Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 Hands-on Preview: Digital Photography Review

Design & Operation

The G6 looks a lot like its predecessor, minus some of the rounded edges. In fact, from the front, the high-shouldered G6 rather reminds us of a miniaturized Leica S2, of all things. From the front, the only real difference between the G6 and its predecessor are the higher shoulders of the new model, but meaningful changes have been made on the rear, and the G6 now boasts five customizable 'Fn' buttons, bringing it into line with the higher-end GH3.

Despite positively sprouting Fn buttons, the G6 only has one additional control point on its rear, and this is the Wi-Fi/Fn 4 button, right at the lower left of the rear control cluster. This is used to set up Wi-Fi (using NFC with suitable devices), or alternatively as a customizable function button during shooting.

The G6's touch-sensitive rear screen dominates the back of the camera. Like the G5 it's a fully articulated screen but now uses capacitive technology as used on smartphones, rather than being pressure sensitive. The screen responds very positively to touch, and setting things like focus point in live view mode and navigating menus are quick and easy using a fingertip. Flipping through images is slightly laggy though, and certain operations still feel more natural when initiated by a hard button press.

A built-in flash pops up out of the 'pentaprism' (or rather EVF) hump, and a standard hotshoe sits at its center, alongside apertures for the camera's stereo microphones.

Top of camera

From the top, the G6 offers almost exactly the same control layout as the G5. Things are kept pretty simple, and the only controls are a compact camera-style zoom rocker switch just behind the shutter button, a red movie record button and the iA button for entering Panasonic's useful 'intelligent Auto' mode. The only difference to button layout compared to the G5 is the new position of the G6's mechanical flash button, which can now be found on the upper left of the camera's rear, rather than on the top plate as it was before.

In your hand

The G6 is impressively small, but pleasantly chunky thanks to a large contoured hand grip. Oddly, the camera's high 'shoulders' aid this impression of compactness, although objectively the G6 is not really all that different in size to its predecessor the G5.

Body elements

	The G6 features a 1.44 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder, with diopter correction. An automatic switch turns the EVF on when you hold your eye to the camera, and you can also switch between EVF and LCD manually, using a dedicated button.
	On the rear of the G6 you'll find a 1.04 million-dot capacitive touch-sensitive LCD screen. It's fully articulated, which is handy for awkward high/low-level shooting, movie recording and, of course, self portraits.
	The G6 gains an extra physical function button, in addition to two added to the pull-out tab on its touchscreen. By default this enables Wi-Fi.
	Once Wi-Fi is engaged, tapping the hotspot of an NFC-compatible device on this symbol on the side of the camera will start the process of establising a connection (your aim has to be pretty precise, as the 'N' in NFC really does mean near). If your smartphone doesn't support NFC you can copy a password from the screen of the camera into your Wi-Fi settings, which isn't that much slower.
	The G6's 1000mAh battery offers up to 7.2Wh of power, and shares a bay with the SD memory card, accessible from a hatch on the base of the camera.
	A DSLR-style pop-up flash sits above the EVF, directly in line with the lens axis.

Five Function Buttons!

The G6 has an impressive five 'Fn' customizable buttons, which can be assigned to the following options:

Options that can be applied to the Fn buttons:
• Wi-Fi • Q.Menu • AF/AE Lock • LVF/Monitor Switch • One Push AE • Touch AE • DoF Preview • Level Gauge • Focus Area Set • PhotoStyle • Aspect Ratio • Picture Size • Quality • Metering Mode • Focus Mode • i.Dynamic • i.Resolution • HDR • Electronic Shutter	• Flash Mode • Flash Adjust • Ex Tele Conv. • Digital Zoom • Stabilizer • Motion Pic Set • Picture Mode • TBC • Histogram • Guide Line • REC Area • Sensitivity • Function Lever • Step Zoom • Zoom Speed • ISO Sensitivity • White Balance • AF Mode • Drive Mode

Comments

Total comments: 162

I am interested in buying this nice camera.does anyone know when it is going to be available?what about a full review of the camera?

0 upvotes

The end of June, I think. It's on the Panny German website.

1 upvote

With the raised shoulders, it looks a bit like S2 little brother. I never cared much for the look of the Panasonic G/GH cameras, but I think this is an improvement. Has less "designed by committee" feel to it.

4 upvotes

I like the earlier Gs, but the G6 shape is growing on me. :)

Cheers, geoff

0 upvotes

This or the T5i? I mean, both have articulated touchscreens but this one has WiFi built-in, does 1080p60 and is cheaper. Wonder if IQ is similar.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

It is similar. Almost the same DxOMark scores in every category (if it is the same as G5 as it probably is).
Default Canon JPEGs are probably a little warmer, but it is just a little adjustment away either way. Also, with G6 you can use viewfinder with video (and effects preview etc), it is smaller and lighter, and shoots faster it needed. With the new 14-140 must be a great travel camera.

0 upvotes

Kit lens or lenses?

0 upvotes

In my opinion Lumix G6 was born from the work of Vitaliy Kiselev, hired as partner by panasonic, on the Lumix GH2

0 upvotes

A Question:

The G6 uses the same sensor as the G5 and the GH2, right? Panasonic's press release says "the new Venus Engine is attains high-performance signal processing with the advanced noise reduction system." I'm wondering to what extent image quality can be enhanced without changing the sensor. Any thoughts?

