GX8 - Disappointed with shuttershock

WARNING - Bit of a rant!

So I've been using the GX8 as my main video cam (and backup stills cam) for a few months now and while I don't like Panasonic's' UI and color output I've put up with it because the IQ has been worth it. Now however I'm not sure.

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 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. 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 have no idea what went wrong with the camera, but it left me feeling rather angry and frustrated by the end of the wedding. I don't know if my camera's a lemon and I honestly don't care that much right now. I'm seriously considering selling the GX8 and either getting the GX85/80 or picking up a EM5 II. At this point I'm rather burnt out over Panasonic.

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

Sorry about the rather long, rambling, rant but I had to vent it somewhere!

Was it shutter shock or the lack of IBIS? My recollection is that Panasonic has some sort of dual stabilisation system between the camera and the lens, but you were using non-stabilised Olympus lenses which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the stabilisation for taking stills. When you are taking video the Panasonic in-camera stabilisation works not all - zero - so you are reliant on the lens stabilisation completely - and your lenses are not stabilised.

Panasonic wants you to buy their OIS lenses. That's why these systems aren't really interchangeable.

There is no way SS is going to show up just at this event. You say you have been using the GX8 for months; if SS was so severe, surely you must have noticed it in that time?

SS is an interaction between camera and lens -- did you go into this wedding with untested combinations, the GX8 plus the Oly 12-40 and 7-14. For example, on my G6 and GX7, the Panny 12-32 shows SS but the Panny 12-35 shows none -- I have tested, and I know that, and choose appropriate kit for pro work or work around the known SS.

What sort of a photographer are you that you would go into a wedding job with untested equipment?

Sorry, I just find your post lacks credibility -- it is either bizarre that you went into a wedding job with untested equipment OR what you are claiming is wrong.

You also tell us that that you and a couple of flashes for when it got dark -- but you put away the GX8 when the light got dull. What about using it with the flashes? No discernible SS would show up with flash.

In addition you throw away a line saying you don't like the Panny UI or the color. The UI complaint is irrelevant to your current post; what IS relevant is the color. Are you telling us you went to photograph a wedding with a camera that produces color you don't like?

Are you so ignorant of the capabilities of the GX8 -- after months of use -- that you haven't adjusted the parameters either within camera to produce JPEGs with color you like or within your PP tool to produce colors you like from the GX8 RAW files?

How about you show us some examples of the wedding pictures that you are complaining about?

traveler_101 wrote:

Was it shutter shock or the lack of IBIS? My recollection is that Panasonic has some sort of dual stabilisation system between the camera and the lens, but you were using non-stabilised Olympus lenses which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the stabilisation for taking stills. When you are taking video the Panasonic in-camera stabilisation works not all - zero - so you are reliant on the lens stabilisation completely - and your lenses are not stabilised.

Panasonic wants you to buy their OIS lenses. That's why these systems aren't really interchangeable.

It was shutter shock. The GX8 does have IBIS that typically gives me about 3-4 stops of compensation. Plus I was well within the reciprocal shutter rule and using proper handholding techniques. I even did some side-by-side shots with the GX8 with both mechanical and electronic shutter. The mechanical shutter shot was noticeably soft while the e-shutter shot was tack sharp.

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?

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.

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!

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

Hen3ry wrote:

There is no way SS is going to show up just at this event. You say you have been using the GX8 for months; if SS was so severe, surely you must have noticed it in that time?

SS is an interaction between camera and lens -- did you go into this wedding with untested combinations, the GX8 plus the Oly 12-40 and 7-14 (which one, the Oly or the Panny?). For example, on my G6 and GX7, the Panny 12-32 shows SS but the Panny 12-35 shows none.

What sort of a photographer are you that you would go into

Sorry, I just find your post lacks credibility -- it is either bizarre that you went into a wedding job with untested equipment OR what you are claiming is wrong.

How about you show us some examples?

Hen3ry I wasn't trying to start a fight or sound belligerent in my post, I was simply venting due to me being frustrated. Now let me just go down the list of your post and answer them as best as I can.

