Panasonic Lumix GX8 Review

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Review
wylunone
wylunone
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[@g0fvt]

I am extremely pleased with my GX8, bought a GF6 initially and got tired of changing lenses so needed another camera body. Not experienced enough to be critical , not used it for video. The electronic view finder is superb, it is a bigger advantage than I had anticipated. Still scratching the surface of the capabilities but already got some great results.

[@MileyonDisney]

Would you (or your viewers) have any idea why I can't upgrade the firmware on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 to ver. 2.2? It currently has ver. 1.1. I've downloaded the upgrade from Panasonic's website twice and followed the procedure precisely. Fully-charged battery, SD card formatted in camera, etc. I sure could use some help with this. Thanks!

[@borischocolate]

Thank you for taking the time to present your review, you mentioned several points I had not seen mentioned in other reviews which has helped me in deciding this is the camera for me, just as a side note, I agree with you regarding the 4K, I film professionally at 1080P but my clients make no demand for any higher quality than VHS so why would I need it? Good job once again for a good review :)

[@GeorgeStar]

It's really getting crazy with all those custom buttons. Is this really making photography easier or better? People made some great photos with just f-stop, shutter speed and focus.

[@WylunCustoms]

ya i know what you mean! i honestly use like 1-3 function buttons, and not all the time.

[@KutWrite]

Helpful overview, thanks! I just bought a used one & you've given me a good start as to what settings to explore.

[@WylunCustoms]

thanks! appreciate the view and comment and hope it helped! have a great holiday and new year!

[@igetsmart]

on Flash - I use Godox v850 - awesome for the money - comes with a wireless trigger and flash has a wireless flash receiver and has an awesome battery - not a AA - rather a big camera battery - at 50% power there is no recycle time with 100% power less then a second refresh and you get 500 to 1000 shots on one charge - all for $160 - the great thing is that if you are off camera you can change the power of the flash via trigger on camera - else I sometimes just use a cord for TTL - but most of the time I prefer manual mode - I use the Gary Fong lightsphere dome - just works great - I hate having flash on top of camera - it makes for DMV lighting - flat - need to have flash to either side to great subtle shadows around the face - and the lithosphere just gives the light a great white balance - and limits shadows - but not having to deal with the AA batteries is just great - if I am shooting portraits or animals I mostly use Center Focus and Focus on closest eye and then recompose - works fine - you have Touch Shutter like on the Olympus - in a menu above the Fn menu - I do not use the focus box - If I am doing landscape I set focus to wide or select the area - for portraits Center and recompose - or I will use Touch Shutter - but you have to activate via Touch LCD - works great

[@igetsmart]

nice video - I do have the EM1 and EM5 - both great cameras - but personally I fell in love with the GX7 - the size - style and so many fn buttons and the Full Touch LCD - unlike the Fuji - my EM5 collects dust because of the Playback button - so small and to close to the other button - but certainly a great camera - I also like the menu system better on the GX7/GX8 - I ended up getting two GX7's and love them - but of course go the GX8 and I love it - the EVF is just amazing - and the amazing 4k modes - so Panasonic just improved things without taking anything away from us - I find have mostly Panasonic lenses and with for example 12-35mm F2.8 lens it will be in Dual mode IS /IBIS and I can shoot down to 1 second like I can on the EM1 - I really like Flat Top over the big hump - the hump just gets tangled when I put it in my bags - so I just really enjoy the GX7/GX8 LX100 flat tops - Olympus makes super lenses - and I love my 45mm F1.8 and my 75mm F1.8 - just awesome lenses and work so well with the GX7's and GX8 - I likewise often throw the 40-150 on as my 14-140 Panasonic is a bit heavy ( I have the older model ) - I still use my EM1 and it is a nice camera - I just find a bit more joy using the GX7 and GX8 - You will enjoy the GX8 - Congrats

[@WylunCustoms]

+igetsmart nice i understand what you mean, i like EM5, but man, the gx8 just feels so great and is alot more "fun" to use.. maybe it is the rangefinder feel, who knows. either way, Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching! appreciate it!

[@igetsmart]

I am not sure if you have set your "Touch Settings" the way you want them - in order to not have the focal box show and move - then Goto Touch Settings - there are 3 options - I use Touch Screen = On - as then I can still use Touch to Focus and Touch Shutter - then I use Touch Tab as that will show the option to use soft FN keys and the Touch Shutter Turn on and Off - then the key is to turn Touch AF OFF - for most of my cameras I use Center focus/recompose and then few times use Touch Shutter - But these settings will give you what you want - no need to turn the Touch Screen totally off - hope this helps - the GX8 is a great camera

[@trumpetblue51]

Great video when I was buying my GX8 over a year ago your video helped.although some of the stuff I already knew it still helped

[@WylunCustoms]

hey! glad i helped in someway! hope you're enjoying it!

