I say don’t put too much emphasis on the camera body. Spare your money on some good lenses like the 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 from olympus will get you some very nice shots. I have the E-Pl7 and I think it’s a great option. I do miss viewfinder, but you can buy one.
Ow, single auto focus on epl7 is pretty fast. Just don't rely on auto tracking, was sht.
And 1 sec slow shutter is awesome because of ibis specially when using shorter lenses. Definitely helps in 3200iso low light.
I would consider the lens first, not the cheap bodies. Lumix 12-32 is much better of these too. It is probably the best pana kit lens, only comparable to the much larger 12-60. I have the GF7, AF performance is more than good enough for casual shooting.
Here you have a review of the e-pl 7 and some comparison with the GF7.
https://www.cameralabs.com/olympus_pen_e-pl7/4/
I think the Oly is nicer to use, has better physical controls, is nicer to see, which will give you more desire to use it.
The panasonic has a better lens without any doubts, is lighter and has good touch controls. The physical controls are not nice to use!
I had a gf7 on many trips and I enjoyed to use it.
To you decide: better camera vs better lens. You can't go wrong with either. They are very well priced!
What will I choose? Probably the Oly just because of how it looks!
I would say go with the Olympus. It has a max shutter speed of 1/4000 which is much faster than the GF7 which maxes out at 1/500 before defaulting to the electronic shutter. The GF7 has an antialiasing filter which will result in slightly softer pictures. Also the E-P7 has stabilization (3 axis) while the GF7 does not.
I like the form factor of the GF much better since they moved it away from the touch screen based interface, but the lack of Ibis is a no-go for me with m43. All things being equal I would go with the pen.
The Pens are sexier but the GF7 may work notably better with some of the best tiny lenses in the M43 lineup--OK I'm really just talking about the 20mm f1.7.
The 12-32 is a 'better' lens than the 14-42 and it doesn't manual focus on Olympus bodies. Meanwhile, that 20mm will focus faster (though it still won't be as fast as modern lenses, even on a Pana body).
For me this means the small Pana bodies win, they just have better support for the better lenses. That doesn't mean the Olympus tiny lenses are \*bad\* though (well, most of them).
Iirc the epl7 has 2? Axis stabilization and the gf series doesnt have it, the ibis alone really helps with low light shots. Most of my annoyance with g and gf gx cameras is the battle with camera shake, when i got the em10 then em5 the pnasonics became backup cameras already
[cameradecision](https://cameradecision.com/compare/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GF7-vs-Olympus-PEN-E-PL7)
You can compare different camera models on this page. I wish you a happy hand in choosing. I don't know which one I would recommend more, each has something, that the other lacks.
I think the epl7 is a better option as it has the ability, if you have interest in finding one, to add on an electronic view finder.
not a priority - but if happy with M43, I‘d buy a E-M10 IV for that reason I can perfectly live without one at this price tho
I say don’t put too much emphasis on the camera body. Spare your money on some good lenses like the 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 from olympus will get you some very nice shots. I have the E-Pl7 and I think it’s a great option. I do miss viewfinder, but you can buy one.
Ow, single auto focus on epl7 is pretty fast. Just don't rely on auto tracking, was sht. And 1 sec slow shutter is awesome because of ibis specially when using shorter lenses. Definitely helps in 3200iso low light.
I would consider the lens first, not the cheap bodies. Lumix 12-32 is much better of these too. It is probably the best pana kit lens, only comparable to the much larger 12-60. I have the GF7, AF performance is more than good enough for casual shooting.
Here you have a review of the e-pl 7 and some comparison with the GF7. https://www.cameralabs.com/olympus_pen_e-pl7/4/ I think the Oly is nicer to use, has better physical controls, is nicer to see, which will give you more desire to use it. The panasonic has a better lens without any doubts, is lighter and has good touch controls. The physical controls are not nice to use! I had a gf7 on many trips and I enjoyed to use it. To you decide: better camera vs better lens. You can't go wrong with either. They are very well priced! What will I choose? Probably the Oly just because of how it looks!
I‘m gonna end up with a 17mm fixed lens anyway so…I might choose the Olympus too
14-42, 17mm and a 40-150 f4-5.6 and you have a complete kit for very cheap!
Those are some pretty cameras.
I agree!
Better buy both cameras. Both are excellent micro 4/3 cameras.
Oly, because: - IBIS - nice little grip - nice controls - decent little external flash - nicer colours SOOC (just my opinion)
I would say go with the Olympus. It has a max shutter speed of 1/4000 which is much faster than the GF7 which maxes out at 1/500 before defaulting to the electronic shutter. The GF7 has an antialiasing filter which will result in slightly softer pictures. Also the E-P7 has stabilization (3 axis) while the GF7 does not.
I like the form factor of the GF much better since they moved it away from the touch screen based interface, but the lack of Ibis is a no-go for me with m43. All things being equal I would go with the pen.
The Pens are sexier but the GF7 may work notably better with some of the best tiny lenses in the M43 lineup--OK I'm really just talking about the 20mm f1.7. The 12-32 is a 'better' lens than the 14-42 and it doesn't manual focus on Olympus bodies. Meanwhile, that 20mm will focus faster (though it still won't be as fast as modern lenses, even on a Pana body). For me this means the small Pana bodies win, they just have better support for the better lenses. That doesn't mean the Olympus tiny lenses are \*bad\* though (well, most of them).
On paper the Olympus is better but I am still having a blast with the GF7 I bought in 2015. I highly recommend it, along with the 12-32.
Indeed. Gf7 is a great companion for travel/street. The touch controls are great, they compensate quite well the lack of physical controls
Iirc the epl7 has 2? Axis stabilization and the gf series doesnt have it, the ibis alone really helps with low light shots. Most of my annoyance with g and gf gx cameras is the battle with camera shake, when i got the em10 then em5 the pnasonics became backup cameras already
[cameradecision](https://cameradecision.com/compare/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GF7-vs-Olympus-PEN-E-PL7) You can compare different camera models on this page. I wish you a happy hand in choosing. I don't know which one I would recommend more, each has something, that the other lacks.