First Look - Panasonic Lumix GX-7

gx7 The GX-7 is the latest in the Lumix family of M4/3 interchangeable lens mirror less cameras, or as I prefer to refer to them, "cameras".  Seriously, we can stop the whole mirror less vs DSLR crap ok?

LumixGX7-019Quickly, it is a 16MP micro four thirds architecture using the standard M43 mount for lenses.  The LCD is 3" and has 1040K dots for great viewing.  Of course it does video, I'm pretty sure that if you buy a hamster today it does 1080p video.  The camera is WiFi capable and also supports NFC with capable devices.  The body comes in either black or silver.  Panasonic makes a big deal of the Venus processing engine that has superior noise management for improved low light shots.  In my own AUTO ISO test, ISO floats to 3200 still produced really nice images.

LumixGX7-008The GX-7 is like many other cameras of the type.  It's compact, takes great lenses and is really targeted at the more serious photographer.  That's not to say you cannot shoot the camera in P all the time, but you don't have to.  Moreover the choices are not cluttered with a bunch of "picture styles".   Relax there are photo styles, but not in the way.  I shot the camera predominantly in Aperture preferred, using AUTO ISO as well as specific settings for ISO.  I used a number of different lenses on the camera including the Olympus 17/2.8, the Sigma 30/2.8, the Sigma 60/2.8, the Olympus 9-18 and the Olympus 14-150/4.5-5.6.  I had some extra time at the store where I work part time so did my first look there.

The camera uses SD cards and is powered by a Lithium ion battery.  While there were Lumix lenses in the store, I just don't care for the Lumix power zoom or the 14-42.

LumixGX7-024In addition to a very bright and sharp rear LCD that tilts up and down, there is an EVF to the left rear that also tilts.  The EVF has a diopter adjustment hidden on the bottom to adjust for your own eyesight.  The EVF display is awesome with 2764K dot equivalency.  It's bright and easy on the eyes, plus the eye detection system works fast and accurately.

Light in the store was, well it was crappy, so the available shutter speeds even at high ISO were relatively slow.  I was very impressed by the in body stabilization because I typically cannot handhold a 300mm equivalent at 1/60s.  Images on the screen were sharp and easy to check.  Uploaded to Lightroom 5.2 the RAWs were read without problem and all the EXIF data came across.  There are no lens profile corrections at this moment for the combinations I used, but in general the lenses I tried were very good.  Colour balance was excellent even when switching lens brands.  Autofocus is super fast.  I was using my store test card, a 4GB Transcend piece of crap, and writing speed for RAW+JPEG was pretty slow.  I do not blame the camera, I blame the junk card.  When I get a long form test unit, I will use a proper card.

LumixGX7-022There is a built in transformer like articulating flash, but what is better and far more useful is the fully functional hot shoe.  You can use Lumix TTL flashes of course, but I would be more inclined to use a Pocket Wizard to fire real strobes.  The camera's small size makes it very fast to shoot.

The downside for me is that I have larger hands and while the body is very positively grippable, I found I was hitting the buttons and rocker with the base of my thumb when using the camera one handed.  The LCD is a touch screen and because I shoot left eyed, I not only got nose prints on the LCD, I also managed to activate the touch screen.  Not optimal.  Since this was a first look, I did not read the documentation to see if the sensitivity is adjustable.

I love the image quality, think that the camera is extremely usable and the EVF is brilliant.  I look forward to a longer term test but as it sits, after 20 minutes, I put the camera away and won't miss it.  The right side strap lug could not be in a worse place.  It interferes with the grip, it presses into your hand, and it makes using the camera awkward.  Seriously if this were my camera, I would find a way to remove the lug entirely and use a Black Rapid or Cotton Carrier strap screwed into the tripod socket.  It's such a good little camera that the discomfort of the stupid lug annoys me even to write about it.

If you have smaller hands, or less meaty hands and want a really superlative small, fast camera that has access to the pantheon of M4/3 lenses, take a look at the Lumix GX-7.  I think you'll be impressed.

The sample images contained here are the original RAW files, imported to Lightroom and exported as 80% JPEGs, 72 DPI, sharpened for screen.  No colour, WB or any other processing was done.  You can see that the camera produces really nice images, no muss, no fuss.

