Panasonic GX7 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in August 2013 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.8 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GX7 a good camera? The GX7 has a Camera Elo of 1913. This rating puts the GX7 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GX7 ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Headline Specifications

Panasonic GX7
Mirrorless system camera
Micro Four Thirds lenses
15.8 MP, Four Thirds Sensor
1080/60p Video
ISO 125-25600
Electronic viewfinder (2760k dots)
3.0" LCD, 1040k dots
Tilting touchscreen
5 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilization
350 shots per battery charge
123 x 71 x 55 mm, 402 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Panasonic GX7 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GX7 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic GX7	123 mm	71 mm	55 mm	402 g	350	n	Aug 2013	999		Panasonic GX7
	Olympus PEN-F« »	125 mm	72 mm	37 mm	427 g	330	n	Jan 2016	1,199		Olympus PEN-F
	Olympus E-M5 II« »	124 mm	85 mm	45 mm	469 g	310	Y	Feb 2015	1,099		Olympus E-M5 II
	Olympus E-M10 II« »	120 mm	83 mm	47 mm	390 g	320	n	Aug 2015	649		Olympus E-M10 II
	Olympus E-M10« »	119 mm	82 mm	46 mm	396 g	320	n	Jan 2014	699		Olympus E-M10
	Olympus E-PL7« »	115 mm	67 mm	38 mm	357 g	350	n	Aug 2014	599		Olympus E-PL7
	Olympus E-P5« »	122 mm	69 mm	37 mm	420 g	330	n	May 2013	999		Olympus E-P5
	Panasonic GX80« »	122 mm	71 mm	44 mm	426 g	290	n	Apr 2016	799		Panasonic GX80
	Panasonic G6« »	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	599		Panasonic G6
	Panasonic GX1« »	116 mm	68 mm	39 mm	318 g	320	n	Nov 2011	699		Panasonic GX1
	Panasonic GH2« »	124 mm	90 mm	76 mm	442 g	330	n	Sep 2010	899		Panasonic GH2
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic GX7 was launched in the US market at a price of $999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic GX7 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic GX7 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The GX7 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GX7 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GX7 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2760k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic GX7 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

One convenient feature of the GX7 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the GX7 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the GX7 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model	cam era   labs	dp re   view	e photo   zine	ima ging resource	photo graphy   blog	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Panasonic GX7	+	79/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2013	999		Panasonic GX7
	Olympus PEN-F	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	1,199		Olympus PEN-F
	Olympus E-M5 II	+ +	81/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Feb 2015	1,099		Olympus E-M5 II
	Olympus E-M10 II	+ +	80/100	5/5	5/5	5/5	Aug 2015	649		Olympus E-M10 II
	Olympus E-M10	..	80/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2014	699		Olympus E-M10
	Olympus E-PL7	+	..	5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2014	599		Olympus E-PL7
	Olympus E-P5	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	May 2013	999		Olympus E-P5
	Panasonic GX80	+ +	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Apr 2016	799		Panasonic GX80
	Panasonic G6	+ +	..	5/5	..	4.5/5	Apr 2013	599		Panasonic G6
	Panasonic GX1	+	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2011	699		Panasonic GX1
	Panasonic GH2	+ +	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2010	899		Panasonic GH2
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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