REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 with 4k Video & 14-140mm Lens (Part II of II)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Camera with 14-140mm Lens (Rear View)

Click here to read Part I of this review.

After more hands on time with this camera, I’ve decided that I’m not very impressed with it beyond the 4k video support. A camera like a Sony a6000 is a bargain competitor that cost less yet significantly outperforms this camera in all but one place – 4k video recording.

Bookshelf Testing

f/5.6 @ 46mm for 1/5 sec at ISO 6400

The more I used this camera I realized that it was really built as a way to tout 4k video, but as a camera there’s nothing that impresses me. In my bookshelf testing I was so underwhelmed that I didn’t even do a complete series of shots.

ISO 6400 was as high as I could comfortably go, but the image quality felt very noisy with details crushed by the internal noise reduction software.

With the use of my preferred vivid mode the colors are very neutral as shown.

Click here to see more bookshelf shots at different ISO’s

Real World Samples

The following images come straight from in-camera JPEG’s using the camera default noise reduction settings. Most camera settings are the default with the exception of RAW+JPEG, a desired White Balance (only Shade or AWB), and a desired focus point.  I chose to use the Vivid Photo Style as I found it to be pleasant and not overly done with i.Dynamic set to Auto and i.Resolution set to standard.

Click here for a full gallery of unedited images.

All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not save, print, edit, modify or otherwise use any images featured in this article or the gallery without expressed written permission.

Fireworks

f/4.9 @ 32mm for 1/4 sec at ISO 1250

My wife likes to shoot the fireworks with her iPhone and gets pretty good results, but this year I convinced her to try using the G7 – the net result was as any photographer would expect with someone who didn’t use a tripod for an evening shot – lots of camera shake.

Short of shooting on a tripod, there weren’t any built-in camera features that really helped with this scenario.

Other Shots

f/3.5 @ 14mm for 1/320 sec at ISO 640
I was impressed I could focus on the bubble gun and Kai’s face under tough shooting conditions.

f/5.6 @ 140mm for 1/25 sec at ISO 3200
This image captures much of what I don’t like about this camera
No enough dynamic range to capture the reds of this flower accurately

f/5.4 @ 109mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 3200
Macro shots were tough so I had to stand back and zoom in. I did discover that if you use the Vivid photo style mode it looks so much nicer on your subjects. Below is a flower shot that uses the default photo style.

f/5.4 @ 109mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 3200
The default photo style is neutral to the point of blah!

f/5.6 @ 37mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 200
I had to shoot full manual to get an exposure that wasn’t completely overblown

Click here to see more real world sample photos.

Conclusion

With so many great cameras (Including cell phone cameras) on the market today, I can’t recommend purchasing this camera – as a still image camera. It does take nice 4k video, if that’s your thing I’d day go for it. For everyone else, I’d say go look at my which camera should I buy? article as the starting point for your research on what’s right for you.

Click here to read Part I of this review.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Review - Part I of II.
• Panasonic GF6 & LX1
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens–Crazy Sharp with Vibrant Colors
• Fujifilm X100s
• Fujifilm X-E2
• Fujifilm X-T1 (includes 18-55mm & 23mm lens reviews)
• Sony a6000 (includes 16-70mm lens)
• Sony a7 (includes Samyang lens)
• Sony a7R
• Which camera should I buy?
• Ron’s Recommendations
• Discount Coupon Code Page

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 with 4k Video & 14-140mm Lens (Part I of II)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 with 14-140mm Lens

I just spent the last month using the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II so my expectations about camera body quality are very high right now. I was pretty disappointed with the plastic feel of the body right away, but would this translate to image quality? Based on what I had been hearing from my readers is that this is an awesome camera that can do 4k video at 30 fps, so I had to give it a try.

I’ll talk more about the body in my next part of this interview next week after I’ve had more time with this camera.