• I've almost overwhelmingly been using the GX8 in good lighting and at the shutter speeds needed for that I highly doubt I would run into SS. The only times I've used it in bad light was during video shoots where it was locked down. I got the GX8 primarily for video use and so haven't really fully utilized it for stills.
• I typically use the 12-40 on the GX8 so I thought it'd be fine but as I stated above, hadn't really used the camera in low-light situations before (for stills). I also mentioned in my post that I was using the 7-14 f2.8 and as a addendum I did fine with that lens the SS wasn't as severe.
• As for the attack on my character, this was a very last minute affair and it was done as a favor (note free) for a friend who needed a extra hand with covering that wedding. I'm also not a professional photographer, photography is more of an indulgence/hobby for me than anything. Video is where my gear earns it keep.
• As for examples I typically just outright deleted the images I knew were affected by it. The files were being transferred to my friends laptop at the end of the night and I didn't want her to sift through a bunch of unusable photos when she got home. If I get time I might do some comparison shots to show what I'm talking about.

Arctra wrote:

WARNING - Bit of a rant!

So I've been using the GX8 as my main video cam (and backup stills cam) for a few months now and while I don't like Panasonic's' UI and color output I've put up with it because the IQ has been worth it. Now however I'm not sure.

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 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. 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 have no idea what went wrong with the camera, but it left me feeling rather angry and frustrated by the end of the wedding. I don't know if my camera's a lemon and I honestly don't care that much right now. I'm seriously considering selling the GX8 and either getting the GX85/80 or picking up a EM5 II. At this point I'm rather burnt out over Panasonic.

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

Sorry about the rather long, rambling, rant but I had to vent it somewhere!

Very surprised at the strange problem you have. I have been shooting flash with the GX8 regularly for over 4 months without this problem, mind you I am avoiding the Panasonic 14-140 Mk1 (just in case) when I am using flash as the Mk1 does have a bad reputation ...especially on my GX7.

I use the GX8 with 3 olympus lenses without any obvious mechanical shutter shock at all. Oly 75-300, Oly 9-18, Oly 40-150 F2.8 Pro. ...and shoot at all shutter speeds from 1/30 up to max sync speed with the flash. I also use 2 panny lenses without issue, the 12-35 F2.8 pro and the 14-45. However I do normally switch stabilisation off when shooting with the panny lenses, as I have a feeling it was the lens elements wobbling that caused the problem when using the GX7, whereas the GX8 seems to have a much gentler mechanical shutter action and produces good clean images.

Sorry to hear that you are having such weird problems with it !

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

Arctra wrote:

cameron2 wrote:

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.

So you are on v2.1 I assume.

Theoretically, the front/back focus issues with CDAF could be the camera's fault, or the lens' fault, or both. The focus motors are in the lens, but the camera tells it what to do. I'm not sure how to diagnose that one. How far off was focus? Was there any sort of pattern?

I'm still curious if what you were witnessing was shutter shock or some other flaw occurring. I've never been able to identify shutter shock without close examination on a large monitor, so if you were able to see it in-camera, I have to suggest (from my limited knowledge and experience) that either it was quite extreme shutter shock, or it was something else entirely that was contributing to horribly soft images.

The GX8 has generally been a solid camera for me, but like you, I've had a few times where it completely failed me (a few of which were actually completely my fault, and a few of which were camera issues). I'm just hoping we can figure out what caused the issue you saw.

I did some quick (and unscientific) test shots to get a feel for what I was experiencing during the wedding. They're all 100% crops of the OOC JPEGs and all using the same settings. Interestingly enough the 12-40 has a sweet spot at 25mm with the mechanical shutter.

Here;s the link for the SS examples

Arctra wrote:

I did some quick (and unscientific) test shots to get a feel for what I was experiencing during the wedding. They're all 100% crops of the OOC JPEGs and all using the same settings. Interestingly enough the 12-40 has a sweet spot at 25mm with the mechanical shutter.

Here;s the link for the SS examples

Some of those are pretty bad.

What percentage of blurred were you getting when you shot those? (Both mech and elec shutter)

Arctra wrote:

WARNING - Bit of a rant!

