I am in love with your body, GX8

I had quite a few micro 4/3 cameras thus far. I liked G6 better than G5 but I prefer G2 control scheme with dedicated levers for drive and af modes. I still like my GX80/85, I liked OM-D E-M10 MK1 and I consider GM1 a beast of a camera with respect to its size. I also liked E-PM2 and still have E-PL5 although E-PL5 will go now. I had G9 at home too but to me, an amateur hobbyist, it was too big for a micro 4/3 camera and the grip kind of hurt my hand a bit si I send it back after an hour of examining it.

I have an average or perhaps below average sized hands for a 5'9" male. I did read that GX8 is a big body in micro 4/3 realm before I got it. Well let me tell you that I found my perfect size micro 4/3 body in GX8. Comfortable and secure to hold with perfectly sized grip, perfect placement of control points; especially shutter, dials, AE/AF lock button and the front function button - with a DIY mod consisting of adding a furniture door bumper (closure impact softener) in terms of sticky little plastic nipple to aid allocation of this F-button, which I use for depth of field preview, to help me nail those sun-starts

The only other mod I did was darkening of AF Iluminator assist light with a sticker, which is meant to be used to darken those annoying status LEDs found on various electronic equipment. This iluminator will not blind people in nightclub and similarly anymore, and still aids the focus acquisition in darker environments just fine.

I bought this used GX8 body in mint condition for a very reasonable £430 from reputable online second hand shop. The condition was a described - mint and with only about 160 shutter actuations. I was eyeing GX8 body for a while and never had a chance to hold it before purchase so when I was about to go to Paris for 5 day city break I and my GAS pulled the trigger. Mint it was until the first time I pulled it out of my bag in Paris, when the wrist band got stuck inside my backpack and off it went, lucky from fairly low height, onto concrete bouncing twice or three times making small dents into it magnesium alloy body below the grip and denting my lens cap on 12-32mm. I was swearing as hell calling myself all different "fancy" names but I got over it, eventually. No real damage was done I think but still... what an idiot.

Before I purchase it I read the reviews again, just in case I forgot something about it. I remembered the dreaded shutter-shock issue but I trust DPreview in their assessment that the electronic shutter has no impact on IQ, apart from the potential effect of rolling shutter which did not concern me as I don't usually shoot fast moving subjects with micro 4/3. So I stick to electronic shutter all the time, not a big deal to me.

I love the output of its Sony sensor. I was initially recording both RAW and Jpegs but when I saw the jpegs in Standard mode, with help of i.dynamic set to standard level and noise reduction set to minus 5, the lowest value, I gave up on RAW as I felt there was no need for it at all. The only thing I kind of miss sometimes is the lack of pop-up flash like on GX80/85 which I like to bounce in nightclub or for food foto. But would I trade it for that brilliant articulating EVF? No chance. Also, I love the fully articulated screen - it is just so handy if not a preference for street shooting - but it worked well for that too using the touch screen focus/shutter.

I hope they will make a proper successor to GX8 one day, not like the GX9 which is more of a GX80/85. GX10 with the new shutter mechanism, same form factor, 3.5mm mic jack, dual IS working in 4k and good auto ISO implementation with ability to bias brightness with exposure compensation in Manual mode. That would be my dream micro 4/3 camera. Until then GX8 is the king in micro 4/3 photo realm in my eyes. I am in love with this body.

My Paris trip gallery

https://www.dpreview.com/galleries/3897058264/albums/best-of-paris-with-gx8

My Scotland's autumn in Perth gallery from today

https://www.dpreview.com/galleries/3897058264/albums/autumn-in-scotland-s-perth-2018-with-gx8

Add bluetooth, 3.5 mic jack, in camera charge and remve the Aa filter, and this would be mine.

As a GX8 owner, I agree with everything you said, except shooting JPG. I don't find JPGs acceptable in any kind of situation, but hey, we all do our thing and it doesn't affect anyone's life so, enjoy, I suppose!

jhunna wrote:

Add bluetooth, 3.5 mic jack, in camera charge and remve the Aa filter, and this would be mine.

Aaaaand that's exactly what most of us (GX8 owners I mean) expected from the GX9, more or less. But it went quite the opposite: remove the mic jack altogether, remove weather sealing, downgrade EVF...meh.