I love the G5; it handles great and produces great images but at about ISO 1600 noise starts to become an issue. If the G6 produces a one-stop equivalent advantage over the G5 in terms of noise I will definitely buy it.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I think it's mainly about jpeg processing

1 upvote

They do say its the same Sensor as the GH2 but I does not have the true use of the Multi-aspect ratio

1 upvote

Panasonic G5 was already a serious upgrade for the G-series of cameras, GH3 became the true semi-/pro-hybrid camera, but the G6 offers a few new features that even the GH3 doesn't (yet) have:
* Focus Peaking that shows the peak of focus in MF and AF+MF mode
* EV -3 - 18 (ISO100 equivalent) AF Detective Range,
* 1080p@60fps video in Extra Tele Conversion (ETC) mode (the GH3 tops out at 1080@30P in ETC),
* 7 fps @16Mpix&AFSingle, 5 fps @16Mpix&AFTracking and 40fps burst mode (versus 6fps@AFS and 20fps in GH3),
* 1,728-zone multi-pattern light metering system (versus 144-zone in GH3),
* Stop Motion Video, Sweep Panorama
* 1,036K dots TFT LCD screen (versus 614K dots OLED LCD in GH3)
* Adjustable HDR mode. While the Panasonic G5/GH3 have an in-camera HDR mode, there is only an On or Off setting with no scope to tone down the effect.
* NFC +better Wi-Fi: The G6 have wireless recording function with start/stop recording and 30fps video stream feed to tablet/smartphone.

2 upvotes

I'm not into the video stuff myself, but I know people who will go berserk over it. They'll LOVE it. I am looking at the G6 as a remarkably fully specced stills camera. It looks great. Th only doubt I had was that the E-P5 might eclipse it -- but no, the E-P5 hasn’t got an EVF. Same old add-on but now they have added a lock after years of complaints.

And it STILL obviously hasn’t got anything like the ergonomics of the G6 (or the G1 if it comes to that).

"Outdated sensor"? UPDATED sensor is what I see.

Cheers, geoff

1 upvote

I too am very impressed by these specs. The GH3 has a stronger body, but the G6, at this price, is a very powerful tool indeed. Love the video specs, by the way!

0 upvotes

At first I was skeptical about Panasonic being able to squeeze more out of the outdated sensor. But from the sample photos I've seen at ePhotozine.com, the images look really impressive, clean and sharp, with loads of detail. Unfortunately, they also appear dull and flat. Hopefully that can be fixed with simple adjustments in LR.

1 upvote

the new 14-42 lens might have something to do with the sharpness.

0 upvotes

Panasonic has always had poor colors out of camera compared to, say, Olympus. (I've shot both extensively.) The default white balance is "not warm" to say the least, and contrast is not good. But if you work with them a little bit, you get some great images.

1 upvote

Even better, typically on Panasonics adjustments in the camera are sufficient for very good OOC JPEGs. Set it and forget it.

0 upvotes

I have to ay I abandoned the G1 for the E-PL3 to get superior JPEG colors OOC. The sample pix I saw from the G5 were close enough to the Oly pix to encourage me to return from the Oly which is an ergonomic disaster area but I wasn't ready to change over.

I'll be in a position to change cameras in the next few months; the G6 is looking very much like the way to go.

Cheers, geoff

0 upvotes

GH2 is a very impressive camera 101% on video and 80% on stills. But this was years ago. The G6 have a beautiful exterior but an aged heart [sensor] yes, you will get great photos from it but it will never come close in the present sensor technology. Panasonic makes great lenses its a given fact that the sensors should evolve not only to compete but to satisfy consumers/users alike. I want it but with the prices of GH2 today - still GH2 is the better choice to get instead of G6. This action not only killed the G5 sales but also push MFT shooters to go jump ship. This is an unfortunate reality.

0 upvotes

because someone who has invested a few thousand dollars in the system will suddenly abandon it just because this particular camera doesn't have the latest sensor? are you a "financial analyst"?

3 upvotes

The G5, whether you fancy it the greatest or worst camera of all time, was consigned to the bargain bin by its unexciting sensor choice - at a time when that decision made a lot more sense than choosing the same sensor now. Panasonic obviously learned nothing from this course of events.

I've used the G5, and although there are many things to like about it there is no way I would settle for its sensor at even half the price of an OMD. Once you grab the highlight slider in LR and bring back a perfectly blue sky out of apparent nothingness you can't go back. Consumers tend to see things from their perspective, not in terms of the easiest or most corporately defensible choice for the manufacturer. They see how affordable the E-PM2 and deduce that its superior sensor carries no particularly pronounced price premium. And they want the same in their new G6, if they were going to spend their hard-earned money on one.

Excuses just don't cut it in a competitive market.

2 upvotes

The difference in reality { as ,opposed to in the heads of some optimistic Olympus users }between the E-M5 and the G5 boils down to .7 of a stop DR and approx 0.3 of a stop ISO .Which while no doubt beneficial in specific scenarios is in most shooting situations pretty insignificant. If you want to get a really substantial gain in sensor output then you really need to move up in sensor size.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/816|0/%28brand%29/Panasonic/%28appareil2%29/793|0/%28brand2%29/Olympus/%28appareil3%29/814|0/%28brand3%29/Nikon
The E-PM2 as with other Pens is feature limited with poor ergonomics , an expensive external EVF to bring it in-line with a G series camera , nor does it even have an articulating screen and it comes with a stupid clip-on flash. I would take a G6 or G5 for that matter over any Pen model. Even with the E-M5 the only significant advantage is the excellent 5-AXIS IBIS,

3 upvotes

Jim,

As I have both a G5 and an OMD in the house, perhaps you'll spare me your definition of what the difference 'actually' is. I've shot the cameras; I know. A lifetime of DXOMark study will not ever illustrate the 'actual' difference. And like most serious m43 shooters, I came from cameras with larger sensors, and having done so have a much better idea of the affect of sensor size than most.

You've also taken my point about the E-PM2 totally out of context. I did not say it is a better or worse camera than the G6, only that the appearance of the Sony sensor in such a budget-conscious product reveals that it could also have appeared in the G6 without breaking the bank. If your D800 had a recycled two-generation old sensor I really doubt you would have invested, and I don't view the G6 any differently.

3 upvotes

Not that difficult, at least when camera is used regularly. And don't really need to change them all the time too, customize it once to fit your needs, easy to remember this way.

