5 Months?
I bought this GX8 at the end of September 2015, and the camera arrived at early October 2015. It was one of my most anticipated new camera. I researched so many articles and videos about the GX8 on the internet, looked at so many sample photos and videos, as well as weighing the GX8 against other cameras in similar spec and price range (Olympus E-M5 Mark II, Panasonic GH4, Olympus E-M1).Yes, this is the first MFT camera to feature a full-blown 20MP sensor on the history, and I was one of the very first few people to actually receive this camera in Indonesia. But now things have changed, we have Olympus with its PEN-F that also has the 20MP sensor(the same sensor?). I don't know a thing about who made the sensor on the GX8, but some said that it's Sony this time as opposed to the in-house Panasonic sensor that has been the tradition in most Lumix camera line-ups.
Moving on. Fast forward today, it's my main camera for taking serious pictures and to record video. I have two other cameras, the Panasonic GX7 and the Panasonic LX100, and both act as secondary or EDC cameras. However, none of them has the specs that the GX8 has, thus they were rarely taken out by themselves when I need to produce high quality photos or videos.
For the whole 5 months, the GX8 had gone to many different places, felt extreme heat, felt some cold weather, shot gigabytes(probably almost terabytes) of stills and videos, being thrown around, got splashed in the rain, got food spilled all over it, being sanitized frequently, being stored in a room for almost a week without doing anything, and being taken in-and-out so many times in a single day. I think I had enough experience with the GX8 to finally go deep-down into the details and analyze what works well for me and what doesn't.
What I like
The GX8 is very substantial! It has the best grip that even rivals small DSLRs like the Canon Rebels or the entry-level Nikon DSLRs. I do love that it fits well in my hands, and I can still shoot one-handed easily with the camera even though it has a really big grip.The controls are very nice and the camera is highly customizable. After a few weeks of using the GX8, my fingers kind of already knew where the buttons are and they can find the buttons even without the need to look to the camera. There's so much custom buttons that I can set to so many things, I can literally tailor the camera to fit my needs.
Speaking of controls, the placement of buttons are almost identical to the GX7. Owning both cameras in my collection, I find that switching between the GX8 and the GX7 is pretty much seamless and feels very natural. Therefore, I can put two different lenses on both cameras so I can quickly use those lenses without having to change the current lens on a camera if I only use one body. This is a real time-saver and it has allowed me to take many critical shots during an event photography session.
I prefer using big lenses on the GX8 like the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8, 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6, and 100-300mm f/4-5.6. They feel so right with the GX8 and they match very well in terms of balance and ergonomics. However, I don't really like to put the smaller primes or small lenses on the GX8, like Olympus 17mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8, Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, or the Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II, simply because they fit much better in the GX7. I really think that the GX8 is aimed to be the "main" camera, not the "supplemental" or "secondary" camera. It's for those of us who like to use Micro Four Thirds for everything.
The EVF really spoils me badly. I don't even want to use EVF on any other cameras, or even OVF in that matter. It's one of the biggest in the market, and it really feels so crisp and smooth. It's more than good enough to be used in bright sunny day to combat glare from sun light. The resolution is quite high, and the refresh rate is pretty fast too! It's like watching a hi-def video!
Weather sealing had saved me sooooo many times. I took the GX8 out to shoot some landscape a few months ago in Bali, not knowing that it was going to rain cats and dogs. I wasn't carrying a camera bag, so when the rain come, the GX8 was hanging on my shoulder, getting pounded by the rain. It survived a rather dangerous 15 minutes of pouring rain with no problem. I felt pretty ballsy after that experience, so I went out again the next day, and the day after, only to photograph more landscape with the GX8 during some more rain, and the GX8 take all the rain pouring down again on it just fine. One caveat, I was using a weather-sealed Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 lens, so the camera-lens combo is fully weather-sealed. I don't know what will happen if I used a non-weather sealed lens on the same condition, and I don't want to find it out. Please do take care though, just because it's weather-sealed doesn't mean you can be careless.
