The DMC-G7 brings a host of exciting st ills and video features to a very competitive part of the camera market. Andy Luck finds out if it is likely to leave the others in its wake
Almost seven years ago we reviewed the Panasonic DMC-G1. Weighing in at just 385g, body only, and 638g with the 14-45mm kit lens, the G1 was revolutionary at the time, packing near DSLR image quality – from its half- 35mm, 12MP, micro-four-thirds sensor – into a tiny, lightweight body that could easily be carried around.
While Panasonic’s GH series of cameras has over the years grown in bulk and weight to be close to entry-level DSLR size, the G series has stayed faithful to the original G1 design concept. The latest iteration, the G7, tips the scales at a mere 410g including battery and SD card. It also remains a very small camera for an interchangeable lens model. Like the original G1, the G7 includes a built-in pop-up fl ash where the pentaprism would be on a conventional DSLR, and while it’s not the most handsome camera, it looks well built with some charm in its plain design.
Like the original G1, the G7 also features a very useful fully articulating LCD screen – in the G7’s case it’s an excellent 3in, 1,040k-dot touchscreen. The electronic live viewfinder, at 2.36m-dots, is also superb and enjoys a 100% field of view, something that can’t be had from the majority of optical viewfinder equipped cameras at this level. The sensor resolution has not increased from the 16MP of the G6 version, but with the new Venus Engine Processor, still image quality is very good, bearing in mind the small 17.3mm x 13mm Live MOS sensor. It also has an impressive range of ISO sensitivities from 100 to 25600.
A key selling point with the G7 is, as the Panasonic literature says, making the world of 4K available to all. Offering 4K at this level of camera is significant, especially as 8MP stills can be taken from the 4K footage, which is big enough to make a decent A4 print. It’s easy to capture difficult or unpredictable moments in time too, as afterwards you can simply scroll through 30 frames per second of video to select the frame that captures the precise instant of the action you were after – a real bonus for adventure sports or wildlife photographers.
The focus system of the G7 is very impressive and uses Panasonic’s Depth From Defocus (DFD) autofocus technology. Conventional autofocus works by using the contrast in an image, whereas DFD ingeniously uses an inbuilt database, with the known depth of field and bokeh characteristics of all the Panasonic lenses, to achieve perfect focus in record time. This new system has a claimed AF speed of up to 0.07 seconds and enables a very fast burst speed with full AF tracking of seven frames per second, which again is very impressive at this level. The DFD focus also improves continuous focusing when shooting video.
It is as a hybrid camera that the G7 works best and, in addition to the aforementioned 4K and full HD 1080p recording, Panasonic has made every effort to include other standout features that appeal to stills and video shooters. Among them are focus peaking, a level gauge and a 3.5mm microphone socket, something that is often missing from video-enabled cameras at this level. It’s also nice to see that just as you can take stills from video, you can also create video from stills with Time Lapse Shot and Stop Motion Animation features built-in.
Wildlife photographers in particular will also appreciate the silent electronic shutter mode, making this camera ideal for situations where a shutter sound would be intrusive. In addition, 22 creative filters are available to add effects to images in-camera, and the built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to share images you have created via social media sites. Panasonic has also included an improved Creative 360º Panorama feature.
VERDICT
It may not be the most striking looking camera but, all in all, the G7 fully matches the expectations that have built in this series since the G1 launched seven years ago. It has an amazing feature set for the money, and the compact body size adds to the attract ion of the package. It is of real interest, especially if you are into shooting both st ills and video.
SPECS
Sensor Micro-four-thirds, 16MP
Resolution 4592 x 3448
File formats JPEG, Raw, MPO, AVCHD, MP4
ISO range 100 to 25600
Shutter speeds 1sec to 1/16000sec
Metering syst em 1728-zone multi-pattern sensing system
HD Movie mode 4K
Monitor 3in, 1,040k dots, fully articulating touchscreen
Flash Built-in TTL GN8
Storage SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card (Compatible with UHS-I/ UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 Standard SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards)
Connectivity Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, micro HDMI, 2.5mm for Remote, 3.5mm for External Microphone
Size 124 x 86.2 x 77.4mm
Weight 365g (without battery and card)