Two years after the extremely successful launch of GX7 model, Panasonic has come out with its latest offering of GX8. This mirrorless and compact system camera is designed for photography enthusiasts and offers a wide range of features along with an outstanding EVF. This large camera is based on the Micro Four Thirds standard and features a complete set of video abilities making it a truly exclusive piece of equipment.
The GX8 is much larger than its predecessor, GX7 although it shares the flat-topped style of the earlier camera. It is provided with a weather sealed body crafted from high quality magnesium alloy, which makes its sturdy enough to last through pretty horrible conditions in an effortless manner.
However, the plastic buttons provided at the backside of the camera prove to be slightly disappointing and out of place with the strong body. The camera does not boast of a stylish appeal and is available in a black rectangular shape. Given its large size the camera is not as portable as photography enthusiasts would like it to be, but at the same time it offers ample space for a good grip along with various other controls.
The GX8 has been designed as a user friendly camera that makes clicking great images quite easy. The camera is fitted with various buttons to manually control the different functionalities as per the individual requirements of the users. In addition it has also been provided with a series of function buttons that can be customized to get the perfect shots.
The functionality of the control dials can be easily managed with the help of a button placed on the top side of the device. In addition, the unit also features four dials on this side which include the main mode dial, two dials for electronic control and a dedicated exposure dial.
The functionality of the electronic control dials depends on the mode in which the camera is being used. Apart from these controls, the GX8 also features around 13 buttons on its back side.
GX8 features a 25% increase in pixel count which is believed to improve the detail resolution of images by no less than 15%. The camera has also been provided with a new processing engine along with a new 2,360,000-dot OLED electronic viewfinder. In addition to offering greater flexibility for easier viewing from the top, the enhanced EVF also offers a 1.54x magnification with minimal fringing and blurring.
The camera also offers better composition of portrait or landscape oriented images from both high and low angles with the help of its vari-angle hinge. The camera offers the highest resolution with its 20 megapixel sensors and is capable of recording 4K videos along with other features such as the ability to choose between mechanical or silent electronic shutters and depth-by-defocus in the fast contrast AF.
Panasonic GX8 is a high end camera that offers significant upgrades as compared to the GX8 and is a great choice for travel photography and photojournalism.
Price: $999 Approx.
