Rapid Fire
Panasonic refreshes its G and GF series of cameras every year. In continuation of this trend, Panasonic launched the Lumix G6, along with the Lumix GF6 in the overseas market on 13th May 2013. The G6 has not yet been launched in the Indian market. It appears to be a scaled down version of the top-of-the-line GH3. The camera is available in black, silver and white.
Design and Build Quality
By design, the Lumix G6 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens compact camera. Well crafted and very comfortable to hold, the outer body is made from polycarbonate and appears to be reasonably tough for the purpose it is built. Adjacent to the shutter release button is a multipurpose rocker switch that acts as an Exposure Compensation button. The body sports a built-in flash. The LCD monitor is multi- directional.
Key Features
The Panasonic Lumix DMC G6 kit comprises of the camera body and a G VARIO Aspherical 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. The G6 is a mirror-less 16.05 megapixel ILCC (Interchangeable Lens Compact Camera) using a Live MOS imaging sensor and Venus Engine featuring advanced noise reduction systems that remove noise in multiple steps according to the noise characteristics. Its advanced Intelligent D-range Control ensures wider dynamic range and better tonal gradations. The camera is Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled. This allows you to transfer images from the camera to a NFC enabled Smartphone or Tablet by just touching the two devices. By downloading a free ‘Image App’ – for both Android and Apple iOS – the G6 allows wireless remote shooting, wireless downloading to your computer, and wireless transfer of images to social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Further, using a Smartphone or
Wi-Fi enabled Tablet, you can view your images remotely on your larger computer screen, change your ISO sensitivity and White Balance, geotag, change between still images and video, and some more. The Lumix G6 uses a ‘capacitive-touch’ LCD screen instead of a ‘resistive-touch’ LCD screen as used in the GF6. This makes it more responsive to touch. The electronic viewfinder is an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), instead of the LCD used in earlier models. This allows for a sharper view through the electronic viewfinder. The G6 uses the same Live MOS imaging sensor as used in the Lumix GH2, but some users may be disappointed, because the G6 does not offer the multi-aspect sensor ratio that the GH2 offers (generally, changing aspect ratio changes the output resolution. The GH2 however, maintains identical resolution at all sensor aspect ratios). Additionally, even though the G6 and G5 both use identical sensors, the G6 is capable of producing better JPEGs due to the use of the same image processor found in the top-of-the-line GH3. The G6 has two types of shutters – mechanical as well as electronic. The mechanical shutter offers a top performance of 7 frames per second (Burst Mode), whereas using the electronic shutter, the G6 can fire away at 20 fps, but at reduced resolution. Panasonic claim that the G6 is faster than D-SLRs in focussing speed when using Single AF mode (In Continuous AF mode, D-SLRs are faster). Advances in electronics have also improved low-light AF accuracy in the G6 (it does this by reducing the AF speed; better to have accurate AF rather than fast AF that is not so accurate!). In high-contrast lighting situations, advanced photographers generally capture the same scene with differing exposures, and then combine the exposures in an image editing program like Photoshop to create a picture with good details in highlights as well as shadows. To facilitate this, the G6 permits a maximum of 7 shots (Exposure Bracketing) with 0.3, 0.7 and 1-stop differences. But what about those users who desire good highlight/ shadow details in high-contrast lighting situations, but do not know or do not have access to Photoshop? Fear not, for the G6 offers HDR (High Dynamic Range) functionality that takes 3 shots (at 1, 2 or 3EV steps) and merges them automatically to create an HDR. The back end of the G6 has 7 tiny Function buttons and each button can be assigned a particular function that you use most frequently, depending on the mode the camera is in (Recording or Playback). The default functions are shown below:
Fn 1: Quick Menu ( You can select between: Metering mode, Aperture value, Shutter speed, Exposure Compensation, Sensitivity, White Balance, Photo Style, Flash mode, Motion Picture Set, Picture Setting, Quality, Focus mode and AF-area mode. Fn 2: AFL/AEL Fn 3: Peaking (highlights in-focus areas when using manual focus)
Fn 4: Wi-Fi
