GX8 - Disappointed with shuttershock

cameron2 wrote:

Arctra wrote:

This weekend I shot my first wedding (helping a fellow photog friend as a favor) and brought my GX8 with me to use as my B-cam. The setup I had was pretty simple, EM1 on one shoulder with the 40-150 f2.8 and the GX8 on the other with either the 12-40 or 7-14 f2.8's. along with a couple speedlights for when it got dark.

The EM1 performed as expected but my GX8 didn't. Throughout the event I was experiencing extreme shutter shock issues that forced me to shoot at a minimum shutter of 1/250th. I suffered through it because the lighting was still usable but the moment the sun started setting the GX8 was shelved for the rest of the event. I had never seen such bad shutter shock coming from that camera before and I couldn't even use the e-shutter because it doesn't work with speedlights.

That is strange. I have tested my GX8 for shutter shock, and while it does have it with certain lenses, it was harder to reproduce than the GX7 (from what I remember), and those lenses tend to be the lightweight Pany OIS zooms, e.g. 14-42ii and 14-140ii. I couldn't get any measurable shutter shock with the Pany f2.8 zooms, for example.

Is there any way you can post an example?

I ended up deleting them as I went. I was transferring them to my friends laptop at the end of the night and didn't want to make her sift through all the affected/bad photos when she got home. If I get time I'll do some comparison shots.

That would've been almost forgivable if it wasn't for the fact that I was also experiencing a lot of focus issues with the GX8. The camera would be quick to lock focus but it was almost always off the mark despite my best efforts. It didn't matter how big or small of a focus area I used it or how stationary I or the subject was it would constantly miss.

That would be excruciatingly frustrating to deal with. (I had a similar problem a few weeks ago, but it was all user error, i.e. my error.)

So here's my question: What do you think was different that these issues started showing up all of a sudden? Had you used those body/lens combinations before? Did you change any particular settings? I do believe your story completely, but I'd like to understand how it could have happened on a camera that previously didn't exhibit this behavior for you.

The only thing that really changed between now and prior was that I updated the GX8's firmware to the latest version. I don't think that would've negatively altered anything. It's possible it was user error as I'm not fully comfortable with Panny's UI yet. I will say I had been noticing some weird focusing behavior with a new Lumix 25 f1.7 prior to the event where it would occasionally front or back focus from where I put the point but I thought that was more of the lens' fault at the time.

My EM1 despite being much slower to focus when it got dark was almost always bang on with its focus. I eventually gave up and used the lenses in MF instead of trying to fight with the GX8.

I'm just glad you had two bodies so when one failed, you had a back-up. I have multiple bodies, but I almost never carry more than one (and occasional regret that!)

There were a few other issues I ran into but I don't want this to be any longer than it already is.

They might offer some clues as to what was going on ... perhaps you should make the thread longer!

Those other issues are mostly just annoyances I have over the way Panasonic does stuff. Nothing really mission critical TBH.

Also, I'd be glad to test your lenses for you. Those Oly f2.8 pro lenses probably have a problem that -- given a month or two with them -- I could try to figure out for you. Let me send you my mailing address