Category Archives: Panasonic

Panny bodies

Sony a7C

Cameras, Panasonic

Small and full frame.



Great specs in a small package.

By far my favorite camera before I went 100% iPhone and sold all my ‘regular’ hardware was the MFT Panasonic GX7. Small, a Leica format design with an offset finder eyepiece and an electronic shutter stealth mode for silent operation. Paired with the stock 12-35mm Pro Zoom optic, which is excellent, it was the best thing until the iPhone 11Pro came along. I banged away with that GX7 for the best part of a decade and loved every moment of it. Once you set up the menus for your preferred way of operation it became a high quality point-and-shoot delivering excellent image quality and came with a small fill-in flash built in. Sweet.

If the GX7 had a limitation it related to the handling of high contrast subjects, where highlights were all too prone to burn out, even using RAW, dictating underexposure by a stop or two and recovery of the shadows in Lightroom. Panny had crammed 18 megapixels into the 0.375 square inch sensor and it showed. That’s 48 mp/square inch.

So when Sony announced the a7C the other day, it was of immediate interest. A GX7-styled body bit with a full frame 24 megapixel sensor, meaning just 16 mp/square inch. That’s a huge drop in pixel density, which augurs well for dynamic range. But what is especially surprising about the new body is its small size. Compare:

Panny GX7 – 4.8″ x 2.8″ x 2.2″, or 29.6 cubic inch volume, weighing 402 grams without lens
Sony a7C – 4.9″ x 2.8″ 2.2″, or 30.2 cubic inches, weighing 509 grams

Add a lens to each – the stock zoom – and weight increases by a few grams.

So the Sony’s specifications are impressive indeed. The question has to be asked. Does MFT still make sense, given the image quality trade-offs?

One big plus over the GX7 is battery life. Sony claims over 700 shots on a charge; I rarely managed 200 with the GX7.

Now if they added great iPhone features like phone calls, cellular connectivity, night mode, and insanely small size and weight, that would be really something. Oh, and a built-in flash would be nice. Also, at $1,800 Sony is asking too much. At $1,100-1,200 it makes sense. Heck, that’s as much as my iPhone 11Pro.

Panasonic Lumix S5

Cameras, Panasonic

Big frame, small body.




The S5 is in the middle.

There are no certified sales statistics for higher end cameras so it’s impossible to determine whether MFT is dying, as some chat sites aver. It’s probably fair to guess that all high end camera sales are falling in the face of gains made by cell phone cameras, but the new Panasonic Lumix S5, a full frame mirrorless DSLR, is interesting nonetheless.

The image shows that the S5’s body is actually smaller than that of the MFT GH5 at left. The large ‘pro’ FF S1 is on the right. I like the fact that there are several buttons available for common adjustments, in preference to the horrors of dialing through multiple choices on the rear LED display.

Panny is making the body available with a 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom for a package price of some $2,300. That’s a very wide lens and small maximum apertures are no longer a concern when it comes to viewing, making for an excellent all around package for those who remain reluctant to accept the general superiority of the iPhone 11 Pro and later versions yet to come. Through the lens viewing, owing to the automatic brightness correction of the electronic finder, means that maximum aperture no longer matters. That lens and a short tele fast lens or a modest tele-zoom would make for a powerful and compact kit.

Panasonic FF mirrorless imminent

Panasonic

A new FF entrant.

DP Review has an interesting interview with a Panasonic representative, talking about the forthcoming full frame S1 (24mp) and S1R (47mp) bodies.

While Panny is coy about the maker of the sensors, meaning it’s not Panny, that hardly matters. Panny and Nikon no more make all the parts in their hardware than Mercedes and BMW do in their cars, where everything from shocks, wheel, electronics, brakes, windows, seats, etc. is sub-contracted. That does not stop them from making good products.


The Panasonic S1R.

Panny’s timing is perfect. With Nikon having just introduced the mirrorless Z6/Z7, bodies which really dictate a move to the new compact lens line, Panny will be identically priced. The new user will have to pay for a body and lens and you can bet that if Panny wants decent market share that prices will be identical to Nikon’s. Best of all the bodies will hit the market with a large range of lenses from Panny (the MFT optics are excellent), Leica ($$$) and Sigma, the latter for those who do not care about bulk, weight and poor auto focusing. The target market is stated as being the working pro. I would wager that the bodies will take adapted MFT lenses with full functionality, restricting the sensor size to that of MFT. Not nuclear physics and nice to have, the 47mp sensor becoming 12mp, perfectly adequate for all but mural sized prints.

It is heartwarming to read of Panny’s experiments with ergonomics described in the article, something very reminiscent of Leica’s approach in designing the landmark M3 in the early 1950s, the best handling camera of the time. Panny also puts significant stress on the quality of the EVF and the camera’s durability, both required if they are to compete with Nikon. Further, given the high quality video implementation in Panny’s high end MFT bodies it seems the video maker has much to look forward to here. Panny really knows video.

From a hardware perspective there has never been a better time to be a photographer, even if the cell phone revolution has saturated the world with execrable photography.

Panasonic S1R FF SLR

Panasonic

Aimed solidly at the pro.

Panasonic announced the 47mp FF S1R mirrorless camera today along with the 24mp S1. As the inventor of the mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera with the G1 a decade ago Panny knows what it’s doing and the long line of successors to that revolutionary body has captured both the video and stills markets with aplomb.