Real World Samples

The following images come straight from in-camera JPEG’s using the camera default noise reduction settings. Most camera settings are the default with the exception of RAW+JPEG, a desired White Balance (only Shade or AWB), and a desired focus point.  I chose to use the Vivid Photo Style as I found it to be pleasant and not overly done with i.Dynamic set to Auto and i.Resolution set to standard.

Click here for a full gallery of unedited images.

All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not save, print, edit, modify or otherwise use any images featured in this article or the gallery without expressed written permission.

f/5.6 @ 37mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 200
I had to shoot full manual to get an exposure that wasn’t completely overblown

f/9 @ 14mm for 1/60 sec at ISO 1250
I was pretty disappointed with the in-camera meter which seemed to like to
overexpose by 1/3rd of a stop compared to what I’m used to seeing from other cameras

f/9 @ 84mm for 1/200 sec at ISO 2500
If your images final output will only be the screen or small print then the quality is great, but if you look closely at the original you’ll see lots of digital noise at higher ISO’s

f/9 @ 55mm for 1/160 sec at ISO 200
Even without using negative exposure compensation the greens were pleasing thanks to the Vivid photos style. Sadly the dynamic range was lacking despite using i.Dynamic Auto.

f/9 @ 46mm for 1/100 sec at ISO 500
Great colors with hot spots was the name of the game, so definitely get familiar with how to do negative exposure compensation if you buy this camera.

f/4.4 @ 32mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 2000
I think I shot this one in the standard picture mode and was disappointed so I went back to vivid. Fortunately this subject could handle less saturation ok. The detail in the original really shows off this lens and sensor resolution very well.

f/5.1 @ 55mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 1600
This scene tripped up the AF as it had a hard time getting a lock and then eventually chose poorly. These were big leaves and I should have been within a traditional minimum focus distance for this lens so I can only attribute to this as to the lack of contrast of the subject.

f/4.6 @ 37mm for 1/320 sec at ISO 1250
I botched this shot but I loved all of the leaf detail so I included it so plant shooters
can zoom in and confirm that this is definitely a good camera for nature lovers.

Click here for a full gallery of more unedited images.

Panos

I often forget to test out the pano feature of cameras these days because so many offer this feature. However, this scenic area had me wanting to take a pano of the beautiful environment so here are a few handheld shots that I did:

f/5 @ 17mm for 1/640 sec at ISO 200 (6976x1920)
Only an HDR pano can overcome this challenge of drastically different
exposures required to get the full scene, so don’t knock the camera for this one

f/3.5 @ 14mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 320 (4752x1920)
I stopped early for this one and went a little longer below

f/3.5 @ 14mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 250 (8176x1920)
This required me to twist my body and the result ended up
being some stitching problems in the railing

f/22 @ 14mm for 1/25 sec at ISO 3200
Without a pano you can either get the boardwalk… (and notice the railing doesn’t have jaggies)

f/11 @ 28mm for 1/60 sec at ISO 1600
… or the river, but not both

You lose resolution and detail with the in-camera panos, so they are often better for personal mementos than high quality images to be printed large.

4k UHD (3840x2160) at 30fps Video

While I hate doing video, one of the things that intrigued me was this cameras ability to record 4k video (3840x2160) at 30 fps. I use a NEC PA322UHD as my primary display, so it isn’t very often I get to see a video on this amazing display that takes advantage of its full resolution. As a result, I listed to readers like you who really wanted me to check out this product.

Now I have to start with a disclaimer for my online readers who haven’t had the chance to do a class or training session with me. I’ve always stated that cameras are NOT camcorders and therefore the best results are done using proper stabilization equipment and manual focus points for carefully planned scenes. No matter how great the camera is, they lack proper video stabilization and focus speed to get camcorder results so the results will always be shaky if done handheld.

This certainly applies here, but multiple it times four since you are taking a super high resolution video where movement is going to be even more obvious. As a result these informal handheld shots are representative of what you get if you try to treat a high end video device like this like a camcorder.