0 upvotes

An impressive 5 Fn buttons? Aargh! These things are more a curse than a blessing. Who can honestly remember which function was allocated to which button? And what you changed it to last?
I would be much more impressed with less Fn buttons - just put the things that are needed onto well marked buttons and the rest of the stuff into the menus. An Fn button is effectively just a badly marked button IMHO.

6 upvotes

Totally agree. Less Fn buttons more dedicated (and as you say well marked) buttons like on the L1 or the XE-1.

0 upvotes

The G6 has all the necessary dedicated buttons, and the four of the the FN buttons on the it do double duty with other actions like WiFi, Trash, QMenu, AE Lock.

Comment edited 12 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Well I like being able to set a button for changing shutter to silent or back. If you don't appreciate Fn buttons just stay with the default settings.

1 upvote

I think less customization would be needed if a little common sense entered the determination of the default controls for most modern cameras.

To whit - only Pentax can figure out that in the digital age there is no reason to maintain ISO as a secondary function. What I mean here is that although you might be able to assign ISO to any of those 5 buttons, you have the aperture or shutter (and exposure compensation... argh!) as choices for the dials. Why do you always want to have to press a button before adjusting ISO? Why is changing ISO any less likely than changing aperture or shutter speed? Well, it is if you are stuck in film-think...

It's really frustrating how vital they deem exposure compensation to be. You must burn one of the two dial functions on it, even though there 8 other ways to invoke this function, including the otherwise useless rocker switch by the shutter. Why have all those other methods if you aren't going to let the user re-purpose the dial function?

1 upvote

The body style resembles the old Leica R8/R9. I wonder if Panasonic was going for that look intentionally?

4 upvotes

I like it! Even if they didn't start with that purpose in mind, I'm sure they realized it at one point and may have deliberately moved in that direction. I think the Leica R8/9 look great.

1 upvote

search on the internet for the following: "Panasonic FZ-150 Leica V-LUX 3".

enraged, brethren?

0 upvotes

GH2 with better EVF/screen, 60fps and focus peaking? Great deal!

There are better "photo" cameras for the money but this is a very nice piece of equipment for video at a very competitive price.

To all those knocking the form factor - pick any other camera that matches your fancypants. I love the utilitarian ergonomics so do many others.

1 upvote

So which sensor will the GH2 have? The GH3/OMD one?

0 upvotes

The comment "An advantage of using the GH2's sensor is that the G6 is able to offer more comprehensive video functions than the G5." strikes me as peculiar. The G5 has the same sensor as the GH2 and G6 and the difference in feature sets was a choice Panasonic made, not some inherent difference in the sensor.

Otherwise, the G6 looks terrific. The real GH2 replacement (although the G5 remains a heck of a value and a good replacement for stills and some video.) Also it is the real poor man's GH3. Considering that the practical difference in RAW between all the 16mp m4/3 sensors is minimal, this is looking like a lot of camera for the money.

2 upvotes

I've been using an E-PL5 for the past few week and I have a GH2, and disagree. "The practical difference in RAW between all the 16mp m4/3 sensors" is fairly significant in terms of DR and color depth. The difference is just not as great as DPR has lead people to believe when they wrote "for most people to get better IQ than the OMD they'd have to go to FF". This is simply not true. All you need to do is work with files from the D7000, D7100, D5200 or K5 to get better than files from the Olympus cameras. Richer colors, better DR, DOF control, cleaner at base ISO and high ISO.

But I do agree that sites like DxOMark have confused some into thinking that for general shooting there is a huge difference between the Panasonic and Olympus m43 cameras in terms of overall IQ. There are some differences, but files side by side they are not as dramatic as some would have you believe with all this talk of sensors.

6 upvotes

I absolutely love the idea of "very short-range means of exchanging data". Excellent! No more damn cables to mess with and misplace.

1 upvote

afraid to take a picture with it? not looking to buy bells and whistles.

0 upvotes

Time lapse?

0 upvotes

With this camera and the other larger MFT cameras that Panasonic makes, it is obvious that the body is large in relation to the lens. It is further obvious that the reason is that for these cameras, the body needs to be larger in order to allow a useful quantity of physical controls. This is all very obvious. There can be no argument on these points. There can be no question that this camera could just as easily take advantage of an APS-C sensor, and not even the lens would be larger, because similar lenses that Sony makes for NEX are not any larger. None of this is in any way deniable. Furthermore, when the various size differences are all considered, it seems apparent that if Sony were to make a mirrorless camera with FF sensor, it would be about the size of this camera, albeit with a somewhat larger lens. (The lens would not be nearly as large as a lens for FF with mirror.)

1 upvote

And the point? You want Panasonic to abandon MFT? You'd prefer Sony to make the camera of your dreams?

Alternate hypothesis: Body is larger because market research shows that larger camera bodies are taken more seriously by the target audience (let's face it, Nikon and Canon's FF bodies are a tad bit larger than their FF film bodies ever were).

I don't quite get why Sony could or would make a FF body of this size, yet no other maker does. Faith that Sony can miniaturize better than anyone else? Physics is physics. Larger sensor requires larger glass. Could they build a really small box to put on the back of that larger lens? Yes, but I think we'd hear a whole lot about bad balance (the heavier the glass, the more leverage is needed to keep it level, hence a larger grip), and, yes, silly appearance.

0 upvotes

The point is self-evident. A camera this size and with this size lens will be a better camera if it uses a larger sensor. The point is not for Panasonic to abandon MFT. The point is that for this size camera, the MFT sensor is smaller than is ideal. I am only really pointing what is obvious, but it has to be pointed out, because few people are saying it, and some people are trying to argue that it is not true. It obviously is true. For smaller, genuinely compact cameras, the MFT sensor makes perfect sense. But with every camera, the size of the sensor needs to be a good match to the size of the camera. You alternate hypothesis is moot, i.e., if the camera body is larger for reason A rather than reason B (and reason A and reason B being so closely coupled as to be nearly indistinct), the pertinent fact is still that the camera body is large relative to the sensor.