[@dhasler]

hi buddy, I just wanna know why you didn't buy any Panasonic lenses instead olimpus? btw very nice review, thank you.

[@WylunCustoms]

HI! b/c i started with olympus and already invested $$ in their lenses.. but overall olympus lenses has always been my prefered go to. Today now, at this moment, my main camera is a Pen F, with the olympus 12-40 f2.8, the 40-150 2.8. HOWEVER, my walk around lens is actually a panasonic 15mm f1.7. The olympus 12-40 has been a big staple in my collection b/c its my go to for shooting my youtube videos

[@KutWrite]

You did mention that, Matt.

[@Ukamb]

great review well explained

[@bjnslc]

I don't have issues with using touch focus and it's far faster than using the arrow keys to move the AF area. Perhaps it's personal preference, but having the focus area in the center is never my standard. I don't know how you get two fingers on the display accidentally to scale the AF area, but I do frequently press the arrow keys and Disp button as I grip the camera. With heavier lenses I have to lock the arrow key pad to avoid button press aggravation, so touch AF is not only my preferred option, it's the only option.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks for the upload, great video, please can you tell me if the time lapse exports the files as individual images or as a video file? I'm thinking about this to replace the bulky 5DmkIII for filming my trips. :)

[@SullyCortez]

wow the fact that you completely disregarded the 4K video is unreal. that is the MOST important thing about this camera besides it's photo capabilities. How you could say 'dont shoot in it 4k or i'm not going to be using that' blows my mind. You can crop in and fix your mistakes vs 1080p where there is NO room for error... this review would've been great had you not shot yourself in the foot for all us video guys. This is supposed to be a HUGE option as a B camera for the GH4... and now that you just shit on its video capabilities I'm more solid than ever this is the right camera for me with 4K video capabilities. Please don't be so judgemental in your reviews...

[@WylunCustoms]

+Sully Cortez i dont believe i ever shitted on the 4k capabilities.... i just said i dont need to shoot 4k for my own preference.. lets be honest, just because 4k is available, dont act like 1080p is crap.. if you go with that logic, when "5k" comes out or whatever is higher than 4k, everyone will go the way of saying how crappy 4k will be in comparison..(same logic goes as any new tech comes out) you have to use the camera to your own preference. I dont know about you but im not a professional shooting weddings or music videos, I'm just doing reviews and personal family projects, 1080p is more than enough.. it was enough for the past 3-4 years and it still will be. thats is why my review is more on the use of the camera than the specific tech specs because you already know what its capable of. (unless you don't know what 4k looks like, then sorry) How the camera feels and how you use it functionally, is what I'm trying to cover. either way, thanks for watching and putting your input! if you get the camera, i hope you like it!

[@colinmcnab6145]

WylunCustoms 4k gives a much better picture than 1080P if you are doing video you want the best quality you can get. I work with a Broadcast camcorder and quality is always the top priority even though the customer won't be viewing the rushes on a grade A broadcast monitor. I have just bought a GX8 for 4K video to replace my LX100 which can only do 5 minutes of continues 4K video and GX8 has an external mic socket which is essential for serious video work plus its easier to setup on my steadycam as the LX100 is very light.

[@KutWrite]

Matt: I understood what you meant about 1080 v 4k. Isn't the past tense of "shit" "shat" rather than "shitted?" :P

[@jerryclark6171]

i absolutely agree with your comment on the 4k video!

[@stevelewis8394]

Good indepth video. Re the annoying touch screen - I had the same issue with my GX7 - I leave all the touch screen settings enabled and use the LVF button to switch the screen on/off as needed. As the EVF only comes on when you place your eye to it, having the LVF off when it's not needed saves a lot of battery power and no more accidentally moved focus point - I can switch it on in a jiffy if I want to use it to chimp and/or for the touch functions.

[@WylunCustoms]

thanks for watching! ya the touch screen really bugged me in the end lol

[@markjames2338]

+WylunCustoms I just flip mine over. All the info I need is in the EVF and I don't have to worry about damaging the screen or moving my focus point. You didn't show that handy option in your video. I don't think the GX7 had the screen that flipped over.

[@soundknight]

Thanks for showing the video menu, Im the same regarding 4k, I was very happy to see it has mp4 format for fhd and hd. My GX1 only has AVCHD and its really annoying.

