Panasonic GX80

[d00d]

I really like the look of the GX80 ... nice size with tilt-up screen for 'street' @ £399 inc. the kit zoom lens. Ms d00d is asking what I want for Christmas.

And now I'm wondering about the possibility/complications of using it with my Nikon lenses (with an adaptor of course): 35mm1.8G, 85mm1.8G, 18-200mmVR. I've read something about the GX80 having in-body stabilisation so I guess that would work with foreign glass.

The GX80 has some nice features: four bracketing modes, in-camera panorama mode, Post Focus with Focus Stacking, and more. All sound rather good.

Too good to be true ... is it?

 

[stickytape]

Think you'd be fine! I have the G80 - which is the DSLR style model. I got the Viltrox Spoeebooster to use my Canon lens, and it goes very nice with them! Using the Canon 100-400 and 200 so you'd be absolutely fine with the relevant adapter!

 

[d00d]

Think you'd be fine! I have the G80 - which is the DSLR style model. I got the Viltrox Spoeebooster to use my Canon lens, and it goes very nice with them! Using the Canon 100-400 and 200 so you'd be absolutely fine with the relevant adapter!

Cheers, except no auto focus, I presume.

 

[stickytape]

Cheers, except no auto focus, I presume.

Nope full AF in continuous and Single! Ask your Q in the Panasonic thread, there are lots of peeps in there who may have used Nikon; I can certainly vouch for Canon. - few pics in there from the G80 and various Canon lens etc!

 

[Cagey75]

You won't get AF with Nikon lenses, this is only possible for Canon glass unfortunately. Viltrox do make a focal reducer for Nikon to M43 too, but they haven't yet managed AF for that system. You can get cheap 'dumb' adapters that will attach your Nikon lenses though, best bet is K&F adapters, as they have an aperture ring to allow aperture adjusting on G lenses.

But on the IBIS front, yup, you will benefit from that, no matter what lens you attach on there. Great little fun camera, ideal for street photography. And, MF is pretty easy, you have aids such as focus peaking and zoom focus in live view. I feel that MF is a more rewarding experience than depending on AF - of course if you get any native M43 glass along with you will get AF, obviously.

 

[flyingmonkeycorp]

I have one and I love it, my Nikon DSLR kit barely gets a look in now. Use it with Nikon lenses (MF) fine, but the one I use the most is a battered old Helios F2.

 

[woof woof]

I have a gx80 and I think it's a very good camera only spoiled a little by the evf, not having exposure comp in manual mode and no tilting evf. Other than that I can't see any real difference in the image quality against the more expensive gx9.

I think it's very good value for money.

 

[jonbeeza]

Nice looking camera, not a bad price.

 

[tijuana taxi]

I had one, liked it so much went for the GX9 which is like an improved version of it
EVF is less than great, you do get used to it, but I also use Fuji and it pales in comparison

 

[jonbeeza]

I too could be tempted... But I am already looking at other items.

 

[the black fox]

I jumped in stages ,first off played with eos.m bodies with canon lenses through a meike adaptor , but the weight of the lenses made the rig front heavy , then tried out Panasonic at my local LCE shop , changed totally to MFT within the week and sold all my canon gear ,not looked back since

 

[jonbeeza]

If I get one in my Xmas stocking, I will receive it gratefully.

 

[d00d]

You won't get AF with Nikon lenses, this is only possible for Canon glass unfortunately. Viltrox do make a focal reducer for Nikon to M43 too, but they haven't yet managed AF for that system. You can get cheap 'dumb' adapters that will attach your Nikon lenses though, best bet is K&F adapters, as they have an aperture ring to allow aperture adjusting on G lenses.

But on the IBIS front, yup, you will benefit from that, no matter what lens you attach on there. Great little fun camera, ideal for street photography. And, MF is pretty easy, you have aids such as focus peaking and zoom focus in live view. I feel that MF is a more rewarding experience than depending on AF - of course if you get any native M43 glass along with you will get AF, obviously.

Thanks Keith .... for the K&F adapter tip. I'm not sure about MF for street especially as I don't think I'll be using The EVF.

love it

... pleased to hear.

 

[d00d]

I have a gx80 and I think it's a very good camera only spoiled a little by the evf, not having exposure comp in manual mode and no tilting evf. Other than that I can't see any real difference in the image quality against the more expensive gx9.

I think it's very good value for money.

Most useful Alan .... no exposure comp dial OMG I hadn't realised!

Re the GX9 evf ... which eye do you use? I'm right eyed and think, on the odd occasion I need to use the GX80 evf wouldn't be a problem.

Nice looking camera, not a bad price.

