5.0 out of 5 stars
The G7 is one HECK of a nice camera!
Reviewed in the United States on 30 June 2015
EDITED 8/17/2015:
I recently received a Panasonic G7 from Amazon, and I have already shot over 20,000 frames with it during the seven weeks I've had it (with many different lenses, and with mostly using the electronic shutter), plus a few video tests. Since I already own the Panasonic G5, and GH4 (and I also had the G6), and have shot over 125,000(!) photos with these MFT cameras, I was familiar with Panasonic cameras, and also with the menu settings changes I generally make to get what I want in the images. The G7 fits “neatly” between the very small and light G5/6 bodies and the considerably larger and heavier GH4 (although that one is still relatively compact compared with most dSLRs, and its MFT lenses are also generally very compact and light – and this gear is FUN to carry and use!). I value the GH4 for its excellent EVF, great grip (it is easy and secure to use one-handed), its excellent set of useful external controls, its wide range of useful options in its easily-used menus, the excellence of its stills-quality (with selected type and sample of lenses, and with customized menu settings), and its great video capabilities. I value the G5 for its sharp EVF (the one on the G6 has better color and contrast, but it is not as sharp), its miniscule size and weight, its very good external controls and menus, and the excellence of its stills and video (although the G5, unlike the G6, has no external mic input, and it is without focus-peaking).
The G7 is a nice combination of the good qualities of both the G5/6 and the GH4, at a lower price in size, weight, and cost compared with the GH4 - although it is without weather-sealing and high data-rate and slow-motion 1080 video options (but it does have 100Mbps 4K-24/30P video plus “4K-Photo” options). The excellent EVF is similar to the one in the GH4, the grip is almost as good, the external controls (both buttons and knobs) are unusually numerous and useful, and the menus are similar to, and consistent with, those of the other models in the line. A few items have been added to what the G5 had: 4K-Photo/Video, the tone-curve adjustment shared with the GX7/8 and GH4 (I find this very useful!), “Diffraction Compensation” (I briefly tried this and decided to leave it “Off” – it progressively sharpens the image as the lens is stopped down to its smallest stops to offset the softening normally resulting from diffraction, but this can result in excessive noise even in good light - and this sharpening can be done better during editing), and an external mic input similar to the one on the G6 (but missing on the G5 and GX7). Using the G7's electronic shutter, leaving the EVF and camera always-on during shooting sessions, and using no flash, I get well over 600 JPG highest-quality frames per battery charge.
As for color and other photo characteristics, I appreciate having the ability to adjust EVERYTHING on these Panasonic MFT cameras (color balance and saturation, contrast, color-curves, sharpening and noise-reduction levels, etc.) - and I also appreciate being able to match surprisingly well the EVF's characteristics with those of my reference computer monitor so that I get very useful and accurate previewing while using the EVF (with a floppy wide-brimmed hat worn while outdoors to shade the EVF). These cameras are a "tweaker's" (read, "perfectionist's"...;-) dream come true...!
Overall, I have no real complaints with the G7, although a few things bothered me very slightly at first. As with the GH4, the rear “dial” (which on the G7 is a circle of buttons as with the G5, rather than a wheel as with the GH4) gets somewhat “hidden” below the rear surface of the camera toward the “dial’s” upper right – but this is to keep it from being unintentionally pressed/moved by the right hand gripping the camera. It took me a bit of time to remember the new way to access exposure bias adjustment (I generally use A-Priority, setting the aperture for best lens performance with each lens and/or for best DOF for what I want in the image – and I often adjust exposure-bias as I shoot, using the excellent EVF as a guide), and it required a button-push to access this on the G7 (the G5/6 and GH4 can be left with the rear thumb-wheel needing only to be moved in order to adjust exposure bias). But, I discovered that with going into "Dial Set" in the menus, I was able to enable exposure biasing with a simple turn of the rear wheel (no button press required!;-). Also, the image resolution is very slightly smaller than that of the other Panasonic cameras I've used, but this is of little practical consequence. And, as others have noticed, the G7's (and also my GH4's) serial number tends to "evaporate" - and with my G7, there is now no trace remaining of that number. Panasonic has recognized this issue, and if both the box label with the serial number and the purchase invoice are retained, and if the camera is registered with Panasonic, the warranty will be honored.
Bottom line: this is one HECK of a nice camera, at a very decent price! Highly recommended! (A few photos taken with the G7 are attached...)
--DR
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