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Panasonic has been very busy rolling out many interesting new cameras over the last few months. I have been testing several of them.
This post is a quick image quality comparison between the following five units:
* GX8 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8
* G7 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8
* FZ1000
* LX100
* FZ300
For this test I selected an outdoor scene with high brightness range and large amounts of fine detail.
I used a tripod and 2 second timer, set the focal length to (equivalent) 70mm and used 3:2 aspect ratio on the LX100, the only one of the group with variable aspect ratio. I used a lens aperture previously determined to be best for that camera/lens and the lowest standard ISO setting for each camera.
Lighting was overcast/sunny/bright, with some variation between frames due to the changing cloud
cover.
The top photo shows the full frame, cropped top and bottom for presentation.
The remainder of the photos are of a substantial crop from the full frame.
I had some pictures in 4:3 aspect ratio and some in 3:2 ratio, with pixel counts from 12-20 Mpx.
In order to evaluate the results on screen I output each file to the same horizontal dimension as the G7. This meant increasing the LX100 and FZ300 and decreasing the GX8 and FZ1000 in Photoshop.
I processed each RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw 9.1.1 to “best result” as determined by me.
The results are basically as expected from the specifications of the equipment used for each photo.
Lenses This proved an easy win for the 12-35mm as expected. This is one of the best zooms available for M43 cameras and I got a very good copy on this occasion. I have in the past had not-so-good copies. Panasonic announced some time ago that they had improved their lens manufacturing quality and maybe it is true.
The FZ1000 lens is excellent considering it has a 16x zoom range but is not quite in the same class as the 12-35.
The LX100 lens is very good in the center but softens towards the edges especially at the long end and 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratio.
The FZ300 comes in last. No surprises there but considering this is a 24x zoom it delivers very good results. My copy also stays decently sharp right to (focal length equivalent) 600mm at which point it delivers resolution the same as the FZ1000 cropped to the same angle of view.
Overall appearance At small output sizes you would be hard pressed to pick which picture came from which camera. The colors (after some adjustment in CR) and the overall appearance are very similar.
Highlight and shadow detail A few years ago I would have expected the camera with the smallest sensor to blow out highlights. But on this and several other tests I found each camera’s ability to render highlight and shadow detail very similar even with high subject brightness range. That is a commendable performance for the FZ300 which has a very small sensor.
Color rendition The M43 cameras with the largest sensor had the most saturated colors, followed by the FZ1000 then the FZ300. In this case, bigger is better.
Grain Again this went with sensor size. The larger sensors had the least grain. The difference was apparent at 100% on screen even at base ISO.
Resolution/detail Best was the GX8 which very slightly beat the G7. I had to look very closely at 100% or 200% on screen to pick this however. On many photos the difference will not be detectable.
Next came the FZ1000 which is very good but not quite able to match the M43 cameras with the excellent 12-35mm lens.
The LX100 delivers very good resolution in a broad central area of the frame although not as much as the FZ1000 and M43 cameras and it fades a bit at the edges due to the lens characteristics.
Last as expected is the FZ300. This does a good job for a 24x superzoom and is better than the
Canon SX60 and Nikon P900 which I tested earlier this year. But it can’t keep up with the other cameras tested here.
Summary
Image quality from the GX8 is marginally better than the G7.
Both these M43 cameras beat the FZ1000 but I suspect the 12-35mm lens has a large part to play in that. I did not have a 14-140mm lumix lens for testing but I have used this lens before and while it is a very good general purpose lens it is not in the same class as the 12-35mm.
The LX100 is outclassed outdoors by the M43 cameras and the FZ1000 but indoors in low light the tables are turned. Then the LX100 can use f1.7 to enable lower ISO settings for a better overall result.
The FZ300 is a good camera for the holiday/travel purpose for which it was designed.
For overall versatility, combining imaging ability, performance and freedom from having to change lenses the FZ1000 is an easy winner.
It has 5.3 times the zoom range of the 12-35mm and travels in the same sized carry bag as the GX8 with 12-35mm mounted.
The value for money equation also heavily favours the FZ1000. It can be had for half the price of a GX8 +12-35mm and is only 23% more expensive than the FZ300 which it comprehensively outperforms in every respect.
The last word
There is much excitement on camera review sites and user forums at the moment about new release full frame cameras with amazing pixel counts of 36, 42 and even 50 Mpx.
When I look at photos made with 20 or even 16 Mpx M43 and “one inch” sensor cameras like the FZ1000, I see an amazing amount of detail.
I see details most people could not have seen in the original scene. I wonder why the great majority of enthusiast photographers might want more resolution.
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