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[OM] New GX7 review [was GX7 IBIS]

Subject: [OM] New GX7 review [was GX7 IBIS]
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 18:34:16 -0800
On 11/7/2013 4:50 PM, usher99@xxxxxxx wrote:
> QSM writes:
>>> Reviewers seem to say the entire shutter cycle is electronic. Others just 
>>> mention it; Reichman talks about the total lack of shutter mechanical wear 
>>> in time lapse photography.
> I read that too. Intervalometer is well designed, and EFC should use
> less power? and less wear but no wear? No other mention
> of global shutter under any conditions in any other write up, so I
> wrote that comment off as inexplicable.

Some reviewers (all I've read?) refer to 'electronic shutter', with no mention 
of EFC. Some talk about how it is a 
silent mode indeed, which would imply no mechanical shutter noise at all.

Hey, I just clicked on dpreview to look at the preview again, where they 
commented on this - and their full review is 
now up:

"Silent Mode

A feature that makes the DMC-GX7 a great 'stealth camera' is its silent mode. 
When activated, the camera switches from 
the mechanical shutter to the electronic one, disables all the blips and 
bleeps, and shuts off the AF-assist lamp.
The results are impressive. The camera is truly silent, to the point where a 
person standing right next to you cannot 
tell when a photo was taken."

Sounds to me like a fully electronic shutter. :-)


>> EP-5 shutter shock is substantial 
>> I don't imagine it's worse than in the lighter PL and PM bodies.
> Just unsubstantiated chatter I ran across that it is worse--certainly
> much worse than OM D or EM-1.  Was enough to make me worry unless
> refuted.
>    It was also diconcerting to see that DPR missed the boat on why many
> images were soft--they did correct the review with anti-shock mode
> included but was an egregious initial oversight, IMO.

Partly Oly's fault. They've had it at least since the E-PL1, but it is only 
alluded to very briefly and subtly in the 
manuals. There is absolutely no indication anywhere in the manuals or on their 
sites that it is for anything but things 
like long shutter speed tripod work.

I suppose there was a corporate level decision at Oly early on to just pretend 
that shutter shock didn't exist, and 
almost completely downplay the built-in solution - as it would highlight the 
problem. Sounds very old school Corp. Japan 
to me..

That DPR's reviewers weren't up on some of the endless informal tests out there 
on the web isn't entirely surprising. 
Not everyone is as intensely focused on a small number of the endless cameras 
they try to keep up on.

That they responded quickly to comments is in their favor.

Oddly, they have little to say about IS, nor any comparisons:

"Sensor-shift IS

The Lumix GX7 is Panasonic's first mirrorless camera to feature sensor-shift 
image stabilization. ...

We tried a pair of Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses that don't have image 
stabilization (the 12mm and 17mm primes) and 
the in-body IS system worked as advertised (again, it only operates as the 
photo is taken). Many other lens mounts can 
be used with the GX7 and yes, that means that they'll have image stabilization 
for still shooting as well. Attaching an 
old Konica lens via an adapter worked fine, with the only change being that you 
must tell the camera what the focal 
length is."

"worked as advertised"? Panny says in their promo materials that it's almost, 
but not quite as good as their Mega OIS.

Their negatives are: "The downside? There's no shake reduction while you're 
composing a photo, so things can get wobbly 
when you're using a telephoto lens. In addition, the in-body IS system does not 
work in movie mode."

In the Conclusions, it sounds like they don't like the IS performance, but 
really it's these two issues, and not 
level/quality of stabilization.

> Sooo was hoping for excellent IS, good wifi, EFC, and don't want to
> pick two out of three and that seems to be the case.  No bad choices
> really, but no one that is just right either.   Appreciate your comments.

The WiFi implementation is VERY different between Oly and Panny. Oly simple, 
reliable and limited, but with geocoding 
from phone GPS. Panny complex and with more capabilities, esp. for remote 
operation, no GPS.

> Want cake and eat it too, but may have to choose soon,  Mike

It's still not weather proof. E-M1/5 with the 12-50 are still the best for 
rough environmentals.

No longer on the Fence Moose

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
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