Panasonic GX8 Review

...Or more precisely, non-review.

There are several things about the Panasonic GX8 (currently on sale and less than $1k) you would like a review to answer...one, how well does the Dual IS system work? And two, is the alleged shutter-shock problem real, or is that just a random slander to give armchair shoppers on the Internet something to bite their fingernails about?

The problem is, I can't really answer either question.

The reason I can't say anything about the shutter-shock problem is that, having heard about it, and being nervous about missing pictures, I switched the camera to electronic shutter to avoid it so none of my pictures could be ruined. (I think both the illustrations below are with the camera on mechanical shutter, however.) I was then on the lookout for any of the problems that the electronic shutter is alleged to cause. But unfortunately (this happened with the GX7 too), in all my shooting I never had any problems with the electronic shutter. My advice on this head would be, if you're concerned about it, read up on the issue, shoot with the electronic shutter most of the time, and switch to the mechanical shutter in those rare situations where you expect the electronic shutter might lead to problems. My general observation is that when a problem is said to exist but people who are looking hard for it have difficulty provoking it to happen, it might not be too much of a problem. But bear in mind I found out essentially nothing solid about the issue that might add to discussions elsewhere.

Also, I only used one lens with the camera, the 12–35mm ƒ/2.8 Panasonic zoom (currently on sale for $200 off). I really liked the lens, although it has stiff competition (Panasonic has a problem with that...it keeps coming up with great products which are then overshadowed by products that have slightly better specs) in the Olympus 12–40mm ƒ/2.8. To really have the last word on the alleged problem, you'd need to test it exhaustively with many different lenses. I'm sorry I can't be of more help here.

I'm also not going to say much about the Dual IS. It appears to work; how many stops it might gain for you, I can't say. I have some particular personal problems when it comes to objectively testing IS.

Mike you are worthless!
...I know. So what can I say about the Panasonic GX8 that might be useful to you?

Just this: I think that ergonomically, from a functional handling standpoint, this is one of the best digital camera designs I've ever used.

I've been through some changes with Panasonic—I've owned or borrowed about five of them, starting with the GF1 (with the 20mm lens) which was my main camera for about three years, until about 2012. To say the company's design goals have been rather inconsistent is something of an understatement. Its premium mirrorless cameras have taken wild swings back and forth from one idea to another. The GF1 was a utilitarian brick, no-nonsense and workmanlike; the successor GX1 took small 'n' light to an extreme, being almost too small for adult human hands; the greatly improved but underrated GX7 looked sidewise at the Fuji X100 as an exercise in exquisite, jewel-like design, elegant and delicate.

With the GX8, Panasonic took another wild swing of the pendulum, throwing out the idea of small-as-a-virtue, but also tossing out the design-exercise aesthetic of the GX7, going back to the idea of a workmanlike brick that's meant to be used...but with a lot of the GX7's feature-richness kept on board.

The result, I think, is singularly successful.

And now, just when you didn't want it, a digression
One thing that's still shifting and changing about digital cameras is the degree to which different designs are allowed to "settle." It was a big advantage of the film era—refinement was slow and gradual, and designs evolved rather than being replaced. Leica's most successful rangefinder, the M6, was an M4-P with a manual light meter built into it, and the M4-P was made with some of the tooling for the M4 that had been sent from Germany to Canada. It was a steady and slow evolution. Nikon's first standard for the F pro SLRs was that they'd have ten-year lifecycles. Now, if you find a digital camera you love, well, enjoy it while it lasts, because it might not last long.

There have been some exceptions—Canon particularly, but Nikon almost as much, has tried to stay consistent with its SLR designs. The practical advantages are that users are already basically familiar with new bodies as well as with different bodies in the same lineup. The disadvantages are that it precludes top-to-bottom rethinks and the innovation that requires, as well as a certain boring sameness after a while that can put a damper on excitement and, hence, sales. Another exception is of course the "refresh"—Mark II and III, and so on, variants of basic designs.

