Panasonic Lumix GH7 review: a high-performance hybrid

Panasonic Lumix GH7: one-minute review

At first glance, the Panasonic Lumix GH7 is identical to its predecessor, the Lumix GH6. The two cameras’ bodies and control layouts may be the same, but Panasonic has spent the two years since the GH6’s arrival working out any kinks and building on its strong showing. The result is the GH7, a multi-talented mirrorless camera with no great weaknesses.

The GH6 had a dizzying range of video options, plus a built-in cooling system that allows for unlimited video recording; great connectivity, fast continuous stills shooting and incredibly effective in-body image stabilization. All of these things remain the case with the GH7, but its new sensor improves image quality, and its new phase-detection autofocus system fixes the one area where the GH6 felt noticeably behind the times.

It’s not the perfect camera, of course. The cooling setup makes it fairly bulky by Micro Four Thirds standards, with its body weighing more than the full-frame Panasonic Lumix S5 II, and its battery life still feels a bit stingy by modern standards. But it’s tough to find any truly significant faults, and given that the price is the same as the GH6’s was at launch in 2022, it feels like great value for money too. Bang for buck, the GH7 is one of the best video cameras available. 

Panasonic Lumix GH7: release date and price

• Available now
• $2,199 / £1,999 / AU$3,899 body only
• Also sold in a kit with 12-60mm lens

The Panasonic Lumix GH7 is available now, with a list price of $2,199 / £1,999 / AU$3,899 body-only. It can also be purchased in a kit with a Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4 zoom lens for $2,799 / £2,499 / AU$4,899. That’s the same list price at which the GH6 was launched a couple of years ago, so I have no complaints about Panasonic’s pricing decisions here.

• Price score: 4.5/5

Panasonic Lumix GH7: design and handling

• Body and control layout virtually identical to GH6 
• Fairly bulky for Micro Four-Thirds camera
• Articulated swivel-and-tilt touchscreen
• Built-in fan cooling system

If you’ve used the GH6 you’ll find the GH7 pleasingly familiar. In fact, the two camera bodies are essentially the same – put them side by side and the name tag on the front is the only way to tell the difference. That’s not a bad thing by any means, although I will say that the GH7, like its predecessor, is bulky by Micro Four Thirds standards. At 25.4oz / 721g, the body is heavier than the full-frame Lumix S5 (26.1oz / 714g); it’s a chunky 138.4 x 100.3 x 99.6mm in size too. So, if you’re expecting its small sensor to result in a lightweight and easily portable camera, you’re going to be disappointed.

Still, I found it manageable, and it’s also important to note that MFT lenses are generally much lighter and smaller than full-frame L-mount lenses, so you’ll likely be reducing the overall weight by opting for the GH7 over a full-frame model. I also like the fact that it remains dust- and splash-proof, if not officially IP-rated or guaranteed to remain undamaged if it does get wet or sandy.

The built-in cooling system is the main culprit for the bulky build. As with the GH6, it sits at the rear of the camera, behind the screen, and uses a fan to suck in cool air and blow out warm air. This system is essential for one of the GH7’s key selling points, though: its ability to record unlimited 4K 60fps video clips. With many cameras limiting 4K clip duration due to overheating (and some requiring a lengthy cooldown period after the forced shutdown), I think the advantage of that cooling setup is a fair trade-off for the extra weight and size.

As with the GH6, the 3-inch screen is excellent: not only does it flip out and swivel, it also features a two-stage tilting mechanism that enables you to move it away from any cables that might be plugged into the camera. Even if it didn’t originate on the GH7, it’s still probably the most flexible screen design I’ve seen on a mirrorless camera.

The control setup is great too, with plenty of easily accessible buttons. The highlight for me is the fact that there’s an extra record button on the front of the camera, which is something content creators who spend a lot of time filming themselves will appreciate. There are also front and rear tally lamps, making it immediately clear if you’re recording or not.

Connectivity remains as impressive as on the GH6. There’s a full-size HDMI output (capable of carrying 5.8K RAW video to an external recorder), USB-C (capable of recording directing to an SSD right out of the box), 3.5mm mic in and 3.5mm headphone out. There’s also a hot shoe for flashguns and accessories, while the dual-card storage setup has one CFexpress Type B slot (required when recording videos with 800Mbps or higher bit rates) and one SD slot.

There’s no USB-C webcam function here, which seems to be a Panasonic quirk, but you can live-stream directly from the camera to YouTube Live or other RTMP-based services if you wish. Both the USB-C and Wi-Fi connections support this.

• Design score: 4/5

Panasonic Lumix GH7: features and performance

• New phase-detection autofocus system
• Excellent in-body image stabilization
• 14fps continuous shooting
• Short-ish battery life
• 32-bit float audio recording (with XLR2 mic adapter)

Perhaps the biggest feature improvement in the Lumix GH7 is the addition of a hybrid autofocus system that includes phase-detection autofocus, replacing the pure contrast-based autofocus setup of the GH6. Where the GH6 could still hunt somewhat when attempting to lock on to a subject, the GH7 is deadly accurate; it locks on quickly and stays locked on, making life for vloggers and YouTubers who self-shoot significantly easier. It’s a major improvement over the GH6, bringing the GH7 in line with its competitors on the autofocus front.

The autofocus system can be set to recognise and stay locked onto humans faces and eyes, humans in general (which includes body shapes), animals, cars, motorcycles, trains, and airplanes. The menu gives additional control over how it behaves too, and overall it feels like a great system for content creators.

