My Favorite Camera Right Now Is a Panasonic...

...That I'll never own...

...And that doesn't exist yet...

...And that might never exist.

It's the GX[x], where x > 8. It's the hoped-for next iteration of the GX8 that will incorporate the improved shutter from the GX85. And a larger battery.

Ever since I had the GX8 here a few months ago I've missed it a fair bit...

...Which surprises me. I wasn't immediately impressed by the GX8 when I saw it at the big trade show in NYC with Gordon when it was new. Using it, however, was a different story. Many things about the UI seemed pleasing to me, including the ability to move the focus point on the fly with the touchscreen (I'm pretty clumsy with most cameras' means of moving the focus point—I like joysticks too, like on the X-T2). But especially the tilting viewfinder.

The viewfinder on a camera most fundamentally determines its basic character, like steering feel in a sports car. Methods of "finding the view" is also the root determinant for camera types, generally speaking, and a history of viewfinding methods would be an interesting and inventive way of looking at the history of cameras. It's curious to compare the groundglass screen on a view camera with an iPhone [x]+ held up in front of but away from your face. Outdoors with the latter, you actually need a dark cloth, too!

The tilting VF on the GX8 is a work of art, and the team at Panasonic that developed it should get a BIG round of applause. It's big and clear to the limits of the technology at this point in time, but it's also ergonomically comfortable—the eyecup fits your eye and blocks stray light, and setting the angle to however your head and arms are most comfortable is very sweet. (It's the camera for left-eye-dominant people.)

I really liked the GX8. There's the shutter-shock issue with certain lenses, but that's like a pesky fly—annoying, but it's not going to kill you. You just have to study up on the issue and learn how to sidestep it. It's bad publicity as much as anything, since other mirrorless cameras exist that have the same basic issue. The GX8 caught all the heat for it, that's all.

I wish I could do more comparisons of the GX8 IQ with the IQ of some of the other mirrorless competitors from Fuji, Sony, and Olympus. It seemed impressive to me, for Micro 4/3, but I don't have the greatest sense of context right now, having been out of Micro 4/3 for some time. (Did I mention that my current favorite camera is in a format that I don't even shoot?!?)

I like Panasonic lenses too, but I'll stop now.

Let's just say I hope there will be a successor (many, actually) to the very nicely designed Panasonic GX8. I like Panasonics.

Mike

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.

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

Aaron: "The GX8 is a fantastic camera, but for some reason has been heavily criticized for issues many other cameras exhibit. The more I use it the more I appreciate its size, control layout, image quality, and especially the tilting EVF. Any follow up to the GX8 that includes more recent developments in shutter design and IBIS will only improve what is already a great imaging device."

Mike replies: Well said, well said.

Gordon Lewis: "Had you accompanied me to this year's PhotoPlus in NYC (no recrimination, just stating a fact) you could have had the pleasure of playing with the newly introduced Panasonic DMC-G85 (aka G80 outside the US). Quite impressive. Imagine the GX8 mated with an Olympus E-M1 and you get the basic idea. It doesn't have a tilted EVF but it does have an articulating rear display. Other features that might interest you are dual IS (in-body + optical), quiet, shock-free shutter, and a variety of automated focus modes. Examples include focus-stacking, and post-exposure focus control. You probably could not care less that it also has stabilized 4K video, but others might. The biggest complaint about it so far is that the IS is so aggressive it causes jumpy video when panning from side-to-side. For some reason the G85's sibling, the DMC-GX85, does not have this problem. You'd have to shoot video fairly often to care much either way.

"Bottom line: You are not alone in realizing that Panasonic mirrorless cameras are serious contenders. Don't be too surprised if dozens of your readers write in to voice their agreement."

