I know, I know. This is technically the third post I’ve written about the Panasonic GX7. But it’s also the first post since it has existed as anything except a Schrödinger’s Rumor.
The GX7 is Panasonic’s best-looking Micro Four Thirds camera to date, in terms of both styling (it’s retro-hot) and design choices. It’s also priced to go up against cameras like Fuji’s X-series, at $1,000 for the body alone, and $1,100 for camera and 14–42mm (28–84mm equivalent) kit lens.
The main features are the built-in tilt-able 2.76M-dot EVF (electronic viewfinder), in-body stabilization (a first for a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds body), Wi-Fi and NFC (for easy photo transfer straight to smartphones and tablets); focus-peaking and a “silent” shooting mode.
The GX7 might look retro, with its magnesium body with black grip, but it packs in a crazy amount of gimmicks. My favorite is the focus, which starts to track for subjects as soon as you raise it to your eye. But it also has separate physical controls for aperture, shutter speed or exposure (although not the kind of dials you’re used to on film SLRs or the Fujifilm X cameras).
It looks seriously good, and seems to address all the things I don’t like about the Panasonic GF1 I still own — lack of a viewfinder, no stabilization, not enough control dials. It also looks tough. I have dropped my GF1 many times, and — apart from a few scuffs — it’s just like new. The GX7 looks even tougher, and will of course fit all my Micro Four Thirds lenses.
You can pre-order the camera now, for October delivery.
