasonic representatives said the GX7 will be available on September 9th.
Thanks for the info Edvvc. Regarding your impressions on IBIS, I believe you made the comparison by the stabilized image on the screen. That would confirm that it will not be a great addition for video (if it can even work), but does not tell the story that much for stills.
My only hope is that they can make something consistent with 1-2 stops improvement but that does not blur pictures for some special cases. I’m afraid they will leave the video IBIS for the future GH7.
Hi ML, the IBIS assessment was from MF assist at 4X through the viewfinder. Perhaps the stabilisation kicks in more when taking an actual photo, which I didn’t try, but I was expecting the difference to be visible in MF assist, which it is for the 14-42 in-lens stabilisation.
Just wondering whether Leica will jump on the bandwagon again, a Leice G?
Who would want a series of f/1.2 Nocticrons’?
Plus perhaps a 10-25 f/2.5 – f/3.3 zoom 🙂
You can tell who does real photography by all the stupid comments against the gx7 completely missing its ergonomics, feature set, one of the best in class built in no less evfs around.
Substract those and you get a big subset from the remaining the ones that are trying to do some real photography.
– Raist
Why m43 if soon will be mirrorles ff and many options aps-c why !vall m43 will at seconds hands shop soon
Are people really this stupid somewhere in the world?
I got of couple of questions for you there genius. ..
-what do you think that ff mirrorless is gonna cost?
-how many lenses are there gonna be for it? Ever? When you answer that take into account that sony ALREADY said that faster than f2.8 on a prime would be too big.
-how fast do you think the focusing is gonna be?
-how big are the lenses gonna be?
-where is a f1.4 nex lens?
-f1.2?
-f2.8 zooms nex?
-any sharp lens at all?
-600mm equivalent?
-ultra wide?
-prime telephoto?
-have you asked yourself if theyre ever going to exist?
Get back to me with the answers. And if you have to use an adapter with a mirror and a sensor inside to answer, dont bother. A camera with the best sensor in the universe is garbage with no lenses or crappy consumer grade ones.
-what do you think that ff mirrorless is gonna cost?
> Less than FF. About same as m43 at equivalent apertures.
-how many lenses are there gonna be for it? Ever? When you answer that take into account that sony ALREADY said that faster than f2.8 on a prime would be too big.
> There have already been many mirrorless FF camera systems. Lots of lenses are already available.
-how fast do you think the focusing is gonna be?
> At least as fast
-how big are the lenses gonna be?
> At equivalent aperture, they will have the same size. Larger lenses will allow for more creativity which is impossible in m43
-where is a f1.4 nex lens?
> Is NEX FF? More than enough 1.4 FF lenses exist
-f1.2?
> Ditto
-f2.8 zooms nex?
> Ditto
-any sharp lens at all?
> LEICA and many many others
-600mm equivalent?
> At equivalent aperture? Otherwise, just crop a 300mm for same IQ.
-ultra wide?
> It gets repetitive.
-prime telephoto?
> Yawn.
-have you asked yourself if theyre ever going to exist?
> They already exist. There are mirrorless APS-C cameras with primes that are same size as m43. The m43 sensor is smaller than need be for small mirrorless cameras. Currently m43 is the more complete system, but in long term it will not hold.
The main advantage of m43 over APS-C and FF is that it is mirrorless (see the arguments on FourThirds website). With mirrorless APS-C and FF cameras, that advantage is gone.
Bottom of the barrel bottom feeder.
Mirrorless FF Cameras can use almost all FF lenses that are out there with adapters.
M-Mount lenses are not larger than mft lenses, but they are faster and for ff. Even if the new Sony/Zeiss lenses are bigger/heavier, most people that can afford them won´t care. They just want to use their leica or zeiss lenses on a modern high tech body with better low light performance and DR than any mft body is capable of.
The problem with mft is that it gets too expensive for what it delivers. But if ff mirrorless gets as cheap as ff dslrs (Nikon 600d/Canon 6d), I wouldn´t hesitate and switch systems.
True homer and some of the Anonymous people, the only moronic fanboys I see here… are you.
+100
Supposedly the Sony FF mirrorless body will go for $2800 +/-. That’s damn pricey, but as a 1st gen camera. with a built-in EVF (according to rumor) it may be an excellent start. My eyes will certainly be open, not necessarily my wallet. 😉
As for lenses, adapting Leica L and M mount rangefinder lenses seems as though it will be a perfect fit in terms of size and image quality. Adapting Nikon, Pentax, Canon or Olympus lenses is also a good option. Yes, those lenses are much bigger than RF lenses, but using a tiny-ish body, versus a 2+ pound behemoth will certainly offset that.
If the price is right, I’d go for it.
Yes you alway let us know you have lots of money for free. Guts or brains is a different thing.
Since you lack both, what’s your point of reference?
+1 Reeee. I’m keeping an eye on it too. The three important points are (to me): price <2800/3000 Euros and good compatibility (read not too strong vignetting) with wide M mounts lenses, and good EVF (its lack has been a no-buy for a RX1..).
Sony could really present a groundbreaking product.
Yes, indeed they could! Too bad I don’t have any children to sell in order to get one. 😉
The RX1 feels pretty nice for a version 1 camera, so I’ll be extremely curious to see the ILC version!
Since the participation has been so crappy, I want to give a parting gift.
Ian has been one of the few persons in Japan who tested the GX7 sensor:
http://www.fourthirds-user.com/forum/showthread.php?p=94157#post94157
“The sensor is not just tweaked – it is a major update and data we were shown indicates it outperforms the E-M5 sensor in certain areas (high ISO noise, for example).”
He also has samplesat the 4/3 User Forum.
So Peace and Love, to my enemies too 🙂
You’re a perverted voyeur.
Yes I like to watch the 43rumors forum and its wacky crowd, Anything else?
Do you know a *true* voyeur?
http://arttattler.com/commentarytichy.html
I love him. He now fetches real money, but too late. Sigh.
You are a perverted.
“it outperforms the E-M5 sensor in certain areas”
meaning that the GX7 sensor is still lagging behind in some areas.
One must know what SNR it has. With the E-M5 the improvement was both in DR and in sensitivity: 2 stops.
it was both in Jpeg and in RAW. I am agnostic in the GX7 case, I am waiting for the data. The frills of the camera I leave to others.
Your English is abnormal
Do you think that it is a correct expression if I say that Jaywol mod at DPR’s 1041 is a Nazi Cunt?
Do you belong to the same ugly species?
Motion to abort perpetual abuser Amalric. Should he come back under a new name, we will easily spot him by the smell he exudes.
Its rather useless to post GX7 news from the makers themselves. This counts for ALL manufacturers.
Come back when there are loads of independent user reports please.
Extremely great review. Thanks you for writing this post.