LCD and Viewfinder
Panasonic GX8 has a Fully Articulated 3" LCD screen with a resolution of 1,040k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.
LCD is
Touch screen type, so you can change the settings and set the focus point with your fingertips. For those of you who loves shooting self portraits or group photos, Panasonic GX8 will make your life easier with its
Selfie friendly screen.
GX8 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. The viewfinder has a resolution of 2,360kdots and coverage of 100%. 100% coverage ensures that what you see in the viewfinder while shooting matches exactly what you will get later in your image, helping accurate framing your shots and minimizes the need for cropping images later.
Max Shutter speed
Panasonic GX8 can shoot continuously at max speed of
12.0 fps and has max shutter speed of
1/8000 sec. GX8 also has an electronic shutter which can shoot silently at max speed of
16000. One thing to keep in mind is that electronic shutter may cause rolling shutter effects on your images in certain conditions.
Flash
Unfortunately GX8 doesn't have a built-in flash but it has a flash shoe for mounting external flashes.
Focusing
Panasonic GX8 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 49 points to choose from. Panasonic GX8 also features
Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.
Post Focus
Panasonic GX8 has a special Post Focus mode which uses its 4K video and focus bracketing features together to shoot and stack a burst of images into a single image which you can change the focus point on the LCD screen after it is taken. Although the resulting image has only 8 MP resolution, the flexibility this feature gives to the shooter is unmatched.
Video Features
With Panasonic GX8, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 30p,24p fps with bit rates up to 100 mbps and save in MPEG-4 and AVCHD formats. This means that Panasonic GX8 provides
4K (Ultra-HD) video, highest resolution that is available in the market today. When viewed on a 4K screen, you will be amazed by the level of details and the crispness.It is also a big step up from its predecessor
GX7 which has a max video resolution of 1920 x 1080 only. If you are thinking of upgrading your GX7 and shoot a lot of video, this is a big factor to consider in favor of GX8.
GX8 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Mono speaker. Panasonic GX8 also has a port for an external microphone so you can record high quality sound with the help of an external microphone.
4K Photo Mode
Utilizing its 4K Video recording abilities in a creative way, Panasonic GX8 sports a 4K Photo Mode where you can capture 8 MP photos from 4K videos.
Using a software such as Adobe Lightroom on your PC or in-camera function, you can review the 4K video frame by frame and extract the image that you like the most.
Connectivity and Storage
Panasonic GX8 features
built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity ( 802.11b/g/n with NFC) which lets you transfer your photos directly to compatible devices without any physical connection. With its
NFC feature, GX8 can communicate with devices such as smartphones which are also equipped with this technology by simply touching each other.One other feature that we like is the ability to use our smartphone as a remote to control our GX8. You can change camera settings, release shutter, view LCD screen and tranfer files using remote control app.
You can connect GX8 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.
Battery
Panasonic GX8 is powered by a proprietary battery which provides a shooting life of 330 according to CIPA standards.
Considering that the average battery life of Mirrorless type cameras is 360 shots, its battery life is about average in its class but it would still be wise to invest in some spare batteries for long photo trips.
Battery Life Comparison in Semi-Pro Mirrorless Cameras
Panasonic GH3 with its 540shots is the model with longest battery life among Semi-Pro Mirrorless cameras. Check the comparison of Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic GH3 or take a look at Longest Battery Life Mirrorless cameras list.
Panasonic GX8 Features Compared to Main Competitors