2 upvotes

the 4/3" is okay, not too bad.

what they need is f/1.4 zooms and f/0.x primes that can do the same work as f/2.8 zooms and f/1.x primes on 35mm format.

reasonable f/2.0 zooms and f/1.4 primes for entry level users.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 37 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Arrgh. DaveMarx, as to your other point - You say that you don't get why Sony could do that "no other maker does", and talk about "physics is physics", etc. Well, comments of that sort are silly. OBVIOUSLY, the reason would only have to do with the manufacturer's demonstrated capability. You apparently have not bothered to compare the size of Sony's NEX lenses to the MFT lenses. One of the invalid assumptions that some people are evidently making is that a mirrorless FF camera would use the same size lenses as existing FF cameras with mirrors. This is wrong. When the lens moves closer to the sensor, it also gets smaller in diameter. Take the NEX-7, scale the lens diameter up by a factor less than 50%, and ditto for camera height. Why is it so difficult to visualize this being done, and how is it not obvious that the resulting camera body would be no larger than this? The lens itself would be larger in diameter than this lens, but by less than 50%. Not all of the diameter is optics.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

> because market research shows that larger camera bodies are taken more seriously by the target audience

good point, they have to compete in (large) size because they cannot compete in quality or price performance.

0 upvotes

What? You say you compared the size of sony NEX lenses to M43rds lenses. Then you say they are the same size. I am sorry but no!
Fuji has managed to make some really small nice lenses. These I would compare with M43rds. Sony on the hand has large lenses. Even Samsung has some nice small lenses that Sony hasn't been able to produce yet.

0 upvotes

I agree with kaiser soze. But... putting an APS-C in there would ramp up the prices on MFT cameras even more. This might not be a problem with MFTs if, to generate demand, they could be marketed with more attention to those who generally buy (sub-"enthusiast") point-and-shoot cameras. Look at what Nikon is able to get away with, thanks to those ridiculous Ashton Kutcher commercials and the sub-par "1" series. A few friends have bought Nikon 1's thinking that ILC intrinsically implies higher quality photos. Well, for MFT that is that is the truth. MFT manufacturers need to take advantage of that perception and get these cameras in the hands anyone who wants to pretend they're a pro.

0 upvotes

I think OP may be a little off base.

One of the problems with an increased video spec is overheating. This has long been a topic on the various GH2 hack forums. Cameras of some other manufacturers (not Panasonic) even lock up under extended video use. So when you have a much increased bitrate, etc. your camera needs to be bigger to dissipate heat. This to me is as logical an explanation for the size of the camera as the need for buttons on the exterior. The body could be smaller and still accept a lot of buttons.

Also, having been with m43 since the G1, I switched from Olympus DSLRs to Panasonic m43 BECAUSE of the larger Panasonic body size, which was easier to handle and included a built-in viewfinder. None of the Oly models offered a built-in viewfinder until the OM-5.

So, I'm not sure that all of the assumptions in OP are valid.

Comment edited 27 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

> compared the size of sony NEX lenses to M43rds lenses.

if they are following the "market research", there will be larger heavier lenses soon, probably bundled with stone.

0 upvotes

Lens diameter goes up in proportion to sensor size. Lens mass (glass) goes up as the CUBE of sensor size. So you'd expect the glass in FF lenses to be roughly 8x heavier. This isn't just physics, it's middle school math.

0 upvotes

The lens as seen in the photo does look a little too small compared with the body. However, this is the Panasonic 2013 standard kit lens, and was designed so that the GF6 is a more compact package (the old kitlens looked way too big on the GF series... almost NEX like). They are going to use the same kitlens on every camera... its just that on the more block fronted G6 its a bit swamped.

Put another zoom lens on this G6 and it will look much better proportioned. Go to four-thirds.org, choose the matching simulator and try it out. The bigger grip will work well if you use the 100-300mm supertele zoom.

0 upvotes

"An advantage of using the GH2's sensor is that the G6 is able to offer more comprehensive video functions than the G5. "

WTF?! The G5 uses the exact same sensor.... and how exactly are video functions bound to the sensor?!

0 upvotes

"The Extra Tele Conversion function virtually extends the zoom range Max.4.8x without deterioration of image quality".

ETC is directly from the GH2 and would not be possible with the G5 sensor.

The above quote is from the G6 Press Release under "Highest Level in Class – Stunning Video..." on the front page of DPR.

0 upvotes

Again: The G5 uses the GH2 sensor.... they only disabled the Multi-Aspect-Ratio system and changed the readout method. And the lossless Tele Conversion is also found in the G5 although it is a 2.4 conversion. (which is the same as the G6, see text above, no idea where you picked up 4.8?)

0 upvotes

@marike6

I'm pretty sure my G2 also had ETC, unless I'm misremembering.

Edit: I also remember it being MORE than 2.4x on the G2, something like 2.9x or thereabouts. I may be wrong.

Comment edited 59 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

@Hagane Then I don't know. I was just trying to help you figure out what they were talking about regarding the sensor and "more comprehensive video functions".

0 upvotes

@Hagane,

I think the 4.8x must take the crop factor into account.

A 50mm lens is 100mm equivalent on m43. Then you times that by 2.4x, and you get 240mm equivalent for a 50mm lens, which is 4.8x.

It really is an amazing feature for video. I have a Nikon manual focus 180mm f2.8, which on this camera using the extended tele feature would be 864mm f2.8 equivalent. It is useful for video of birds, the moon, etc. With some lenses that already have a semi-macro feature, like the Olympus 70-300mm, you can use the ETC for extreme closeups. You can fill the video frame with a butterfly's head, that kind of thing.

0 upvotes

Is it too early to request a shootout?

Panasonic G6 VERSUS Blackmagic Pocket Cinema *FIGHT*

Interested in seeing if Panasonic squeezed any more DR out of the 16MP Live MOS.