Autofocus is crazy good! It really is fast, and it's fast enough to use in any condition. I don't use the continuous autofocus, I just prefer the single shot most of the time, and not even once did the single shot AF disappoint me. It's just so fast and accurate, even in low light. This is the first camera that just lets me shoot in any lighting condition without having to worry about AF speed and accuracy. As I mentioned, I never use continuous auto-focus, but a brief moment of trying the continuous AF confirms that the AF algorithm doesn't cause the AF to hunt back-and-forth too much like the GX7.
Overall performance is also good! With my SD cards(Transcend MicroSD class 10), I can shoot 32 RAW photos before the buffer fill up. Or 80ish JPEGs. It's just a whole lot better than a lot of other cameras on the price range. It really matters to me and the improvement really helped me significantly to shoot during events, where I need to pop a lot of bursts photos to capture moments. Never again I miss a moment because the buffer is still waiting to be emptied or because the camera slow downs after shooting too much bursts.
Video quality is simply top notch. It's just razor sharp at 4K, and the 1080p isn't really a slouch. I do prefer to shoot 1080p for casual videos, but when it's time to get serious I'll switch to 4K. The codecs are great, the files are grade-friendly even in 1080p, thanks to the Cine-D profile. Also, the good news is 4K doesn't cause overheating issue, it just makes the camera slightly warmer at the grip area. Combined with the full-articulation LCD, the GX8 is simply ultra flexible video recording device.
RAW to JPEG in camera combined with built in Wi-Fi really translates to instant photo sharing at high quality. I don't need to bring a laptop anymore to process my files on the go. I can just edit in-camera, and send it to my phone via Wi-Fi and have my photos on social media right away, or share to friends/family/clients right away. Holy smoke, the smartphone app for the Android is fast and glitch free too!
What I don't like
Although I love the big grip and the substantial form factor of the GX8, it's kinda big. It's almost GH4-like big, and it's just simply not small enough to be my EDC camera. I mean, with Micro Four Thirds things are supposed to be smaller and lighter, but the GX8 isn't exactly small and light. I don't find it to be a big problem for me though, because I have other cameras that can fill-in as EDC cameras.The initial launch price of the GX8 is kind of high, it was the most expensive camera that I've ever owned so far. I do hope that the GX8 will get more price reduction in the future, especially for market outside of US and Europe, so that the GX8 can compete with other similar spec'ed camera at lower price point, which will translate to better value for the money.
2.5mm mic jack is good, but I'd love to see a full blown 3mm mic jack, I don't want to carry my adapter everywhere. Also, no headphone jack? C'mon Panasonic, I thought you could do better than this! It's not ultra suck, but it's enough annoyance that I can't monitor the audio in the camera, might as well use an external audio recorder so I can record and monitor safely and avoid myself from having to fix audio in post.
Shutter shock is still annoying, especially with the 14-140mm lens. But now that the E-shutter is getting really good, I shoot E-shutter all the time when the subject isn't moving too fast. Remember that there's still that 1/30 sec sensor-read-out speed when using the E-shutter, but now it doesn't cause weird banding and artifacts under some artificial lighting conditions, so all you have to take care of now is the rolling shutter effect. I do really wish that Panasonic will implement electronic first curtain shutter for its future cameras, because it's proven to solve shutter shock issue in small mirrorless cameras while keeping all the benefits of the regular mechanical shutter.
1/250 sec sync speed isn't fast enough! I don't want to shoot at f/8 to compensate for the shutter speed with MFT cameras! F/8 will start to expose the tiny dust spots on the sensor, no matter how careful I cleaned my sensor. Faster sync speed please? I use a lot of off-camera flash techniques when I'm shooting, and I need my camera to be able to underexpose the ambient at any condition without going smaller than f/8!! For now, I temporarily combat this issue by using the LX100 instead of the GX8 in such condition, because the LX100 uses leaf-shutter that allows me to sync my flash up to 1/1000 sec when using remotes. That's 2 stops of extra exposure headroom! I really wish the successor of the GX8 will come with ultra-fast global shutter read-out to replace the regular focal plane shutter mechanism, or something like that, so I can sync up to any shutter speed.
