Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Review

The Panasonic Lumix GX8 is the first dual Image Stabilisation CSC camera from Panasonic and features a new 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with sensor-shift image stabilisation. The sensor shift is designed to work in combination with optical image stabilisation built into Panasonic lenses for improved image stabilisation. The camera records 4K video and photos, features a tilting high-resolution electronic viewfinder, a vari-angle touch screen, and 8fps continuous shooting at full resolution. The Panasonic Lumix GX8 will be available at the end of August priced at £999 body only. 

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Features

The Panasonic Lumix GX8 updates the GX7, which will remain on the market. The GX8 is said to give a 15% improvement in detail, and in Image Quality, with improved dynamic range, along with an improved noise to signal ratio, thanks to the use of a new 20.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor which is used in combination with the latest Panasonic Venus image processing engine. The GX8 also offers in-camera raw processing, highlight-shadow control, clear retouch, filters, plus an updated panoramic mode giving an option of a wider view. 

The Dual Image Stabilisation system is a 4-axis in-body sensor shift system, which works in conjunction with the optical image stabilisation in Panasonic lenses, which feature a 2-axis system. In video mode, the camera uses a Hybrid image stabilisation system to give 5-axis image stabilisation for FullHD video, but not 4K video. The dual image stabilisation system is said to give comparable image stabilisation performance to Olympus' 5-axis image stabilisation system found in the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. 

A new exposure compensation dial has been added underneath the mode dial. You can customise the front and rear controls, and there is a function button to alter the way the dials operate. The camera will shoot at 8fps in continuous shooting mode with fixed AF or 6fps with continuous AF. There is also a 2.5mm mic socket on the side of the camera, which is now weather-sealed. 

4K Photo features: Using the 4K video technology, as featured on the Panasonic Lumix G7, there are various modes to extract 8 megapixel still images, with the option of 3:2, 1:1, 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, these are: 

• 4K Burst Shooting - allows up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds of continuous shooting at 30fps
• 4K Burst (Start/Stop) - starts continuous shooting with the press of the shutter button and stops with the second press - suitable for shooting opportunities that require a longer waiting time (up to 29min 59 seconds)
• 4K Pre-burst - records 30 frames the second before and after the shutter is pressed giving you 60 chances to capture the perfect moment.

You can save 4K photos straight from the camera, without having to process the video files on your computer. Lightroom can also be used to select frames from the video. 4K video is useful as it can also be used to create 1080p video, to either crop for a 200% view, digitally stabilised or reframed, amongst other things. 

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Key Features:

• 20.3mp Micro Four Thirds sensor – highest picture quality in Lumix G - 
• Dual IS system – 4-axis in body and lens (2-axis) stabilisation working together (for first time) – works in both video and stills (video sensor electronic stabilisation plus lens)
• 2360k dot OLED LVF (EVF) Tiltable, 0.77x magnification, high optical quality 
• 3inch vari-angle monitor 1040k OLED (vari-angle), touch screen 
• Splash / dust proof mag alloy body
• 4K photo (8mp, 30fps) / 4K video (3840x2160, 25fpsUHD)
• Time-lapse video recording
• 8fps continuous shooting / 6fps with AFC
• ISO100 – ISO25600
• Wi-Fi / NFC / QR code 
• USB tethering
• 340 shot battery life

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Handling

The Panasonic Lumix GX8 is noticeably larger than the GX7 it updates, with a larger electronic viewfinder (EVF), that has a high resolution and looks extremely large and clear when in use. The EVF has an eye detection sensor so that it will automatically switch on and off when held up to the eye, and the EVF is a tilting unit, that can tilt upwards 90 degrees. 

There are front and rear control dials to change aperture and shutter speed when in the correct mode. However, it's also possible to customise these so that you can change the function. Pressing the middle button in the rear dial will also let you change the function of the dial to something else. The camera has updated shutter speeds, with 60 to 1/8000s available with the mechanical shutter and 1/16000s available with an electronic shutter. The camera also has a bulb mode that can take photos with an exposure up to 30 minutes long!

There are a number of intelligent auto modes built in, along with several function buttons that can be customised. There is also a new function button that defaults to aperture preview at the front of the camera, that can easily be pressed when holding the camera. On top is a new exposure compensation dial that makes it easy to dial in exposure compensation when needed, giving the camera more external controls. 

There is no longer a built-in pop-up flash, and a flash is not provided in the box with the camera. The camera feels extremely well built with a magnesium alloy body, and the metal dials feel re-assuringly solid. The camera includes diffraction compensation in order to improve image quality when shooting at smaller apertures. The focus points cover a large area of the screen and can be manually selected. You can use the touch screen to set the focus position while the camera's electronic viewfinder (EVF) is held up to your eye, although this can also mean that you accidentally set the focus point with your nose. Luckily this feature can be switched off if necessary.

The screen on the back is a 'vari-angle' touch-screen which can be used to set the focus point, as well as other on-screen options. The screen is bright and clear. When using the screen the display is slightly brighter than it should be, when compared to the electronic viewfinder (EVF), or when viewing images later on the computer. The brightness, contrast and saturation of the screen can be adjusted, which will help ensure you are seeing what you should be seeing when taking photos, which is particularly useful if you are using the screen to gauge correct exposure. Screen brightness can be set to automatic so that the camera will automatically increase the brightness when using the camera outside.