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The GH6’s in-body image stabilization system was excellent, and the GH7’s is just as good; and if you don’t mind a slight crop to your video, the additional electronic stabilization improves things further. Mount a lens with built-in OIS and things gets even better, with the systems combining to deliver an almost gimbal-like experience when shooting handheld. Again, it’s something vloggers and content creators will adore, as they can self-shoot beautifully stable walk-and-talk videos with little more than a GorillaPod or similar handle.

Another strong area of performance is shooting speed. When you’re shooting stills using its mechanical shutter, the GH7 can capture continuously at a brisk 14fps – and that’s with autofocus enabled. Switch to the electronic shutter and the speed goes up to 75fps with manual focus and 60fps with autofocus. That’s very fast indeed.

Battery life, on the other hand, is one of the GH7’s weaker aspects. In my experience, a fully charged battery was only good for around an hour of video recording, so you’ll want to pack extras if you’re planning a long day of shooting, although it’s worth noting that the USB-C port allows for easy on-the-go recharging and constant power supply too.

There’s another feature which I think deserves mention, even if it’s only available for users who buy the optional XLR2 microphone adapter: the ability to record in 32-bit float audio, which is a world-first on a mirrorless camera. 32-bit float is an audio format with much wider dynamic range, making it less prone to clipping and much more flexible when it comes to post-production adjustment. What shooting in raw is for images, 32-bit float is for audio.

• Features and performance score: 4.5/5

Panasonic Lumix GH7: image and video quality

• Same 25.2MP CMOS image sensor as G9 II
• 5.7K 30p ProRes RAW HQ internal recording
• 4K 120p and FHD 240p slow-motion video
• Supports real-time LUTs

It wasn’t long ago that journalists and influencers in certain quarters were declaring Micro Four Thirds dead, but the GH7’s image performance is definitive proof of life. Like the triumphant Lumix G9 II launched earlier this year, the GH7 uses Panasonic’s new 25.2MP CMOS sensor, and its imaging performance appears to be largely identical.

In spite of its relatively small size, this sensor delivers excellent quality for both video and stills. While I’d still opt for a full-frame camera like the Lumix S5 II over the GH7 if I was primarily shooting in low light, the GH7’s Micro Four Thirds sensor feels like it can go toe-to-toe with the best APS-C cameras in any lighting condition, mostly thanks to a Dynamic Range Boost setup that captures and merges two outputs in parallel.

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The GH6’s sensor had the same Dynamic Range Boost setup, and while I personally encountered no great issue with it during my own review of that camera, many users complained of major problems in very high-contrast conditions. This seemed due to the fact that the base ISO started too high, and the result was the appearance of unsightly horizontal streaks. That’s been fixed now, thankfully, and you can pretty much shoot in any situation without experiencing anything except a mild bit of noise at higher ISOs.

Whether you’re recording video or snapping photos, there’s a huge dynamic range here considering the sensor size. Images are bursting with detail in both bright and darker areas, and the general color science and look of Panasonic’s standard shooting modes is as good as ever. For users who want to wring every bit of dynamic range from their videos, shooting in V-log gives you a whole extra stop according to Panasonic, taking the full range to over 13 stops (it’s over 12 in standard modes).

I don’t have the space here to detail every one of the plethora of video shooting modes available on the GH7. What I will say is that it’s a truly impressive lineup that caters to all levels of video creator (as was the GH6’s before it), including 5.7K 30p Apple ProRes RAW (with a staggering 4.2Gbps bitrate), 5.8K 30p/5.7K 60p 10-bit 4:2:0 MOV and C4K 120p 4:2:0 MP4. Like many Panasonic cameras it also offers ‘open gate’ recording, which captures video using the entire surface of the sensor – all the better for cropping to your desired aspect ratio in post-production.

The camera can also record 4K at 120fps and Full HD at 240fps for smooth slow-motion playback, both with audio included – although users should note that the Dynamic Range Boost is disabled for any recordings over 60fps, which does detract slightly from the image quality of high-speed recordings.

Panasonic has made it easy to apply LUTs in-camera too, allowing you to ‘bake-in’ LUTs to your photos and video as you shoot them. You can use the preset LUTs that come on the GH7 or add your own. The easiest way to do this is with a smartphone and the Lumix Lab app – the app lets you download LUTs made by Panasonic or other users and transfer them to the GH7, where they can then be accessed via the menu system.

• Image quality score: 4.5/5

Panasonic Lumix GH7: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Panasonic Lumix GH7?

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Panasonic Lumix GH7: also consider

Panasonic Lumix G9 II
The cheaper, smaller G9 II shares the same sensor as the GH7, and by and large offers the same photo and video performance. It lacks built-in cooling and a CFexpress Type B slot, however, which does somewhat limit its appeal to ultra-demanding video users.

Read our Panasonic Lumix G9 II review

Panasonic Lumix S5 II

With 6K 30p and 4K 60p video recording, phase-detect autofocus and superb image stabilization, the S5 II is a great full-frame alternative to the GH7, particularly for video enthusiasts. Despite its much larger image sensor, the S5 II’s body is also smaller and lighter than the GH7’s.

Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix S5 II review

How I tested the Panasonic Lumix GH7

• One week review period
• Vlogging plus run-and-gun videos
• Used with two lenses: Leica 12-60mm F2.8-4 and the Leica 9mm F1.7

I tested the Panasonic GH7 for a week, using it in a wide range of scenarios: vlogging at home with a tripod and while walking around town with the help of a Joby GorillaPod; taking snapshots and landscape photos; and capturing b-roll footage in a range of different formats and frame rates. I used two Panasonic lenses during the review process: the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4 zoom and the Leica DG Summilux 9mm F1.7 wide-angle prime.

First reviewed July 2024