Yeah

I had one, liked it so much went for the GX9 which is like an improved version of it
EVF is less than great, you do get used to it, but I also use Fuji and it pales in comparison

Fuji eh? The T20 is always there in the back of my mind.

 

[d00d]

I jumped in stages ,first off played with eos.m bodies with canon lenses through a meike adaptor , but the weight of the lenses made the rig front heavy , then tried out Panasonic at my local LCE shop , changed totally to MFT within the week and sold all my canon gear ,not looked back since

Cheers Jeff

 

[woof woof]

Most useful Alan .... no exposure comp dial OMG I hadn't realised!

You can do exposure compensation in Aperture and Shutter modes but not in Manual. The GX9 allows it in Manual but not the GX80. It's nice to have it but being honest tweaking the exposure post capture is a useable work around.

PS.
I use my right eye. I don't see the evf tearing that some see, I just dont think it's very good. You have to look right through the centre too and if you move things aren't sharp and are never equally sharp across it. I don't know if the problem is the evf or some crappy optic Panasonic havr put in front of it. In use though I mainly forget the evf isn't very good.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Most useful Alan .... no exposure comp dial OMG I hadn't realised!

Re the GX9 evf ... which eye do you use? I'm right eyed and think, on the odd occasion I need to use the GX80 evf wouldn't be a problem.


Yeah



Fuji eh? The T20 is always there in the back of my mind.

I have had a few different models and still own a couple, prefer the rangefinder style although I have just bought a T10 as a spare to my X-Pro2
In my experience they are superior in every aspect apart from the lack of in body stabilisation.
My hold is a bit shaky and bought the Panasonic so I could use a few small primes, still prefer the Fuji though.

 

[d00d]

You can do exposure compensation in Aperture and Shutter modes but not in Manual. The GX9 allows it in Manual but not the GX80. It's nice to have it but being honest tweaking the exposure post capture is a useable work around.

GX80: No Exp Comp dial? but is this done easily and quickly on touch screen, maybe?

It's nice to have it but being honest tweaking the exposure post capture is a useable work around.

are we talking ... in-camera post!?

I have had a few different models and still own a couple, prefer the rangefinder style although I have just bought a T10 as a spare to my X-Pro2
In my experience they are superior in every aspect apart from the lack of in body stabilisation.
My hold is a bit shaky and bought the Panasonic so I could use a few small primes, still prefer the Fuji though.

Hmmm ....

 

[tijuana taxi]

GX80: No Exp Comp dial? but is this done easily and quickly on touch screen, maybe?



are we talking ... in-camera post!?



Hmmm ....

XE2 is a good starting point, like the GX80, but with a better evf and exp comp dial

 

[jonbeeza]

You can do exposure compensation in Aperture and Shutter modes but not in Manual. The GX9 allows it in Manual but not the GX80. It's nice to have it but being honest tweaking the exposure post capture is a useable work around.

PS.
I use my right eye. I don't see the evf tearing that some see, I just dont think it's very good. You have to look right through the centre too and if you move things aren't sharp and are never equally sharp across it. I don't know if the problem is the evf or some crappy optic Panasonic havr put in front of it. In use though I mainly forget the evf isn't very good.

You would not need exposure comp In manual, as you would simply adjust shutter speed to taste.

PS

Otherwise, you would be over riding your own setting.

 

[d00d]

You would not need exposure comp In manual, as you would simply adjust shutter speed to taste.

PS

Otherwise, you would be over riding your own setting.

Hmmm ... sounds like a valid point John.

 

[d00d]

XE2 is a good starting point, like the GX80, but with a better evf and exp comp dial

Cheers ... but I'm drawn in by the ....

four bracketing modes, in-camera panorama mode, Post Focus with Focus Stacking, focus peaking and zoom focus in live view ... etc.

and I still don't know if one can exp comp without the physical dial.

 

[Cagey75]

Thanks Keith .... for the K&F adapter tip. I'm not sure about MF for street especially as I don't think I'll be using The EVF.

You don't need to use an evf for street, shoot from the hip

 

[Cagey75]

Cheers ... but I'm drawn in by the ....

four bracketing modes, in-camera panorama mode, Post Focus with Focus Stacking, focus peaking and zoom focus in live view ... etc.

and I still don't know if one can exp comp without the physical dial.