Fn 5: LVF/Monitor Switching Fn 6: Touch AE Fn 7: Level Gauge The Lumix G6 offers 3 types of metering: 144-segment Matrix metering, Centre-weighted and Spot. You can link the spot meter to a single autofocus point. As you change the exposure, its effect can be seen on the Camera’s LCD or on the EVF. Another useful feature is the intelligent auto (iA) which is found on most Panasonic models. The iA mode takes all guesswork away and provides perfect exposures – ideal for beginners and for those who just want to concentrate on framing rather than on technicalities. Panorama photography is the ‘in-thing’ these days, and the G6 makes it very convenient to create panoramas – just set the camera to the Panorama Mode and pan the camera in relation to the scene, and presto! You have the panoramic splendour of the scene captured on your G6. Multi-exposure (4 exposures on a single frame) is also possible for creative effects. Some other useful features on the G6 are iDynamic (Intelligent Dynamic Range Control) and iResolution (Intelligent resolution). The former compensates for contrast and exposure when there is a great difference in brightness between the subject and the background; the latter improves on image sharpness and resolution. Then there is the Time-Lapse feature that allows you to record images at regular intervals so that they can be stitched to form a movie clip. The user can choose between sRGB and Adobe RGB Colour Space. Shutter speeds available range from 60 sec to 1/4000 sec for still images and 1/25-1/6000sec for Motion image (PAL). An Optical Image Stabilizer detects and corrects for hand movement during exposure, but you need to use a lens that supports image stabilization. If you like to keep a record of your children or pets growing up, the G6 can record their names and age on the images. This feature is available in Profile Setup. The G6 offers various Photo Styles (Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait, and Custom) and 4 aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1). Here are the largest image sizes in pixels at the various aspect ratios: 4:3 – 4608x3456 (16MP); 3:2 – 4608x3072 (14MP); 16:9 – 4608x2592 (12MP) and 1:1 – 3456x3456 (12MP). Pictures can be shot in JPEG, Raw, Raw+JPEG. The following Focus modes can be selected by the user: AFS (Autofocus, Single shot), AFC (Autofocus Continuous) and AFF (Autofocus Flexible. In this mode the camera automatically switches between AFS and AFC depending on the status of the subject – whether stationary or moving). ISO sensitivity on the G6 can be set to Auto, iISO (Intelligent ISO), or from 160-12,800, but can be boosted to 25,600 if need be. Automatic correction for darkening of corners is possible (Panasonic calls it Shading Compensation – Shading Comp. in short). 3D recording is possible if you use a 3D lens.
Ergonomics
Like almost every camera today, the Panasonic Lumix G6 too needs a good study and understanding of its features before you can use it with flair. There are just too many features, and knowing them is important to use the camera to its full potential. The camera can fire off 7 frames per second at full resolution. I always keep my cameras (all cameras) in high speed burst mode (so that I don’t miss an opportunity to fire off a quick burst when the need arises) and have enough practice to fire a single shot for normal use. On the G6 however, because the firing is so quick, I often found that I fired more than one frame! We found the G6 a pleasure to use. The Panasonic Lumix G6 was tested using the supplied 14-42mm kit lens. The overall performance of the Panasonic Lumix G6 was very good. The 3 exposure meters performed very satisfactorily. We noticed that in lighting with strong contrast, the G6 managed to save the highlights from overexposing, but it did that by slightly underexposing the shadows (which of course can be ‘opened up’ in any image editing program). Overall, the image sharpness was good – at all marked focal lengths, at wide open aperture, central sharpness was good, but corners were softer, especially at 14 and 18mm settings. Stopping down the lens by 1 to 1.5-stops improved the central as well as corner sharpness. By f/11, images started to appear slightly softer due to the effects of diffraction of light. On the White Balance front, the G6 gave perfect results for AWB as well as the Preset in ‘Cloudy’ conditions, but in all other lighting conditions, except ‘Incandescent’, gave a slight blue cast. When used in incandescent lighting, it gave a red cast. In all fairness, any room lit by incandescent lighting usually has bulbs of different wattages, and hence it is unfair to judge the White Balance under such conditions unless you are sure that all the bulbs are of the same wattage, and all are used for equal number of hours. Some darkening of corners at the widest focal length was noticed at all aperture settings, but in practical use this may be insignificant. Barrel distortion was noticed at 14 and 18mm settings. Strong against-the-light shots that included the sun produced flare, but I did not notice any chromatic
aberration, which is a very good thing. The G6’s native image size at full resolution is 11.52 x 15.36 inches at 300 ppi. At 16.7% screen size, images were free of digital noise all the way up to ISO 12,800. At 25% screen size, we could see some noise at ISO 6400 upwards (if we really looked for it). Similarly, at 50%, noise could be seen from ISO 3200 upwards. At 100%, noise could be seen from ISO 800 onwards, but in an emergency, I would use up to ISO 3200. ISO 6400 and ISO 12,800 were too noisy for my liking. HD Video quality was excellent, though we did notice slight degree of moire when capturing details with regular patterns.