So I've been using the GX8 as my main video cam (and backup stills cam) for a few months now and while I don't like Panasonic's' UI and color output I've put up with it because the IQ has been worth it. Now however I'm not sure.

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 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. 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 have no idea what went wrong with the camera, but it left me feeling rather angry and frustrated by the end of the wedding. I don't know if my camera's a lemon and I honestly don't care that much right now. I'm seriously considering selling the GX8 and either getting the GX85/80 or picking up a EM5 II. At this point I'm rather burnt out over Panasonic.

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

Sorry about the rather long, rambling, rant but I had to vent it somewhere!

I have noticed it with the 42.5mm f1.7 and the 35-100mm. I've also noticed some strange focusing issues in E-shutter mode, where it supposedly locks focus, take the photo, and you'll see the focus breathe right after the photo was taken (with finger fully depressed on the shutter)... this does not happen with the mechanical shutter though. I have also been having issues getting sharp shots with the 35-100mm f2.8 lens between 60mm-100mm at most focal lengths with the GX8 using dual IS versus using my old E-M10 and using just its in-body, 3-axis stabilization. I haven't done a true A/B test yet, but I think I will soon to determine if its my copy of the 35-100 or something wonky with the GX8 body.

I'm going to be shooting a wedding in August, so I'll need to iron out these kinks as well.

Arctra wrote:

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.

Sorry to hear about your experience, shuttershock is definitely real and I've been occasionally annoyed with it over the years.  Very happy to have the E-M5II now which has more than one way to completely eliminate the problem.  I saw your quick examples just posted and that sure does look like shutter shock but I'd be curious as to how severe the problem at the wedding was and at what shutter speeds.

I did cherry pick the above quote from your rant for a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking.  If you were going to use a speedlight when shooting later in the evening then shutter shock would no longer be an issue.  You probably could have kept shooting the GX8 with mechanical and speedlight.

Bhima78 wrote:

I have noticed it with the 42.5mm f1.7 and the 35-100mm. I've also noticed some strange focusing issues in E-shutter mode, where it supposedly locks focus, take the photo, and you'll see the focus breathe right after the photo was taken (with finger fully depressed on the shutter)... this does not happen with the mechanical shutter though. I have also been having issues getting sharp shots with the 35-100mm f2.8 lens between 60mm-100mm at most focal lengths with the GX8 using dual IS versus using my old E-M10 and using just its in-body, 3-axis stabilization. I haven't done a true A/B test yet, but I think I will soon to determine if its my copy of the 35-100 or something wonky with the GX8 body.

I took quite a few photos today with the 35-100mm (I don't think I've ever tested it for shutter shock), so I'll take an extra close look in post to see if I see any of the telltale signs of shutter shock.

kenw wrote:

Arctra wrote:

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.

Sorry to hear about your experience, shuttershock is definitely real and I've been occasionally annoyed with it over the years. Very happy to have the E-M5II now which has more than one way to completely eliminate the problem. I saw your quick examples just posted and that sure does look like shutter shock but I'd be curious as to how severe the problem at the wedding was and at what shutter speeds.

I did cherry pick the above quote from your rant for a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking. If you were going to use a speedlight when shooting later in the evening then shutter shock would no longer be an issue. You probably could have kept shooting the GX8 with mechanical and speedlight.

The shutter speeds I ran into it with was in the 1/30-1/200 range. 1/60 being the biggest troublemaker of the lot. SS was probably showing up in about 75% of the photos taken in that range during the wedding.

I actually did do some (admittedly quick and dirty) tests with and without a speedlight and while it did help I still noticed a general softness to the images in that range.

Arctra wrote:

The shutter speeds I ran into it with was in the 1/30-1/200 range. 1/60 being the biggest troublemaker of the lot. SS was probably showing up in about 75% of the photos taken in that range during the wedding.

