Thom Hogan's Panny GX7 Review

[fotophool]

Here

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[perry rhodan]

the X is quite important here hehe

R P

 

[Chas2]

That would be GX7

 

[fotophool]

That would be GX7

Ah, yes...

My bad, guys!

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[Aleo Veuliah]

Going to read.

 

[jhinkey]

I thought it was a fair review as well. Though far from a perfect camera, I've found the GX7 very easy to use and it's capabilities along with it's small size is the perfect companion to my large and heavy FX system.

 

[YouDidntDidYou]

Flaws:
- "but Format is the last option."you can quickly access the format option by scrolling up instead down the other way in menus

- "Like the Olympus m4/3 cameras, there are a lot of configurable options" Micro four thirds users don't tend to shoot in Auto, like to experiment and push and also like to be in control of their cameras.

- "The road to the GX7 is a bit confusing, as it starts with the GF1." erm no consumers today are not linear Olympus and Pnasonic have adapted quickly to customer needs.
- "Most people don't see the two control dials at first," Really!

- "though it also has a bulb limit of 2 minutes, which some might find restricting" erm some? I've never seen a 60+ second exposure anywhere on the internet so "some" = 0.0000001%

- "my hand so that it blocks the AF Assist Lamp" what does he suggest instead? Nothing!

- "Low light and low contrast tend to slow it down, but those conditions slow all cameras down" with micro four thirds you the user adapt the type of focus in these situations use AF with wider coverage and/or make sure their is contrast at your selected focus area and/or use magnified manual focus.

- "for me I pixel peep" then in other articles he bleats on about folks that also "pixel peep"

-"when the camera is set to Auto" like a smart phone or point and shoot? white balance is the responsibility of the photographer and Micro Four Thirds makes it much easier to get"right" in camera than any DSLR


living life to the Micro Four Thirds...you?
YouDidntDidYou

 

[larsbc]

Flaws:
- "but Format is the last option."you can quickly access the format option by scrolling up instead down the other way in menus

True. I do that all the time.

- "Like the Olympus m4/3 cameras, there are a lot of configurable options" Micro four thirds users don't tend to shoot in Auto, like to experiment and push and also like to be in control of their cameras.

I disagree. M43 users don't appear, to me, to be any different from the great unwashed masses of photographers. There will be many people who are a) daunted by the complexity of the configuration options and b) prefer to shoot in Auto. Simply reading through this forum will show you that these users do, in fact, exist.

- "Most people don't see the two control dials at first," Really!

Yes, really. Go and read the posts when the GX7's photos were first "leaked." Many people didn't realize it had two control dials.

- "though it also has a bulb limit of 2 minutes, which some might find restricting" erm some? I've never seen a 60+ second exposure anywhere on the internet so "some" = 0.0000001%

You need to stop thinking that your experiences are an accurate reflection of the rest of the world. The fact is, some people WILL find it restricting. I've seen many 2+ minute long exposure photos online and I wasn't even looking for them.

- "my hand so that it blocks the AF Assist Lamp" what does he suggest instead? Nothing!

There's another option besides "nothing." That option is, "put it somewhere further away from the lens and/or hand." An example of a better location would be beside the "L" in Lumix.

- "for me I pixel peep" then in other articles he bleats on about folks that also "pixel peep"

If there's someone who's "bleating," I'd say it's you.

-"when the camera is set to Auto" like a smart phone or point and shoot? white balance is the responsibility of the photographer and Micro Four Thirds makes it much easier to get"right" in camera than any DSLR

Are you seriously trying to argue that it doesn't matter if the camera gets the white balance right or not?? You might as well argue that focus is the responsibility of the photographer, as is exposure. If it doesn't get it right automatically, it's the photographer's fault. So WB, AF and exposure accuracy should not be something you look at when buying a camera. But in the REAL WORLD, that's not the case. If the WB is off, then it makes sense to point that out in a review.

I understand that you enjoy the micro four thirds system. I do, too. But you seem to have a chip on your shoulder regarding how it is perceived by non-m43 users, and that is resulting in some very biased posts by you. IMO, Thom Hogan's posts, including his GX7 review, are well-reasoned. I paid full price (bought it within days of it being released in my country) for my GX7 and have reason to defend my purchase. But the fact is, Thom has correctly identified shortcomings in the camera. The AF assist lamp is useless with most of my lenses. The 2-minute limitation of the BULB setting is restrictive. The configuration options are quite convoluted. Etc. Despite all that, I still think it's a very good camera, even though it has room for improvement. Thom evidently feels the same way. His opinion of the camera seems, to me, to be much more balanced and fair that your over-the-top defense of it.

 

[G1Houston]

shortcomings in the camera. The AF assist lamp is useless with most of my lenses.

I too have the 12-35/2.8 that he mentioned. Do you find the AF performance greatly affected when the assist lamp is blocked?

 

[larsbc]

shortcomings in the camera. The AF assist lamp is useless with most of my lenses.

I too have the 12-35/2.8 that he mentioned. Do you find the AF performance greatly affected when the assist lamp is blocked?

In low light, when the camera needs that AF assist light, then yes, performance is noticeably affected.