Played at Yodobashi Camera today :)

zuikowesty wrote:

While in Hachioji today, I discovered there is a Yodobashi Camera store - a small one, only 7 floors - so I took some time to try out a few lenses and cameras that I haven't seen before, or haven't had time to try. I mounted a dozen or so lenses on my E-PM2 for a quick trial run, and also popped an SD into a GX-8 for later examination. Hardly scientific, I know. I loved how demo units were laid out so I could mount lenses at my leisure and try them out - nobody bothered me at all.

GX8 - love the EVF! Feels ok, I could probably get used to the size.

That was my take on it when I first tried one on display at B&H in NY right after they first came out.  I was expecting a behemoth, but it was surprisingly comfortable in hand, and did not feel like a big clunky camera at all.

G8 - Also a nice EVF, grip felt too deep, shutter very smooth

I thought the grip was too deep for me on this one, too.

I also picked up an A7 with a 24-240 or some such on it, and was appalled at how bad the focus was. It simply could not focus at ALL at the long end in the store, while none of the MFT lenses had any issues, even the 100-400 at the long end. The A7II with Zeiss 24-70 was better, but still slower than any of the MFT combos I tried.

Yeah, I had the A7, and even after all the firmware updates, it was slooowww, compared to any M43 I have ever had.  Also, Sony's low light focusing ability is really awful compared to especially Panasonic M43s (except on the A7S, if I recall).  It was one of the things about that camera that took me a long time to get used to, after coming from speedy-focusing M43 land.

A week of borrowing an E-M5II really has me sold on the larger EVF, so this and the GX8 are on the horizon for me, I think. My eyesight is not getting any better, and the larger, higher res EVF just makes things much more enjoyable.

If you get a GX8, also get the accessory eye cup. It makes the very good EVF even better.

I had a similar reaction to the variety on display when I went to B&H in NYC for the first time.  I have family down in the area, and had some medical appts in the city, so I stopped in to the store when I was in the neighborhood, just to see what they had for M43 and for Sony.  Holy cow!  They had everything on display, and you could handle and try it all.  I probably never would have ended up with a GX8 if I hadn't have been able to handle the thing in person there.  From the reviews and the complaints about it on this site (by non-owners), you'd think the thing was the size of a bathtub. However, when I picked it up in person, the grip felt great, and it was balanced really well.  It also, while not a diminutive camera, just didn't handle like a big piece of gear, so I knew I'd be ok with it, much to my surprise.

It's too bad the option to do this has vanished in most places in the US now....

-J