Thanks for the extra details, yep that is the range you'd expect shuttershock to be a problem.  I remember on my E-M5 which had some shuttershock issues on certain lenses that ironically the more braced I held the camera the *worse* the shuttershock was.  I'd get sharper photos if I held the camera one handed rather than braced (to be clear one handed IBIS was sharper than braced with IBIS on or off in that case).  It is probably all camera and lens dependent but based on my experience there is a chance by being extra careful bracing your shots for the wedding you actually made the problem worse!

I actually did do some (admittedly quick and dirty) tests with and without a speedlight and while it did help I still noticed a general softness to the images in that range.

You know, now that I think about it more my assumption that the speedlight would remove the effects of shuttershock is an oversimplification.  Yes, with an old manual flash where you dump all the light in like 1/10000 second it would.  Many modern TTL speedlight systems though have an extended flash period or multiple strobes that could cover the whole 1/100 second during which the shock happens.

Arctra wrote:

kenw wrote:

Arctra wrote:

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.

Sorry to hear about your experience, shuttershock is definitely real and I've been occasionally annoyed with it over the years. Very happy to have the E-M5II now which has more than one way to completely eliminate the problem. I saw your quick examples just posted and that sure does look like shutter shock but I'd be curious as to how severe the problem at the wedding was and at what shutter speeds.

I did cherry pick the above quote from your rant for a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking. If you were going to use a speedlight when shooting later in the evening then shutter shock would no longer be an issue. You probably could have kept shooting the GX8 with mechanical and speedlight.

The shutter speeds I ran into it with was in the 1/30-1/200 range. 1/60 being the biggest troublemaker of the lot. SS was probably showing up in about 75% of the photos taken in that range during the wedding.

I actually did do some (admittedly quick and dirty) tests with and without a speedlight and while it did help I still noticed a general softness to the images in that range.

Because of the massively varying owner reports of shutter shock with various models of camera over the years, including demonstrable examples, I have concluded that it varies between specimens based on construction tolerances: certain screws being tighter or not, fit of components being looser or not, damping material placement at the exact angle or not, shutter mechanism tightness or spring/motor actuation variations, etc. Result: your GX8 has it, someone else's GX8 hasn't. Same for other bodies.

kenw wrote:

Arctra wrote:

The shutter speeds I ran into it with was in the 1/30-1/200 range. 1/60 being the biggest troublemaker of the lot. SS was probably showing up in about 75% of the photos taken in that range during the wedding.

Thanks for the extra details, yep that is the range you'd expect shuttershock to be a problem. I remember on my E-M5 which had some shuttershock issues on certain lenses that ironically the more braced I held the camera the *worse* the shuttershock was. I'd get sharper photos if I held the camera one handed rather than braced (to be clear one handed IBIS was sharper than braced with IBIS on or off in that case). It is probably all camera and lens dependent but based on my experience there is a chance by being extra careful bracing your shots for the wedding you actually made the problem worse!

I actually did do some (admittedly quick and dirty) tests with and without a speedlight and while it did help I still noticed a general softness to the images in that range.

You know, now that I think about it more my assumption that the speedlight would remove the effects of shuttershock is an oversimplification. Yes, with an old manual flash where you dump all the light in like 1/10000 second it would. Many modern TTL speedlight systems though have an extended flash period or multiple strobes that could cover the whole 1/100 second during which the shock happens.

I have never come across a flash that slow. For example,  modest Mecablitz flash has a duration of 1/500 sec to 1/30,000 sec (depending on the exposure, distance ofsubject from flash, etc.).

Arctra wrote:

WARNING - Bit of a rant!

So I've been using the GX8 as my main video cam (and backup stills cam) for a few months now and while I don't like Panasonic's' UI and color output I've put up with it because the IQ has been worth it. Now however I'm not sure.

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 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. 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 have no idea what went wrong with the camera, but it left me feeling rather angry and frustrated by the end of the wedding. I don't know if my camera's a lemon and I honestly don't care that much right now. I'm seriously considering selling the GX8 and either getting the GX85/80 or picking up a EM5 II. At this point I'm rather burnt out over Panasonic.

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

Sorry about the rather long, rambling, rant but I had to vent it somewhere!

I would sell it, forget it and pass to something else. There's so many choices, not worth wasting your time!