One last thing that really bugs me is the preview exposure problem. When I half press the shutter button, the real exposure settings lock, just as expected and as it really should. However, the preview exposure doesn't lock at all. If I recompose the image after I half-press the shutter, the preview will still change depending on your metering method. This drives me crazy! I want my preview exposure to be exactly the same as what my real exposure will be! This is quite stupid honestly, and it caused under/overexposure on some of my keepers image, which resulted on blown highlight or noise due to over-cranking the shadow. Right now, the only work-around is to use AE Lock button just after I half-press the shutter but before I recompose, or just shoot in full-manual with Constant Preview on. Yes, I know you can use the function button to preview exposure, including the depth of field and the shutter effect, but it takes too much time to get that preview.
The "Grey" area
There are some things that I kind of feel like in between good or bad, and I can't decide if it is good or bad.The dual stabilizer and IBIS is kind of in between. I found the IBIS to be an improvement over the GX7 when using non-stabilized lens, but it's not substantial enough in most cases, although if you try to be as steady as you can, you can still get more stable result in slower shutter speed. The dual IS works great, and I can shoot at 1/2 second easily at 35mm. 1/4 second is as slow as I want the shutter speed to be most of the time, so the dual IS gives me more than enough stabilizing power when I need slow shutter speed. But the dual IS doesn't work in video, so it's kind of a disappointment for me since I'd love to see it works, even only in 1080p and not in 4K. Right now, I will have to invest to some mini 3-axis pistol grip gymbal to go with the GX8, because the stabilization in 4K is just lens-IS only, which isn't bad but not steady enough.
The software-based E-stabilizer for 1080p video, however, does work nicely to stabilize the footages, but it somehow does silly things at the beginning of every footage. It kind of leans a little bit to the left or right, sort of in tilting motion, before it finally starts to properly stabilize. I'm guessing that the e-stabilizer software is trying to calibrate itself before properly stabilizing the footage. The motion takes time to settle in before it engages into full stabilization, so this could potentially cause some issue in the footages, especially when you need to record right away quickly. I still keep it on and I'm still trying to figure out how to work around that. Apart from that minor tilting issue, I found the e-stabilizer works quite well and stable when it finally function properly.
The swivel screen is really more flexible than the old tilt-only screen found in the GX7 as it allow for weird angle vertical shots. However, it's not really that inconspicuous when shooting from the hip. And because of that, I really don't think the GX8 is the best camera for street photography, it's simply not low-key enough with its size and with its swivel type screen. I do prefer to use the GX7 for more stealthy street photography.
The 4K video quality is really good. And I really mean so damn mother-faux-ing good for a non-dedicated video camera. It's at least as good as the GH4's 4K. However, having been shooting 4K exclusively for a few months really introduced me to the storage-shortage problem. My 2TB hard drive took a toll after being bombarded with hours of 4K footages, and I was forced to buy a few more terabytes of hard drives. And for that reason, I now switch back to 1080p if I don't shoot something critical as I am not ready to spend more money on storage devices.
The image quality is really really good, really crisp and has more details compared to both the GX7 and LX100. But there's no real improvement in dynamic range and noise performance in the GX8. Both dynamic range and noise performance stayed on almost the same level as the GX7. But the good news is, the extra 4MP really translates to more detail in the shot. It's noticeable when you've shot both the GX8 and the GX7 side-by-side very frequently, and I can kind-of tell if it's shot with the GX8. I thought 4MP is very minor, but I think I underestimated that 4MP more than I should. I really think this 20MP has all the potential in the world though, and I'd like to see more advancement in the development of the newer generation of 20MP MFT sensor in the future. But for now, it's simply only adding more sharpness without adding too much to the dynamic range and noise performance.