BlackMagic shoots RAW Video but it is limited to 30fps.

0 upvotes

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera supports 1080HD resolution capture in 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 fps.

The GH2 has very good quality video. The BMCC camera has awesome video quality with huge DR. If the Pocket Cinema is anything like the BMCC, it will not be a fair fight.

0 upvotes

Just watch the comparison between 5d and Blackmagic (available on the web) and you'll see that G6 will not have much of a chance.

The Blackmagic's sensor is purpose built, while that of G6 is an all-rounder.

0 upvotes

WOW! The 5D MKIII gets slaughtered by the BlackMagic Cinema Camera. I hope the pocket cinema camera is that good!

http://vimeo.com/49875510

Comment edited 12 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

dpreview--

Is this a 2.4x "digital" teleconverter option, as described in the introduction?

I know on the G2 and the GH2 it was what I (at least) would call an "optical" teleconverter option, i.e., there is no up-rezzing involved, simply a crop of the sensor so that a smaller part of the sensor was sampled (enough for 1080 resolution, much smaller than the full sensor resolution, rather than downsizing the full sensor resolution to 1080 without teleconverter).

If this is the same as the GH2 and G2 teleconverters (and it may not be!), I don't think it makes sense to call it a "digital" teleconverter option; in that case, sampling a DX-sized piece of an FX sensor, at lower resolution and without up-rezzing, would also be a "digital" teleconversion, and I don't think most people would agree with that terminology.

Comment edited 35 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Have always thought the G5 looked like the S2 shrunk in the wash and the G6 more so, but why the gratuitous "of all things" comment? A bit of a put down - yes we know it is not a medium format camera. I am not a big fan of any DSLR design, but the S2 -and maybe the G6 - are the cleanest.

This camera is clearly not the EM5 killer that Panasonic might yet produce. But it looks like an attractive refinement of the G5 which itself is an excellent camera.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I like the five fn buttons. I wish more cameras of this class would do this (instead of putting everything in a touch-screen menu).

0 upvotes

Just wondering if in video mode... there shutter and aperture control whilst in auto focus.

0 upvotes

OMG so ugly. Looks like an OMD on cortizone.

2 upvotes

Different ppl, different taste. I like it.

3 upvotes

Form Fits Function- it looks very functional to me. Love how all the buttons are on top or back. No more tilting the camera to get at some seldom used buttons... like my D7000.

0 upvotes

Now that's a silly comment. Each to his own. While I think the OM-D is a nice camera and would like one some day to complement my Panasonic bodies, it looks like something out of an Anime comic book to me. But I would never post that just to sound clever. Or did I just do that :-)

Comment edited 45 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I like it, and I like the OMD too. But the G6 looks like it will handle better overall as there is more space on the camera. Never know till you hold one though.

0 upvotes

That one ugly mother......

0 upvotes

Camera appearances are an aquired taste. The first sight of equines terrified the Amerindians, who later became quite fond of horses and ponys.

0 upvotes

Luckily for them (and it's about the only bit of luck they've had since that time), horse design has remained relatively stable with no "improved" three- or five-legged versions appearing to cause them confusion and "upgrade" envy.

Comment edited 52 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Wow ... the OM-D fan boys are on a roll :-)

2 upvotes

Eh? It's a joke, dummy!

Comment edited 25 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I have a G5 which I love. This looks like a very decent upgrade if they keep the price the same as the G5:

- new more compact standard kit lens (the more expensive X power zoom is still an option)
- better EVF (OLED)
- capacitive touch screen (resistive on G5)
- microphone socket
- manual video controls
- focus peaking

The lack of sensor upgrade over the G5 is a little disappointing but the GH2 sensor is very good except at the highest iso's.

For me the excellent ergonomics, very fast operation and focusing, optional silent shutter, EVF and articulating display on these camera makes for a compelling feature set. I find the buttons really well placed and you effectively have 'dual control dials' as the lever in front of the shutter release is very handy for exposure compensation.

If it looks a bit large in the photos I encourage you to try one in the flesh. It's a lot smaller than nearly all DSLRs - especially with the new more compact lens. And no, I don't work for Panasonic.

4 upvotes

"The lack of sensor upgrade over the G5 is a little disappointing but the GH2 sensor is very good except at the highest iso's."

While I agree with you, my G5 easily outshoots my GH2 in shadows in RAW. So I am not unhappy that Panasonic have chosen to update the GH2 sensor for the G6. Look at how much improvement they squeezed out of the GF5 sensor at 12mp as an example of what can be done on the cheap. And the practical difference in raw between all the 16mp sensors is not enough to get too twisted about anyway in my opinion.

So this is looking pretty darned good to me. I may sell off some equipment to grab the new body ...

0 upvotes

"the practical difference in raw between all the 16mp sensors is not enough to get too twisted about anyway in my opinion."

Agreed - I guess I only put the sensor comment in there because everyone else was going on about. If I wanted the ultimate low light cam I'd go full frame. For everything else, m4/3 is fantastic for me. I didn't expect much from the change to a mirrorless sytem from a DSLR but the faster focusing, silent shutter, real live view on an articulated LCD, fantastic readout in an EVF and small size / weight have been a revelation. I can deal with the fact that a 16mp NEX might have less noise at ISO 25,600!

1 upvote

How can you do a prefiew when you don't know if there is image stabilization or not? You have written unknown.

0 upvotes

it's a silly mistake in the table, but we all know there is no stabilization as this is a Panasonic camera and they put that in the lenses instead

5 upvotes

GH2 sensor !! sweet great news ..
Mean I don't have to downgrade from my GH1!!

0 upvotes

I suppose Panny's market research tells them there's a market for large "micro" cameras. Let's hope, for Panny's sake, they're right.
Too big for my taste. Waiting for GX2.

2 upvotes

Its gained 2mm in width and 2mm in height over the G5. The depth is the same which I guess means the grip is no bigger, just a better shape.

