Just how good is the GX8 especially against the GX7 ?

Okay I have put this off for a while as I was hoping to be more in depth and include lots of examples. But sadly life is very busy at the moment.

I really didn't want to spend that much money and on paper the GX8 appeared to have very little gain over my wonderful GX7. But it was Christmas and lots of my friends ar dying from old age, so I thought what the hack, raided the pension pot and took the plunge: Bought the GX8 along with the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 Pro lens.

In simple terms the general picture quality produced by the GX8 blows the GX7 away. Over the last 2 months I have had many trips in all sorts of extremely variable weather conditions to photograph outdoor action sport, plus moorland, woodland, and indoor exhibitions and use the cameras side by side. I grab whichever camera has the lens fitted that I need to capture the shot at that moment. And they both take it in turns to have all my lenses fitted: Olympus 40-150 f2.8 Pro, Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 Pro, Olympus 75-300, Panasonic 14-140, Olympus 9-18, etc.

What I have noticed is this ... The viewfinder on the GX8 is generally so much better than the GX7 that in many conditions I try desperately not to use the GX7, yes the viewfinder is that much better (but I am a glasses wearer). The photos from the GX8 are much sharper with a serious amount of more detail ... when used with a pro lens. The colours and local contrast is also improved (important depending on subject, tree leaves and grass do well, for cars and people the difference is probably irrelevant). Being able to crop a lot more when necessary and yet still have a shot capable of being enlarged and printed is also of great benefit.

I can honestly say despite the high initial price, after seeing my results I have not regretted it one tiny bit.

Is there anything I miss about the GX7 ?   ....yes: The popup flash and the tilt rear screen. The lack of that really is a pain on the GX8, but if you can get used to the articulating screen and make do without popup fill flash it in one seriously awesome and very under-rated camera.

You really don't need a DPR review, jump in and enjoy the photography.

Adrian, as both a GX7 and GX8 owner I would have to agree. I am still hanging onto the GX7 as a second body, but shooting with the GX8 is just... well, much better.  Pity that the GX8 doesn't get much fanfare, but if you remember the GX7 was also over-shadowed but has gained a steady following. I predict the same for the GX8.

The little flash that comes with the GM5 does a good job when you need a modest amount of light...and it is so small that it does not interfere with other functions. Olympus has a mini flash that also tilts, but at the moment, I do not remember the nomenclature. The GX8 really is special.

Totally agree - I did the same as you at the beginning of December and certainly don't regret it. I really enjoyed the GX7 but (as a glasses wearer) never felt comfortable with the viewfinder. The GX8 viewfinder is absolutely amazing.

as a street photographer I do miss The popup flash and the tilt rear screen.

so I am buying the tiny Olympus Fl-3 pocket sized flash

I can't comment on the GX8 since I only own the GX7. I was very keen to have a compact camera with interchangeable lenses and note the GX7 is substantially smaller c. 25% less in volume. The GX7 is also substantially cheaper in the UK being about half the price with kit lens.

Adrian Harris wrote:

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What I have noticed is this ... The viewfinder on the GX8 is generally so much better than the GX7 that in many conditions I try desperately not to use the GX7, yes the viewfinder is that much better (but I am a glasses wearer).

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I've had the same thing a bit, only in my case, I am reaching for the G6 whih has a suprior EVF to the GX7. The GX7 is such a nice and handy camera to have in the go anywhere pack, though.

And in Australia, they offer the GX8 only in black. How stupid. I don't want a black blob, thank you very much! Too hot!

IanYorke wrote:

Have you tried the replacement eye cup? Much deeper and shades the EVF superbly, best for 2 eyed but still a big improvement for us folk who prefer glasses

Ian

Are you saying that on the GX8 the replacement/deeper eye cup is better for eyeglass wearers?  Can you still see the edges of the viewfinder?  I've been wondering about that.

I recently s old my Nikon d300 and v3 and purchased the gx8 with a 12-35 and 45 -150.

basically I'm really impressed. Photos are great and I love the evf so much I have not really bothered with the screen. Don't miss pop up flash as I've also bought a Metz af 26 which works great with the gx8.