Dave Levingston: "I'm still loving my GX8 (purchased on the sale that you announced here last month). I am starting to think that I won't be using my Nikon D7000 much any more. And the 12–60mm lens that Adorama was 'giving away' with it is really a great lens. Very sharp, very little distortion and a near perfect range of focal lengths. I have yet to see the shutter issue. I've not tested for it and really have not studied up on it. I just keep shooting and getting excellent results. My only complaint so far is that the lens and sensor are so sharp that I've had to introduce a touch of blur in Photoshop for portraits. You could see pores in the pores."

Comments

[Stephen Scharf]

Wait...I thought your favorite camera was a Sony A6500.

[No, that's just the next one I'm going to buy. I like the X-T2 better than I like the A6500 (well, the other A6[xx] series, as I haven't seen an A6500 yet); I just need IBIS is all. As my best friends have always said, I'm a bit twitchy. --Mike]

[Jonathan Auch]

I have been a large fan of Panasonic Micro 4/3rd cameras. I own both a GX8 and GH4, and use them for professional work.

The only thing missing from the GX8 (and GH4, and apparently also the GX80 is proper Auto ISO implementation. The GX8 is particularly puzzling, given it's has a physical EV dial on top of the camera. This dial is useless in manual with Auto ISO on. It literally does nothing.

This is a very fluid way of working, especially in quickly changing lighting scenarios. I know many photojournalists and wedding photographers who use Auto ISO in Manual almost exclusively.

It has been implemented perfectly in Nikon DSLR's, for about 10 years. Canon a few years later. Fuji got it right, after many iterations, via firmware (for almost all of their legacy models) and their new cameras. Pentax has had it down pat with TaV mode for years. The only serious camera companies who keep refusing, or ignoring this feature, are Olympus and Panasonic.

I'd request Panasonic add (for all their newer cameras):

-Auto ISO In Manual Exposure Mode with full exposure compensation (Adjusting the ISO when exposure compensation is used in Manual mode).

-Ability to set a minimum shutter speed in Aperture Priority mode
(With an ability to set a range of Shutter Speeds all the way up to a minimum of 1/750 second)

-The ability to use Auto-ISO in manual mode in any Video mode with full exposure compensation.

I've created a petition via change.org here:

https://www.change.org/p/panasonic-panasonic-gh4-gx8-gx80-firmware-update-exposure-comp-w-auto-iso-in-manual-mode

[AaronL]

Is the sole reason you're not getting a GX8 the shuttershock issue?
The price is very good right now, even more so now that 2k is the new norm!

[Jim Bullard]

I nearly bought a GX-8. I liked the specs and the tilting screen but then there were rumors of an impending Canon M-4. For my purposes, the M-3 had resolved almost all the deficiencies of the original M but I really hoped that they would upgrade to a fully articulated screen (useful for low/high angle portrait format shots). Then the rumor mill put off the M-4 until mid to late 2017 and Canon came out with the 28mm 1:1.2 macro lens. I already had an M acquired cheaply because they were selling off the now obsolete model. It has an 18 MP APSC sensor that is equal to the one in my 7D. The lack of an EVF bothered me and the touch controls are a bit too 'touchy' for my taste but I liked it enough to buy an M-3 which resolved most of the complaints I had about the original M. The M-3 is now my default camera (anyone want to buy a gently used 7d, original model, with an 18-135mm lens?). I like the EVF. The fact that it isn't built in is okay with me. I thought it might be a nuisance but use the tilt screen more so I only put it on the camera when I need it.I still look forward to an M-4 version with (hopefully) a fully articulated screen but Canon seems to have jumped right over a 4 model to the M-5 which is not the camera I was hoping for.

[James Weekes]

A bit twitchy.....reminds me of a line from Aliens.

[James Weekes]

I am up to my ears in Micro 4/3. I have both Lumix and Olympus bodies and lenses. They are all good cameras and return files that print beautifully. Olympus wins the beauty contest. Panasonic wins the menu contest. The lenses are a wash. Now that both have IBIS even the bodies are even. I only wish that they all had Panasonic's menus.