The G5 is not a big camera (yeah bigger than the GX1, but add the EVF to it and then compare), and neither is the G6. The more angular shape just makes it look more chunky than it is.

0 upvotes

"An advantage of using the GH2's sensor is that the G6 is able to offer more comprehensive video functions than the G5."

The G5 also had the GH2 sensor, so any differences in video capabilities are not because of a different sensor.

1 upvote

Nope mate. The software plays a huge role in video (or I would say software is more important than the sensor size itself in video). The GH series offers uncompressed RAW video output and much more customisation in video shooting.

0 upvotes

Fully agree, h3csc. What exactly were you disagreeing with on my post?

0 upvotes

How many GH3 purchasers have a real need for RAW video? How many terabytes of RAW would it take to shoot a tournament, ceremony, or trip? How much serious editing do the gear gurus do with RAW that they could not do with AVCHD or MP4? What difference will a viewer see in the 5mbps version they stream over YT and view on their iPhone?

A G5 or G6 offers all the video spec most people (even serious ones) can handle. Video-wise, an HC X920 (3x1/2.3" CMOS) is more versatile in practice, has less moiré, and better stabilization.

Manual customization of video, or narrow DOF, are not anyone's "best friends" if you are shooting an event you can't orchestrate or double-take. One can get very good video with very simple kit. Content is king, audio is queen, editing is the prince, camera hype is the knave, and the camera buyer is often the fool or jester.

3 upvotes

what about the internet forum philosopher?

0 upvotes

"Manual customization of video, or narrow DOF, are not anyone's "best friends" if you are shooting an event you can't orchestrate or double-take. One can get very good video with very simple kit. Content is king, audio is queen, editing is the prince, camera hype is the knave, and the camera buyer is often the fool or jester."

Clever, and true. I like the G, GX and even the hacked GF series for events and other long clip scenarios. But I do think that the manual control on the G6 and 24p is very welcome too. For those times when you have the time to set up and get it right. So this is a nice upgrade.

0 upvotes

This is nice, and if the price quickly drops, like previous G models, it will be a massive bargain. Instead of a sweet deal, which it is already. I only had a few quibbles with the G5, and this addressed all of them. I know people love the OM-D E-M5, but this offers more features for a lot less money, and even bests the NEX-6 in some ways. OK, the sensor isn't quite up to Sony standards, but it isn't far behind anymore. I do wish Panasonic would dump the clunky faux-dslr styling for something cleaner, but that's about the only remaining problem. If I were shopping this would be hard to resist.

0 upvotes

I am one of those who likes the feel of the G series in the hand. Reminds me a lot of Nikon dSLRs that I shot for some years. Ergonomics matter a lot to me and these two brands epitomize the best of that.

0 upvotes

The specs don't mention flash wireless stuff but as noted on the forum by Ezzelin, the Panny system pdf says it has it: http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/pdf/g_series_system_chart.pdf

Interesting. An excellent feature.

Cheers, geoff

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 5 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Corrections to preview:
1) The G5 also had a 3:2 aspect ratio LCD, rather than 4:3 as stated.
2) The G6's battery is 1200 mAh (same as G5), rather than 1000 mAh.
3) The G5 also had the GH2 sensor, while the preview implies otherwise.

1 upvote

glad to hear about the battery! 1000mAh is not enough

0 upvotes

i'm surprised that they didn't use the GH3 battery. the body seems to have the same chassis (the buttons are different, but overall it seems to be the same), so it could have fitted in there.

0 upvotes

Body is certainly not in the same chassis. The GH3 is much bigger than the G6.

0 upvotes

in the specifications page:
Lens mount: Unknown. really?
Image Stabilization: Unknown. I'd guess it's still in the lens.

0 upvotes

All Panasonic G and GH m4/3 cameras rely on in-lens stabilization. Some lenses have Mega OIS, a few offer Power OIS, and some primes have none.

0 upvotes

Does the G6 feature the same battery as the one in the G5? If not, is it an entirely new one so you have to wait for third-party manufacturers to join in?

0 upvotes

Looks like the latest Leica R
So when will the Leica logo will go up there?

2 upvotes

as soon as you pay double the MSRP, they'll bring the Leica sticker box from the back room while you look away. oh, sorry, i should have said the "Leica camera".

0 upvotes

Quite right Leica R design.

1 upvote

Looking forward to this, though I can do without in-camera effects. Still, the sales guys need some USPs to offer I guess.

G5 has been a highly convincing camera, with light weight and razor sharp focus working nicely with good handgrip and ergonomics. Partners well with iPhone when pocketability needed.

0 upvotes

I'm holding out for the G7, should be announced in another month or so...

10 upvotes

wtff

0 upvotes

Looks terrific. Reading the specs, the only thing missing for me is being able to use the Oly flash "wireless" (light, not radio) communication. I don’t think it’s a great way to communicate for flash -- why not radio? -- but I have two Oly flashes and …

Generally, the specs look amazing. I do think the G5 with shoulders looks a bit better, but hey, with the capabilities this camera offers, I can live with that (my shoulders aren’t that pronounced either!)!

And phooey to those who say it is a big camera. It simply is not. Compare it with my Oly E-PL3 (or the E-PL5). Add a lens and the VF2 and the silly little accessory flash to the E-PL3/5, and weight is almost exactly the same and the outside dimensions favor the G5/6. Ten if you fit the Panny PZ 14-42 pancake zoom to the G6 …

Looks like the G6 is an outstanding camera at an affordable price.

Cheers, geoff

2 upvotes

Otoh: there is no way you can get the G5/6 smaller than it is while you can do that with EPl5. You do not need the EVF all the time, I rarely use it in fact. Silly little flash: never used it.

EPL5 has better IQ, is smaller and weighs a lot less. itis truely pocketable in a coat pocket, the Gh2 is not and G6 isn't either. I guess they are for different uses in general. G6 seems much more an allround camera. But it is not nearly as easy to carry everywhere at least I rarely took my GH2 with me (always needed a bag) just for fun. I do so almost all the time with my EPl5.

