Very interesting. I had paid no attention to this camera since, being a
Panny, I assumed there was no IBIS. Other very interesting things to me
are higher ISO, the swiveling eyepiece (like my beloved Minolta A1), no
shutter shock and maybe even the possibility of better located buttons
and dials. With the EM-5 (and being a left-eyed shooter) I find the
rear control dial and one of the buttons hard to use... but the EM-1 may
have resolved that problem.
Chuck Norcutt
On 11/16/2013 7:32 PM, Moose wrote:
> A combination of $ incentives combined with GAS and curiosity. A Panny GX7
> arrived via Big Brown Truck yesterday.
>
> I had many questions, hopes and concerns. It will take a while to work
> through them all.
>
> I can report a few things.
>
> The electronic shutter works perfectly to avoid shutter shock. It eliminates
> the subtle, slightly odd, delay in shutter
> action/sound of an Oly set for 1/8 sec. delay. OTOH, it doesn't really speed
> overall acquisition of an image by much, as
> the 'shutter' takes about 1/10 sec. to record an image. Seems more 'normal',
> though.
>
> The IS too seems to work well so far.
>
> The dreaded rolling shutter effect does not appear to be an issue with static
> or slow moving subjects. The extreme
> examples seen on the web are just that. With ES, IS, 300 mm and a subject a
> couple of hundred yards away, there is no
> geometric distortion. This is roughly 1/4 of a frame.
> <http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/GX7/GX7roll1.htm>
>
> Yes, there are small differences, in focus and light/contrast, as well as
> size/shape. I looks to me almost like there is
> more increase in size than change in shape. I can't imagine finding one
> size/shape preferable to the other.
>
> I haven't tried measuring it, but image write feels slightly slower than the
> E-M5, both with Sony Class 10, UHS-1 cards.
>
> Sensor system differences are trickier. The Panny is definitely more usable
> at ISO 3200. It's not so much that is has
> less noise, but it's different noise, slightly finer grained, and only
> requiring lower setting in NeatImage to clean up.
> It may, but this is pretty subtle, retain more fine detail in non-test
> pattern subjects. More important than either of
> those qualities is that it doesn't exhibit the 'wormy' artifacts the Oly does.
>
> Every camera I've used does this thing starting at some ISO level where there
> are odd, artificial lines hidden in the
> noise. Remove the noise, and they stand out. It could be easy to attribute
> them to the NR, but close observation shows
> that they are already there, just hard to see, before NR.
>
> This effect doesn't show up with the GX7 until ISO 12800, two stops better
> than the E-M5. By then, the noise is quite a
> bit worse than either camera at 3200. I think the upshot will be that the
> maximum practical, usable ISOs for the GX7
> for large prints or crops will be about two stops greater than the E-M5.
> Residual noise and slight loss of detail aren't
> as obvious as artifacts.
>
> In the field, it may mostly mean better images at ISO 3200. That's as high as
> is possible with the ES, and the
> conditions where 3200 is needed are also those where shutter shock rears its
> head.
>
> Some of you are likely asking yourself "What is he talking about, and who
> cares about such high ISOs?" A lot of my
> photography is done in the woods, and/or around dusk. A lot of it is of
> flora, where I want some DOF. The answer, which
> is a big reason I so love the digital revolution, is higher ISOs. I'm having
> such a good time getting good quality shots
> where I could get nothing with film.
>
> I'm thinking how to post some samples. It's tricky getting everything
> comparable. Using the 135/4.5 on Auto Tube, I
> thought to eliminate most variables. The tube has a tripod foot, so I could
> set up and only change camera bodies. Hmmm
> ... Critical focus somehow is slightly different, the images are slightly
> different sizes, and somehow not quite
> identically framed.
>
> Then a lot of you folks don't have the detail vision I do, so I have to find
> really clear examples.
>
> Fettle Testing Moose
>
--
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