One of the more interesting features packed into the Panasonic Lumix G7 is called “post focus.” This is what it sounds like, the camera takes a “photo ¹” and then the focus can be selected after the fact. It’s pretty cool, and is achieved by allowing the camera to scan the frame for any points it can bring into focus. Each located focal area then has an exposure taken, which corresponds to a frame in the resulting file. Then, when previewed on camera, a focal point can be selected and then saved as a separate photo on the card ². You can see it in action in the video below. The results are similar to the concept of “light field photography,” which a company called Lytro tried to bring to consumers a few years ago, though the technology behind it is different.

While this is amazing, there are some drawbacks to post focus.

First, because it’s scanning the entire frame for potential focal points, post focus is not usable for any moving target. It’s great for stills, but not so much for people.

Second, this is a “jpeg only” feature, so the types of development adjustments which can be handled with Raw files aren’t available. White balance and exposure really need to be set at the time the shutter is triggered. As post focus is best suited for still shots, however, this isn’t as much of a limitation as it might sound ³.