Panasonic G100 First Impressions Review

Chris and Jordan got their hands on a pre-production Panasonic G100 and have been able to do some preliminary testing on features like the camera's new OZO directional audio system.

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[DSP]

No IBIS, no USB-C no Phase Detect AF.
Cameras like this are the reason, why the market is declining. Repurposed internals that are from the 2014-2016 era are not making me want to buy stuff. If camera makers want to earn money with sales, they need to actually release new and exciting stuff. The times of intentionally crippling cameras is over. Because people are no longer "buying your stuff anyway" - Hint: They arent.

[Isaac________]

Man, together with the news of Olympus' camera division being sold, it's not a good day for MFT users regarding promising, innovative developments coming their way.

[BMEP]

Guys, it’s always nice to see the two of you reviewing a piece of kit, but I especially enjoyed this one. Claudia & I miss you both.

[artjohnson]

I find the G100 perfect for vlogging and walking around. You pointed out the issues with shooting 4K with the G100. However, I mostly prefer shooting in 1080P for vlogging and everyday photography, and I love the M43 format. As a retiree, I appreciate the size and price advantage of M43. I own Lumix g7 and G9 camera bodies, and have a nice collection of reasonably priced, small, M43 lenses. All of them work nicely on the G100. Of course, I'm delighted that the controls on the G100 are conveniently located similarly to my G9. The biggest difference between my go to G9 camera and the G100 is the size. That G100 is tiny. With IBIS lenses, and the light camera body, camera shake is less than you might expect. Very happy to add this camera to my M43 collection.

[ImageMaven]

I'm not a walk and talk vlogger, so I'm not that concerned about IS. But I've been looking for a new small camera like my trusty Lumix GM5, which is pretty much worn out. So perhaps I'm the audience for this. I already have a G9 which I love, but I need a new "take everywhere" stills and video camera. The slow mo, the flippy screen and decent mic are sweet upgrades to the GM5. Sign me up!

[cameraconspiracies]

I'm embarrassed to be a part of the Panasonic family right now.

[Ihyabond]

This camera has way more crop than an entire cornfield

[lukasusluk]

Most of the reviews of this camera are strongly focused on video because it was advertised as vlogging camera. However, I like how small it is and it felt well build when I had it in hand. I would really appreciate a review focused more on photography side. It could be perfect camera for travelling to make stills and occasionally some short videos. Or what you would choose as a small camera for travelling under 1000 with possibility to change lenses?

[Zieloniwpodrozy]

Terrible AF and no IBIS - yeah, vloggers dream.

[eguitarstar]

Can't wait to see the Camera Conspiracies boardroom meeting for whoever came up with this camera.
In all seriousness, this camera will not be first, second or even third choice as a vlogging camera for most. Not having IBIS and the 4K crop just cripple this camera. I though the CAF in 1080 was good but in 4K it struggled.
Given the current photography climate Panasonic really missed what their target market are looking for. They would have been developing this camera for at least a year, if not, more and I am sure their Lumix ambassadors would have provided feedback, looks like the development team disregarded all the input.

[NolanGunn]

Seems like a half-baked attempt at keeping up with other vlogging setups. I feel like Panasonic excels at professional video cameras and this just seems like a bad attempt at carving out a piece of the vlog market. A used G85 would be better, have more features, and be cheaper.

[RobShootPhotos]

No IBIS!? What went on in that board meeting?

[Adrian-xnss]

Practically useless for its intended purpose without IBIS. Why leave out the one feature that they do better than Sony and Canon?

[kagankagan]

stabilisation is a problem, 4k recording is a problem, battery is a problem, focus hunt is a problem, video record limit is a problem. unfortunately another dead duck in the market(((

[Reyfox]

nah.... and I am someone that owns 3 Panasonic the G9.
Who is this camera for? No one.... it will collect dust in the show room. If I owned a camera store, I wouldn't even invest in bringing one in....

[american_document]

This to me is just the spiritual successor to the gm5. I was able to find one for around 150 dollars nearly brand new and for the price it is difficult to beat for sure.

[thierryorlowski]

As a Still Photographic Camera, my wife loves the G100...It is compact, easy to use, and great for street photography for example!!

[MarkMcLT]

A new feature no one was asking for and stubbornly refusing to budge on the one that people actually care about - pdaf. All I want is a g85 with decent af (and maybe10 bit). Kasey's next video is gonna be brutal!

[jf]

Man... I got so excited until you said no IBIS. Now its meh... Looks like they repositioned the evf of the gx85, removed IBIS and kept the terrible continuous AF and given it an articulated screen. What a waste. They couldve updated the gx9 to be more vlog centric and fix the autofocus and it wouldve been game over for sony zv1

[cdwc]

It tragic to hear the Olympus news today. I bought an E-M1 Mark III for hiking, (I upgraded from the E-M5 Mark III as the base plate is questionable). Having used a GH5 previously I think the E-M1 Mk 3 is a brilliant camera for vlogging. No-one apart from Camera Conspiracies is talking about it. IBIS, autofocus, dust proof, decent battery, USBc charging, not too heavy. Pair it with the Oly 9-18 and you've got a great set up. It is such a shame they are selling it off as in my opinion it is the best vlogging camera out there at the moment. Stay cool.