Full specifications courtesy Panasonic

DMC-GX7

TYPE Type Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera
Recording Media SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card (Compatible with UHS-I standard SDHC / SDXC Memory Cards)
Image Sensor Size 17.3 x 13.0 mm (in 4:3 aspect ratio)
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds mount
IMAGE SENSOR Type Live MOS Sensor
Total Pixels 16.84 Megapixels
Camera Effective Pixels 16.00 Megapixels
Color Filter Primary color filter
Dust Reduction System Supersonic wave filter
IMAGE STABILIZATION SYSTEM Image Stabilization System Image Sensor Shift Type
RECORDING SYSTEM Recording File Format
Still Image: JPEG (DCF, Exif 2.3), RAW MPO (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard)
Motion Image: AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Digital 2ch) / MP4 (Audio format AAC 2ch)
Aspect Ratio 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Image Quality RAW, RAW+Fine, RAW+Standard, Fine, Standard MPO+Fine, MPO+Standard (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard)
Color Space sRGB, Adobe RGB
File Size (Pixels) Still Image [4:3] 4,592 x 3,448 (L), 3,232 x 2,424 (M), 2,272 x 1,704 (S), 1,824 x 1,368 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [3:2] 4,592 x 3,064 (L), 3,232 x 2,160 (M), 2,272 x 1,520 (S), 1,824 x 1,216 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [16:9] 4,592 x 2,584 (L), 3,232 x 1,824(M), 1,920 x 1,080 (S), 1,824 x 1,024 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard) [1:1] 3,424 x 3,424 (L), 2,416 x 2,416 (M), 1,712 x 1,712 (S), 1,712 x 1,712 (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds System standard)
Motion Image* MP4 NTSC Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 60fps (sensor output is 60p, 28Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 30fps (sensor output is 30p, 20Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 30fps (sensor output is 30p, 10Mbps) [VGA] 640 x 480, 30fps (sensor output is 30p, 4Mbps)
PAL Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 50fps (sensor output is 50p, 28Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 25fps (sensor output is 25p, 20Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 25fps (sensor output is 25p, 10Mbps) [VGA] 640 x 480, 25fps (sensor output is 25p, 4Mbps)
AVCHD Progressive NTSC Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 60fps (sensor output is 60p, 28 Mbps)
PAL Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 50fps (sensor output is 50p, 28 Mbps)
AVCHD NTSC Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 60i (sensor output is 60p, 17Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 60i (sensor output is 30p, 24Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 24p (sensor output is 24p, 24Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 60p (sensor output is 60p, 17Mbps)
PAL Area [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 50i (sensor output is 50p, 17Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 50i (sensor output is 25p, 24Mbps) [Full HD] 1,920 x 1,080, 24p (sensor output is 24p, 24Mbps) [HD] 1,280 x 720, 50p (sensor output is 50p, 17Mbps)
Continuous Recordable Time (Motion Image)* AVCHD: Approx. 140 min with H-FS1442A / Approx. 130 min with H-H020A
Actual Recordable Time (Motion Image)* AVCHD: Approx. 70 min with H-FS1442A / Approx. 65 min with H-H020A
Flicker Reduction [1/50] [1/60] [1/100] [1/120] / OFF
Wi-Fi FUNCTION Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 2412 MHz - 2462 MHz (11 ch), Wi-Fi / WPA / WPA2, Infrastructure mode
NFC ISO/IEC 18092, NFC-F (Passive Mode)
VIEWFINDER Type LCD Live View Finder (2,764,800 dots equivalent)
Tilting Yes
Field of View Approx. 100%
Magnification Approx. 1.39x / 0.7x (35 mm camera equivalent) with 50 mm lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1
Eye Point Approx. 17.5 mm from eyepiece lens
Diopter Adjustment -4.0 - +3.0 (dpt)
Eye Sensor Yes
Eye Sensor Adjustment High / Low
FOCUS Type Contrast AF system
Focus Mode AFS (Single) / AFF (Flexible) / AFC (Continuous) / MF
