It handles well, is built beautifully and features 5.0-stop stabilization.
Lovely stills
5.0-stop Dual I.S.
All this makes it a solid package for beginner photographers or aspiring vloggers needing an affordable hybrid mirrorless.
Taken at 1/15 sec using Dual I.S.(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
However, the G97 isnt perfect.
But is it one of thebest mirrorless camerasin the sub-$1,000 category?
Find out in my full Panasonic Lumix G97 review.
It isnt yet available for order on the Panasonic web store.
Ill update this review when we know more.
A big factor to consider with any camera purchase is the availability and cost of lenses.
That said, APS-C systems from Fujifilm and Sony also offer a plentiful selection of small, affordable lenses.
The G87, however, looks and feels like, well, a bulbous DSLR.
Although I wouldnt necessarily say thats a bad thing.
The deep groove of the front grip and tall profile of the camera result in reassuring and comfortable ergos.
As a Lumix, the G97 is naturally built exquisitely, and feels like a premium camera.
I also found the EVF fast and responsive, with no lag during shooting.
The rear display is a 1.84M-dot 3.0-inch TFT par for the course in this segment.
Namely, the lack of a focusing joystick.
And just how, pray tell me, is one supposed to do that when shooting through the EVF?
Menu
The G97s menu system is decent.
Its colorful and fairly sensibly laid out, with self-explanatory labels so you know where you are.
Once you know where your most-used functions are, though, youll have few complaints.
Its literally stepping back a few years, as Lumix hasnt updated the AF meaningfully from the previous model.
The G97 only features contrast detection AF, versus the hybrid contrast/phase detection increasingly standard in rivals.
In scenes with low contrast, especially in low light, the camera really struggles.
This results in large and fairly inaccurate focus boxes when using zone AF and in continuous AF mode.
There are also very limited subject detection modes.
Theres human face/eye detection, and thats it.
The camera managed to detect and hold onto the subjects eye.
The thing is, it only works well as a dual system.
At 1/5 though, the text became illegible.
Taken at 1/15 sec using Dual I.S.(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
With an OIS lens equipped and Dual I.S.
enabled, however, stabilization is very good.
you could see the difference between Dual I.S.
Taken at 1/5 sec using Dual I.S.(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
on/off in the two panning videos above and below.
For IBIS, you’ll need to step up to the $1,399Fujifilm X-T50.
And besides, affordable OIS-equipped MFT lenses are not hard to come by.
It doesnt produce the highest resolution files around, but this isnt a professional high-res camera.
The images the G97 produces look great.
I tested out the high speed drive to get the images of swans seen above using continuous AF.
With the G97s single card slot, though, this isnt possible.
Still, its plenty fast enough for beginners and enthusiasts to dabble in some high speed casual photography.
Consider those expectations defied.
This was taken at the cameras lowest native sensitivity, ISO200.
High ISO
Images shot at high sensitivity on MFT sensors are usually pretty grim.
The 20.3MP sensor in the G97 performed better than I expected, however.
(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
By ISO25600, I was expecting utterly unusable images, akin to those at ISO12800 on the Lumix G9II.
While obviously the ISO25600 image would only be usable in an emergency, it isnt ruined.
ISO12800 and ISO25600 were in much better shape than I had anticipated.
(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
The camera is certainly more stills-focused than Lumixs marketing would like you to believe.
Although there is VLog for 12-stop dynamic range capture and the preset color profiles/LUTs for in-camera color grading.
This tops out at 1080p.
Taken on the Lumix G97.(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
But hey, the G97 isnt priced anywhere near those cameras, so its video specs all feel fair.
So Lumixs CIPA rating seems about right.
This is about average at this end of the market, albeit slightly lower than rivals.
Taken on the Lumix G97.(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Video performance, meanwhile, pales in comparison to the similarly-priced Fujifilm X-M5.
Got $800 in the budget and after a new mid-range stills camera?
You could do a hell of a lot worse than the Lumix G97.
(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
SOOC JPEG — ISO3200(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
SOOC JPEG — ISO6400(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
SOOC JPEG — ISO12800(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
SOOC JPEG — ISO25600(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
RAW export — ISO3200(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
RAW export — ISO6400(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
RAW export — ISO12800(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
RAW export — ISO25600(Image credit: Peter Wolinski / Future)
