As said by many members before me, if you found GX7 does not suit you, it is always better for you to move on. It is very personal and no one can decide it for you.
To me, GX7 is within my maganable size and weight (the reason I use M43), has IQ meet with my satisfaction, has more than enough lenses in the system for my usage, and at an affordable cost to me. Therefore, I am happy with it. GX7 was my main camera since 2015, replacing GX1, had travelled with me to many destinations under all sort of weather condition from wet to dry, from cold to hot capturing a few tenth thousands of shots...
If I am not looking for the better stabilisation, better video capacity and certain newer features (more for fun, nothing essential) I could live with GX7 for a few more years. It is now my backup camera.
robmarshall77 wrote:
As stated at the beginning of this thread, I'm giving up on this on camera. I say "I think" cos I won't sell it just yet but I never really got on with it. The real testament to this is that I never found myself taking out and using it. It feels awkward and unbalanced in the hand imo, not really super carry around like a great compact,
It is not small by any mean. I originally wished to keep my main camera having size similar to a GX1 (TBH, the external evf making GX1 not smaller than GX7!). However, considering the capability of GX7 and there was basically not much other ILC options in the market (except Nikon 1, but sadly it was discontinued while I started to pay attention to it), I adjusted my criteria and accepted GX7 (GX85).
nor reassuring like a dSLR but lost in between.
The menus are complicated
It is very interesting to read this. Panny Menu has earned the reputation of intuitive... Basically after setting up (customized) the camera, very few items would need Menu diving.
Constant Preview for M mode is one (I program it on a C mode). The 9 fn keys and 15 items on Q.Menu (in 6 independent sets) of GX7 indeed could be more than enough to handle any other controls/features.
On my GX7:
My right index finger controls:
- Exposure Compensation (In A & S mode) or Shutter speed (In M mode) by the front dail, and
- Shutter button.
My right thumb controls:
- f/stop (In A mode), or Shutter Speed (in S mode) or f/stop (in M mode) by the back dail.
- Hit the Up cursor key, index finger on front dial to set ISO ceiling limit (rarely do), thumb on back dial to set ISO.
2 fingers on my right hand control all of the 4 major controls (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO and Exposure Compensation). What else we shall need for basic shooting?
and I always found myself having to remember how to change settings, also there are so many of them, something that I thought when I first got the camera would be great.
If you still not happy with the above, please let us know what usual operation(s) would you need frequent Meny diving. We might be able to suggest something to make it easier...
Take one of my customization as an example. I take Auto Exposure Bracketing shots a lot for HDR in PP. Under normal operation, I have to hit:
- Down Cursor key once,
- Right cursor key 2 times to AEB option,
- Hit OK to select AEB, then shot.
However, very often I entered Direct Focus Area Mode and moved the focus point by mistake (I really have no clue on why I could do it since DFA has been disabled in the Menu).
Therefore, I save the AEB mode to C2. Problem solved.
The photos I did take with it were always a bit *meh*, and I'm sure this is more about me a photographer than the camera, but I never found myself wanting to get better with it.
A lot of basics must be taken care of on shooting specially with a smaller size sensor. As I am trying to be a SOOC jpg shooter, a few things need attention:
1) Avoid insufficient exposure. Optimal exposure could produce a cleaner (even at base or low ISOs), more pop and vibrant output than insufficient exposure. Be aware Panny cameras has a tendency on highlight protection at 0ev metering.
The following was my home testing result on G85:
GX7 does not support zebra, it is harder to quantify the exact headroom on highlight protection. On GX85, zebra at 105% indicates around -2/3ev to push for real ETTR, and it is -1/3ev for G85...
It is safe to say at least 1/3ev to push on GX7 from 0ev metering.
2) If you prefer a more vibrant, more pop SOOC output, might try Vivid photo style.
3) You have to find the best jpg setting by yourself. As per my home testing, the very common recommendation on NR=-5 could result noisier SOOC jpg without obvious improvement on fine detail. I set mine to NR=0 (also the contrast, saturation and sharpness etc). The following was what I found:
Please note that the very usual recommendation (looking like the the easiest formula) on ETTR and do shadow lifting in PP might not be always the best, specially for SOOC jpg shooter because of the lower headroom of jpg in PP, and the smaller shooting caveats of smaller size sensor.
On shooting, I need to decide on the compromise(s) which I have to make for the best SOOC result:
- Look for optimal exposure unless I am looking for certain special effect,
- Would I need the shadow area brighter (to reduce reliance on shadow lifting in PP) at the cost of highlight overblown?
- If so, how big will be the area of highlight has to be overblown, and
- would those overblown areas be essential to the shot etc.
We are blessed by the responsive Live View of GX7, I can:
- Ignore 0ev metering setting as suggested by the camera,
- Trust my eye, take the lightness condition of the Live View simulated image seriously (learn what does it mean vs output),
- Cross reference with the real time histogram,
- Activate Preview if in doubt, or under complicated lighting environment (Live View will stop to update at +/->3ev).
It might sound complicated, in reality it could be mastered through a learning curve. Best above all, through doing so we can break ourselves away from the default of GX7 (any camera) and build up our own style of shooting.
I've got the f1.7 prime (cheap version) and even with this things didn't really improve,
Is it the 25 f/1.7 or the 20 f/1.7?
IMHO a better lens could give you a better tool: more DoF control, low light shooting. usually could be sharper, better edge sharpness etc (however as M43 consumer grade f/3.5ish lenses are so good such that the difference is not huge in real life). But it does not equivalent to better result since the composition, exposure control etc which also determine IQ are more related to the shooter.
Also the IBIS of GX7 is primitive (around 0.5~1 stop?). Although f/1.7 is physically 2 stops faster than f/3.5, the 3~3.5 stops effective stabilisation of the lens OIS could of a f/3.5ish lens can overtake the advantage of a non OIS f/1.7 prime lens (if slow shutter speed applies).
Finally IMHO prime lens might not always be the easiest tool for non experienced shooter. If you have the 12-32, 14-42 mk-II or 12-60, their versatile zoom range could make your life easier. Keep your f/1.7 prime lens for low lighting environment or if you look for background blurry.
images just looked flat (admittedly jpegs, I don't really have the patience for post processing and raw) so maybe this more of my bad!
The exposure problem? The photo style problem? The SOOC jpg setting problem etc as in above?
Anyway, what have I changed to? Well, I've just bought a used (but mint) Canon g7xii. A strange downward move perhaps, but I'm hoping to get out and take more photos and recreate the buzz I got from using my old s90,
Could it be caused by the restrictiveness of prime lens on GX7? On feature wise and on sensor size wise, GX7 is never weaker than G7X-II, not to mention the S90...
which I loved using and gave me great results as and inconspicuous little travel cam and lovely Canon colors.
A question on can you use your camera, or you let your camera do it for you?
If you can master your camera, what will there still be this and that color? GX7, as most latest cameras, are so customizable such that we can tailor make the output to any color, any style... Is it what we are looking for on using an advanced camera?
I've read good things about the g7xii so I'm quite excited. What do you all think, am I giving up on m43 too easily?
Only you can tell. My 2 cents.
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Albert
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