GX7 Question please

Hi guys,

Looking to maybe "move up" from my compact "combo" of LX7 & TZ70 and to take my photography a bit more seriously so,,, the questions are,,

Any of you guys use a GX7, if so how do you rate it.

Also,, is there a difference between the

14-42 3.5-5.6 ii ASPH & OIS lens ? or are they in fact the same lens ?

Looking to shot mainly days out / holidays. Church interiors / stained glass,, flowers.

Any help / info would be greatly appreciated.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

+1 on getting the 12-32. I bought that for my GX7 years ago and it's really nice to have the 12mm end. While the GX85 is better on paper in most respects, if money is tight and you get a good deal, image quality should be similar and you get the AF/MF switch, which I use all the time.

d3xmeister wrote:

Why not the GX85 with the 12-32 ?

The 12-32mm is sharper

It is much more compact

You lose some of the reach

You gain a lot on the wide angle, important for the type of photography you mention.

You gain a lot in image stabilization (Better IBIS, Dual-IS), very important for your photography

You gain stabilization in video, absolutely necessary for hand held

Plus many other stuff the GX85 has (smaller lighter body, better screen, better AF, USB charging, better shutter mechanism without shock, electronic shutter to 1/1600, 4K video, 4K photo mode)

The GX7 was a fine camera, but with what we have these days available, I woulnd't think it worth more than $200 to be honest.

Hi d3x,,

Thanks for the reply. Over here in the UK I believe its the GX80, not read up on that one so will give it a look later.

Regarding the 12-32 lens,, the only "problem" that springs to mind is that,, I use my LX7 as my main camera and with the 24-90 lens it gets 95% of the shots I take,, I'm not sure if the shorter zoom on the 12-32 would start to pee me off with possibly having to change lenses more often ?. Not having had a micro four thirds camera / system before I don't know if this would be the case or not, or if in fact there is a lens that would cover the same range as the 24-90 of the LX7,,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

dmokn wrote:

+1 on getting the 12-32. I bought that for my GX7 years ago and it's really nice to have the 12mm end. While the GX85 is better on paper in most respects, if money is tight and you get a good deal, image quality should be similar and you get the AF/MF switch, which I use all the time.

Hi dmokn,

I"ve just replied to d3x regarding the lens,, would love the wide end but not sure if its too short a zoom compared to the 24-90 of my LX7.

"image quality should be similar" then I'm possibly temped to go for a GX7 first of all just to see if I get on with the camera system or not,, I have seen one with the 14-42 lens for around £350,, not sure if that's good or not ??

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

rolandb wrote:

Hi guys,

Looking to maybe "move up" from my compact "combo" of LX7 & TZ70 and to take my photography a bit more seriously so,,, the questions are,,

Any of you guys use a GX7, if so how do you rate it.

Also,, is there a difference between the

14-42 3.5-5.6 ii ASPH & OIS lens ? or are they in fact the same lens ?

Looking to shot mainly days out / holidays. Church interiors / stained glass,, flowers.

Any help / info would be greatly appreciated.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

The GX7 when partnered with the Panasonic 14-140 Mk2 is a superb and in my opinion a faultless combination that will cover most photographic scenarios and so easy to carry in a very small bag/case.

Best results are acquired by using the electronic shutter - which I do 99% of the time.

Adrian Harris wrote:

rolandb wrote:

Hi guys,

Looking to maybe "move up" from my compact "combo" of LX7 & TZ70 and to take my photography a bit more seriously so,,, the questions are,,

Any of you guys use a GX7, if so how do you rate it.

Also,, is there a difference between the

14-42 3.5-5.6 ii ASPH & OIS lens ? or are they in fact the same lens ?

Looking to shot mainly days out / holidays. Church interiors / stained glass,, flowers.

Any help / info would be greatly appreciated.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

The GX7 when partnered with the Panasonic 14-140 Mk2 is a superb and in my opinion a faultless combination that will cover most photographic scenarios and so easy to carry in a very small bag/case.

Best results are acquired by using the electronic shutter - which I do 99% of the time.

