It's hard to believe here in 2013, but Panasonic apparently forgot, or never knew, that ISO is the third exposure variable. On the GX7 Auto ISO is disabled when in manual mode. That's simply unacceptable.

It's a pleasure to see it here in thr GX7, even though Panasonic hardly mentions it in it's promotion material. Bottom line, for video it's a free built-in 2.6X teleconverter what works with any lens. It does this by cropping the sensor to a native 1920X1080 section of the full sensor output. Kudos to Panasonic for continuing to support ETC.

As far as overall image quality goes, the GX7 should satisfy all but the pickiest compulsive gear-head, let alone practical photographers. Frankly, over the past couple of years the differences between sensor performance on most cameras has gotten so close that it takes very large prints and 100% pixel peeping to tell the difference. Also, most cameras do quite well up to about ISO 3200, and few of us shoot at higher ISOs in the real world.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/panasonic_gx7_review.shtml

@MarcioK I've asked #panasonicifaexpert about this via twitter:

• Does the focus zoom mode in Panasonic GX7 work while recording video?

• No but you can use focuspeaking when manually focusing meaning that composition is not interrupted.

The Japanese version of the GX7 manuals are already available

http://dl-ctlg.panasonic.jp/manual/dm/dmc_gx7_guide_1.pdf

http://dl-ctlg.panasonic.jp/manual/dm/dmc_gx7.pdf

• The English version "Operation Manual", PDF,5Mb
• The English version "Operating Instructions", PDF, 15Mb

GX7 body is available on deals (with instant shipping, no wait)

Cost: low, shipped wordwide (express fast shipping)

Additional info: Non EU model. PAL.

I want this thing.

Hack me? a free gift from Panasonic at release?

Next time they should release firmware open source :)

What the hack...

Amateur Photographer review

Our verdict

There's no question that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is a real leap forward in comparison to its predecessor, the GX1. Every area of the camera has been improved, resulting in one of the best compact system cameras available for serious photographers looking for a high-quality camera for travel or documentary photography.

While it can't quite match APS-C-format rivals, the image quality from the GX7 is very good, delivering some of the best results I've seen from a micro four thirds sensor. Detail is very good, but for anyone shooting with the GX7, I'd recommend raw capture to ensure detail is retained at higher sensitivities.

The plethora of body-mounted controls for quick access combined with the fast AF, touch-sensitive display and excellent viewfinder, make the GX7 a pleasure to shoot with, all complemented by a sturdy, durable build with a comfy grip.

Going back to the drawing board with the GX7 has paid dividends for Panasonic. It's resulted in conceivably the best Lumix CSC to date and a true photographer's tool.

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compactsystemcameras/129424/1/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gx7-review

Is the GX7 a world camera? If I buy the PAL version you have listed, will I be able to do NTSC framerates?

As far as I know it is same for all Panasonic cameras, they are either PAL or NTSC.

@adventsam check out the images now available on imaging-resource for the GX7 and E-M1 and compare them to the D7100 and 70D. You'll see that at higher ISO, the M43 models don't retain the color detail that the APS-C cameras do--chroma noise is worse and obscures some detail completely in the red channel. However, they're still really damned good! And the GX7 has enough over my GX1 bodies for both stills and video, that I will absolutely be adding it to the arsenal! It's better at high ISO, has manual control during video out of the box, IBIS for stills, and for stills, that silent shutter feature will be HUGE for events.

And to add to what people have been asking and back up what VK says: IBIS wouldn't be good for video, even if they could turn it on. The motors to move the sensor around generate heat, which adds to noise. Shutting them off/disabling them during video actually improves video quality, especially for long videos, which is why I got Panasonic M43 bodies in the first place.

@last_SHIFT So how you can work? I couldn't if I knew that new toy is waiting ;)

Ok guys, I've only had time to power it up and run through the menu's and such - but FYI the eyepiece is absurdly tiny - maybe Panasonic thought a fetus was the target customer. I understand there is a larger eyepiece model # DMW-EC1GU, I suggest you guys order that when buying. I actually saw some youtube unboxing where it was included.

@neokoo 1 second

I was anticipating the wifi functionality being similar (ok, identical) to that of the GH3. However it's only giving me a shutter activation option. No manual control, no focus point selection, no touch shutter, no video recording, no nothing.

Desperately hoping this is just an anomaly of some description. The GX7 is a premium level camera, it makes no sense to pare back the wifi capabilities so drastically from what's already been provided in the GH3.

Edit: Discovered my problem: I'm a moron. GX7 uses a different app as per post by igorek7 on previous page.

Ex Tele works in 1080p 50/60