Stop here
So may I just say that I truly hope Panasonic will stop here for a while with its top-of-the-line mirrorless design. The GX8 probably looks good to use to you, from afar, but it's actually better than it looks. I was encouraged that Fujifilm took a "Mark II" approach to the X-Pro1, even though it's called the X-Pro2. They took the best parts of the initial design and refined it exhaustively. That's how great cameras evolve. And it's a relief for users when they don't have to say goodbye to their favorite designs and learn a new body all over again from scratch. There would be nothing wrong with refining the GX8 in the same way. Really, the basic design is so good that it just shouldn't be thrown out with the next swing of the pendulum.

Dawn

Dusk

So what's good about it? Well, I'm not going to make exhaustive descriptions of, or arguments in favor of, each feature. You can go to the big review sites for that, the ones that have staff and only talk tech.

The things I like best about the GX8:

• The size: Not too big, not too small, just-right hand grip. Weight-to-size ("density") is just about perfect too.
• The VF: Love the viewfinder. The tilting feature seems somehow more serious and more useful than the same feature on the GX7. It's not just for use as a chimney finder (i.e., pointed straight up). In fact, I find that using it as a 45° angle finder is perfect, allowing a very comfortable and stable hand-holding stance with either eye. (Side note: the GX8 is a great camera for left-eyed shooters and also people who wear glasses). Also, you can completely cut out stray light outdoors so the view through the eyepiece is saturated and clear—I had no problems shooting in bright light. The EVF itself—although it's one of those things that can be noteworthy for only so long, as progress in the technology marches on—is the best I've so far experienced, edging out the excellent EVF on the Fuji X-T1, which itself is one of that camera's best features.
• Touchscreen: This is the first touchscreen (save the ones on my i-devices) that I truly like. It makes changing basic menu settings quick and simple, and I just love the way you can place the focus point using your right thumb on the touchscreen as you shoot. As good as the joystick on the Fuji X-Pro2? Can't say, but Panasonic's solution works a treat, that's for sure.
• Button 'n' dial configuration: In keeping with emerging practice, the camera is extremely configurable. You can change all sorts of things to suit your taste, from almost all the physical buttons to the directions the dials turn. I didn't do so, but I could see that if I owned the camera and took the time to set it up the way I wanted to, it would make the camera that much easier to learn to operate intuitively. (All the more reason the next iteration should preserve the same form-factor—you're going to put some effort into first customizing the operation of the camera, then using it enough that it becomes second nature. That's effort and practice you don't want to throw away three years from now when the body is replaced.)
• Lenses: I should mention again (I've said it before) that I love Panasonic lenses. They're all just the right size, great in quality, and you can put together a splendid, very sensible outfit that won't break either the bank or your back.
• IS: ...Even though I can't quantify its advantage. (This was the reason I tried the camera, because I suspect I personally need IS at age almost 60.)

The things I don't like? The swivel viewing screen. I much prefer flip-ups. That's just a settled preference of my own, and your take might be the opposite. Oh, and I had some problems with the battery door sticking, and my fingers are too big to remove the SD card comfortably. No biggie, but, in the Irony Dept., the old GF1 was perfect in this respect. See what I mean about not changing what works?

'Gestalt'
The overall "rightness" of this body design is where this thing scores like Stephen Curry. It's got the mojo of a pickup truck: fit for working and the tool for the job. The whole package has a sort of git 'er done gestalt that makes you feel like you're set to take on any task. It's not too pretty and not too precious, but oh man does it all come together.

I loved this camera, and I think it's better than a) appearances, and b) you probably think it is.

Granted there's a huge amount of competition in the mirrorless space...a glut, even. But I hope the GX8 (here's the link again) won't be semi-ignored like some of Panasonic's bodies have been when they get apparently overshadowed by the competition. Try this before you diss it. The company's designers hit the nail on the head this time around. I really do hope this will be a long-lived design. It deserves to be.

Mike

[Thanks to B&H Photo for the loan of the review equipment. —Ed.]