Thanks Adrian,

Having taken a quick look at prices for both a body and then the 14-140 lens,, I'd have to be 100% sure this is the right way to go for me before spending that much on a camera / system that I've never had before,, but yes the lens does sound a good one.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

I guess it depends on what focal lengths you gravitate towards. If you're used to zooming in a lot on your current 90mm then you'd probably prefer the 14-42. If you often use the 24 end, then the 12-32 is great and my preference. If you stick with the system, the relatively adorable Oly 45 or Panny 42.5 is really small and would be a significant upgrade for portraits, and small enough to throw in a pocket.

That price doesn't seem tremendously cheaper than the GX85 though.

rolandb wrote:

Regarding the 12-32 lens,, the only "problem" that springs to mind is that,, I use my LX7 as my main camera and with the 24-90 lens it gets 95% of the shots I take,, I'm not sure if the shorter zoom on the 12-32 would start to pee me off with possibly having to change lenses more often ?. Not having had a micro four thirds camera / system before I don't know if this would be the case or not, or if in fact there is a lens that would cover the same range as the 24-90 of the LX7,,,,

Similar situation to me. I moved up from an LX5 to an M4/3 camera last year and went with the GX85.

I had the same concern about focal length with the kit 12-32mm lens so I asked the store to swap it out for the 12-60mm lens which covered the same wide angle and went a bit further on the telephoto end. It's been a good lens for that.

Of course, I've since added more lenses to my bag.

Pete_W wrote:

rolandb wrote:

Regarding the 12-32 lens,, the only "problem" that springs to mind is that,, I use my LX7 as my main camera and with the 24-90 lens it gets 95% of the shots I take,, I'm not sure if the shorter zoom on the 12-32 would start to pee me off with possibly having to change lenses more often ?. Not having had a micro four thirds camera / system before I don't know if this would be the case or not, or if in fact there is a lens that would cover the same range as the 24-90 of the LX7,,,,

Similar situation to me. I moved up from an LX5 to an M4/3 camera last year and went with the GX85.

I had the same concern about focal length with the kit 12-32mm lens so I asked the store to swap it out for the 12-60mm lens which covered the same wide angle and went a bit further on the telephoto end. It's been a good lens for that.

Of course, I've since added more lenses to my bag.

Thank you Pete,,

That lens sound good, and its given me something else to check out.

Roland.

True about the bigger range but keep in mind that the 12-32 is much smaller and keeps the whole package pocketable in a jacket. All about figuring out your priorities.

I think the GX7 is great. It's still my favorite camera based on all the features that they managed to squeeze into that compact body (as compared to its predecessor, the GX1). The GX85 has several significant improvements, including 4K, 5-axis IBIS, DFD, Dual IS, and a shock-proof shutter. And Panasonic released it at a really good price point. In order to reach that price point, however, Panasonic "downgraded" it in several respects from the GX7. Here are some of the features present in the GX7 as compared to GX85:

Faster flash sync (1/320 with built-in flash, vs. 1/160)
Faster mechanical shutter (1/8000 vs 1/4000)
Tilt EVF
Perhaps better EVF (some who have used both say the GX85 has distortion not present in the GX7)
12-bit e-shutter (vs. 10-bit)
Built-in flash can tilt (I don't think that is true of GX85, but I may be wrong)
Built-in flash can be used as master for off-camera flash
Remote release jack
Metal body (vs. plastic)
Physical switch for AF/MF
Has three custom settings available on the exposure mode dial (vs. one on the GX85)
Comes with an external battery charger (but its easy to buy one with extra aftermarket batteries)

Most buyers now might well think that the improvements in the GX85 outweigh those differences. I won't argue against that. They just weren't enough for me to give up my GX7.

As for the 14-42 v.II, it is a very good lens for a "kit" lens. Sharp, compact (only extends about 1/4" when zoomed), and operates smoothly. The 12-32 is also good, but no manual focus ring, and the "twist to open" requirement before you can shoot requires a bit of an adjustment. The lower priced 12-60 would be a good option if you can get it as part of a kit for an extra $100.

dmokn wrote:

True about the bigger range but keep in mind that the 12-32 is much smaller and keeps the whole package pocketable in a jacket. All about figuring out your priorities.