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Function Buttons (Default settings)

Menus – There are multiple menu options and settings, spread over several screens, with the camera displaying hints and tips for each option making it easier to use without having to refer to the manual. The custom function buttons view, shown above, is where you can customise the operation of the camera, with a large number of buttons customisable, although the lack of labels on the physical buttons will make you want to refer to this screen just to check which function does what.

Main menu of Image app	Remote shooting	Playback

Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to remote control the camera, as well as transfer images to a smartphone or tablet. Built in NFC makes it easy to setup a connection to a compatible device. Jump mode uses your smartphone's motion sensor to detect when you have jumped and is designed to get a photo of you in mid-air. You can also use the app to add GPS data to your photos.

Battery life - Battery life is rated at 340 shots when using the screen, with reduced battery life when using the EVF. The camera uses the same battery as the Panasonic Lumix G7 (and G6), and the battery and memory card compartments are underneath the camera. Extended use of the 4K pre-burst mode is likely to reduce battery life due to the camera continuously recording photos. 

Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

Focus is incredibly quick, as is shutter response, when using the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 lens. Continuous shooting is available with continuous AF tracking at 6fps and we managed this in our tests. * Using a high speed SD card, a Panasonic SDXC Class 10, U:3 with R:95/W:90MB/s.

Panasonic Lumix GX8 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - Photos are generally well exposed with bright saturated colours and are biased towards a warm result with good levels of detail particularly when shooting in bright sunny conditions. The camera's metering system is likely to under-expose an image rather than produce an image with blown highlights. Shadow areas occasionally show signs of noise when viewed at 100%. The HDR mode takes a number of photos at different exposures and combines them in-camera into one photo. This produces good results with expanded dynamic range, and can be used handheld. 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Lens test images

Lens Performance - The camera automatically corrects for lens distortion, as well a purple fringing, and as a result there were hardly any issues with purple fringing or distortion visible. The 12-35mm f/2.8 lens is prone to lens flare when shooting with a bright light source such as the sun in the frame, although the majority of the time this wasn't an issue as the provided lens hood gives additional protection. There are options for vignetting / shading compensation in camera, as well as diffraction correction in camera.

It's not possible to switch off the in-camera sensor based image stabilisation system. We used the Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 lens to test the image stabilisation, at 35mm, 70mm equivalent.  

• IS Off completely (GX7*) - slowest shutter speed - 1/25s most shots sharp.
• Lens based IS (GX7*) - slowest shutter speed - 1/20s
• Sensor only (GX8) - slowest shutter speed 1/20s most sharp
• Sensor and lens combo (GX8) - slowest shutter speed - 1/15s
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II - slowest shutter speed - 1/8s

*With a Panasonic lens that features OIS mounted to the GX7 and optical image stabilisation switched off, it's not possible to use the in camera sensor shift image stabilisation. 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - For the lowest noise and best detail possible we would recommend using ISO100 to ISO1600, as images have low levels of noise and good levels of detail. For lower light situations ISO3200 to ISO6400 still provides good results, although noise increases and detail is reduced. At ISO12800 noise levels become strong and we would recommend avoiding this setting if possible, although results may still be useful if resized and used on the web. ISO25600 is best avoided as noise is high, and detail is low.

Noise performance is better at ISO6400 with the GX8 when compared to the Panasonic Lumix G7, despite the increase in megapixels, however it would have been good if the camera was capable of keeping a little more detail in images at ISO3200 and above with cameras like the E-M5 Mark II and X-T10 offering slightly better detail retention. At the lowest ISO setting of ISO100 (extended) dynamic range is lower, and by default the camera shoots at ISO200.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performs gives a warm colour cast under tungsten lighting, with the tungsten preset giving a more accurate result, although it is still quite warm, and for better results custom white balance is recommended. AWB performs reasonably well under fluorescent lights, with a slightly warm result, and again, for better results custom white balance is recommended. Images are occasionally slightly under exposed on default settings, although often appear correct on the (bright) screen of the camera. This is easily corrected using exposure compensation. 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Digital filters

Digital Filters - Creative effects let you apply a number of digital filters to the images, and you can shoot JPEG and raw so that you can go back to the original if you want to. There is also an option to save the original, unedited JPEG image as well. There are several preset colour modes, these can be customised letting you alter the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction, and saturation levels. The monochrome colour option lets you choose a black and white filter.

Panoramic | 1/640 sec | f/5.6 | 12.0 mm | ISO 200

Panorama mode - The camera features an automatic panoramic mode (120°/360°), where you simply press the shutter release button and pan the camera from one side to the other. Results are very good, and well stitched together, with a high-resolution image produced.

Video - Video quality is very good, with lens based optical image stabilisation helping keep the video steady, even when recording hand-held, as shown in the video below, however for the best results a tripod is recommended. Sensor based image stabilisation isn't available while recording videos, however electronic image stabilisation is an option when recording FullHD video, but not 4K video. 

There are Snap Movie options, filter settings, highlight shadow options, diffraction compensation, luminous level settings, mic level adjustment display (four levels), and wind noise cancellation options, meaning there are slightly fewer options available when compared to the G7. 

4K / UHD video options include: MP4: 3820x2160, 25p or 24p, 100Mbps, AAC. Full HD 1080p video options include AVCHD or MP4 compression, with the camera offering AVCHD: 50p, 28Mbps / 25p, 24Mbps / 24p, 24Mbps, MP4: 50p, 28Mbps, AAC / 25p, 20Mbps, AAC and there are lower resolution options including 720p (at 25p), and VGA (at 25p). Additional sample videos can be found on the ePHOTOzine YouTube channel.