AF Mode Face detection / AF Tracking / 23-area-focusing / 1-area-focusing / Pinpoint
AF Detective Range EV -4 - 18 (ISO100 equivalent)
AF Assist Lamp YES
AF Lock Set the Fn button in custom menu to AF lock
Others Quick AF, Continuous AF (during motion image recording), AF+MF, Eye Sensor AF, Touch AF/AE Function, Touch Pad AF, Touch shutter, MF Assist, Touch MF Assist, One Shot AF
EXPOSURE CONTROL Light Metering System 1,728-zone multi-pattern sensing system
Light Metering Mode Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
Metering Range EV 0 - 18 (F2.0 lens, ISO100 equivalent)
Exposure Mode Program AE / Aperture Priority AE / Shutter Priority AE / Manual
ISO Sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity) Auto / Intelligent ISO / 125 (Extended) / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 / 12800 / 25600 (Changeable to 1/3 EV step)
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV Step, ±5 EV
AE Lock Set the Fn button in custom menu to AE lock
AE Bracket 3, 5, 7 frames, in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV Step, ±3 EV
WHITE BALANCE White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Incandescent / Flash / White Set 1, 2 / Color temperature setting
White Balance Adjustment Blue/amber bias, Magenta/green bias
Color Temperature Setting 2,500 K - 10,000 K in 100 K
White Balance Bracket 3 exposures in blue/amber axis or in magenta/green axis
SHUTTER Type Focal-plane shutter
Shutter Speed Still Images: Bulb (Max. 120 seconds), 1/8,000 - 60 Motion Images: 1/16,000 - 1/25 (NTSC area / PAL area)
Self Timer 10 sec, 3 images / 2 sec / 10 sec
SCENE GUIDE Still Image Clear Portrait / Silky Skin / Backlit Softness / Clear in Backlight / Relaxing Tone / Sweet Child's Face / Distinct Scenery / Bright Blue Sky / Romantic Sunset Glow / Vivid Sunset Glow / Glistening Water / Clear Nightscape / Cool Night Sky / Warm Glowing Nightscape / Artistic Nightscape / Glittering Illuminations / Clear Night Portrait / Soft Image of a Flower / Appetizing Food / Cute Dessert / Freeze Animal Motion / Clear Sports Shot / Monochrome / Panorama
Motion Image Clear Portrait / Silky Skin / Backlit Softness / Clear in Backlight / Relaxing Tone / Sweet Child's Face / Distinct Scenery / Bright Blue Sky / Romantic Sunset Glow / Vivid Sunset Glow / Clear Nightscape / Cool Night Sky / Warm Glowing Nightscape / Artistic Nightscape / Clear Night Portrait / Appetizing Food / Cute Dessert / Freeze Animal Motion / Clear Sports Shot / Monochrome
BURST SHOOTING Burst Speed Mechanical shutter: H: 5.0 frames/sec (with AFS), 4.3 frames/sec (with AFC, In 1-area-focusing AF mode), M: 4.0 frames/sec (with Live View), L: 2.0 frames/sec (with Live View) Electronic shutter: SH: 40.0 frames/sec, H: 10.0 frames/sec, M: 4.0 frames/sec (with Live View), L: 2.0 frames/sec (with Live View)
Number of Recordable Images 9 images (when there are RAW files with the particular speed) Unlimited consecutive shooting (when there are no RAW files) (depending on aspect ratio, memory card size, picture size, and the setting for the quality)
BUILT-IN-FLASH Type TTL Built-in-Flash, GN7.0 equivalent (ISO200 · m), GN5.0 equivalent (ISO100 · m), Built-in Pop-up
Flash Mode Auto, Auto / Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On / Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. / Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Synchronization Speed Less than 1/320 second (Built-in Flash) Less than 1/250 second (External Flash)
Flash Synchronization 1st Curtain Sync., 2nd Curtain Sync.
MONITOR Type Tilt static LCD with touch monitor
Monitor Size 3.0 inch (7.5 cm) / 3:2 Aspect / Wide-viewing angle
Pixels Approx. 1,040K dots
Field of View Approx. 100%
Monitor Adjustment Brightness, Contrast and Saturation, Red tint, Blue tint
LIVE VIEW Digital Zoom 2x, 4x
Extra Tele Conversion Still Image: Max. 2x (Aspect ratio sets at 4:3. Not effective with L size recording. Magnification ratio depends on the recording pixels and aspect ratio.) Motion Image: 2.4x (FHD/60p, FHD/60i, FHD/30p, FHD/24p in NTSC area / FHD/50p, FHD/50i, FHD/25p, FHD/24p in PAL area), 3.6x (HD/60p, HD/30p in NTSC area / HD/50p, HD/25p in PAL area), 4.8x (VGA/30p in NTSC area / VGA/25p in PAL area)
