Panasonic LUMIX G6 Review – Image Quality

Colour and white balance

Using our Datacolor Spyder Checkr chart for a lab tests revealed the Panasonic Lumix G6 to deliver punchy, vibrant and rich colours at base ISOs that’s maintained until ISO 6400, where after that colours appear a little more muted.

The Lumix G6’s Auto White Balance coped with a range of lighting conditions, delivering pleasing results under a range of light sources, though as with the Lumix G5, we’d perhaps like to see slightly warmer results in some circumstances.

Exposure

The Panasonic G6 uses a new 1728-zone multi-pattern sensing system that copes admirably under a range of lighting conditions, though on occasion does tend to underexpose by around 0.3-0.7EV, which can easily and quickly be corrected via the Function Lever.

There’s also an HDR mode that combines three images recorded in quick succession at different exposures. Alternatively, there’s also the Lumix G6’s Intelligent D-Range mode that adjusts a single exposure to retain more detail in both the highlights and shadows, available in 3 strengths.

Resolution

The 16.05MP Live MOS sensor offers you the flexibility to print just a bit larger than A3 at 240ppi without the need to interpolate the file, while looking at our resolution charts from a lab tests, the Lumix G6 is capable of resolving just under 24 lines per mm (lpmm) at its base ISO of 160, dropping to 20lpmm at ISO 6400.

While not quite as strong as the G6’s DSLR rivals, it’s still good, especially considering the smaller sensor size compared to the larger APS-C sized sensors used in the DSLRs.

Image Noise

Even with the smaller sensor size over its DSLR rivals, the Panasonic G6 delivers smooth, noise-free results that are a match for a relative DSLR between ISO 160-1600.

At ISO 6400 and the G6’s in-camera noise reduction system does a good job at controlling luminance and colour noise if you’re shooting JPEGs. This compares well to rival DSLRs, but you’ll find this does come at the expense of overall image sharpness, with results displaying a waxy, muddy look that’s bettered by a DSLR.

Raw files naturally retain more sharpness, while it’s possible to control image noise in Adobe Camera Raw to deliver more than useable results at these high sensitivities.