Oh and I'd love to see better back-lit performance too with this sensor, right now it's still producing that purple tint on the highlight area of most back-lit subjects, just like every other MFT cameras. Anyone with the new PEN-F, can you please confirm an improvement in this area? If not, you guys are probably having the same sensor in your PEN-F as me. :)
GX8 compared to other cameras?
G7
Reviewers online aren't too excited with the GX8, and they tend to prefer the G7 instead for its cheaper price. I really feel that this camera deserves more attention from the market as it has more to offer than just specs. It really can do so many things greatly, and all of those things aren't exposed just because the 20MP doesn't offer significant improvement over IQ.Yes, the G7 offers more bang for the buck, but that doesn't mean the G7 can do all the things that the GX8 can do. Yes, the G7 looks like the child born from the combination of the GH4 and G6, which makes it attractive for those who are interested in that GH4-ish form factor, which is great and also makes a lot of sense when being used.
To the advantages of the GX8, the flat top of the GX8 really helps the GX8 to be slightly more compact and easier to fit in your camera bag, if that matters. The GX8 will also provide overall faster performance in burst shooting department, as well as bigger buffer when shooting RAW and JPEG. AF performance will be the same though, since both are using DFD technology derived from the GH4. Before I forgot to mention, the IBIS of the GX8 will let you stabilize unstabilized lens, the G7 doesn't have that and you'll have to crank up the shutter speed to compensate for that. The weather sealing is also going to somewhat matter if you plan to use the camera outdoor a lot.
But apart from that, the G7 will provide you with the capabilities that both the GX7 and the G6 have, with some added GH4-ish video capabilities. If that's all you need, then by all means G7 will be a better buy than the GX8. If you are looking for something a lot punchier in a slightly more compact package, GX8 is definitely worth the money though!
PEN-F
I haven't got much information about the PEN-F but I was able to study this camera from the existing reviews in Youtube and in the webs. Yes, the PEN-F offers retro styling in a more handsome-looking camera that will appeal to street photographers. I admit, the GX8 isn't the best form factor for shooting street photography. Ironically, the PEN-F also isn't the best street camera, due to the fully-articulating LCD screen. There's a lot of things that the PEN-F offers with much of its features, including stabilizing the stills and videos with the super steady 5-axis IBIS, which is better than what the GX8. But apart from that, there's not a single thing that the PEN-F can do that the GX8 can't do. In fact, there's a lot of things that the GX8 can do that the PEN-F can't do like the 4K video, the beefier buffer and burst performance, the faster DFD single AF, and the ability to mount heavier lens. I'd say the PEN-F is still too early, and way too overpriced for what it is. I'd definitely wait a few more months until the price adjust. Then, we can compare the GX8 with the PEN-F slightly better.
A7RII and A7SII
All of us MFT shooters are often presented with the thought and temptation of switching to the new full frame Sony A7 series. To be honest, that's our wildest fantasy, and some already pulled the trigger. With the fact that there's now 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8, the possibility of using the A7 series for serious photography works is now stronger than ever. I was tempted to switch too because of the availability of those lenses too, but looking again on the facts, those lenses are undoubtedly big and heavy, almost as big and as heavy as their DSLR counterparts from Nikon and Canon(although I'm sure the Sony lenses are sharper than Canon or Nikon). And they're priced rather as high as the full frame DSLRs too, so there's not much extra benefit to switch to the Sony A7 series. One benefit is that they now offer 4K video internally(A7RII, and the A7SII), so they'll give better video output than any of the current full frame DSLRs.Yes, switching to A7RII or A7SII will give better image quality, and I mean BETTER. Low light performance, details, shallower depth of field, you name it. If you are a commercial photographer who lives by the megapixel of the camera and the ability to enlarge the file size to a very huge print, then by all means, A7RII will be a much better choice than the GX8. But if you don't need to print really huge, the GX8 can accommodate you with plenty of stuffs. You can still enlarge and print huge, like above-1-meter-in-length-huge, using Micro Four Thirds sensor. You just cannot print that huge like side-of-the-road-ad-banner-huge using the GX8, this will require really high-megapixel camera(or can you?? hmmmm....).