Other Functions Guide Lines (3 patterns) Real-time Histogram
LEVEL GAUGE Yes
DIRECTION DETECTION FUNCTION Yes
FUNCTION BUTTON Fn1, Fn2, Fn3, Fn4, Fn5, Fn6, Fn7, Fn8, Fn9 Wi-Fi / Q.MENU / LVF/Monitor Switch / AF/AE LOCK / AF-ON / One Push AE / Touch AE / Preview / Level Gauge / Focus Area Set / Zoom Control / Photo Style / Aspect Ratio / Picture Size / Quality / Metering Mode / Highlight Shadow / i. Dynamic / i. Resolution / HDR / Electronic Shutter / Flash Mode / Ex. Tele Conv. / Digital Zoom / Stabilizer / Motion Pic. Set / Picture Mode / Silent Mode / AFS/AFF/AFC / Peaking / Histogram / Guide Line / Rec Area / Step Zoom / Zoom Speed / Sensitivity / White Balance / AF Mode / Drive Mode / Restore to Default
CREATIVE CONTROL Still Image Expressive / Retro / Old Days / High Key / Low Key / Sepia / Monochrome / Dynamic Monochrome / Rough Monochrome / Silky Monochrome / Impressive Art / High Dynamic / Cross Process / Toy Effect / Toy Pop / Bleach Bypass / Miniature Effect / Soft Focus / Fantasy / Star Filter / One Point Color / Sunshine
Motion Image Expressive / Retro / Old Days / High Key / Low Key / Sepia / Monochrome / Dynamic Monochrome / Impressive Art / High Dynamic / Cross Process / Toy Effect / Toy Pop / Bleach Bypass / Miniature Effect / Fantasy / One Point Color
CREATIVE VIDEO MODE Exposure Mode Program AE / Aperture-Priority / Sutter-Priority / Manual Exposure
PHOTO STYLE Still Image and Motion Image Standard / Vivid / Natural / Monochrome / Scenery / Portrait / Custom
PLAYBACK Playback Mode Normal playback, 30-thumbnail display, 12-thumbnail display, Calendar display, Zoomed playback (Max. 16x), Slideshow (duration & effect is selectable), Playback Mode (Normal / Picture / Video / 3D Play / Category / Favorite), Location Logging, Clear Retouch, Title Edit, Text Stamp, Video Divide, Time Lapse Video, Stop Motion Video, Resize, Cropping, Rotate, Favorite, Print Set, Protect, Face Recognition Edit
IMAGE PROTECTION / ERASE Protection Single / Multi, Cancel
Erase Single / Multi / All / Except Favorite
PRINT Direct Print PictBridge compatible
INTERFACE USB USB 2.0 High Speed Multi
HDMI mini HDMI TypeC / VIERA Link Video: Auto / 1080p / 1080i / 720p / 480p (576p in PAL system) Audio: Stereo
Audio Video Output Monaural Type, NTSC / PAL, NTSC only for North America * Check the website of the Panasonic sales company in your country or region for details on the products that are available in your market.
Remote Input φ2.5mm for remote
Microphone Stereo
Speaker Monaural
LANGUAGE OSD Language English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Russian, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Thai, Korean, Turkish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, Japanese, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Vietnamese * Check the website of Panasonic sales company in your country / region or ask customer support for details of the OSD language available on the products sold in your country / region.
POWER Battery Li-ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1,025mAh) (Included) Battery Charger
Battery Life (CIPA Standard)** Approx. 350 images with H-FS1442A Approx. 320 images with H-H020A
DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT Dimensions (W x H x D) 122.60 x 70.7 x 54.6 mm / 4.83 x 2.78 x 2.15 inch
Weight Approx. 402 g / 0.89 lb (SD card, Battery, Body) Approx. 360 g / 0.79 lb (Body only) Approx. 489 g / 1.08 lb (SD card, Battery, H-H020A lens included) Approx. 512 g / 1.13 oz (SD card, Battery, H-FS1442A lens included)
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT Operating Temperature 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F)
Operating Humidity 10%RH to 80%RH

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 7

The Photo Video Guy Podcast is created for photographic and videographic enthusiasts featuring news, reviews, tips and tricks and is the audio companion to thephotovideoguy.ca and thephotovideoguy.com web sites. This Episode

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