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Panasonic tries on a new look with retro-styled GX7 camera

Panasonic tries on a new look with retro-styled GX7 camera

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Panasonic is introducing a retro look for its newly announced Lumix GX7, the successor to one of its best mirrorless cameras, the GX1. The new Micro Four Thirds camera includes a 16-megapixel sensor, a built-in electronic viewfinder, and a 3-inch touchscreen display. That's all housed inside of a metal body sporting the kind of two-tone throwback looks that have been in style recently, doing away with a more modernized vintage design that Panasonic has been using ever since its very first DSLR.

The sensor inside of the GX7 is apparently brand new, and Panasonic says that it should offer improvements on both color saturation and light sensitivity over its predecessor. That lends to the GX7's increased ISO range, which has jumped up to 25,600. The camera's viewfinder should also be nice and sharp, since you'll be looking down at a 2,764,000-dot equivalent display — it can also be tilted upward by 90 degrees, giving photographers access from wide range of positions.

Remote control over NFC and Wi-Fi

The GX7 will also include in-body image stabilization, which could be a big advantage for photographers and filmmakers looking to adapt manual lenses. Panasonic also says that it's made this new camera even easier to use than its predecessor: there are now two control rings built onto the camera's body, allowing both shutter speed and aperture to be directly adjusted. Wi-Fi and NFC are both built in as well, enabling the camera to be remotely controlled by iOS or Android devices running the Panasonic Image App.

Panasonic Lumix GX7 press photos

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The GX7 should be hitting stores sometime in September. It'll be available body-only for $999.99, or with a 14-42mm lens for $1099.99. That's a big jump up from its predecessor — which debuted at $699.99 and is now available at around $299.99 — and will also put the GX7 up against Sony's flourishing NEX series of mirrorless cameras, which have bigger sensors at a lower price. Even so, the Micro Four Thirds lens ecosystem is strong, and if the GX7 is anything like the GX1, it's likely to win over more than a few fans.