Lawrence Photographic

   

 

Panasonic G6 Camera - Build Quality



 Last Updated  - 18th January 2014

Camera Body
The body of the Panasonic G6 camera is made out of 'fantastic plastic' and it is a very small body, far smaller than you perceive in any internet image.

Fn Buttons + Rear Cursor Buttons + Problem with WB Cursor Button
It does not have the build quality of my Panasonic GF1 camera but it is a very neat and lightweight camera and once I started to use it, I liked it very much. The Fn buttons are well recessed and require my thumb to press more squarely until I feel a button depress but that was not a problem. For sure it will prove more difficult to accidently press a button by mistake unless you use the edge of your thumb nail to press buttons, which I don't. However the WB cursor button on the right side of the rear cursor is a pain in the butt. I find that when using the camera with my Lumix 100-300mm zoom lens and with the camera viewfinder up to my eye (in the heat of fast shooting) I very often accidently press the WB button with my right palm and throw the AWB (auto White Balance) off onto another setting.  It is no big deal because I am shooting 'RAW' image files and I can use the WB setting of my choice in post processing but it could prove a problem for a jpeg shooter. I am attempting to figure out how to avoid this as it happens so often.

Exposure Compensation Function Lever
The function lever on the top of the camera (see image below), immediately behind the shutter button, is perhaps an undue concern but probably because it is different. It is used in a sideways (right/left) movement but I suspect if used with respect, it will prove reliable. Some photographers very often purchase a 'consumer' priced camera and expect to handle it with the same roughness as they might a professional camera - this is the main reason they stop working. One thing I can state is that the exposure compensation 'flip lever' on the top of the camera is lightning fast and along with the electronic viewfinder, provides the best exposure compensation controls that I have ever used.

Rubberised Finish + Grip
I like the rubberised finish to the back thumb position and the grip although with the wide barrel of my Lumix 100-300mm zoom lens, I am just able to get my fingers in-between the lens and the grip but I can live with that.

 


 Electronic Viewfinder
The electronic viewfinder is solid enough built and the dioptre control is an absolute pain to adjust as it is small and very tight. However, on the plus side, once it is set, it is unlikely to ever accidently move and change it's setting - I like that a lot.

 


LCD Screen
The LCD screen is quite well built and it is firm to open using a small slit at the top/right (see image above). I will use mine with the screen facing the inside, and once the LCD screen has been unlocked from the back (see image below) I can turn the screen over backward 180% and then forward 180% to the original position before clicking it back into it's recess with the screen again facing the inside.

 


 Lens Mount + Lens Release Button
The lens mount on the front of the camera is metal and solidly fixed, the press/button to release the lens (right on image below) is made of plastic but it is robust.

 



 Battery Compartment
The battery compartment is no worse or better than any other camera compartment I have seen and used in a 'consumer' priced camera. Like all such compartments, I will be treating it with great respect; taking more time to open/close it; insert/remove the battery and the memory card. This is one area of the camera that demands consideration and I don't expect it to pose a problem.

Camera Body Size + Lumix 100-300mm Zoom Lens
The G6 body when mated with my relatively large Lumix 100-300mm zoom lens is a perfect match, it is neither too large a combo or too small. Certainly the camera is a pleasure to handle compared to when I used the Panasonic GF1 camera with the lens.

 

 

 



 

 

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Richard Lawrence
Scotland
United Kingdom