Panasonic tosses all its latest tech into the Lumix G7 ILC

Quite a bit of Panasonic's technology has changed in the two years since the Lumix DMC-G6 debuted. The G7 brings the company's midrange line of enthusiast and family-oriented interchangeable-lens models up to date with features like 4K/UHD (ultra high definition) video and the company's most recent autofocus and image-processing systems.

Panasonic's G7 is boxier and bigger than before (pictures)

+9 More

See all photos

The G7 will be available in both black and a two-tone graphite and black, in a variety of kits worldwide: one with a 14-42mm lens, one with a 14-140mm lens, one with both lenses, and one with no lenses. The US will see two kits on sale, the 14-42mm single lens kit for $800 and the 14-140mm zoom lens kit for $1,100. The body-only kit will retail for AU$899/£599 and the 14-42mm single lens kit will be AU$999/£679. The 14-140mm zoom lens kit will retail for AU$1,499/£849. The 14-42mm and 45-150mm twin-lens kit will only see an Australian release for AU$1,199.

What's notable

• 4K video. Panasonic's betting a lot on its 4K features, particularly the 4K Photo Mode that's in all of the company's 2014 and later models. This mode lets you to pull decent 8MP stills from videos as an alternative to continuous shooting. (It differs from standard recording because it increases the frame rate off the sensor and the shutter speed so that it can stop action better, but it also increases battery drain.) My biggest issue with 4K Photo is that you have to decide in advance whether you're going to want pull stills and if it's worth possibly noisier video with clipped shadows; in order to increase the shutter speed in low light the camera has to boost the ISO sensitivity and remap the tonal range. The G7 also introduces a couple of new 4K modes that allow you to shoot bursts without stopping video recording, a 4K pre-burst (which captures a few shots before and after the shutter press) and a regular 4K burst mode.
• Updated internals. In addition to incorporating Panasonic's DFD (depth from defocus) system, which calculates deviation-from-focus of two planes parallel to the focal plane to quickly get a rough estimate of the subject's distance for faster focus, the G7 debuts the use of motion vectors for theoretically improved continuous autofocus of moving subjects. The sensor is the same as that in the GF7 with the imaging engine that rolled out in the GH4.
• New features. As with the GF7, Panasonic drops NFC in favor of password-free Wi-Fi connections, though it still offers QR codes for a more secure connection (you photograph the code with your phone or
  When connected to your phone you can kick up your heels; Jump Snap uses the camera's accelerometer to snap a photo while you're at peak leap. A new autofocus mode, Starlight AF, uses a grid of smaller areas to zero in on small objects like distant stars. Panorama junkies will appreciate the new mode that covers an 180-degree view, though the image is half the height of the standard Panorama. The company also debuts its me-too Impressive Art filter for that high-contrast HDR effect.
• New design. It's bigger and heavier than the G6 -- in fact, it's one of the larger models in its price range. But when equipped with the 14-42mm kit lens it feels pretty light, because Micro Four Thirds lenses are smaller than those for APS-C cameras. It's also much boxier looking than the G6 or GH4. Panasonic has switched up the top dials, added a drive mode dial on the left shoulder, increased the size of the adjustment dials on the top and added an autofocus switch on the back.

My take

The feature set looks good for the money; a price-class step up would get you a more durable, weather-friendly body but a step down would lose the viewfinder. The Sony A6000, which launched at the same price, is over a year old now and due for an update, though. That model, with its larger APS-C sensor, will probably be the one for this camera to beat.

Comparative specs