Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G7KS DSLM Mirrorless 4K Camera, 14-42 mm Lens Kit (Silver) Reviews
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G7KS DSLM Mirrorless 4K Camera, 14-42 mm Lens Kit (Silver)
- Superb DSLM image quality without the bulk and weight of traditional DSLRs
- Never miss a photo with three unique 4K Ultra HD Video pause and save 4K Photo Modes
- Fast and precise auto focusing tracks the subject
- Class-leading, ultra-compact, interchangeable lens and accessory options
- Unwire Your Creativity with integrated Wi-Fi sharing
Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera 14-42MM Lens Kit, 4K
List Price: $ 799.99
Price:
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Great MFT camera, like a mini-GH4 for 2/3rd the cost… Still missing a few features,
A great upgrade to the Panasonic G6.
First, I’d like to say that I’ve owned many variations of the Panasonic G/GH line from GH1 to GH2, to G6 to GH4. I wanted to upgrade from the GH2, and I thought the G6 was flawed in many respects (lack of physical AF/MF switch, poor EVF implementation, no constant preview in manual photo mode, lack of higher bitrates).
After using the G7 for about a week on and off… I have to say that the Panasonic G7 is big update & upgrade from the G6, and it will most likely be a great upgrade for any mid-level MFT & APS-C users (apart from the high-end ones who use a GH4, E-M5 mark II or E-M1 for MFT, or Canon 5D/6D/7D for SLR).
*** Pros / Upgrade over past generation:
– Improved EVF on par with GH4 which is so welcome as the G6 was such a lackluster on this aspect. You can now truly pull good focus with the EVF in video mode or MF photo mode.
– Presence of AF-S/AF-C/MF physical switch
– 4K video shooting at higher bit rate & 4K photo shoot modes (allows to shoot stills in different aspect ratios (in lieu of 16:9 only for 4K video) at 4K resolution, i.e. 8MP stills with different ways to capture those stills)
– Constant Preview option in MF photo mode (though it’s weird you need to go to the custom menu to turn it ON)
– Seems to be a little bit better in low light, though still not great compared to full-frame. Probably as good as low end DSLR such as T5i/T6i. Not as good as 7D mark II or even the E-M5 mark II. I’d say OK till 3200 ISO. Anything beyond ISO 3200 gives subpar images with lots of compression, noise, and artifacts especially in low available lighting scenarios (don’t be fooled by tests of high ISO with tons of light which show OK performance at ISO beyond 3200… the real life test is low light with low available light as you will mostly shoot indoors or at night outdoors with low available light when you use high ISO 3200 and beyond).
– Lightweight
– Many custom video picture profiles (Cinelike D & Cinelike V included) available & custom functions & physical buttons available.
*** Cons:
– Lack of headphone jack input. I wish it was implemented
– SD card slot is still located under the body by the battery which makes it a pain to switch SD card when the camera is attached onto a tripod or stabilizer.
– OK battery performance. I wish they improved it & used the GH3/GH4 type of batteries. Also, as others noted, the battery slot pops out in a weird way, differently from all other Panasonic G/GH4 cameras, i.e. not being as springy as previous cameras. Let’s hope they don’t keep it that way for future cameras, it feels much less robust & more prone to failure.
– Only 1 physical Custom profile on the wheel. The G6 had C1, C2. Now the G7 only has C. And you need to go to menu system to get more C profiles.
– No higher bitrate for 1080p modes. Still limited to AVCHD .h264 28mpbs / 24mpbs max.
– Limitation of 4GB maximum file size for .mp4 movie mode. This is so annoying that you can shoot AVCHD as long as you want, and shoot 4K as long as you want in .mp4 mode, but you can’t shoot 1080p .mp4 file sizes that are greater than 4GB max! This exists for GH4, but it doesn’t exist for the G7…
– Lack of HDMI live view during REC (the GH4 does it and so did the GH2… Since the G7 is between those cameras, I don’t see why not allowing for this).. Maybe I’m wrong but I can’t seem to enable HDMI live monitoring when I record (can only view on LCD/EVF). HDMI feed only works if you are in non-recording mode.
– Body feels even more plasticky than the G6… No weather sealing like GH4/GH3. Probably cutting corners on materials to make it as cheap as possible.
– Have to buy it with the 14-42 lens. No body only option as of this writing.
For video, the G7 is almost as great as the GH4 except it lacks some of the higher bit rate modes in 1080p, and lacks some of the physical inputs like headphone jack. The sensor is a bit old on this camera, but at least the Venus engine is upgraded and low light performance seems on par with GH4 for both video & stills.
For photo, the G7 is an good upgrade from G6 and old MFT line. Panasonic has always had weird JPEG colors so you might find your JPEG to be a little different from say Canon, Olympus or Nikon JPEG. But you can always fix that in post if needed. Low light performance is better than previous iterations, and coming close to being as good as their olympus counterpart.
Overall, I think the Panasonic G7 is a worthwhile upgrade from GH2, G6, and any Panasonic MFT cameras (except for GH4), and is a great B-cam to the GH4. I only wish Panasonic had the desire to implement IBIS at some point for their G/GH lineup, and use better sensor technology like Sony does (Back-light sensor) to get better low light performance, and even why not create a line with say 12MP stills & higher photo-cells to eeke out better…
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|Beyond my expectations!,
The pictures are about the same quality as the G6 but the video is an immense improvement. Even using the kit lens, the 4K video is mesmerizing. The 4K burst photo mode works well but seems more like a gimmick than something I would use every day. *The screenshots I have included were all captured from 4K video.
The battery/SD card flap doesn’t open up as easy, lacking the quick spring of the G6. Also, the strap holders are no longer imbedded in the sides of the camera, but rather hang off the sides like earrings (and since I never use a strap, this just gets in my way). Beyond these little complaints, however, there is nothing I dislike about the G7. I have undeniably found my new favorite camera and I am holding onto it for a long time.
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|Powerful performance in a smaller, lighter package,
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