[Kalli]

You know, I'm with you on this one. After Olympus announced the pricing of the E-M1 Mark II, it became clear that I probably wasn't going to be buying one before at least two years have passed. (I'm not complaining about the price; it looks like a great camera that does a lot of things that I don't really need at a price I can't afford/am not willing to pay.)

My E-M5 is a perfectly fine camera, but there is that banding issue with my favourite lens, the Panasonic 20mm, and that is as good an excuse as any to upgrade, right? Right?

I've been looking at the Panasonic G80/G85, the E-M5 Mark II and the E-M1 [Mark I] and for most of my purposes, they seem to be mostly very nice refinements of what I already have, but as nice as I'm sure they are, I'm not sure if I'd notice an increase in image quality with any of them. Then again, I might…

Given how it all went with the GX8, maybe Panasonic launches a successor in the not too distant future? They might even do okay to just replace the shutter, as you mention, call it the GX9 and be done with it.

Aside from the shutter part of the deal, though, I would have loved to see Panasonic use the increased volume of the GX8 for a larger battery, like Olympus did with the E-M1 Mark II. [Good idea. I added that to the post. Thanks Kalli. —Mike]

I just hope that if these dreams come true, Panasonic won't launch the GX8 successor with an Olympusesque "slightly higher" price tag than the GX8.

[Patrick Ward]

You're preaching to the converted as far as I'm concerned. I've just parted with two Olly EM1 and two GX7 bodies because I simply had no further need for them after getting the GX8 bodies.
So far I haven't encountered the shutter shutter shock issue though I accept that it may be there with certain lenses. Because I spend my life taking candid photos I tend to use the silent electronic shutter most of the time, which probably sidesteps this problem. This could be down to my ageing eyes but I still feel the electronic viewfinder needs to be better, especially in really bright conditions where it really struggles. I see that Leica, who have a relationship with Panasonic, have a 4 million dot finder on their SL camera and it would be great to see this in the GX8 successor. Meanwhile, I find the larger accessory eyecup is a great help. Also, given that the GX8 is considerably larger that the GX7, it does seem perverse that the Display button still falls directly beneath one's thumb, bringing up all sorts of unwanted information in the viewfinder. Yes, I've solved it with superglue and a half washer but honestly, Panasonic designers, should I have to?

[Frank]

There are way too many good or excellent, may I say, cameras for us to try.

But way too short of money together with way too short of life prevent me to try them out.

[Yonatan K]

I will add my voice to the chorus of praise. The one thing that I thought I might not like was the fully articulating screen (I love the tilty one on the GX7). But as it turns out, I love it. Mostly because it reverses. I have it reversed almost all of the time to protect the screen and to prevent constant chimping. But also because when it is reversed, it becomes a tilty
screen in portrait mode!

Now all I need is the Nocticron and I will be set... until I need something else.

[Gato]

I waited to buy the GX8 until they started throwing in the 12-60 lens for free. My only regret is I didn't buy it sooner. If I could have foreseen how well I'd like this combo it would have been well worth full price.

I have been a Panasonic user since the G1 came out. This is the best one yet. I have not encountered shutter shock, at least not that I can pin down, but I love the electronic shutter and almost never use the mechanical except with flash.

Like the first comment above, I question the dedicated compensation dial. Why on earth did they not make the third dial assignable? I'd love to have it for ISO in manual mode. And why can they not get auto ISO really right?

Maybe one more regret -- I should have bought a second body while the specials were still going.

[Rod Hampton]

I recently purchased a GX8 body to go with a few M4/3 lenses I had lying around and not using. I saw the deal for a thousand dollars including the 12-60 lens, but since it would've been redundant, I decided to keep looking for a lower price. I found what I was looking for on Amazon, listed as Used, Like New for $582 and change. It included all original packaging and full US warranty. I tried to resist, but couldn't and the camera arrived two days later just as advertised. I tried to imagine how having a new one would be any different and since I couldn't, I decided to be very happy to have gotten a first rate camera body for not a lot of cash that feels like it will last for a long, long time. In my early testing, I've seen no evidence whatsoever of shutter shock.

