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It's like Panasonic has really listened to their GH user base with this camera: internal ProRes and ProRes Raw, phase-detect autofocus, open gate recording, 32bit internal audio (with the DMW-XLR2), and - amazingly - optional ARRI LogC3 which will be a major bonus for us flying the GH7 on a drone on sets with ARRI Alexas.
Moving from the GH5 to the GH7 is quite a change in body style, the GH7 is much chunkier and has a deep grip on the right hand side. Ergonomically it's much more video-centric than the previous models in the series, with nice additions such as a record button on the front by the lens, and tally lamps front and rear. As much as I loved the handling of the GH5, the GH7 is a real joy to hold. I have mine in a Smallrig cage with a wooden handle on the left. Because I use the DMW-XLR2 audio adapter I can't use a top handle, the wooden handle is very useful for picking the camera up. It's by no means a small camera, considering the sensor size it's actually larger than the full frame S5 series, however they have packed a lot of high tech into the GH7, plus a fan to keep all the tech cool for unlimited recording (which you can barely hear).
Gone are the two SD card slots, one having been replaced with a CFExpress Type B for fast internal storage. ProRes can only be recorded to the CFExpress card internally (or via an external monitor such as the Ninja V, or a USB-C external SSD), but the standard Panasonic codecs can write to both. It can also record ProRes / ProRes Raw to the CFExpress card and proxy media to the SD Card (and you can bake in LUTs with the later).
I use native MFT lenses on my GH5S but on the GH7 I use the ubiquitous Canon fit Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 Art on a Metabones Speed Booster Ultra, along with the Sigma 24-105 f/4. The Speed Booster makes the 18-35 into a 13-25 f/1.3 lens, and the 24-105 to a very useful 17-75 f/2.8. I also use a Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 which is a fast f/3.5-4.4 with the Speed Booster. Metabones has recently released a firmware upgrade for their Speed Boosters and adapter rings that enables the phase-detect autofocus, my Sigma lenses focus pretty much as quickly and accurately as native glass.
The phase-detect autofocus is a huge improvement over Panasonic's depth from defocus AF implementation on the previous GH cameras. This video was shot with the Sigma 24-105 f/4 wide open, using full area AF with subject detection. It keeps focus during zooming perfectly, with no hunting that was prevalent with the previous AF, even on native lenses. I tend to use manual focus for most of my productions, but given how quick and accurate it now is I may start using it for more dynamic scenes.
There's just so much more to go into with this camera that I could spend the day writing this review. Suffice to say it's a phenomenal upgrade from the GH5 (and the phase-detect autofocus alone is a worthy upgrade from the GH6). It also excels at photography with its 25MP sensor, in fact all the photocentric features of the G9 II made it in to the GH7, so it's a true hybrid camera.
If you have invested in MFT lenses, or like myself use an EF-MFT Speed Booster with fast EF Sigma lenses then from a video perspective it's a no-brainer to go for the GH7. There's a lot of new features that may not make it in to Panasonic's full frame cameras (the ARRI LogC3 being one of them), and now with the phase-detect autofocus it's a serious contender to the Sony and Canon hybrid cameras. If you have no MFT lenses, or maybe a GH4 with a 12-60 kit lens then it could make sense to go for a full frame camera, especially if you plan to use it for photography as well, but the GH7 really shines as a hybrid videocentric camera that takes great photos. Also, high quality lenses tend to be a bit cheaper than their full frame equivalents, and generally smaller and lighter which can make a difference shooting hand held for long periods.
Overall I am delighted with the GH7, and glad that I passed on the GH6 (which is still a great hybrid camera). Shooting ProRes and ProRes Raw internally is a game changer, the phase-detect AF is up there with Sony and Canon, and the 32bit float internal audio is a first for any camera, no more worrying about clipping audio!