Fuji was mentioned above, and I'd agree that their cameras are great, and ideal for all purposes [though some would argue not so much for landscape because of strange artifacts people have experienced] - I would not agree that they are superior in every way though, they are better in low light, that's about the long and short of it. Many underestimate IBIS, and what it can add to your photography. I switched from Fuji to M43 for it, and though it was a tough decision, it's not one I was ever really sorry about. I have never noticed any real significant loss of IQ in decent lighting - which is where most of us shoot most of the time. If I'm shooting at night the IBIS more than compensates for the extra noise you'd get at higher ISO. I do love Fuji cameras, but tbh, they are lacking in some areas that I've gotten used to. I still have it in mind to switch back to an XT2 but I'd miss so much about my G80

I did think the Gx80 had a tilt screen though :/ not sure why I did, if you can plump a little extra the G80 is a super little camera, it's not wanting for anything bar better low light performance. It's better built, more comfortable/much better grip, it's got quick access to exp comp, 5 customizable function buttons, it has an articulating LCD, much, much better evf [as good as the Fuji XT2] - a fully functional and ultra responsive touch screen [think smart phone level] it's also weather resistant. I swear, if it had better ISO performance it would be almost my perfect camera.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Having used both makes I think it's fair to say that Fuji give some of the finest sooc photos if that's your thing.

 

[Cagey75]

Having used both makes I think it's fair to say that Fuji give some of the finest sooc photos if that's your thing.

I've been shooting Jpegs past few days, something I rarely ever do! on the G80, and I really cannot complain about the output, really nice colours, very little PP required. I'm about to post a couple in the Pany thread as it happens. Fuji Jpegs are lovely, no denying, though I remember the jpegs from my xpro1 having a kinf of green/yellow tint that near drove me bonkers. I found them very hard to get the wb correct

 

[d00d]

You don't need to use an evf for street, shoot from the hip

Yes ... and I think MF is going to be tricky when not using the the evf.

Fuji was mentioned above, and I'd agree that their cameras are great, and ideal for all purposes [though some would argue not so much for landscape because of strange artifacts people have experienced] - I would not agree that they are superior in every way though, they are better in low light, that's about the long and short of it. Many underestimate IBIS, and what it can add to your photography. I switched from Fuji to M43 for it, and though it was a tough decision, it's not one I was ever sorry about. I have never noticed any real significant loss of IQ in decent lighting - which is where most of us shoot most of the time. If I'm shooting at night the IBIS more than compensates for the extra noise you'd get at higher ISO.

I did think the Gx80 had a tilt screen though :/ not sure why I did, if you can plump a little extra the G80 is a super little camera, it's not wanting for anything bar better low light performance. It's better built, more comfortable/much better grip, it's got quick access to exp comp, 5 customizable function buttons, it has an articulating LCD, much, much better evf [as good as the Fuji XT2] - a fully functional and ultra responsive touch screen [think smart phone level] it's also weather resistant. I swear, if it had better ISO performance it would be almost my perfect camera.

Yep but the GX80 does have a tilt screen, doesn't it! ... I'm just wanting something small, from the hip, not sure ISO performance is a big issue for me .. as you say the IBIS helps.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Yes it does have a tilting screen, something the rangefinder style Fuji's don't possess

 

[Cagey75]

Yes ... and I think MF is going to be tricky when not using the the evf.



Yep but the GX80 does have a tilt screen, doesn't it! ... I'm just wanting something small, from the hip, not sure ISO performance is a big issue for me .. as you say the IBIS helps.

Oh, thought someone mentioned it didn't, sorry - brain fart! Clearly I have never used one, but it's the same sensor as my G80 [afaik]

I often MF using the LCD, use the MF magnification, you're getting a larger view on the LCD - the evf really only helps to keep steadier, and cut out any distractions

 

[d00d]

Having used both makes I think it's fair to say that Fuji give some of the finest sooc photos if that's your thing.

I never use a sooc but shoot jpep most of the time. They always need a straighten and a crop, then polish up nicely with levels, curves and a shapen.

 

[d00d]

I often MF using the LCD, use the MF magnification, you're getting a larger view on the LCD - the evf really only helps to kee steadier, and cut out any distractions

Yes I do that with tabletop stuff but not street.

 

[Cagey75]

Yes I do that with tabletop stuff but not street.

