A new interchangeable lens camera is on the way for people who prefer a smaller camera and want to take selfies, as Panasonic shrinks its G series mirror-less to hand-sized this year.
There’s a new mirrorless camera heading to stores shortly, and while so much of the compact interchangeable lens camera market has long touted a smaller body than what DSLRs offer with the same lens convenience, this one might actually get close to achieving it.
It’s called the GF7, and it is a new relatively compact shutter from Panasonic, packing in support for the the company’s Micro Four-Thirds lenses, while also being able to work with Micro Four-Thirds lenses from other manufacturers, Olympus included.
The camera is relatively small, slim, available in black and pink, and includes a 3 inch touchscreen LCD that can flip 180 degrees, allowing you to see yourself when you’re trying to get that coveted selfie.
Yes, Panasonic has joined the self-portrait ranks, including special modes developed to make it easier to fire off that selfie so many are capturing these days, including a “face shutter” that will capture an image when you wave your hand in front of your face, a “buddy shutter” when two faces are detected next to each other, and a regular “self shot mode” that can fire off the camera using either the regular shutter button or the first function button (Fn1) making it easier to grab the camera and snap away.
If there are more than two of you and you’re looking for a more action-y shot, a “jump snap” mode will connect with a smartphone in your pocket or hands to look for the highest point of the jump, firing the camera’s shutter over WiFi to get that action photo of you and your mates jumping up in the air.
“The DMC-GF7 is so much fun,” said Doug Campbell, Senior Product Manager for Lumix at Panasonic Australia, adding that “It makes it easy to capture high quality photos of family and friends, and with the new flip screen users can take their best ever selfie.”
Beyond the selfie modes, there’s Full HD video capture here, camera modes spread out over Aperture, Shutter, Manual, and Program, 20 scene modes, and a 16 megapixel sensor with ISO support up to 25600 and high-speed shooting up to 5.8 frames per second.
Pricing for the new body appears to tackle the mid-range of DSLRs, with Panasonic listing the GF7 in a single lens kit with the 12-32mm lens for $699, while the twin lens variant with the 12-32mm and the 35-100mm will see it in stores for $999, with availability for all late February.
