Panasonic Reviews

Spending the Week with the Panasonic Lumix G6: First Impressions

20/12/2013 By Heather

The words “Try a new camera free!” are bound to catch the eye of any photography blogger. These were the exact words on the Lumix LifeStyle Italia brochure I picked up at the Riflessi Camera Store in Turin. The offer was to try the new Panasonic Lumix G6 for a week. Having already used the Lumix GH3 and GX7 extensively, we figured it would be interesting to try out a Lumix designed for entry-level users to get a sense for the similarities and differences.

N.B.: Since I had little leeway during the week to properly test all the various aspects of the Lumix G6, I am writing this as less of a review but more as a brief commentary on how the G6 compares to its two high-end sisters, the GH3 and GX7, and how it felt to use it on a daily basis. [Read more…] about Spending the Week with the Panasonic Lumix G6: First Impressions

Contemporary Dance in Moncalieri: Pushing the Lumix GX7’s autofocus to the limit

03/12/2013 By Heather

“Elena’s asked us to photograph one of her dance performances on Saturday night in Moncalieri,” I hear Mathieu yell from the kitchen.

Looking down at the Panasonic Lumix GX7, a smile breaks across my face. I realise that there is one more test I have to perform before I can close the chapter on this mirrorless marvel. Though I’d already used the GX7 in poor lighting to test the ISO and internal stabilisation, and tried out the C-AF, tracking and continuous shooting on my friend’s daughter running towards me on a sunny day at the park for our full review, I’d never put the two conditions together. The combination of low light and moving objects would tell me whether the GX7 could really claim the title of ‘professional mirrorless camera’ or not.

The One Lumix to Rule Them All: A Panasonic GX7 Full Review

18/11/2013 By Heather

The Panasonic Lumix GH3 has been the undisputed flagship of the Lumix mirrorless series since November 2012. Though it is mirrorless, it bears a strong resemblance to low-end DSLRs in terms of size and design. The GH3’s thickset package is meant not just for stills but professional video making as well. In fact, it is widely considered one of the best compact bodies for video by professional videographers.

However, the GH3’s status as a “video camera rather than a stills camera” left a gaping hole in the Lumix mirrorless line-up for photography. While its Micro Four Thirds partner Olympus had already released the professional OM-D E-M5 months before the GH3, and was on the verge of releasing the high-end Pen E-P5, Panasonic still had very little to offer in terms of high-quality compact still bodies. Not providing one would result in being left behind by the competition.

Enter the Lumix GX7, Panasonic’s first serious contribution to the compact mirrorless camera market for professional photographers. It is the successor to the two-year-old Lumix GX1 in name only – everything else about this camera has been greatly improved or changed, hence the leap from 1 to 7. Having used it intensively for more than a month now, I can say with confidence that Panasonic has created the perfect professional body which can be used by photographers who are tired of carrying around a lot of excess gear.

Pasta Ouverture: A stop motion animation with the Panasonic GX7

11/11/2013 By Mathieu

Lumix cameras are always overflowing with interesting features and the new Panasonic GX7 is no exception. The challenge, however, is finding a concrete reason to use them. Lumix cameras have always had excellent video features, and in the case of the GX7, it offers a very interesting stop motion animation feature (first introduced on the G6) in addition to time-lapse and standard video recording. Last week, my colleague’s wife Iryna asked us to help her with a project for the Design Masters Course she is finishing for the Red Oddity school in Bolzano. Serendipitously, that project involved stop motion animation. What could have been more ideal?

The Panasonic GX7 & Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro: An excellent combo!

05/11/2013 By Mathieu

On Sunday I had the chance to use the Panasonic Lumix GX7 along with the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 macro lens when a friend, who had rented it for the weekend, told me that he wasn’t planning on using it for the afternoon. Contrary to my expectations, I really fell in love with this little lens. Heather will tell you that I am anything but a macro photography fan (while she is!) so I had never really paid much attention to macro lenses up until then. But since I never refuse the opportunity to try something new, I took it out for a spin and found myself really enjoying it!