[@ricardoantunes1976]

Mate, i found the touch screen to point AF while composing with the viewfinder really useful IF you tilt the screen 180º putting it away of your face.

[@WylunCustoms]

+Ricardo Antunes that is a very interesting way to use it, thanks for the tip.. since this video i have actually sold my gx8 and actually just recently purchased the olympus pen F. very similar in some ways.. (it does have the same processor i believe). the gx8 does have better video and options, but i do find myself ENJOYING the pen F more.. and have definitely taken full advantage of a touch screen lol.

[@jonhermannsson9231]

the GX8 is a really nice camera - I like a flattop style - the hump on my EM5 and EM1 always gets tangled :)

[@chendilkumar1137]

Good review but personally I love the touch screen to quickly change focus and take the shot - question what happened to the c1 , c2 and c3 buttons ? Did they remove it? I use that in gx7 to have custom profiles ...

[@modernwize]

This camera had a lot going for it on paper, especially for its size but I found myself not being too happy with the image quality. Are you still using yours?

[@WylunCustoms]

+modernwize hi yes, i still have mine, its not my main camera, (canon 7dmkii is) but i do take this out when going out, very decent stills for me.

[@colinmcnab6145]

modernwize the trouble with all cameras is a lens can make or break a camera. I've found that with a Sony a6300 and the SEL1650 lens this lens is utter rubbish and how Sony have got the nerve to pair it with this excellent camera I don't know. The photo's from the lens are the worst I've ever seen given the image sensor has a resolution of 6000x4000 dpi and colour depth of 350. I changed the lens and the photo's are now excellent. I think the GX8 could do with one of the Leica lenses to get the best out of it.

[@naturepi]

nice video! thanks for sharing your experience with GX8, can you tell about timelapse settings, thr intervals, how long the battery last, can you set AUTO ISO?

[@Serenoj69]

I mean seriously...I have Olympus and Panasonic camera's. Now GH4. I cannot think about a worse menusystem then the Oly. What is your problem with with moving the AF with the touchscreen? You want it differently, okey, but the cam makes it very easy for you. I never needed a booklet with my GH4 actually but I did with my EPL5. It is a myrad, which the Gh4 to my mind is not. Anyways: I think you did a good job to explain things. For my taste you talk fast and many words are used for the information I get but keep working on it! You have talent.

[@Serenoj69]

+Serenoj69 Hmmm...that knob you pointed us to for moving the AF point. On my GH4 it works exactly like you say it should. I have to agree with you that it is strange it does not on the GX8. It is the exact same icon...

[@joennick1]

Have you used the GX8 with the Oly 40-150 2.8 pro lens in an amateur sporting environment For example soccer? If so how quick is the C-AF? I understand the DFD is disabled when used with non Pany lenses.

[@yxl191]

How many stops did you get with the IBIS?

[@lrmbvv]

thanks for the review, I was looking for an opinion on having the Panasonic with Olympus lens, I have only Olympus right now but really like the GX8, looks great, I really like the filters on my EP5, do you like the filters Panasonic offers? I'm hoping Olympus comes out with an upgraded EP5, but I may need to get the GX8, Thanks

[@WylunCustoms]

thanks for watching. i have to admit the gx8 has alot of filters... too many maybe but i liked the ones on the olympus a tad better to be honest.. but its not a deal breaker. they are pretty similar

[@rufusleakin163]

How usable is it in dimly lit areas without a built in flash? Would just raising the ISO and(or) slowing the shutter speed compensate?

[@kidotatsuhiko5885]

man what a great job yeah I think there is not much grip so by accident you could preess any buttons

What is the BEST lens to use when shooting videos on this camera? Do you have any recommendations? Please respond as I am thinking of purchasing this camera in about 2 weeks!

[@MrChomiq]

Isn't there an option to disable the touch input on screen with FN button? nm. you mentioned it later

[@MrRockstarMedia]

Thanks for the review. Can you please give me the name and model number of the strap that you are using? I've been looking for something like that for a while where the strap can easily be taken on and off. Thank you in advance.

[@mimstyle]

This is why I prefer olympus, focusing everything is easier.. I have two original em5 so great, I have em5 mark II trust is awesome. Try it

[@markjames2338]

+mimstyle Keep in mind he doesn't know how to use the camera yet in this. He made that look way harder than it is. I've used both and in my opinion the Panny focusing features are better. better thought out and much easier to use.

[@WylunCustoms]

+Mark James is there a easier way you can elaborate? besides touch focus and moving the AF point w/ the arrows? I prefered the AF point selection in the EM5 alot more than this. I also have a canon 7dmkii and i have to say the more AF points there are, the longer it takes to really get to the spot you want sometimes.. unless you re-position your camera. and i dont want to rely on group Focus points.