[Ed. Note: Bear in mind that TOP is no longer publishing on weekends! So I'll see you on Monday. I said before I was going to do a techie post on Mondays and "Open Mike" on Fridays, but I'm switching that around. I think it's better to have a photo topic sitting at the top of the site for the whole weekend; to have an "Open Mike" up there could mislead surfers as to what the site is all about.

Hope you don't miss me too much, but, even more, I hope you don't forget to come back. Have a nice weekend!]

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

TOP's links!

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Mike: "Yup, it's the best Panasonic camera ever. I've been a dedicated Lumix user professionally since the arrival of the GH3. I've used up two of those, two GX7's, and still have two GH4's with about 180,000 clicks on each. The GH4's have been retired to video only duty since the GX8 is out.

"I have two GX8's and use them exhaustively for all of my stills, professionally and for personal use where I use the square crop. They are the best still camera, for me since the advent of digital. I love the swivel screen because it lets me shoot verticals from low or high viewpoints, and even around corners or from inside a scientific hood pointing backward because it lets me see the composition from any angle, and set the focus point too.

"Now that my company is purchasing my cameras, finally, after three years of providing my own, they got me Sony A6300's. And, I hate them. They feel like toys compared to the Lumix cameras, and the lack of touch screen makes choosing the AF points absolutely maddening. Plus they overheat when outside in the sun, and sometimes just stop working altogether until I remove the battery and restart it.

"Don't get me started on the menus. And then there's the lenses. Blah, ugh, blech. Not nearly enough, slim pickings when it comes to available focal lengths and lens speed, and mediocre performance.

"The Micro 4/3 system is very complete. I mix and match my lenses between Panasonic, Olympus and Voigtlaender, and there's nothing that I need and either don't have or can't get. I much prefer the Lumix bodies over the Olympus, which are too small for the most part, and the batteries are underwhelming. I've never been happier with a camera, or the whole system as I am now. Good stuff.

"Oh, and I've never seen the effects of shutter shock, ever. I shoot in the danger zone all the time, and it's never ever reared it's blurry head in my experience of probably over half a million frames with many bodies."

Alan: "I recently ran into the shutter shock issue for the first time when using a GX7 and 14–42mm OIS kit lens. I'd previously used primes on the GX7.

"Once I saw the problem I Googled it and did my own little tests and although I found the issue intermittent and limited to that lens on the GX7, it's present enough to make me want to avoid using shutter speeds of 1/80th to 1/250th when using that camera and lens.

"Switching to electronic shutter is a work-around in natural light but I've seen banding in shots taken under artificial light and it completely ruined a shot I really wanted. So sadly it's an issue for me with the GX7 and 14–42mm when using the mechanical shutter at the sort of shutter speeds I'd be using in lower natural light and also when using the GX7 and the electronic shutter with any lens under some artificial lighting.

"The shutter shock issue ruined every shot I took on a day out (I'd been shooting in low light so I set the shutter speed to 1/200th and thought I'd be OK but unbeknownst to me this is right in the shutter-shock range and every shot is soft) and the banding issue ruined a shot I really wanted so I seem to hit problems both with shutter shock and when trying to avoid it, at least under some artificial light.

"As my G7 also has a few little niggles I'm not exactly happy with Panasonic. If they bring out a problem-free GX7 type camera (but I'm not getting the new GX80) I might buy one and maybe even a mini DSLR type camera too but only once the geeky Internet crowd have declared them shutter shock free.

"I'd advise anyone thinking about buying a Panasonic camera to research these issues and decide if the workarounds of using the electronic shutter or avoiding the affected shutter speed range are acceptable or not.

"I don't want to risk losing any more shots to these issues so until the shutter shock issue is fixed Panasonic isn't getting another penny from me."

Comments

[Gordon Lewis]

I have to say Mike, whenever I hear that you plan to "review" something I smile and prepare (as much as anyone can) for something completely unexpected. For example, I would have thought you'd wax prosaic about the GX8's wonderful dual IS. Instead, you wrote an apology for not writing about IS. You also show so few of your photographs on TOP that I assume it's because you never take any. Lo and behold, you lay two (but only two) great images on us. So yes, as a "camera reviewer" you are completely worthless, but as someone who writes about cameras from time to time, you always keep me guessing and most definitely entertained.

