Panasonic GX8 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in July 2015 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.2 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GX8 a good camera? The GX8 has a Camera Elo of 2273. This rating puts the GX8 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GX8 ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic GX8 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GX8 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GX8	133 mm	78 mm	63 mm	487 g	330	Y	Jul 2015	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M1	130 mm	94 mm	63 mm	497 g	350	Y	Sep 2013	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	134 mm	91 mm	67 mm	574 g	440	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M5 II	124 mm	85 mm	45 mm	469 g	310	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
5.		Olympus PEN-F	125 mm	72 mm	37 mm	427 g	330	n	Jan 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G85	128 mm	89 mm	74 mm	505 g	330	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 899	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic G95	130 mm	94 mm	77 mm	536 g	290	Y	Apr 2019	US$ 999	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GH4	133 mm	93 mm	84 mm	560 g	500	Y	Feb 2014	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GX7	123 mm	71 mm	55 mm	402 g	350	n	Aug 2013	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GX9	124 mm	72 mm	47 mm	407 g	260	n	Feb 2018	US$ 849	ebay.com
11.		Sony A6500	120 mm	67 mm	53 mm	453 g	350	Y	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic GX8 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,199. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Panasonic GX8 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic GX8 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic GX8	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.5	12.6	806	75
2.		Olympus E-M1	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	23.0	12.7	757	73
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
4.		Olympus E-M5 II	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	23.0	12.5	842	73
5.		Olympus PEN-F	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	23.1	12.4	894	74
6.		Panasonic G85	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	4K/30p	22.8	12.5	656	71
7.		Panasonic G95	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.2	13.0	1273	75
8.		Panasonic GH4	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.2	12.8	791	74
9.		Panasonic GX7	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	22.6	12.2	718	70
10.		Panasonic GX9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.1	12.8	1163	74
11.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The GX8 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GX8 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GX8 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.77x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Panasonic GX8 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GX8	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
2.		Olympus E-M1	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
4.		Olympus E-M5 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
5.		Olympus PEN-F	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic G85	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Panasonic G95	2360	n	3.0 / 1240	swivel	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Panasonic GH4	2359	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	n
9.		Panasonic GX7	2760	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Panasonic GX9	2760	n	3.0 / 1240	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony A6500	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One feature that differentiates the GX8 from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The GX8 reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic GX8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
2.		Olympus E-M1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
4.		Olympus E-M5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Olympus PEN-F	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Panasonic G85	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Panasonic G95	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic GH4	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Panasonic GX7	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Panasonic GX9	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony A6500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the GX8 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the GX8 can be found in the free online Panasonic GX8 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the GX8 in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GX8	5/5	+	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2015	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M1	5/5	+ +	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2013	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	5/5	+ +	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M5 II	5/5	+ +	4.5/5	81/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
5.		Olympus PEN-F	..	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G85	..	+ +	..	84/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 899	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic G95	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2019	US$ 999	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GH4	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GX7	4/5	+	..	79/100	5/5	5/5	Aug 2013	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GX9	4/5	+	4/5	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2018	US$ 849	ebay.com
11.		Sony A6500	5/5	+ +	3.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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