Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 review: Viewfinder, live view, LCD and video
A brand-new OLED electronic viewfinder with eye-detection is featured in the Lumix DMC-G6. It is the same 1.44-million-dot resolution as previous Panasonic LCD viewfinders, but contrast and clarity are much improved. The firm’s old viewfinder was also prone to colour breakup when the subject moved around the frame rapidly, such as when panning. In normal light, responsiveness is good and there’s no flickering, with some flicker only coming into play in lower light when moving the view around. However, this is pretty normal for EVFs.
With a 1.4x magnification, the view is spacious enough and all four corners of the frame are visible, although spectacle wearers may have to adjust their view slightly to see the whole frame. As the viewfinder has a native 4:3 aspect ratio, there will be black bars above and below when shooting in 3:2 or 16:9 widescreen. The resolution isn’t quite high enough to make the pixels disappear, but the overall viewing experience is nonetheless positive.
The capacitive touchscreen of the G6 is much more responsive in general than previous Panasonic resistive versions, as well as being less prone to accidental operation by miscellaneous objects resting against the screen. Multi-touch gestures can now be used, such as pinch-to-zoom. Unfortunately, the familiar old problem of unwanted ‘nose-gestures’ remains, which frequently means the focus point annoyingly moves position. The screen panel is a TFT LCD of just over 1 million dots, and has an excellent viewing-angle range. Visibility in sunlight is about average, although adjusting the viewing angle can improve matters. The 3in screen has a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means that black borders will appear on the sides when shooting 4:3, or above and below in 16:9 widescreen for video recording.
The screen itself is versatile, being side-hinged, and its movements are unhindered by the camera being tripod-mounted.