[@markjames2338]

+WylunCustoms It depends on how you have the camera setup I shoot almost exclusively use the viewfinder, but leave the rear screen on as well. While looking through the viewfinder I touch the screen with my left thumb to move my focus point. It is very fast and after a little practice becomes intuitive. You showed the camera with the back screen display set to camera info and I tried it and it works even with that screen when looking through the viewfinder. It might not be the best solution, and I don't remember how the EM5 works, but this works well IMO. I will also note that I am left eyed and that might make a difference as well.

[@markomax9393]

hello,great video.I have the same camera but I do not have to shoot 60p i do not understand?

[@giutubospatubo1546]

You forgot to show the tilt, flip monitor and tilt EVF and its fantastic quality. Also, no mention of the 20MP new sensor. I very incomplete review, I'm afraid.

[@WylunCustoms]

+Giutubo Spatubo i'm sure i missed some stuff, but to be honest its a flip out touch screen, its nothing new really. and i did talk my dislike for the touch screen, and about the EVF briefly, but i guess not in great detail. Also as for the 20mp, yes, I should have talked about it for a informative video, but even if i dont talk about it, its not like you wouldn't know if this camera shoots good or not. 18, 20, 24mp.. you'll be fine. if you're just shooting to post pictures online, you wont even notice a difference. and plus, its more about the glass you use to improve the image results. this was a consumer review and me talking about more of the non obvious stuff that you wouldn't know about when watching a regular camera review just going over specs. thanks for watching though, appreciate the input.

[@aaronmichaelhayworth4697]

Just got a GX8. What lenses do you recommend? I ordered the Lumix 25mm f 1.7. Looking to grab a couple other lenses for landscapes and portraits.

[@WylunCustoms]

the 15mm 1.7 is also very good, try that out. but i cant recommend lenses to you!, dont know your style and also you should try them out urself! i myself have my olympus 12-40mm 2.8 on my camera at all times.

[@aaronmichaelhayworth4697]

WylunCustoms true. I'm mainly just getting started to be able to add photographs to oral history interviews I'm doing. I've started off with a 25 mm 1.7 and will probably add a varifocal lens like the one you described as I start to gain more experience photographing and editing.

[@alpaykasal44]

quick question, does it have a clean 4k live view on the hdmi?

[@marzatomika]

Do you have this camera still?

[@henrychang1821]

Hi, Is there a way to read focus scale and/or DOF scale information from viewfinder or LCD screen? Best,Henry

[@ILLRICARDO]

if it's almost the same size as a 70d , why do Panasonic insist on using a m34 sensor, wouldn't a apsc sensor be better for low light situations?

[@WylunCustoms]

see, someone appreciates my size comparisons! but ya it is true, the camera is big enough to just put a apsc sensor in there for sure.

[@TheUsertobe]

Great video. I have the camera and mine makes noise when it focuses. I have set it to silent mode but it still makes this focus noise. Is there any way to turn this off? Thanks!!

[@WylunCustoms]

hey thanks for watching! what kind of lenses are u using?

[@TheUsertobe]

[0+WylunCustoms olympus 20 MM

[@TheUsertobe]

+WylunCustoms also, what brand of strap do you have in the video. I like it.

[@Kit2Canada]

Thanks for the review. I wonder if a "Thumb Grip" would be helpful keeping clear of the buttons? This is one used by Valerie Jardin on her Fuji "I use the indispensable Lensmate Thumb Grip" . Other makes are around. valeriejardinphotography.com/blog/2015/2/10/my-favorite-photo-gear-books-podcasts-etc

[@bjnslc]

A thumb grip wouldn't help in my opinion. There's good support for the thumb on the GX8, I'm depressing the arrow keys and Disp button with the heel of my hand. The heavier the lens, the more I tend to grip with my entire hand.

[@justininfrance]

A fun camera? Here's me thinking it was Panasonic's flagship camera at a premium price designed for professionals. And dude, the black tape, how pretentious, you want to fool people you are carrying a Leica? Nobody cares what camera you use.

[@WylunCustoms]

if no one cares what camera i use... why do you care so much to comment on how or what i do with my camera... ohHHHH.. think about that for a second. =P have a good day!

[@jonathan.writes]

A lot of reviewers got review units and were told to cover the model name in order to conceal the early release product.

[@colinmcnab6145]

Saurat a lot of people do the tape thing as it makes the camera less noticeable and you are less likely to be mugged in the street. Everyone knows the GX8 was designed along the lines of the old Leica M3 35mm rangefinder camera.