[Ernest Theisen]

Great review (or non-review) as usual. I had a GX8 for a short time and I really liked it. But then came along the M 4/3 Olympus Pen F. Oh my, love at first sight! Please get your hands on one and check it out. I would really enjoy your review of it. Ernie

[Eli Burakian]

Mike, isn't this camera the one that has the newest m43 sensor and as of now, the only one? Do you find it appreciably better in any way than the last generation of m43 sensors?

[Ben Rosengart]

How is the data-clutter in the viewfinder? A fly in the ointment for this OM-D owner is the inability to move all indicators out of the part of the VF that displays the scene. The X-T1 is much better in this regard.

[David Evans]

I have a GX8 and generally love it. Agree with all you say. Just one problem, With the 100-300mm lens at full stretch it often has trouble focusing on small objects - a boat on calm water, an airplane in flight etc. For those subjects I often can't focus manually fast enough. Any ideas?

[Michael]

Thanks for this, Mike. Interesting to look over someone else's shoulder. I'm happy with my Fuji XPro-2. I can hardly keep my hands off it. And as for you taking the weekend away from this beloved blog: well, I suppose that's OK. After all we don't want to mess with the goose that lays the golden eggs.

[David]

I tried it, I didn't like it.... Well l liked it, but didn't love it.
I had it for 6 months but personally found it a little large, no IBIS while filming 4K (so didn't suit my Olympus lenses), I didn't use the tilting viewfinder, and don't like the flippy screens.
To balance my mini review, the IQ is great, the 4K is great, it did fall nicely to hand, and the EVF and touchscreen are all fine.
I'm hoping the GX80, when my pre-order arrives, will prove to be more personally agreeable. I need to love a camera for it to get a lot of use, and I'm hoping the GX80 is the kind of LX3 big brother I've been waiting for.
But that's the thing about systems isn't it - somethings for everyone. I can certainly understand how the GX8 will be loved by many.

[Mark L]

This amazes me that in 2016 Panasonic seem incapable of making a shutter that won't effect the image. Have not others been making shock free shutters since adam was a lad, for goodness sake I even had a speed graphic from the 1940's that went off like a bear trap, but all the 'shutter shock' was after the exposure.
If they can't make a shutter properly, buy one in, like everyone used to use Copal shutters in slr's back in the day. It's hardly rocket science for goodness sake.
Mind you now DPReview reckon certain lenses with VR suffer this malady on the D810, yet After about 50,000 exposures on my D810, not one problem (apart from the operator).Sometimes it's better just to ignore the net and go out and take photos.

[Darlene]

Good read and just what I was looking for. I finally let go of the NEX-7 and donated it to a local arts agency. It is time for me to upgrade to something newer in the mirrorless market and I do not want another Sony. I have a Fujifilm X-Pro2 due here on Monday from lensrentals(dot)com. If that doesn't work out, I may rent the GX8 next. Thank you for the non-review and photos.

[Darlene]

Almost forgot ... I will of course link from your site whenever B&H or Amazon get my camera and lens order!

[Kenneth Tanaka]

I divested all of my m43 system gear last year, with the exception of a Panny LX100, which I never could quite get comfy with. So I've replaced it with the GX8's little brother, the GX85. I've only had it for a few days but wow, what an excellent casual camera! As much as you like the GX8 I suspect you might like the GX85 even more. It's a very sophisticated little camera and a very good, compact (collapsible) 12-32 kit lens.

No, I've no intentions of getting back into m43 as a system. But this GX85 fills the bill as a much better smallish camera than the LX100.

[David A Bateman]

I had thought you tested the panasonic 42.5mm f1.7 lens with this camera? Or did you call it the bokeh master just based on other people's images?
I entered micro 43rds from 43rds just recently with a fire sale GM5. I love that it is so small it fits in my pocket, but hate its smallness when trying to change settings. I always seem to hit the ISO button. So I am keeping an eye on future cameras, but probably waiting for a global shutter.