NOTE: Check out this article and search for Panasonic to see a GH4 fitted in a $40k video kit.

WARNING: You Tube lists quality by height so 4k is listed as 2160. What’s more, it usually takes a few seconds before it starts streaming true 4k so right click the video at full screen and choose “Stats for Nerds” to see what video quality you are really getting. If you don’t get 4k the first time at full screen (which requires a 4k display and video card) then SLIDE THE PLAYBACK SLIDER BACKWARDS (do not restart) to watch the video again and it will often correct itself. The dimensions AND resolution BOTH must say 3840 x 2160 before you are really seeing true 4k video. You can NOT see 4k in the thumbnail versions included here so be sure to make them full screen after you start them.

 

Conclusion

See part II for more info.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Panasonic GF6 & LX1
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens–Crazy Sharp with Vibrant Colors
• Fujifilm X100s
• Fujifilm X-E2
• Fujifilm X-T1 (includes 18-55mm & 23mm lens reviews)
• Sony a6000 (includes 16-70mm lens)
• Sony a7 (includes Samyang lens)
• Sony a7R
• Which camera should I buy?
• Ron’s Recommendations
• Discount Coupon Code Page

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

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Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

WPPI 2015 Trip Report–Part II of II

Click here for Part I

WPPI Pool Party 2015 at MGM Las Vegas

Normally you can count on Las Vegas to be warm, so a pool party would be a big hit. This year the weather failed to cooperate so we ended up with a cold night, but that didn’t deter a packed house at the party. With lots of  tasty food and great company, there was still plenty of fun to be had.

WPPI guests pack the pool area for food and conversation

Nikon D7200 Hands On

Nikon D7200 with 18-140mm lens

Big news was the D7200 which is basically the much loved D7100 with an EXPEED 4 processor, WiFi & NFC included as well as much improved buffer. How much improved? My testing on a pre-release unit without an SD card – resulted in 40 photos (Lossless Compressed RAW + JPEG Fine) being stored in the buffer before it filled.

Nikon D7200 Rear View

40 images!!!! Imagine if it had a card to write to and it didn’t have to keep all that in memory!!!!

Nikon D7200 Top View

I loved the D7100 as a sports camera when I tested it, so this is a nice upgrade. The EXPEED 4 seems to be incredible from what I saw in my D4s, D750, and D810 reviews, so this is going to be a lot of bang for the buck for the sports and wildlife photographers. It could be my new favorite camera for parents too!

Nikon D7200 Front View

There’s actually several other benefits of the new D7200 like 2 stops of improved ISO, more time lapse intervals and more. Click here to see a complete list of features of the D7200 compared against the D7100.

Click here to pre-order today!

SIGMA

New SIGMA 150-600mm Contemporary & Sport Models

The new SIGMA 150-600 models were on hand with the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens (above left) and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens (above right). According to SIGMA, the optical stabilization (OS) and autofocus performance of both lenses are identical. What you really get with the Sport model is the all-important weather sealing and more weight! If you don’t need this weather sealing, then you can easily save nearly $1000 and get a pretty affordable sharp super zoom lens with the contemporary model. The question is will the autofocus be up to the task or will it fall short like the 120-300mm I tested? 

The Canon 200-400mm and all new 100-400mm  II blew me away, but they were both pretty expensive so I have no doubt these lenses will be hot sellers.

Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

The 35mm and 50mm Art Series lenses I reviewed were game changers on how I viewed SIGMA lenses. I loved them and have complete faith in SIGMA’s ability to deliver near Zeiss Otus performance in the Art series, so I have no doubt the new 24mm will be amazing. My hands on testing of a pre-release lens on a Canon 6D (which shares Canon’s best sensor with the 1D X ), left me impressed because the images were sharp with boatloads of detail. I can’t wait to see the final product myself!

Panasonic

Panasonic GH4 gets a Hollywood Worthy Video Kit

Panasonic has been touting the GH4 as a serious 4k camera, so it came dressed to impress at the show. While this roughly $40k setup is overkill for most, what Panasonic wants videographers to see is that this is no toy – it’s built for cinema quality results.