[David Bennett]

@Mike,
I had a GF1 but didn't like the colour. It always look muted with an ugly colour shift. I tried and tried but I could not get what I liked out of it.

I like Fuji and I like Olympus - and I kind of decided that Panasonic just didn't know how to do colour.

Have things changed? They must have or you wouldn't be praising the camera - but I have to ask. Maybe there is some tweak you do, or something?

[Nigel]

Should my GX7 die, I'd have no qualms getting a GX8; I've not switched it out of electronic mode in the last couple of years.

[John Camp]

I have two GX8s, and they're now my go-to cameras, pretty much relegating a Nikon D800 to the shelf. But one thing that nobody ever mentions in the 4/3 asset ratio, which I find much more congenial than the 3/2 of 35mm-equivalents (YMMV.)

[David]

Panasonic put an inferior EVF in the otherwise brilliant GX85.
I wonder how many people chose not to buy it, but rather the competitor, having put a few cameras to their eye? Regardless of the specs, I imagine the lost a few sales simply because, in use, it wasn't 'as nice as the [insert competitor] camera'.

[Geoffrey Heard]

I see the E-M1 II as the nearest thing to the compleat camera in any format right now -- a great flagship.

I see the Panasonic G80/85 as occupying the same position in the middle range, and nudging right up to the E-M1 II in a number of my most wanted capabilities. Most particularly, it has an even newer shutter than its immediate Panasonic predecessors, along with the option of full electronic and electronic first curtain. Shutter shock, the bugbear of ALL m43 cameras, fully resolved at last.

The GX8 -- great, but not for me. Just felt uncomfortably large. I bought a GX7 to back-up my G6 and now find the GX7 is always leaping into my hand despite its rather poor EVF (which is helped by having a dedicated accessory rubber eyepiece which comes with a string attached to tie it to the camera because you have to take it off to fit a flash. ROFL).

The GX80/85 looks good except it has that rather poor EVF again. It also has something I like very much, a built-in pop-up flash -- but incredibly, it does not have the capability to be an RC flash trigger while a flash in the accessory shoe can be! The GX7 and the G6 both have built-in flashes with this capability, but the GX8 doesn't). Someone at Panasonic suffered a short circuit between the ears! LOL.

Cheers, Geoff

[Brian Taylor]

Like you Mike I'm hoping for a GX(x), - but because I like the ergonomics of the GX7 so much I haven't been tempted by Panasonics more recent offerings. Personally I'm hoping that the next GX won't be much larger or heavier than the 7. Horses for courses, I suppose. And since I now realise that I prefer my nose to be unencumbered, I'm not interested in another faux-SLR :).

As well as 'proper auto ISO implementation and a better shutter, my feeling is that auto WB should cope a bit better with dull overcast conditions? I've struggled to get greens right at times. I don't think its some personal quirk, because I find myself adjusting WB much more than with my Fuji.

When I go walking its usually the gX7 that I pick up though. We've been out together in the snow this morning. We feel really comfortable together. I think we may be in love! Maybe that's all that matters?

[jim r]

If my slate were clean I'd be right there with you! I have chosen and saddled my ponies for now, so big changes are not afoot - but weather seals, internal IS and compactness put me in the Pentax camp, and Lumix gear now meets those needs as well. If I could write my own firmware I could say the same about Olympus, but even thinking about their menus brings headaches.

[James Weekes]

I found this camera at a reduced price, $677.00, on Amazon. It's grey market so I took a small chance. It arrived and I love it. The best EVF that I have ever used. Love the size and grip. It has totally taken the E-M1 II stars out of my eyes (My favorite camera up to this point was the E-M1) and saved me over $1,300.00. Thank you.