The versatile master in your pocket Panasonic DMC-GX7 review

IT168? Review It’s 2014 in a blink of an eye. It’s been a while since the release of Panasonic GX7, but as the saying goes – never be too late when you’re good with food: when you get it, this camera can still give you I was pleasantly surprised and had the long-lost urge to shoot. Of course, the Leica standard 25mm (equivalent to 50mm) F1.4 lens also sent for testing is also an important reason. After all, every photographer will feel that they have something to do with Bresson when using the header. Let’s find out what surprises this leader in the M43 camp will bring us.

1. Design control

▲Appearance of Panasonic GX7 with 25mm F1.4 lens

As for the body, it has a cold metal texture and excellent manufacturing technology The built GX7 feels very good in hand, something that can only be experienced but cannot be expressed in words. All in all, it is definitely much better than the plastic body. Personally, I feel that the GX7 is better than many cameras with metal bodies in terms of hand feel. Paired with LEICA DG SUMMILUX 1:1.4/25 ASPH, it can just fit into the pocket of a jacket, and its portability is very good.

▲The front of the fuselage

The front is designed in a minimalist style, with only one lens release button. The protruding handle part is covered with fine skin, providing a good holding experience. With neither a shoulder strap nor a wrist strap, I didn’t feel any discomfort on my wrist for an afternoon of shooting.

▲The back of the fuselage

The back design is compact and can be flipped (Specifications) The EVF viewfinder and a folding screen that supports tilt shooting (does not support flipping for selfies) give this camera enough professionalism and flexibility. The buttons are designed for one-handed operation by the right hand and are all concentrated in the right-hand area. ***There are 4 customizable physical buttons, plus five virtual customizable buttons on the touch screen, allowing this camera to become personalized as needed. It is worth mentioning that after pressing down, the rear pulsator turns into an exposure compensation button, which is similar to the design of the middle button of a mouse. Small machines adopt this design, which not only saves space, but also facilitates control.

▲Top of the fuselage

The top of the fuselage is truly compact. From right to left are the EVF viewfinder, flash hot shoe and built-in flash. The shutter button has an integrated secondary wave. wheel, an obvious video button and mode dial. Of course, the mode dial also integrates a power on/off lever. Truly "leaving no room for anything".

▲Side of the fuselage

On both sides are two strap interfaces. After opening the left hatch cover, from bottom to top are the remote control interface, HDMI interface and AV OUT/ DIGITAL interface. Although viewed from the side, the EVF protrudes a lot from the back. However, judging from the solid workmanship and materials used, there is no need to worry about it being damaged when placed in the bag.

▲Bottom of the fuselage, battery and charger

The bottom battery compartment has an integrated SD card slot. The battery model is DMW-BLG10GK, 7.2v 1025mAh 7.4Wh lithium-ion battery. The size of the charger is not small.

2. Control and functions

The first thing worth mentioning about the Panasonic GX7 is the 2*2 viewfinder. Both the viewfinder and the display screen can be flipped 90 degrees, making it convenient for photographers to choose from various Shooting at different angles enables one camera to be used for multiple purposes, which is difficult to achieve with SLR cameras. For example, I like to use the 50mm focal length and put the camera in front of my waist to shoot. This way it will not attract attention and it is easy to take good street sweeping photos. When I use a SLR camera, because it has an optical eye-level viewfinder, I often have to estimate the focus and take blind shots. When using the GX7, we can flip the display over to take a view at waist level. What you see is what you get. This is undoubtedly a powerful tool in street photography.

Secondly, the peak focus function of the Panasonic GX7 is also very good in actual combat. I often set the focus point to full-area automatic, which is enough to cope with most scenes. When the focus plane needs to be carefully grasped when there are flowers like those in the picture above, just turn the focus ring to switch to manual focus and it will automatically enter the peak assist mode, which is very convenient.

▲Panasonic GX7 supports WiFi and NFC

▲iPad controls the camera to take screenshots

Panasonic GX7’s support for wireless connections is not just as simple as transferring photos. After simple pairing, you can use your smart device to shoot remotely. The app has many adjustable parameters for the camera and is very playable. Many people are concerned about the power consumption after turning on WiFi. In my opinion, it is not too big. After all, it is a function that is not always turned on. It is fun to adjust it occasionally.

3. Camera imaging quality

Panasonic GX7 is equipped with an M43 specification 16-megapixel CMOS, using Panasonic's latest image processing technology - LiveMOS sensor plus Venus engine, its imaging How is the performance?

Imaging sharpness performance

Let’s take a look at how the Panasonic GX7’s resolution performed in the test. For this test, we still used the method of shooting ISO 12233 standard cards.

▲Panasonic GX7 with header center resolution

▲Panasonic GX7 with header edge resolution

After testing, the resolution of Panasonic GX7 is good, and the center resolution (The limit) can reach 2500 lines, which is already the leader in the M43 camp. Another point to mention is that this Leica standard 25mm lens also performs well, with good sharpness, bokeh and anti-glare capabilities.

High-sensitivity imaging performance

Similarly, we use 100% slices to see how this camera performs at high sensitivity

▲Each sensitivity level Comparison of 100% slices below

Judging from the screenshots, Panasonic’s performance at sensitivities below ISO800 is remarkable: there is very little loss of detail and the noise is not easily noticeable. Although there is a loss of detail at ISO1600, the noise is also within the acceptable range. As for the image quality in the ISO3200-6400 range, post-process noise reduction is required, and the loss of details is also serious. No matter how high the sensitivity is, it is recommended to only be used for recording. Of course, in reality, it is difficult to use such a high sensitivity as long as you have a large-aperture fixed-focus lens coupled with body image stabilization.

4. Review Summary and Samples

As a high-end model of the M43 mirrorless, the Panasonic GX7 is obviously not built for beginners in photography. Whether it can meet the needs of advanced enthusiasts will naturally become the criterion for judging the success of this camera. The good body design and workmanship give this body sufficient reliability; the 2*2 viewing mode gives this camera more shooting flexibility. In terms of functionality, it has almost everything it needs and has no obvious flaws. Of course, in terms of image quality, since it is the latest image processing technology, the performance is also remarkable. All in all, it is a no-regret choice for M43 single-electric enthusiasts.

Advantages:

1. 2*2 framing method provides more shooting flexibility;

2. Complete functions, everything you need;

< p>3. Rich lens group and strong scalability.

Disadvantages:

1. When the impeller fluctuates rapidly, the aperture adjustment will be out of touch, affecting the snapshot experience.

Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

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▲Panasonic GX7 proofs

▲Panasonic GX7 proofs