0 upvotes

Imaging Resource says the G6 has an External Mic Jack. Does it?

60FPS in Full HD is NICE! I hope it's priced less than a used GH2.

3 upvotes

Here's a photo of the right side ports from fourthirds-user dot com.

http://fourthirds-user.com/images/435/g6_06.jpg

Looks like the top one is an external mic jack.

0 upvotes

Panasonic is obviously commited to MFT. But of course there are mirrorless cameras that use APS-C sensors and that are a lot smaller than this camera. And even they are too small to fit comfortably in the hand, for most people. It seems to me that a mirrorless camera about this size, or perhaps even a tiny bit larger, but that uses a full-frame sensor, would make a compelling camera. Whichever company is first to break ground there will have bragging rights for many years. Most likely it will be Sony. I predicted the advent of mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses several years before Panasonic announced MFT. But i did not anticipate that this would emerge in connection with a smaller sensor format. I still do not "get" that aspect of it. Compactness is part of it, but only in relation to the size of sensor that is used. The manufacturers are dragging drag their feet, and are only giving us minor refinement with each new freshening of their lineups.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

Thank goodness you predicted mirrorless, kaiser, or it might never have happened. You don’t grok the smaller sensor? in the era when I began my photographic career, you would still be shooting 6x9 roll film when everyone else had gone 35mm.

6 upvotes

kaiser soze: " It seems to me that a mirrorless camera about this size, or perhaps even a tiny bit larger, but that uses a full-frame sensor, would make a compelling camera."

indeed, sir, i might actually be compelled to buy that instead of a new yacht. i believe two yachts per person are quite enough these days. of course, i'd have to hire someone to hold the camera for me, these full frame lenses can get quite heavy, especially those for 600mm. not to mention i'd look like a working man, and i'd end up the laughing stock of the golf club. but, indeed, a full frame camera in the body of a GH3 would be a gentleman's camera.

2 upvotes

their bigger bodies are still much smaller than fullframe and even APSC smallest DSLRs. There are smaller mirrorless APSC but their lenses are still huge.

smaller sensor doesn't force you to make only small bodies.

this camera is just slightly bigger than G5 and it add many cool features over it, more f buttons and cooler look and feel with wifi functionality. m43 is more about feature-set, speed, focus accuracy, higher end video capabilities and lenses..

if you are only looking for smallest possible bodies .. GF series is for you!

0 upvotes

The bodies are not smaller than the smallest APS-C DSLRs, let alone APS-C mirrorless cameras.

1 upvote

Hen3ry, your reply is pure sarcasm, and insulting. You have no manners at all. And your comment is not correctly informed. The fact is, as I pointed out already, that there are mirrorless cameras that use APS-C sensors, that are smaller than this camera. And the lenses are not larger. Your comment clearly implies that you do not believe this. But it is a fact, and you are in denial of reality. Furthermore, you likely do not realize that a mirrorless FF camera will be smaller than existing FF DSLRs. This was my point, which you did not grasp, because you were too anxious to disagree than to make any sincere effort to understand my point. Shame on you. And do you know that when the mirror is removed and the lens moved physically closer to the sensor, that the lens decreases in diameter? My point is that a FF mirrorless camera will have very real advantages. If you do not personally appreciate those real advantages, that is not good reason for you to behave like an ass.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I will try to make my point clearer, to make it easier for dullards like Hen3ry to understand. The advantages of mirrorless, relative to mirrored, is no less when applied to FF camera than when applied to compact cameras. Manifestly and unarguably, this is true. Moreover, the advantage is GREATER when applied to FF, because the FF camera is that camera that stands to benefit most from any reduction in size, whereas, IN ORDER FOR THESE MFT CAMERAS TO BE LARGE ENOUGH TO FIT A USEFUL QUANTITY OF PHYSICAL BUTTONS ON THE BODY, PANASONIC IS HAVING TO MAKE THEM A GOOD DEAL LARGER THAN WHAT THE SENSOR ITSELF IMPLIES. Hen3ry obviously is not able to follow this simple logic, and chooses to insult me for making a valid point that he is incapable of understanding. I do not like people who think it is their prerogative to INSULT other people simply because the other person expressed a valid opinion that didn’t resonate with their own personal preferences. Hen3ry (Geoffrey Heard) is a lout.

1 upvote

@kaisersose you miss the point that glass for FX is a lot bigger than glass for APS-C and 4/3. Remember the lens mount for APS-C and FX is the same (hence the interchangeability of lenses on DSLRs between the two formats). So the advantage you speak of really isn't there. FX bodies are bigger because, like these MFT cameras, they have to house buttons and controls, which require more real estate than something like the body of a D3200 could hold. The bodies are also metal and waterproof in contrast to the flimsy plastics of low end APS-C DSLRs. Plus, coming back to the glass, FX tends to run heavier, longer glass that warrants a bigger body for balance.

And finally, price. An FX mirrorless body would cost about the same as a FX DSLR, but would be at a disadvantage with glass as all glass would have to be proprietary to that mount. It would also be wayyyyy more expensive than APS-C glass. It makes more sense to make smaller DSLRs like the D600 and mirrorless ones like the A99.

1 upvote

@kaiser soze
Completely agree with you. Technology can make sensor and electronic smaller but it cannot make hands smaller and eyes sharper. Size of the buttons, grip and screen are all limited by human physiology.

If the smallest comfortable size is the size of E-620, 700D, D5200, K-5, A-58, X-E1 and GH3, then it make sense to design a sensor + lens combo that fit into the body with the greatest image quality. Sure size can be smaller but that affects the ergonomics, a common complaints on small cameras.

I believe FF EVIL/mirrorless will be the gold standard in ten years and under it will be large sensor compact and superzooms. Everything below will be smartphones. Samsung and Sony is known to be working on FF EVIL/mirrorless and rumor suggests Panasonic as well. Nikon and Canon will jump in as soon as FF EVIL/mirrorless begin to erode traditional FF DSLR advantage.