F8 and be there innit? I get ya, but be aware the Gx80 doesn't have the best evf, the LCD is better res

 

[tijuana taxi]

I've been shooting Jpegs past few days, something I rarely ever do! on the G80, and I really cannot complain about the output, really nice colours, very little PP required. I'm about to post a couple in the Pany thread as it happens. Fuji Jpegs are lovely, no denying, though I remember the jpegs from my xpro1 having a kinf of green/yellow tint that near drove me bonkers. I found them very hard to get the wb correct

Never noticed any tint, but most of my use was/ is from the later sensors although I recall the jpegs from the X-E1 being very good.
Definitely noticed the jpegs from the GX9 being better than the GX80, think they used the newer tech developed for the G9
Can't comment on the G8 although I think it's linked to the 20mp sensor, but that's purely anecdotal on my part

 

[Cagey75]

Never noticed any tint, but most of my use was/ is from the later sensors although I recall the jpegs from the X-E1 being very good.
Definitely noticed the jpegs from the GX9 being better than the GX80, think they used the newer tech developed for the G9
Can't comment on the G8 although I think it's linked to the 20mp sensor, but that's purely anecdotal on my part

There was a definitive yellow/greenish cast on my xpro1 jpegs, that or I'm gone colour blind I compared them at the time to files from the XT1, it'll be in the Fuji thread somewhere - the XT1 was the opposite, that had very 'cool' tones with hints of magenta. Different sensors of course. As I shot RAW 99% of the time it wasn't a huge deal, but still found the pro1 files trickier to get the wb right, to my liking at least

 

[tijuana taxi]

There was a definitive yellow/greenish cast on my xpro1 jpegs, that or I'm gone colour blind I compared them at the time to files from the XT1, it'll be in the Fuji thread somewhere - the XT1 was the opposite, that had very 'cool' tones with hints of magenta. Different sensors of course. As I shot RAW 99% of the time it wasn't a huge deal, but still found the pro1 files trickier to get the wb right, to my liking at least

I think most sensors have their peculiarities, found Canon to be on the cool and Blue side.
Never been that impressed with how Fuji renders Reds especially the bright ones.

Out of all the cameras I have used the best was Pentax, had IBIS too, only changed because at the time the lens range was lacking and expensive..
Also their new lenses had problems with the AF motors, shame because the newer cameras like the K5 were really good

 

[Cagey75]

I think most sensors have their peculiarities, found Canon to be on the cool and Blue side.
Never been that impressed with how Fuji renders Reds especially the bright ones.

Out of all the cameras I have used the best was Pentax, had IBIS too, only changed because at the time the lens range was lacking and expensive..
Also their new lenses had problems with the AF motors, shame because the newer cameras like the K5 were really good

I have always wanted to try a Pentax. Apart from some of their old MF lenses, I've never even held one! They have some really nice looking lenses, I used to think their cameras were a bit fugly but they have that ... proper photography gear look about them.

 

[tijuana taxi]

I have always wanted to try a Pentax. Apart from some of their old MF lenses, I've never even held one! They have some really nice looking lenses, I used to think their cameras were a bit fugly but they have that ... proper photography gear look about them.

I started in the digital age with them, really nice cameras, but no affordable telephoto lenses
At the time I wanted to try my hand at wildlife so switched over to Canon.
Was about to return with a K5 iis when Fuji entered the fray, won me over and never returned to Pentax

 

[Cagey75]

I started in the digital age with them, really nice cameras, but no affordable telephoto lenses
At the time I wanted to try my hand at wildlife so switched over to Canon.
Was about to return with a K5 iis when Fuji entered the fray, won me over and never returned to Pentax

Fuji managed to win a lot of folk over, from all angles. I dropped FF for them a few years back, I was a bit sick of Nikon tbh. Used their gear for about 10 years but each model just felt the same, just a different sensor - the menus, the overall ergos and control layout - mundane .... Fuji was a breath of fresh air. My original intention was to upgrade on that path, but there was always that side niggle, that curiosity about M43. I was like the sensor snobs on here at one time, thought no way could M43 be good enough, but I was happily proved wrong. This is why I defend it, I was those guys 6 years ago ... I thought bigger was better too. I stopped being a sensor whore a while back though

To cringely quote Bananarama ... "it aint what you do it's the way that you do it, and that's what gets results"

 

[d00d]

F8 and be there innit? I get ya, but be aware the Gx80 doesn't have the best evf, the LCD is better res

Yes, I've heard about the GX80 evf and rainbowing! I'm used to using LCD on the streets but not sure about this manual focusing lark when using other lens .. from the hip.

Which brings me to M43 lens recommendations .... my 2nd lens might be something like a 14-150 (28-300 equiv. I think), and then possibly a prime.

 

[d00d]

PS.
I use my right eye. I don't see the evf tearing that some see, I just dont think it's very good. You have to look right through the centre too and if you move things aren't sharp and are never equally sharp across it. I don't know if the problem is the evf or some crappy optic Panasonic havr put in front of it. In use though I mainly forget the evf isn't very good.

I missed this earlier. Thanks. I guess the evf will come in handy when composing a shot on a sunny day, if I can see where the focus point is, AF can do its magic.