An early partnership with Leica saw to it that some of the finest MFT lenses came with Panny mounts and the S1R continues that tradition using the Leica ‘L’ bayonet, shared with the very costly S2/S3 Leica bodies. While Leica FF lenses run $5,000 a pop, it’s always good having Leica on your side when it comes to optics for no one does it better than the magicians in Wetzlar, Germany.

Those great designs invariably migrate to cheaper Panny versions and, indeed, Panny has announced that there will be some 20 lenses available 24 months hence, both Leica and Panny designs. I have used both the amateur and pro grade Panny optics on their MFT bodies and can testify to the quality of the optics. As for modern Panny MFT bodies – I use two GX7s – nothing comes closer to the Leica M2 experience of my film days when it comes to a compact street snapper, and the total silence of the electronic shutter option makes the modern Panny MFT body the stealthiest camera made.

As for the feature set of the new full frame S1R/S1, Panny appears to have nailed it, including:

  • In body IBIS (missing from Canon’s new FF offering)
  • In lens IBIS
  • Dual storage card slots (missing from both the new Canon and Nikons)
  • 4K/60fps video – a first (only a crippled cropped mode available in the new Canon)
  • Top plate LED display – like in every other FF SLR with ‘pro’ aspirations
  • Three axis touchscreen rear LCD
  • Extensive weather sealing

It’s interesting to compare the feature set with those from Canon and Nikon. Both those powerhouses have offered variously crippled iterations on their top end DSLRs, reluctant to lose the cash flow from their cash cows. Yet only the meanest observer would deny that the flapping mirror DSLR is done and dusted, the greater simplicity of the mirrorless body and greater optical design flexibility owing to the much shorter flange-to-sensor distance being the future. By contrast, while Canon and Nikon must pay fealty to owners of current costly optics by ensuring compatibility, Panny has no such oath of loyalty to maintain as they have never had an FF offering. So they can start afresh, and doing so with Leica’s ‘L’ mount is a perfect way of hitting the ground running.

In addition to pairing with Leica on the lens front, Sigma has also got its nose in the picture, promising to offer lenses. Take that with a bushel of salt for Sigma has no design chops worth mentioning, always taking the easy way out with their gargantuan designs which destroy the very idea of a small camera/large picture. As for quality control, Sigma’s corridors have yet to be darkened by that concept as my truly miserable experience with their 35mm f/1.4 ‘Art’ lens disclosed. Sigma’s optical quality reputation is well deserved. Sure, you can get crackerjack Sigma lenses, but what is your time worth while you sift through all those returns? In fact, so bad is Sigma’s QC that they remain the only lens maker that offers an aftermarket gadget to allow you to program optimal AF because, sure as heck, the factory seems incapable of doing that. That dongle should come free with every Sigma optic.

Pricing? Well, the Nikon Z6/Z7 are priced at $2,000 and $3,400 so I would expect the S1/S1R to come in a few dollars higher, given the enhanced feature set. Availability is set for early 2019. Meanwhile, I would imagine that the $6,000 mirrorless Leica SL ‘L’ mount body with its modest 24mp sensor will henceforth only sell to those who like paying up an additional $4,000 for a two cent red paper dot which states ‘Leica’ in the middle.

The Panasonic LX-3

Panasonic

A reader review.

A friend of the blog has migrated from the Panasonic LX-2 (I still use the LX-1) to the newer LX-3 which makes a couple of stellar changes from its predecessor. First, Panasonic has come to its senses and stopped the lunatic pixel race, opting for fewer pixels with the welcome result of improved image quality. Second, the lens has been stretched to a 24mm focal length at the wide end (35mm full frame equivalent) with less at the telephoto end. This may well be the widest focal length on a pocket-sized point-and-shoot digital and the reduced telephoto range allows for faster apertures across the range. I suppose the addition of HD video will appeal to many, also.

He writes:

“Thomas suggested that I provide some comments on the Panasonic DMC LX3 camera; he has written extensively about the earlier LX1 model.

DP Review has selected the LX3 as the best of the “enthusiast” pocket cameras, and rightly so. In this model, Panasonic has finally listened to the many complaints about the megapixel horsepower race and provided a reasonably large sensor without increasing the pixel count. They have also added a new Leica-designed 24-60mm f/2 lens and HD video at 24 fps. The result is a truly useful camera, with the best image quality you will get short of a DSLR, and that still fits into most pockets. There are numerous clever features, including the ability to shoot all three aspect ratios at once – very useful, if like me, you shoot for HDTV and publication at the same time.

While Thomas and I have found it desirable to glue accessory shoes for optical finders onto the earlier models, the LX3 comes with a hot shoe and an optional optical finder. I have yet to see one of the new finders, but the 28mm Voigtlander finder that I have been using on the LX2 works well enough if you ignore the bright lines.

There has been a lot of excitement recently about the quality of video shot with the new Canon 5D Mark II. It is outstanding, but I would say that the LX3 comes fairly close at 10% of the price and a fraction of the size and weight. It boils down to what your purpose is. For my daughter, who is a professional, I bought a 5D. For my personal use (and age!) I am happy with the LX3.

There are always reservations about any model. With the LX3, the problems are the 60mm maximum focal length – some cropping will be inevitable, and you will need another camera for sports and birding. There is no external mic input for the video, and the sound is mono. As on the previous models, the mode dial turns too easily; I jammed some tape underneath to provide a little more drag. For me, the f/2 wide angle and the image quality easily justify accommodating to the limitations.”