Is the beauty of the inexpensive GH4 4k video lost with this $40k setup?

The word RED camera kept coming up in conversations so it is clear that they have set expectations high on what this low cost 4k camera can deliver. I’ve had field reports that confirm that straight out of the box with no fancy accessories it delivers in a big way, so Canon videographers dreaming of doing 4k might want to give this one a closer look.

My friends at Flixel were at the Panasonic booth showing off the amazing results you can get with a GH4 and their awesome Cinemagraph Pro product. While I hate doing video, my review of this awesome product had me warming up to using that video feature a little more often on my camera.

Scott Kelby shares some good news

Scott Kelby, Ron Martinsen & Yechiel Orgel

While I can’t get into all the specifics at this time, Scott Kelby and I had a good conversation about his upcoming book and tour. What I can share is that he was excited about doing another VIP meet and greet like we did for the Seattle Shoot Like A Pro show.

My loyal readers who will be in Seattle when the show comes should definitely look forward to my official announcement. At that time I’ll give details on how to reserve your space at this private session with Scott Kelby. We also managed to get priority seating last time, so this should be a fun event for those who join in.

Scott is also working on a sequel one of my favorite books coming that I’ve been waiting years to see hit the shelves. The first version literally helped launch my career, so I can’t wait to see what is in store for this all-new 2015 version.

Lytro

Lytro Illum Light Field Digital Camera

I’m currently in the process of reviewing two Lytro cameras, but it is definitely not as easy as expected due to a new way of thinking with this camera. The good news is that my friend and former Canon Explorer of Light Stephen Eastwood was on around to give me a great hands on demo on how he uses the Ilum (shown above). It should definitely be an interesting review so I’m looking forward to finishing it up.

Mylio – Hot DAM

Mylio impressed me so I'm starting to review this ASAP

By DAM I mean Digital Asset Management, or software to manage your photos. Mylio’s slogan is “All of Your Photos. All of Your Devices. Always Protected.” From what I saw it looks like the might live up to that promise so I’m working on both a review and special offer for my readers.

Now I was skeptical when I first started to get the demo because I thought – I’ve got Lightroom, so this is a waste of my time! As we dug deeper into the review, I discovered it was so much more than what Lightroom offers – yet it doesn’t have to be a Lightroom replacement.

In short, you could think of it as a much sexier equivalent to Photo Mechanic designed for normal people, but even that doesn’t really do it justice. It’s basically an app that will help you locate all of your photos and keep them synchronized on all the devices you choose as well as manage your backups, find duplicates, and so much more.

Of course when I heard that I thought – I’ve got 12 TB of digital data – that’s impossible and undesirable! However, I quickly learned that’s the beauty of this product – it creates mini images for your devices so the demo I watched had no issues with over 285,000 photos on an iPhone! Once you have your devices in sync you can non-destructive edit, triage, categorize, etc… on one and instantly see the changes on the others. Skeptical? I’m there with you, but I saw it with my own eyes and soon will be trying it with my own images.

If it sucks, you know I’ll tell you the truth so I’m excited to separate the fact from the fiction on this one. I’m still working on the details, but yes I am trying to get my awesome readers a special deal so check back for my review!

Conclusion

My first time at WPPI was a good one and certainly worth the trip. If you’ve wondered if it is worth your time then I’d say absolutely – if your goal is to make connections and learn lots of cool new stuff.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• WPPI 2015 Trip Report - Part I of II
• KelbyOne Discount & Free Trial
• Nikon D4s
• Nikon D610
• Nikon D750 - Yeah, you want this one!
• Nikon D810 (includes SIGMA 50mm Art & Otus 55mm)
• Nikon D7100 - A Mini D800?
• Printing Series
• NEC PA322UHD 4k for Pro Photo & Video Editing
• Ron’s Recommendations 

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.