I did briefly think about the gx7 but was impressed with the weather sealing and build

Largely agreed. The GX8 is a better camera, but not in any one specific way. The EVF is better. The lens handling is better (particularly for manual focus). The occurrence of shutter shock is way down (various reasons). The workflow is far faster and smoother somehow.

OTOH: The built-in flash sucks (i.e. it's non-existent). The camera is larger and heavier.

...I have been very happy with the GX7, but the viewfinder can be too small in 4:3!  Arggh

My GX8's sensor works nicely, but it's not noticeably any different in image quality than my other 16 megapixel sensor Panasonic bodies. There's no DXOMark for the G7, but the GH4 with 16 Mpix is within one point on the ratings.

DavidB2 wrote:

IanYorke wrote:

Have you tried the replacement eye cup? Much deeper and shades the EVF superbly, best for 2 eyed but still a big improvement for us folk who prefer glasses

Ian

Are you saying that on the GX8 the replacement/deeper eye cup is better for eyeglass wearers? Can you still see the edges of the viewfinder? I've been wondering about that.

One of the points listed in many GX8 reviews was good eye relief. It means you don't have to have your cornea pressed up to the glass to see the whole screen.

Do you want more megapixels?  GX8

Do you want a better grip?  GX8

Do you want 4K video?  GX8

Do you want an oversized EVF?  GX8

Do you want a builtin flash?  GX7

GodSpeaks wrote:

Do you want more megapixels? GX8

Do you want a better grip? GX8

Do you want 4K video? GX8

Do you want an oversized EVF? GX8

Do you want a builtin flash? GX7

Do you want a compact high performance camera at half the GX8 price? GX7

https://tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/the-panasonic-lumix-gx8-vs-gx7-showdown-how-much-of-an-upgrade-is-it-really-well-w-lumixusa/

e_kjellgren wrote:

https://tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/the-panasonic-lumix-gx8-vs-gx7-showdown-how-much-of-an-upgrade-is-it-really-well-w-lumixusa/

Yes, I can see the GX8 is better is some respects - but there is no mention of the substantial extra cost of the GX8.

What would the actual differences be if post processing were applied  to both GX7/8 images - would the differences be so evident then?

SC489 wrote:

Yes, I can see the GX8 is better is some respects - but there is no mention of the substantial extra cost of the GX8.

This is the big question. If the cost difference seems too big, then it istoo big. Just wait and enjoy the less expensive GX7 for another year

What would the actual differences be if post processing were applied to both GX7/8 images - would the differences be so evident then?

I have both the GX7 and the GX8. If you know the GX7 well, and with some work, you can probably produce pictures with the GX7 that are just as good as the GX8 99% of the time. To be honest, the improvements in the GX8 seem to just make it a bit easier in each regard (not counting a built-in fill flash ...)

For example, the EVF. I hadn't noticed that the GX7 EVF wasn't perfect until I was shooting the GX8 for a few months and went back to the GX7. Suddenly I realized that the EVF on the GX8 was actually miles better than the GX7. (Honestly, I never had an issue with the GX7 EVF until I hadn't used it for a long time and had instead been shooting the GX8!)

Another example is speed. I remember with the GX7 that I'd often get "bogged down" when shooting bursts, waiting for something to "catch up" with me inside the camera. I'm sure it can happen with the GX8, too, but I've never pushed it that far (probably because I shoot with the GX8 like I shot with the GX7).

Another example is manual focus assistance. I tried shooting my Voigt 25mm on the GX7, but to be honest it was easier back on the GH2 for some reason. I could never quite get it to "click" for stills. (For video, it was much easier, but video is far more forgiving of little focus slips!) On the GX8, the focus peaking and the improved EVF and the windowed magnified view all help make the manual focus lenses be much easier to use for stills. (I've shot well over half of my GX8 frames on manual focus lenses. Often wide open. Very good keeper ratio.)

So is the GX8 better? Yes, I think in most ways (*cough* .. flash .. *cough* .. size .. *cough* .. weight .. *cough* .. cost .. *cough*) it is a notably better camera. It's not night and day different, though, so you can easily make do with a GX7, which is a great camera in its own right (and -- like the GF1 -- will probably be remembered far longer than the GX8).