OM-D E-M5 Mark II and E-M1
As with the GX8 vs Olympus OM-D E-M1 or E-M5 Mark II, you will need to decide if you require that 5-axis 5-stop internal body stabilization. The GX8 does have that built in IBIS, which provides 2 to 3 stops of extra stabilization when used with an unstabilized lens, which is still 2 stop less than what the E-M1 and E-M5 provide, but the GX8 offers better menu system, better customization, faster single AF, and stronger buffer performance for both JPEG and RAW shooting. No need to mention video here, I know that Olympus shooters usually don't need crazy video, I'm comparing stills performance between the GX8 and the OM-Ds. However, those OM-Ds can now be had at slightly cheaper price than the GX8, and those guys could offer you with better value for the money if you are primarily still shooters. Unfortunately, I need high quality video for a lot of stuffs that I do too, so I can't fully jump in to Olympus.
Fuji X-T1 and X-E2
Just like Olympus, Fuji is more photo-centric, with cameras that aimed more toward still-picture. But Fuji offers a slightly better image quality, at a slightly higher price, and at slightly heavier lenses too compared to what the GX8 offers. The X-T1 will give you high performance while the X-E2 will give you a more traditional range-finder form factor. The GX8 will compete fairly with the X-T1 in terms of performance, at a slightly lower price too. The GX8 will be snappier than the X-E2 for sure in terms of performance, but the X-E2 isn't really a slouch. Weigh in the lenses and the cost of the system should you invest in Fuji, as the GX8 will offer slightly cheaper lenses for the same capabilities, and the GX8 will also offer some lenses that aren't offered in the Fuji world.My point is
I love the GX8! The cons don't outweigh the pros, the pros are definitely making the GX8 worth the investment, and I can work around some of the "grey" area things that I mentioned.It's a shame that the Panasonic GX8 got drowned badly under the wave of new generation cameras. The Sony A7RII, A7SII, G7, Fuji X-Pro2, and the Olympus PEN-F, all those cameras really gained a lot of attention while the GX8 is just sitting in the corner alone doing its own thing.
Sometimes you pick up a camera that has an impressive list of specs and it turns out to be meh for you, but other times you pick up a meh spec'ed camera that turns out to be a really great camera with a lot of mojo. The GX7 and the GX8 are both the kind of that "mojo" cameras! I put a lot of pressure to the GX8 when I'm shooting stuffs and never once did the GX8 failed to deliver what I want. It's simply a camera that can shoot anything, both stills and videos. It's the camera that can shoot for fun and for serious jobs at the same time. It works very well in so many conditions, even on weird ones, and it's highly functional and efficient at the same time.
The GX8 works extremely well as an event documentary camera, and that's how I use the GX8 50% of the time. Whether I'm shooting the event with on camera flash, off camera flash, or no flash, it all just works really well with the GX8. I bet this camera will work well in wedding too! The image quality, while not matching the image quality of a full frame camera, is more than good enough for most of the situation, even at ISO 1600 or 3200, with high detail in the shot. The JPEG is okay, but the RAW file is fantastic and very flexible. Add the fact that the GX8 shoots nice 4K video to the list, and suddenly you have a great hybrid package in the form of GX8.
This camera is intended to be a photographer's main body, as I previously said. It's for those who haven't invested in any other system and are brave enough to jump into the world of Micro Four Thirds. It's not small enough to be a secondary body in my opinion, but it doesn't mean that the GX8 can't function that way. For travel photographer, this body coupled with the 12-35mm f/2.8 is good enough for most situation, and it will generate more than 80% of the shots that you need during travel. Add an UWA and a small tele, you'll cover everything you need for travel.
But again, all cameras are made of compromises. The GX8 is no exception. With the GX8, you'll sacrifice a bit of sensor size for a high performance camera. It's not a lot of sacrifice to be honest, but what you gain back is a very capable camera that does everything you want. In this case, it's my perfect main camera.
That's it for my thoughts on the GX8. I hope you find this post useful, cheers and God bless!
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