Good deal – The Panasonic Lumix G7 14-42mm camera body at €598.59

Accustomed to renewing its Lumix Gs every year, or even a little less, Panasonic has calmed down a bit and took the time to breathe and think before replacing the good (but banal) Lumix G6 with a G7. Much good it took: by taking over many attributes of the big brother GH4, darling of many videographers, the Lumix G7 pulls up a G line that was beginning to run out of steam and lose interest. The Lumix Gs are dead, long live the Lumix G7, 4K video, Oled viewfinders and touch screens. But besides, what is in this Lumix G7?

Let’s not be afraid of words: with its Lumix G7, Panasonic has a practically perfect hybrid for the greatest number. Well built, relatively compact and light, very fast, capable of very beautiful images, gifted in video (it films in 4K/UHD!), highly customizable. His flaw? He wants to do everything well so much that sometimes he does a little too much…

Strong points

• Comfortable Oled viewfinder.
• Adjustable and multitouch screen.
• Pleasant grip and double wheel system.
• Excellent responsiveness in all circumstances.
• Image quality up to ISO 3200.
• Great customization possibilities.
• UHD video.
• Lots of video settings.
• Good battery life (500 views) and supplied with a mains charger.

Weak points

• Still too many buttons everywhere.
• Menus sometimes too complex.
• No headphone jack.
• Sensor not stabilized.

Alternatively

After a very successful ZV-1 expert compact, Sony is offering a hybrid camera with an APS-C sensor which should also appeal to a videographer audience. Unfortunately, the performance is not always sufficient, with perfectible ergonomics – or too simplistic – and a recalcitrant autofocus in low light. However, as soon as we tackle the heart of its use, namely the production of video for vlogging or social networks, the ZV-E10 hits the mark. The functions to facilitate shooting are very practical and the autofocus modes formidable. We regret the absence of sensor stabilization which could have completely crushed the competition – which includes the Panasonic Lumix G100, Nikon Z50 and Canon EOS M50 Mark II.