[JK]

Funny, I was just about to send you a non-review of the Panasonic GX85, till I realized it was so non that there was no point. It's a little smaller and lighter than the GX8, the grip isn't as good, but it's got a flip-up screen, which like you I'll take any day over the flip-out kind.

And apart from that, it just does what it says on the tin. Fast, responsive, and really nice image quality. I'm beginning to wonder how much we really need camera reviews any more.

[Florian]

Hello,
I completely agree with you and feel the same. Every time I use the GX8 I realise how much I like this camera. Just two additions: for me the fully articulated screen is very important because I much prefer having the screen "closed" while photographing with the viewfinder. Besides this, personally I also much prefer the looks of the GX8 over almost any other camera; especially those that look as if they had an optical viewfinder even though they don't or as if they were really old, which they usually aren't.

[Dave Levingston]

This post is causing me some serious GAS.

[Steve Jacob]

Although I am very much a Fuji fan, I often recommend Panasonic to friends and family looking for good, easy to use all-rounders.

In the main, Panasonics have a good control interface, nice grip, good VF and AF, and excellent video. Lens range is also excellent, and they also seem relatively trouble free.

They deserve to do better really.

[aaronL]

So then, GX8 or XT2...M4/3 or Fuji....?

Thanks!

[Kevin Purcell]

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the shutter shock issue.

The best demonstrations show the "shutter shock" problem is an interaction between the impulse from the shutter when it's fired (remember it has to close, then open and close again for the shot) on portions of some lenses that are free to move move.

It's particularly associated (almost exclusively?) with lenses that have image stabilization. I suspect that a sequence of thumps (close, open, close) at the "right" rate stimulate resonances in motion for some lens IS components (with a possible interaction with the active IS system itself). The result is often a "double image" blurring.

If you're shooting "ye olde lenses" on adaptors or modern primes that have no small moving components (IS) then you'll never have a problem.

If your lens does have IS then test it at a range of slow and medium shutter speeds to see if that lens/camera combo show the problem. This is not measurebating this is understanding the limitations of your camera!

If you are shooting with a Sony sensor (like the Olympus EM5 II) they provide an "electronic first curtain" features (i.e. reset all the photodiodes "at the same time") which means the mechanical shutter only needs to close at the end of a shot (so the close/open/close is reduced to close). Olympus calls this their anti-shock mode. There are limitations on the fastest shutter speed in this mode because they can't really reset all the photodiodes at the same time but they can reset them line by line very rapidly i.e. enough to be useful up to about 1/320s.

There are significant limitations of shooting with an electronic (rolling) shutter as no consumer still camera ships with a global shutter, yet. The readout takes time (around 1/20s in Panasonic sensors for still readout of the whole frame) and this can lead to odd image effects á la Lartigue.

Imagine using an film SLR camera with a 1/20s sync speed. The electronic rolling shutter is the same issue. If you're shooting static objects in daylight it won't be an issue but moving objects across the frame will skew and objects in changing illumination (e.g. AC powered non-incandescent lighting) will show banding as the varying illumination is faithfully recorded across the image.

Another issue is "readout noise" often increases when an electronic shutter is used on Panasonic sensors. In fact the Panasonic G5 (the first with an electronic shutter) limited maximum ISO in electronic shutter mode. It seems Panasonic speeds up the readout rate for the electronic shutter by reducing the bit depth read from the sensor from 12 bit to 10 bit. So the noise doesn't really increase but you loose the last two bits of data. Again verify with your typical scenes if this is a problem for you. This issue would only appear in the shadows near black.

This is a decent write up on the limitations of using an electronic shutter with examples for the Panasonic cameras for those who like illustrations with their hand waving!

http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2014/06/gh4-shutters.html

[Gato]

Another vote for the fully articulated screen. As a portrait and people photographer (and longtime Panasonic user) I do a lot of verticals. Full screen movement makes high and low angles a lot easier.

