Review: Panasonic Lumix GH7

Can you believe it’s been 15 years since the Lumix GH1 was launched?

Back in 2009, it was a unique product for photographers who wanted to cross over into the world of mirrorless photography, something that was still very much in its infancy. But it's probably best remembered for its appeal to video content creators, as there weren't many ILCs that captured video on the market, with the exception of the Canon 5D Mark II.

At launch, the GH1's offering of full HD recording in a compact interchangeable lens camera system made it a hit. 

The last 15 years has meant that each new release in the GH series has been met with great anticipation and expectation, as the demand for more advanced technology has been fuelled by countless reviewers pushing manufacturers to pack more and more features into their compact systems.

But in an era of cameras like Panasonic's full frame S-Series, has the argument for Micro Four Thirds run its course? and has it already reached its full potential? Let’s take a look at the new Lumix GH7 and you can decide for yourself.

You can also read my first look at the GH7 here for more background info on what's packed into the new camera.

The Build

Users of the GH6 will be pleased that the body size and shape has not changed from earlier iterations. Panasonic says it's built on the same chassis, has the same dimensions, and all buttons and ports are in the same locations as the GH6. It’s a comfortable camera to hold and offers many customisable buttons, in all the right places.

Like the GH6, it's also weather sealed, with an on-board cooling fan, which gives peace of mind when shooting in harsh conditions.

As a long-time Lumix shooter I have never had a Lumix camera fail me in the field and I have shot in just about every extreme.

The fully articulating flip and tilting screen is one of my favourite features, as it offers great versatility for low and high angle shooting.

It's the same 3' 1.84 million dot touchscreen as found on the GH6, with the same clever side-hinge for flipping out to the side and flipping forward to face you or back on itself for protection. It also has good clearance from any cables that you might have attached, which I think is an important feature.

My one disappointment is the EVF, which while large, is still a relatively low res 3.68 million dot (1,024 x 768 pixels) display. By comparison, the Panasonic S1, which is five years old now, launched at a similar price with a 5.76M dot panel. 

That said, the viewfinder's magnification has increased ever so slightly from 0.76x to 0.8x (in equivalent terms), so it's a little nicer to use. 

Image Quality

Although it has the same 25.2MP resolution as the GH6, the GH7 uses the BSI CMOS sensor found in the more recent Lumix G9 II, which also brings with it the updated capabilities of that camera.

The resulting image quality is very pleasing. With a good lens you will get consistently sharp images with great contrast. The GH6 introduced dynamic range boost, starting from ISO 800, but the GH7 now has a full range boost through its entire ISO range.

In addition, High resolution mode allows you to shoot 50.5MP or 100MP images in either Raw or JPEG format, utilising sensor shift to capture and combine multiple consecutive images. There's also Live Composite mode, a multi-exposure mode that only captures areas of the frame that change in brightness with each exposure.

Ultimately, image quality with the GH7 is solid. I still think that you get ‘better’ images out of the full frame S-series range, but the quality gap seems to be negligible for most types of photography.

Auto Focus

The GH7 has implemented the new Hybrid Phase Detect autofocus system that can be found on the G9 II and the latest S-series cameras.

However, it has been further updated to include new AI tracking modes. It can detect humans, animals, cars and motorcycles, but it adds two new subject types to the menu: trains and airplanes. In addition, human detection can identify eyes, face and body (prioritised in that order) or just the eyes and face; similarly, animal detection can identify eyes and body, or just bodies. 

My tests with subject tracking have been quite successful. In a field full of kids playing soccer, it was initially challenging to find focus on the right player in the crowd, but with some tweaking of the focus area my experience greatly improved. Like with anything that you are not used to, it takes a little time to work out the sweet spot for some situations.

Overall, I found the autofocus performance excellent, and a vast improvement on the GH6’s contrast-based focus system.

Video

It's worth noting that the GH7 features all the same resolutions, frame rates, and codecs as the GH6 along with a couple of useful new ones.

As expected, the GH7 is a video beast, with recording modes up to 5.8K 10-bit 25P. There are some impressive high frame rate modes too, none of which have any kind of sensor crop. In 5.7K you can shoot up to 60fps, in C4K 120fps (while recording audio), and in HD you can shoot up to 240fps – excellent features.

But the real highlight is being able to shoot Apple ProRes RAW 5.7K HQ 30p internally which it records onto a CF Express Type B. 

Previously this was only possible via an external recorder such as the Atomos Ninja V. Recording internally is a welcome feature for those who want to record in the highest possible quality but want to retain the original form factor of the camera. This can also be achieved by recording directly to an external SSD drive, which is a cost-effective solution.

Shooting ProRes RAW codec, like a RAW image for still images, means you can fix the white balance and use noise reduction software in post. Additionally, it captures a wider dynamic range to preserve details in highlights and shadows, and has more colour information compared to other compressed formats – which results in richer, more accurate colours.

Shooting in ProRes also makes it very easy to use in conjunction with Final Cut Pro in post for smooth editing workflows and quick rendering times.

Also, a real time LUT has been integrated, allowing users to record their log footage looks direct to card, simplifying the post-production workflow.

Another win for filmmakers is that the GH7 (and the GH6) can license the ARRI LOG 3 colour profile. It gives Lumix users access to a very sought after colour science that is usually only found in high-end cinema production. 

Audio

The GH7 now records audio in 96kHz/32bit float when using an external microphone. What this means is that it will record your source data with extremely high levels of dynamic range, retaining an incredible amount of detail. This is especially useful for one-man band operations as it will prevent any audio clipping that would normally occur when recording high decibel levels.

To reuse the RAW image parallel, 32-bit captures an incredible range of sound that allows you to fix it in post. For example, if someone suddenly shouts into a mic, more than likely you'll be able to fix that in post, where a normal recording would just 'blow out'. Or if one person in an interview has a soft voice and the other a very loud voice, it's very easy to fix later in post.

Paired with the new DMW-XLR2 (sold separately) you can record 4 channels of 32bit float. It's interesting to note also that the new XLR adaptor has a built-in shotgun microphone holder, which in my book is worth the upgrade alone.

Connectivity

The GH7 is natively integrated with the Frame.io platform that allows you to tether your camera directly to the cloud. This increases efficiency for collaborative and fast turnaround projects.

The GH7 is also capable of live video streaming direct from the camera (albeit with no USB webcam support).

And finally, Panasonic have also just released their new Lumix Lab app, which allows users to quickly transfer, edit and share their content on the go.

The wrap up

While some sceptics had predicted that the Micro Four Thirds format was being phased out, the Lumix GH7 is proof that there is still great value in this system.

I’m excited to see how much more tech they will be able to pack into the G-series line in the future, but for now this camera is a complete package for photographers and video content creators who want to compete at a professional level, but with a compact and portable unit.

The results

Handling 5

Well balanced and with an excellent, familiar layout. It just feels right in my hand.

Features 4.5

Packed with flexible features that improve the quality of imagery and efficiency of workflow.

Autofocus 4

A welcome departure from contrast-based autofocus. The new tracking modes are fantastic.

Image quality 4

The video quality is impressive, and the still images are great for everyday photography.

Value for money 4

Considering all the high-end and flexible features that are packed in to such a compact unit, it is great value for money at around $3,899, body only.  

Final word

For those who are invested into the Micro Four Thirds ecosystem and have a focus on video production, an upgrade to the Lumix GH7 is a no brainer. However, if you are primarily a stills photographer this might not be the camera for you.

More images