Value for Money
The MRP for the Panasonic Lumix G6 has not yet been declared. However, it retails in the USA at $750 with the 14-42mm kit lens (currently about Rs.46,500). We have assumed an Indian price of Rs.62,000 with the 14-42mm kit lens.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type : Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera Recording media : SD/SDHC/SDXC Image sensor : Live MOS, 17.3 x 13 mm Lens Mount : Micro Four Thirds Effective pixels : 16.05 million Dust reduction system : Supersonic Wave Filter Recording file format : Stills: JPEG, Raw, MPO (when using 3D lens) Video: AVCHD, MP4 Aspect ratio : 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1 Image quality : Raw, Raw+Fine, Raw+Standard, Fine, Standard, MPO+Fine, MPO+Standard (with 3D lens) Colour Space : sRGB, Adobe RGB File size (maximum) : (4:3) 4608 x 3450 (3:2) 4608 x 3072 (16:9) 4608 x 2592 (1:1) 3456 x 3456 Focus type : Contrast AF system Focus mode : AF-S, AF-C, AF-F, MF Face Detection, AF Tracking, 23-area focussing, 1-area focussing, Pinpoint AF detection range : -3 to + 18EV (ISO 100 equivalent) Light metering system : 1728-zone multi-pattern sensing Light metering modes : Multiple, Centre-weighted, Spot Metering range : 0 to 18EV
(F/2 lens, ISO 100 equivalent) Exposure modes : P, A, S, M ISO sensitivity : Auto, intelligent ISO, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12,800 Can be extended to 25,600 AE Bracketing : 3, 5, 7 frames in 1/3, 2/3 or
1EV step. Max. +/- 3EV White Balance : Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash,White Set 1 & 2, Colour temp. Colour temp. setting : 2500K – 10,000K WB bracketing : Yes Shutter speeds : Stills:60-1/4000sec. Bulb (Max. 120 sec); Motion image (PAL): 1/25-1/6000sec Burst Speed : SH: 20fps; H: 7fps with AF-S; 5fps with AF-C and 1-area focussing in AF mode; M: 4fps with Live View; 2 fps Low Speed. No. of recordable : 7 images (with Raw files); Unlimited images shooting when there are no Raw files (depending on memory card size, battery power, picture size and compression) Built-in flash : TTL, GN 10.5m (at ISO 160). X-sync
up to 1/160sec LCD Monitor : 3” Free-angle, 1040K dots, TFT LCD
with Touch Control Level Gauge : Provided Viewfinder : OLED Live Viewfinder (4:3),
approx. 1,040,000 dots Function Buttons : 7. Each Fn button can be assigned a
particular function Flash : Built-in, GN 10.5m (ISO 160) X-sync speed : Up to 1/160 sec Microphone : Stereo Speaker : Monaural Motion Pictures : AVCHD. 1920k1080/60p (28 Mbps)/1920k1080/60i (17 Mbps)/ 1920k1080/60i* (24 Mbps)/ 1920k1080/24p (24 Mbps)/ 1280k720/60p (17 Mbps) (*Sensor output is 30 frames/sec.) [MP4] 1920k1080/60p (28 Mbps)/1920k1080/30p (20 Mbps)/ 1280x720/30p (10Mbps)/640x480/30p (4 Mbps) Dimensions : 122.5 ( W) x 84.6 (H) x 71.4mm (D),
excluding projections Weight : 580g with battery, card and hood