And while I'm not into "selfies" I do sometimes have to stand in for my own lighting tests. The flippy screen and wifi remote save me a ton of time and steps.

So far with Panasonic I have used mostly G and GH series, but I expect there will be a GX8 in my future as soon as the budget permits. Maybe sooner, if I keep looking at your review.

[Geoffrey Heard]

Love the fully articulated screen on the G6 but have fallen for the GX7 and am willing to put up with the flip screen, which does have advantages.

My walk around outfit is the GX7+12-32 lens -- a remarkable performer, it has given me some lovely iamges.

Now -- the 12-32 lens (originally designed for the GM1/5 with an entirely different shutter) is seriously subject to Shutter Shock -- I know, I have tested it carefully with both he G6 and GX7 after being horrified by some images I got when I switched it from the GM1 to the G6.

But time and again I go out with it and get "knock your eyes out" images when I think I should get SS. Maybe I am just getting good at avoiding the danger zone -- 1/60-1/320 -- or getting into eShutter unconsciously.

I put the 12-35 on for pro work -- clients judge books by their covers and at 74 I must look "real" -- if your outfit is too ordinary looking, they think they can do as well (or better) with their P&S or phone (and sometimes they can, dammit!!! but I don't want to encourage them to try! :)).

I do use the eShutter some of the time, but I can never remember when specifically so when I look at my results, I can't reliably differentiate between eShutter and mechanical shutter shots, except when testing, of course.

The 12-32 is the only lens I have SS problems with. I haven't seen any with the Oly 9-18 or 45, or the Panny 12-35, 45-150, or 100-300.

Pity about the report of another person commenting here of SS with the Panny 14-42 (the II v ersion I presume) -- I just the other day noticed a review of it on ephotozine. Talk about an off-the-charts stellar performer!

[Geoffrey Heard]

Mike, you speak of continuity of features.

The thing that stopped me going GX8 was the lack of a built-in flash I could use as the trigger for (fairly close) remote flashes. The GX7 and G6 both have one and I do good things with them, albeit within tight limitations.

Hilariously, the GX80/85 has a built-in flash, but it is NOT RC trigger enabled although the accessory shoe next to it is for an appropriate accessory flash!

Talk about someone t Panasonic having a serious short circuit between the ears! You can almost hear the crackle from where I sit! LOL.

[Yoram Nevo]

Mike - Your Dawn and Dusk photos are beautifull.
Cheers, Yoram

[Patrick Ward]

Mike,
I'm now working with two GX8 cameras and am delighted with them, and two minor modifications have made them even better. The Display button falls beneath one's thumb and can easily alter the viewfinder display while shooting, which is very distracting.A small rubber washer superglued around this button has resolved this issue. I still have use of the Display button but only when I want it.
The second issue, for me at least, is the electronic viewfinder. In most situations it's superb, but it does struggle in really bright sunshine, admittedly a rare event here in England. I've solved this problem with the optional rubber eyecup which is much larger than the original unit and is so well shaped that it completely prevents stray light reaching the eye.
Regarding the dreaded shutter shock issue, I was sufficiently perturbed to conduct thorough tests on two GX8s belonging to friends before purchasing my own cameras. I have since tested these too and and have seen no sign of this phenomena. The fact that Panasonic felt inclined to issue a firmware upgrade to tackle the problem would suggest that it does exist with some cameras, perhaps an early batch. Still, my tests on 4 recent bodies show no sign of it and I feel confident to use either the mechanical or electronic shutter as the situation demands.
By the way, I came to the GX8s after shooting for two years with Olympus EM1s. Reasons to change? Well, picture quality was great but an increase in pixels is always welcome. Also, having a menu that doesn't require a degree in higher mathematics is a relief and I no longer need a full time plumber on standby to supply the various size washers to control the EM1's many badly place buttons. Why camera manufacturers don't get working photographers to get out on the street and really use their products is beyond me.