I have used Nikon APS-C, Olympus m4/3 and Fuji X over the past few years. m4/3 users are not very friendly.

1 upvote

del

Comment edited 25 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Dimensions of Panasonic G6: 122 x 85 x 71 mm (4.8 x 3.35 x 2.8″)

Dimensions of Canon SL100: 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72″)

hrmmmm :/

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

I LITERALLY came to post this. Hell, the D3200 is not much bigger (4.92 x 3.78 x 3.03″), and with the kit lens it costs the same. Sony NEX 3N costs less with the kit lens. You are limited to native glass for wide angle (unlike APS-C- you can get cheap 20mm FX glass). Higher pixel density (always bad). ~1/3-1/2 stop slower. What is the point of Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds???

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Now add the lenses.

The beauty of M4/3 is not so much in the individual bodies as in the available options. Think the G6 is too big? Fine, get an E-PM2, which with some lenses is legitimately pocketable, and still give you the very best image quality you can achieve in the system.

Some people like the big bodies. I'm not one of them, which is why I own an OM-D and not a GH3.

To be clear, I'm not a big fan of Panasonic's current trend in making their bodies larger, but I appreciate the diversity it adds to the system. Now if someone would only make a rangefinder-styled M4/3 camera with an EVF AND weathersealing...

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

13 upvotes

Canon 17-55mm F2.8: 635g
Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8: 300g

Panasonic 35-100mm F2.8 360g
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 1340g

7 upvotes

yeah but SL100 and D3200 are dumb cameras. D3200 just got better sensor!

why so obsessed with bigger sensor size if your camera doesnt know how to focus, when to focus and where to focus!!

agree with napilopez about making a complete camera range and ntsan about much lighter and smaller lenses!!

4 upvotes

@ntsan that comparison is ridiculous

For the lenses to be truly equivalent you would have to compare the APS-C standard zoom with a lens of equivalent aperture. Both of your calcs are way off.

@Naveed Akhtar improper focusing is not an issue for most APS-C cameras. Anything a 4/3 or M4/3 camera can do, an APS-C camera already does at least as well for about the same or less money. For example if the SL100 or D3200 have focusing problems that can be fixed with a firmware update. Where's the firmware update to give a 4/3 sensor 40% more light gathering ability, 40% less tight sensor density, 40% shallower DOF, the ability to run wide angle film lenses etc. etc.

1 upvote

no FF equivalence trolls yet, but we managed to get one APS-C fanboy. i guess it's better than nothing, the comments regarding the new 14-140 lens don't even have this much.

Comment edited 10 seconds after posting

1 upvote

There is no point in comparing to FX; completely different price point and ergonomics. A Sony NEX on the other hand costs the same, handles the same, but is also objectively better on many fronts

1 upvote

@sportyaccordy,
Depends on what you want for equivalent. I like the more light coming in with f2.8 and seem to NEED more DOF. So 43rds is better! I tend to shoot my 43rds at F4, my full frame at f8 and my medium format at f16. It really sucks to loose all that light and need slower shutter speeds at f16. Thus I tend to shot 43rds more now.
Who really needs razer thin DOF? I have been told that the picture is out of focus when it has been provided. People are used to Phone cameras and like to see stuff in focus.

1 upvote

@dbateman you make a good point about too narrow a DOF. But the point is a bigger sensor gives you that many more options. You can play w/ISO and shutter speed to get a deeper DOF on a bigger sensor. And you get better low light performance etc etc. You can't get shallow DOF on a 4/3 if you want it.

And for me a huge thing is being able to use old 35mm glass. 35mm glass is pretty much only good for portraiture on a 4/3 camera.

1 upvote

Average sized m43 camera versus the absolutely smallest DSLR... hmmmm indeed.

0 upvotes

Oh wait, focus peaking? Almost missed this major part, first m4/3 body with focus peaking from panasonic? Nicely done, though still dislike pany decision using older sensor, when they already have better one in production.

5 upvotes

GH2/G5 sensor is just fine ..
Am getting amazing results from even older GH1 sensor!!!

1 upvote

I'm not saying it's bad, just gh3 is better and already in production. I like to bring back details from shadows, kind of pseudo hdr. G3 sometimes is noisy and doesn't preserve as much details in shadows as i would like. So the more DR, the better. Though doesn't matter now, anyway still too little time for hobby :(

0 upvotes

@ Barnaby Britton/DPReview

Am I missing something?

In your intro you say "However, the Olympus features two control dials, while the less-expensive G6 only has one - a slightly 'plasticky' small dial on the upper right of the camera's rear."

Am I seeing things or misinterpreting the image, but is there not a second control wheel on the top plate behind the shutter button of the G6 (which is clearly visible in Page 3 of your Preview)?

Regards,
plevyadophy

1 upvote

I think you are talking about the "compact camera-style zoom rocker switch just behind the shutter button"

2 upvotes

Yep. That's the zoom rocker switch. Not a dial. Sorrrreeee....

2 upvotes

@Barney Britton/DPReview

Eh?
Zoom rocker switch?
Yuk!!
So I take it then, that's to control those power zoom lenses right?
And pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeez tell me that the "zoom rocker switch" can be programmed to do something else??!!! No?

And lastly, is this cam compatible with the new wireless flash system (well new to Panny, Oly had it from day dot)?

Thanks in advance.
plevyadophy

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

On the G5 it works as EV compensation when connect to a non power zoom lens

0 upvotes

@ntsan

Well, lets hope to God it does the same thing on the G6.

Thanks for that info.

0 upvotes

You are all wrong. Google Leica R8 or R9. The G6 is a miniature copy :)

Apart from that, it looks like a capable camera. Pity that they omitted the multi-aspect feature though. Now the question is: Did they invent yet another battery or does it use one from another camera?

6 upvotes