Good point,, thank you.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

brentbrent wrote:

I think the GX7 is great. It's still my favorite camera based on all the features that they managed to squeeze into that compact body (as compared to its predecessor, the GX1). The GX85 has several significant improvements, including 4K, 5-axis IBIS, DFD, Dual IS, and a shock-proof shutter. And Panasonic released it at a really good price point. In order to reach that price point, however, Panasonic "downgraded" it in several respects from the GX7. Here are some of the features present in the GX7 as compared to GX85:

Faster flash sync (1/320 with built-in flash, vs. 1/160)
Faster mechanical shutter (1/8000 vs 1/4000)
Tilt EVF
Perhaps better EVF (some who have used both say the GX85 has distortion not present in the GX7)
12-bit e-shutter (vs. 10-bit)
Built-in flash can tilt (I don't think that is true of GX85, but I may be wrong)
Built-in flash can be used as master for off-camera flash
Remote release jack
Metal body (vs. plastic)
Physical switch for AF/MF
Has three custom settings available on the exposure mode dial (vs. one on the GX85)
Comes with an external battery charger (but its easy to buy one with extra aftermarket batteries)

Most buyers now might well think that the improvements in the GX85 outweigh those differences. I won't argue against that. They just weren't enough for me to give up my GX7.

As for the 14-42 v.II, it is a very good lens for a "kit" lens. Sharp, compact (only extends about 1/4" when zoomed), and operates smoothly. The 12-32 is also good, but no manual focus ring, and the "twist to open" requirement before you can shoot requires a bit of an adjustment. The lower priced 12-60 would be a good option if you can get it as part of a kit for an extra $100.

Thank you Brent,

All good points and useful info for me to consider.

I think I need to try to find a "local" retailer that has one in stock so at least I can take a good look at it before spending any money.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Just be sure you won't be happier with the non-rangefinder style by taking a look at the G80.

• I have and no longer use the GX7 as I much preferred the G7 when it came out and now the G85 (G80 over there) for being able to hold onto it more comfortably  and easier to get to the functions.
• G80 has all the most current Panasonic tech just short of the GH5.
• Has Inbody Stabilization for Video

I concur that the 14-140 lens should work well for you as a single all-around lens covering the range that you like.

Mark

Mark Kaprielian wrote:

Just be sure you won't be happier with the non-rangefinder style by taking a look at the G80.

• I have and no longer use the GX7 as I much preferred the G7 when it came out and now the G85 (G80 over there) for being able to hold onto it more comfortably and easier to get to the functions.
• G80 has all the most current Panasonic tech just short of the GH5.
• Has Inbody Stabilization for Video

I concur that the 14-140 lens should work well for you as a single all-around lens covering the range that you like.

Mark

Thanks Mark,,

Its certainly something I'm going to look at further.

Unfortunatly my "local" camera shop,, only a 40 min drive so not too far,, has sold out and are waiting for more stock to arrive. Once they have stock I"ll take a ride over to have a play.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

richj20 wrote:

rolandb wrote:

Any of you guys use a GX7, if so how do you rate it.

Looking to shot mainly days out / holidays...

I love the camera. It's a very nice travel camera, small, and compact.

The flip up LCD is very handy for tripod work.

Church interiors /

It's small, and the flip up LCD is great for indoors, such as church interiors, since I can easily photograph at chest and waist level rather unobtrusively.

stained glass,,

flowers.

The tilt EVF is handy for low to the ground positions for closeup and macro focusing.

I've been very happy with the camera!

- Richard

Thanks Richard,, great set of photos.

The G series is certainly something I'm looking into further.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Most buyers now might well think that the improvements in the GX85 outweigh those differences. I won't argue against that. They just weren't enough for me to give up my GX7.

As for the 14-42 v.II, it is a very good lens for a "kit" lens. Sharp, compact (only extends about 1/4" when zoomed), and operates smoothly. The 12-32 is also good, but no manual focus ring, and the "twist to open" requirement before you can shoot requires a bit of an adjustment. The lower priced 12-60 would be a good option if you can get it as part of a kit for an extra $100.

Thank you Brent,

All good points and useful info for me to consider.

I think I need to try to find a "local" retailer that has one in stock so at least I can take a good look at it before spending any money.

Roland.

Try John Lewis.

Maggie