Panasonic GX8 - Is it too big?

This is of course a highly subjective question. I tried the GX8, but found the weight to be poorly distributed for my hands. The grip is a bit shallow, and when putting a lens on with some weight, I found it uncomfortable to hold with one hand. Feature wise, I thought the camera  was great, but for me it didn't feel good in the hands. The only way for you to know if to try it out. There are many who love this camera.

Yes. For me, anyway,

Ok, the question is - Is the GX8 as huge as it seems? Or does it seem smaller in the hands? If that makes sense...

Honestly, the GX8 is what got me curious about MFT.

I don't have very large hands but the smallish mirrorless cameras are a real pain. I'm always pressing some button or another when I dare to move a finger, or I get a cramp trying desperately not to.

I tried the GX8 at a local store and I really loved it.

Of course it's probably large for a MFT body, but it's not huge by any means. It's very well layed-out, felt very nice in my hands.

Make sure you get to handle one. I found it a bit oversized, although I was comparing to the Pen-F at the time. However I found the controls to be awkwardly placed, making my grip feel insecure when I tried to operate them. The Pen-F felt far better.

FingerPainter wrote:

tjmckay4 wrote:

I have an Olympus E-M5 with the kit lens 12-50, Olympus 45mm lens, Sigma 30mm lens. I don't tend to take this with me out and about as it's a bit bulky to chuck in the pocket and it doesn't have 4k video. I tend to use it at home for the odd snap here and there.

I'm looking for a more portable setup (to complement or replace my E-M5) to use for shooting 4k videos and photos of my kids at home and out and about. The Panasonic GX8 seems to tick most of these boxes: quick autofocus, touch tiltable screen, 4k video, time lapse.

Ok, the question is - Is the GX8 as huge as it seems? Or does it seem smaller in the hands? If that makes sense...

There is no standard size or range of sizes of camera that constitutes "too small", "right size" and "too big". Pretty well any camera is too small for some uses and some people and too big for other uses and other people.

Similarly there is no single benchmark for portability. For some people, portability might mean whether it fits into a particular small case they have while for others portability might mean how one's hand feels after carrying the camera for two hours, and in another case weight might be more important than dimensions. In the middle case, a larger camera might sometimes be more portable than a smaller one.

Really, your question ought to be "Is the GX 8 to big for tjmckay4" and only you can answer that question. So in an effort to find out, you should try to get your hands on one. An in-store test might not tell you, however, how cramped up your right hand is going to be due to a small grip, or how that much weight added to your pack is going to feel after eight hours of climbing.

Thanking you in advance.

Well put Finger. Looking at the specs of the GX80/85 though I'm pretty sure I'm going to get that one.

pede59 wrote:

tjmckay4 wrote:

I have an Olympus E-M5 with the kit lens 12-50, Olympus 45mm lens, Sigma 30mm lens. I don't tend to take this with me out and about as it's a bit bulky to chuck in the pocket and it doesn't have 4k video. I tend to use it at home for the odd snap here and there.

I'm looking for a more portable setup (to complement or replace my E-M5) to use for shooting 4k videos and photos of my kids at home and out and about. The Panasonic GX8 seems to tick most of these boxes: quick autofocus, touch tiltable screen, 4k video, time lapse.

Ok, the question is - Is the GX8 as huge as it seems? Or does it seem smaller in the hands? If that makes sense...

Thanking you in advance.

Looking at your requirements list the GX8 seems perfect except i do not believe it is more portable than an EM5. You should probably take a close look at the new GX80/85 .. it offers a lot what the GX8 offers in a smaller package.

Thanks Pede59, the GX85 is exactly what I'm looking for and has come exactly at the right time for me. It's seem a perfect replacement my E-M5.

I have also been looking at the Pana TZ110/100 and the Nikon DL 24-85. But the video stabilisation of the 4k video in the GX85, the fact I've already got MFT lenses and the absence of a built in EVF in the Nikon has pretty much cemented my GX85 choice. Sure it's not as portable as those 2 but a better camera and system overall.

So many choices now in m43, what's not to like?  Literally a body form factor to appeal to most enthusiast shooters and few pros alike.

tjmckay4 wrote:

Robiro wrote:

tjmckay4 wrote:

Ok, the question is - Is the GX8 as huge as it seems? Or does it seem smaller in the hands? If that makes sense...

Thanking you in advance.

The size is perfect! Do not worry. The size issue has been totally blown out of proportions.

Thanks mate. I'm seriously looking at to replace my E-M5 rather than keeping the Olympus and buying a Nikon DL24-85 when it's out.

Couple of questions:

• What's 4k video like without a stabilised lens?
• Does it have the normal filters/scene modes like other Panasonics? I love the miniature effect

However, the size does make it a lot better handling (especially with MFT's 'modern-friendly' exclusively top-mounted controls) than anything else bar the E-M1 IMO (which is, again, a tad too large). It's a very comfortable body to hold, if some of the controls are in the wrong places - but that's a relatively minor complaint for me.

The big problem is of course, there are bodies than handle just as well (from a physical perspective) in APS-C / FF land. And while the 20MP sensor is just as good as the 16MP sensor in all areas you'd expect and serves up those extra pixels, especially when you engage the e-shutter you start to notice the compromises of the MFT sensor over even APS-C.

4K without a stabilised lens is exactly as you'd expect. Jerkfest supreme. And regarding the GX8, you should know that 4K involves an additional crop factor - and of course, it will stop shooting at the artificially induced (for tax reasons I think) time. Once I get off my deathbed however I would like to start doing some video stuff and I'm considering using a stabiliser with whatever mirrorless I end up using for this - which will do a better job than IBIS anyway.

I don't use the scene modes, sorry - I'm sure someone else could / has answered that question.

This issue of larger and smaller seized camera bodies (and lenses too) has been discussed, debated, and argued for several years now, and to me it makes little sense.  We are fortunate in the M43's world we have an abundance of choices, so in my mind that is all for the good.  Each of us have different preferences too.  Years ago I had friends that owned and raved about their OLympus E-M5, so I tried it and it was way too small and cumbersome for my hands and fingers, but the GH3 felt perfect so I bought it and never looked back.  Buy what you want and spend "your" money like you want, and let others do the same, but without the need for criticizing a decision different from yours.

Dale

P.S.  I also like my battery grips on both my GH3 and E-M1, my Voigtlander lenses and some large zooms, but occasionally I use my smaller Olympus lenses too.  It is nice to have choices, and the M43's world gives my that in abundance.  Your tastes might vary, but it is all good.

Naw, it is not too big.  It is a super camera and when you acclimate yourself to it, you can expect to turn out some good stuff.