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| G7 in hand. It is difficult to show in a photo but this camera has very good viewing, holding and operating characteristics. The handle and control dial arrangements are a big improvement over the G6 and in my view represent one of the best ergonomic ILC packages on the market today. |
The Panasonic Lumix G1 of 2008 was the first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) and the first camera built to the then new Micro Four Thirds (M43) sensor and lens mount standard.
I bought a G1 then G3, G5, G6, GH2, GH3, GH4, and GX7.
The “G-with-no-other-letter” (or “Just G” if you like) series appeared to stall last year when no follow up for the G6 of 2013 appeared.
I posted on this blog a piece arguing that Panasonic needed to persist with the Just G series as it represents a core product line for the M43 system.
Now at last the G7 has arrived more than two years after the G6.
It comes onto the market at an attractive price point, below that of the GM5 and far below the GH4 and GX8.
I made a resolution early this year not to buy any more ILCs but then went ahead and bought a G7 anyway.
The rationalisation was that I would investigate whether the LX100 or G7 with kit lens would make the better all-day-walk-around-carry-around-street-and-field shooter. Indeed I have done that and will report my findings in detail soon. [Preview: The LX100 is a bit better indoors in low light, the G7 a bit better outdoors].
But on reflection I think the main reason I got the G7 was to discover for myself what Panasonic has done with the ergonomics. My studies of camera ergonomics began with the G1 and have been informed by each successive model.
Has it been worth the wait for the Lumix G faithful or is the G7 a case of too little, too late ?
I review cameras under the following headings:
* Specification, features and market position
* Image Quality
* Performance
* Ergonomics
Market position
The G7 is an upper entry to enthusiast level mini DSLR shape interchangeable lens camera (ILC).
It competes with DSLRs and other MILCs around the same price range.
Although the G7 lacks a standout USP (unique selling point) it impresses me as a very competent all rounder which can carry out a wide range of photographic tasks quickly and competently while providing an enjoyable user experience.
Features and Specifications
The G7 may look like a fairly innocuous small camera but it comes loaded to the brim with a multitude of sophisticated features and performance capabilities for both still and 4K video capture.
Image Quality The G7 uses the same or very similar 16 Mpx sensor and processor as the GH4 and has, as best I can tell, identical image quality. That’s a good thing, allowing the G7 to deliver very good quality pictures in a wide variety of conditions.
The 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Mk2 kit lens which I used for the test proved to be a little gem. It only adds $100 to the basic body price but delivers remarkably sharp, clear results at all focal lengths and apertures, right across the frame including the corners.
Performance The G7 operates very quickly. It is very responsive to all user inputs.
Shot to shot time with single shot and AFS on every frame is basically as fast as I can get my right index finger up and down on the shutter button. The stop watch tells me that is 3.2 shots per second.
Single AF is extremely fast, sensitive, reliable and more accurate than a DSLR.
Continuous AF and predictive AF have been substantially upgraded using the new Panasonic DFD function. It was once the case that MILCs had inferior predictive AF to DSLRs.
That is no longer so. The G7 with a suitable lens (which does not include the Lumix 100-300mm) can hold focus on a moving subject at 6 frames per second with live view and CAF on every frame. With a fast memory card it can shoot 18 RAW frames before the buffer fills.
This performance is comparable to near-pro level APS-C DSLRs which are much more expensive than the G7.
Ergonomics The G7 has by far the best ergonomics of all the Just G cameras. Panasonic has finally got the size, shape, layout, handle and controls right. I have some minor quibbles about haptic details on the 4 way controller and buttons but overall I rate the G7 a big step forward for G series ergonomics.
This being the Camera Ergonomics blog I will be posting a detailed analysis of G7 ergonomics and user experience over the coming weeks.
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| There are many of these Casuarina trees where I live. I use them for lens testing because their fine fronds challenge the resolution of the lens/sensor combination. The G7 even with kit lens performs admirably. This image had been downsized and compressed for the internet. In the original the fronds are rendered very clearly all over the frame. |
Summary for now
The G7 is one of the most capable and user friendly small ILCs which I have ever had the pleasure to use. On its merits it is a very good camera with excellent performance.
If it had been released a year ago I suspect it might have been a big success for Panasonic. Maybe it still will be, given its attractive price point and a growing consumer awareness of the capability of MILCs.
But this year’s market place has become intensely competitive with appealing cameras in the same or near price range on all sides.
These include MILCs and also Fixed Zoom Lens Cameras (FZLC) the latest crop of which are challenging the desirability of ILCs.
Some of the challenge comes from Panasonic itself with the admittedly more expensive 20 Mpx GX8 coming onto the market in the last few days and the very capable FZ1000 having proved its worth over the last year.
The market will decide.
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