Finally some love for the GX8?

Hi,

I have been using the GX8 for the last 2,5 years after having upgraded from my favorite GX7. Despite my "love at 1st site" GX7 impression, I didn't like the GX8 from the very beginning, but the more I was using it the more I was getting impressed by it.

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!! I will not go into details about its advantages but I would summarize them briefly below:

• one of best EVFs
• great ergonomics with deep grip for an RF body, Panasonic UI and plenty of customizable buttons
• the best m43 sensor so far (don't think its any different than the GX9, G9, EM1 mk2, PenF) and a very good sensor overall
• great build quality and sealing
• very good, reliable and fast S-AF

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

Yannis1976 wrote:

Hi,

I have been using the GX8 for the last 2,5 years after having upgraded from my favorite GX7. Despite my "love at 1st site" GX7 impression, I didn't like the GX8 from the very beginning, but the more I was using it the more I was getting impressed by it.

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!! I will not go into details about its advantages but I would summarize them briefly below:

• one of best EVFs
• great ergonomics with deep grip for an RF body, Panasonic UI and plenty of customizable buttons
• the best m43 sensor so far (don't think its any different than the GX9, G9, EM1 mk2, PenF) and a very good sensor overall
• great build quality and sealing
• very good, reliable and fast S-AF

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

Very good summary of this under-appreciated camera!  The icing on the cake for a GX10 as you suggested would agreeably be a rear screen similar to that of the XT3, which can satisfy both the tilty and the flippy screen capabilities.

I do recall that when the GX8 first came out there was a lot of complaining in this forum about it being too big.  I never felt that way about it, it felt good in my hands and I generally really liked it, and still admire it when I occasionally see one (local dealer, demos, stores in Japan).

I may not be able to resist any longer if such a “GX10” ever comes about, or if Olympus were to beat Panasonic with an updated WR Pen F which even more closely resembles their best film Pens (and has many of the features you mentioned about putting into a GX10).

With the rapidly changing and shrinking ILC market, and increasingly competitive new mirrorless ILCs in many formats being released, it will be interesting to see what both Olympus and Panasonic might do about this class of cameras.

I have had my Gx8, now for 3 weeks. What a wonderful camera!  I do highly recommend the camera.

Yannis1976 wrote:

Hi,

I have been using the GX8 for the last 2,5 years after having upgraded from my favorite GX7. Despite my "love at 1st site" GX7 impression, I didn't like the GX8 from the very beginning, but the more I was using it the more I was getting impressed by it.

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!! I will not go into details about its advantages but I would summarize them briefly below:

• one of best EVFs
• great ergonomics with deep grip for an RF body, Panasonic UI and plenty of customizable buttons
• the best m43 sensor so far (don't think its any different than the GX9, G9, EM1 mk2, PenF) and a very good sensor overall
• great build quality and sealing
• very good, reliable and fast S-AF

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

Your imaginary GX10 would be sweet Yannis.  I don't mind the flip out screen on the GX8 but I wouldn't mind something similar to the XT3 screen or the S1/S1R - best of both worlds for me.

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!!

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

PLEASE! NO! Unless they do a 3-way tilt screen. Even then…

A flippy screen is far too limited. It's especially bad for those of us who shoot LOTS of vertical/portrait images. It' also very handy when contorting to shoot tight interior spaces @ 7mm with the 7-14mm.

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

I sure hope there's a REAL GX8 successor. Maybe Panasonic will release an S-series GX8! A pile of lens adaptors, not unlike what I use now, and I'd be good to go!

GX8 and adapted Voigtländer Trio: 75mm f2.5, 35mm f1.4 and 21mm f4.

jeffharris wrote:

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!!

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

PLEASE! NO! Unless they do a 3-way tilt screen. A flippy screen is far too limited. It's especially bad for those of us who shoot LOTS of vertical/portrait images.

The technical term for an FAS is “flippy screen”, kind of like an animal’s flipper which can move all about a single connection point to the body.

The technical term for a vertically tilting screen (helpful in landscape mode) is “tilty screen”.

So, I agree with your basic sentiment, but technically what you and I prefer here is a flippy screen, not a tilty screen.  Or even better, something which can provide the best of both worlds, similar I think to the new Fujifilm XT3, XT30.

😉

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

I sure hope there's a REAL GX8 successor. Maybe Panasonic will release an S-series GX8! A pile of lens adaptors, not unlike what I use now, and I'd be good to go!

GX8 and adapted Voigtländer Trio: 75mm f2.5, 35mm f1.4 and 21mm f4.

3dwag wrote:

jeffharris wrote:

Nowadays I feel its the best, most balanced RF camera no matter the sensor and I am happily surprised that a lot of people are finally appreciating this camera!!

IMHO, if it even had a tilt screen instead of a FAS, it would be the ultimate RF body!

PLEASE! NO! Unless they do a 3-way tilt screen. A flippy screen is far too limited. It's especially bad for those of us who shoot LOTS of vertical/portrait images.

The technical term for an FAS is “flippy screen”, kind of like an animal’s flipper which can move all about a single connection point to the body.

The technical term for a vertically tilting screen (helpful in landscape mode) is “tilty screen”.

Guess I got confused there. Flippy, NOT tilty! Keep the tilty EVF!!!

So, I agree with your basic sentiment, but technically what you and I prefer here is a flippy screen, not a tilty screen. Or even better, something which can provide the best of both worlds, similar I think to the new Fujifilm XT3, XT30.

😉

I tried the Sony 3-way screen and it wasn't too bad. Haven't tried the Fuji yet. Still, gimme flippy!

Not sure if there will be a real GX8 successor, but the imaginary GX10 could have almost the same body, change to a tilt screen or even better an XT3 screen, add all the latest improvements from GX9/G9 (deal with SS, remove AA filter, latest JPEG engine, better IBIS), add manual SS controls (like Fuji or LX100) and combine it with a WR edition of either the 15mm/1.7 or 25mm/1.4.

I sure hope there's a REAL GX8 successor. Maybe Panasonic will release an S-series GX8! A pile of lens adaptors, not unlike what I use now, and I'd be good to go!

GX8 and adapted Voigtländer Trio: 75mm f2.5, 35mm f1.4 and 21mm f4.

I just recently bought one the other day. Got a used one at a good price. I was really on the fence about buying the camera and finally pulled the trigger. Your words reassure me that everything is allright.

When you're ready to level up it's ergonomics consider getting a leather half case and the eyecup for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or2qkWSdFmE

The case increases the size of the camera a bit heightwise but it softens all the edges and makes it even more comfortable to hold. It also acts as a natural place to rest your middle finger and conveniently positions it right over that pesky front FN button.

The eyecup is my favorite. It just turns the excellent EVF into your own little dark room for reviewing pictures.

I've had them for over a year now and can't imagine using the camera w/o them.

BTW ignore what the video says about the Peak design capture plate. It works perfectly.

If you want a tilt screen then you already got that in the GX9. Changing the screen on the GX8 would no longer make it a GX8 replacement, as the GX9 has shown. You would also have a tilting EVF and a tilting LCD screen, which would be a duplication of the same feature.
The only changes we need is the electro mechanical shutter from the G9, and the addition of focus bracketing.

You can of course use the tilting EVF as well.

The GX8 is my favourite m43 camera so much so that for my needs there are no other m43 cameras I would prefer. If and it seems unlikely there is ever an updated version the only things I would like are better IBIS for video and a pixel shift mode to play about with.