Gave The GX7 MkII Another Go...

Henry Richardson wrote:

Tom Caldwell wrote:

Sorry. I thought I was one that kept defending the smaller field sequential evf units found in the GM5, GX7, GX85 and GX9. Not a word of complaint from this guy. I don’t need a “better” evf if the Pen-F has one.

I think my comment was basically on the hopelessness of keeping every prospective camera user 100% happy.

Okay, I see. I thought you were including yourself in this sentence:

I can understand why Henry, and there is no offence, but I thought that I had to explain myself

Those that want the compact shape and size of the GX9 RF-style body might have to continue to suffer compact field sequential evf units to get it.

I have played many times with the GX7, GX7II, and GX7III at stores in Japan. I have often thought about getting one, but I tend to not buy more stuff if I don't really have much need for it. While there are somethings I like about the GX7III better than my PEN-F there are other things I like less about it.

The GX9 would have been even better had it been specified closer to the G9 even if retaining the FS evf.  As it is it is a cut back in G9 performance.  Perhaps it was a cost cutting exercise in order to keep their RF-style series at a lower price point than their faux-dslr series. It is certainly a very obviously smaller camera body than the G9.

Both the GX8 and Pen-F must have been slow going in sales.  Both had more premium evf and both had side hinged lcd units.  Maybe the higher price necessitated by the evf killed their popular appeal.  I think it more like the side hinged lcd is not nearly as popular as the noisy crowd that seems to demand it on all camera bodies would have us think.

I quite deliberately avoided buying either the GX8 or Pen-F because of the side hinged lcd.

The G9 is the first side hinged camera body I have had in many a long day and I have never been impressed with the fiddly use of this type of lcd.  I only mentally survive with the lcd on the G9 (great camera otherwise) by “pretending” that it is a fixed lcd.  That keeps my blood pressure within bounds.  I have a short fuse when it comes to user ergonomics.

A draw and since I already have and like my PEN-F then no reason to buy more gear just to have more gear. I already have the PEN-F, 3 OM-D bodies, and an old G3. I have posted here before that I found the EVF in the GX7 series to be okay for me. Sure, some EVFs are better, but I thought they were perfectly usable. Even the rather small field sequential EVF in my Panasonic TX1 (ZS100/TZ100) is usable to me even though some people moan and groan about it all the time.

Strangely the GM5 has an even smaller FS evf than the GX7 but gets much less negativity - I find it completely useful for my purpose.  Presumably because I accept the lack of some “user conveniences” in return for such a small, rugged and very capable camera that is much more than the basic tool that some seem to imagine that it is.  It is a fully controllable camera device and in what is necessary to make images it is in no way deficient.

However I would not recommend that the GM5 evf be used as magnified screen centre patch though - magnified full-screen is in fact quite workable.