[@joyineye]

Very informative!

[@WylunCustoms]

+joyineye thanks for watching! tried my best, i know i left alot out after watching it and still learning with the camera, but it was my initial review and thoughts of the camera after having it for less than 2 weeks.

[@joyineye]

+WylunCustoms Hi, how is the gx8 jpeg color compared to em5? thanks.

[@WylunCustoms]

+joyineye its good.. you can always tweek it urself but i saw a tad more natural than the em5 straight out of camera

[@wwe682]

do u use it for your displays?

[@WylunCustoms]

+Raiden682 mostly when i do my youtube videos and my pictures for displays, i use my dslr.. im just more comfortable with that and my gear for that.. but i have no problem using the gx8 if i need to.. all the pictures from my iron man/hulk reviews i just did this past week were from the gx8

[@daytodaywithvikas7994]

Do they have battery grip for this?

[@Smoothblue90]

No.

[@davidwheeler782]

Keep your hands still - stop waving them around - it made me feel sick. But i continued watching 'till the end. That's when i was sick.

[@phildoodler2199]

I gave up watching after about 5 minutes, and that was 5 minutes too long. He's too busy salivating over camera sizes and offering very little constructive knowledge.

[@ehtcom]

I made it to 7:30. It didn't get any better.

[@richardanthony388]

9:40. God kill me now

[@WylunCustoms]

sorry you felt that way but as i said in the beginning, I'm a consumer, not a camera expert, so it was a consumers point of view.. either way, thanks for watching and if you got the camera yourself, I hope you enjoy it!

[@WylunCustoms]

made it pretty far! sorry you didnt like the video, but thanks for giving it a try!

[@WylunCustoms]

you tried though! thanks for taking a look!

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

All your issues about touching the screen accidentally - just be more careful, man. I have none of those issues.

[@WylunCustoms]

hey i kno this is 9 month old comment, but i just decided to come back to this thread b/c i got so much negative feedback lol. its funny b/c i just watched a well respected camera reviewer TheCamerastoreTV and the just reviewed the new sony6500 and talked about how much they didnt like the touchscreen and actually turned it off aswell (b/c they had the same problems as I talked about w/ a camera nearly a year older) yet, i get tossed to the flames and people are telling me i dont know how to use a camera... Just find it funny how eveyrone is a expert online and really dont care for other people preferences and that maybe.... they just dont like touch screen!?

[@dominicanobavaro]

Wylun the Sony touchscreen on the A6500 is not very versatile, it does not change the menus, the Sony is as basic as it get, Panasonic is the King of touch screen. For videos, nothing works better than a touch screen. Thank you for taking the time to do the video.

[@BoxxyFan]

This is probably one of the worse reviews I have ever seen. Seriously. You're complaining because you don't know how to work it because you didn't read the manual? How can you complain about a camera with alot of custom buttons having custom buttons? Just stick to your point and shoot camera or youre iphone!!

[@WylunCustoms]

you complain alot yourself. @ThecamerastoreTV just did a piece on the new sony6500 and actually talk about alot of the things they dont like about it just like how i dont like the gx8, (very sensitive touch screen, laggy reaction), go yell at them too.

[@WylunCustoms]

and honestly 13 fn buttons and sensitive touch screen.. i should go back to iphone? cameras 2-3 years ago didnt even have this many options.. some cameras today dont even have more than 5fn buttons or a high leveled touch screen.. how many things are you even doing w/ your camera? forgive me then, we got a bad ass here!!!!! you must need like 20fn buttons lol.. but whatever, we're all entitled to our own opinion and preference, just dont need to be so harsh about it.. but if you want to be harsh, remember, nearly 80,000 views, and only 75DISlikes.. might sound like alot of dislikes, but thats actually like only .09-.1%, so if .1% of the ppl hated it and literally 99% of the other viewers like it or felt it was decent enough, i think thats pretty good. You can call it the worst review you've ever seen, but... you're just part of .1%. and hey, i said in the beginning it was a consumers review. and i have many other comments with people thanking me for doing size comparisons, pointing out the touch screen problems, showing off the menu system etc etc. you speak loud and got my attention but you dont speak for everyone else.. just .1% =D

[@hmol1955]

It is too much to ask: Listening to talk for half en hour and not ONE single sample.

[@salahbroo3305]

Microphone !!

[@sashali5706]

So much bu...t instead of concentrating on real useful info Waste of time Good info comes in second then absolute bul...t for minutes non ending And why this tape business covering the camera name?? Trying to be strange - u achieve it super strange and weird... From me thumb down .... big down