Australian Review: Panasonic Lumix GF7 – A point-and-shoot with premium trimmings

Design 
Much like Panasonic's excellent LX100, the GF7 is another decidedly retro camera. Taking cues from the cameras of yore, Panasonic have combined a slick aluminium body and a faux-leather finish into an attractive little package. But while the LX100 was a small camera taking on big DSLRs, the GF7 is best described with a point-and-shoot with a few premium trimmings.

The GF7 is even smaller and lighter than the GF6 that it replaces, measuring just 106.5 x 64.6 x 33.3 mm and weighing a mere 236g without a lens attached or battery inserted. It's compact, but with a lens on, you won't be able to put in your pocket.

As a point-and-shoot, there's a few key omissions; there's no optical viewfinder, no hot-shoe for mounting accessories, very few manual controls, and the kit lens doesn't have a focus ring. The lens however is interchangeable. The GF7 uses a standard micro four thirds lens mount, meaning it's easy enough to swap out the included lens if you're not happy with it. While the lack of a focus ring bugs me to no end, the included 12-32mm lens isn't a slouch, and its reasonably wide nature makes shooting selfies much easier.