The GX80 - my thoughts after 3 months with the camera

I started looking at buying a bridge camera last year, wanting something to sit between my SLR (and the many lenses I feel compelled to carry around) and my phone. But I just couldn’t justify it until I started thinking about our upcoming trip, the weight of my bag with my DSLR, the water I cant live without these days, my tablets and all the other random crap I’ll inevitably need whilst out and about. I basically played the cancer card on myself to justify buying a new treat!

I looked at the Canon G7X, because I’ve got friends with it and I know that it’s awesome, but the fixed lens worried me, which is silly because I don’t want to carrying lenses but it’s how my brain works. Then I considered the Olympus Pen, because you know, blogger and all that but it might have been a bit blogger for me. Then I thought about the Sony A series, but the lenses are limited and a man in Jessops told me it would be a waste of money.

And then I heard about the Panasonic Lumix GX80 and I was kind of sold from day one!

And I’ve had the camera for a few months now, and I love it. So I thought I’d introduce you to it and some of it’s features and how mirrorless has won me over.

So the first thing is the size. Its so much smaller than my SLR, under half the size – although it isn’t a pocket camera – it’s a bit bulky for sticking in a pocket, but it leaves so much more room for things in my bag whilst we’re out adventuring. And it has a viewfinder, which I know might not seem like the most useful feature in this day and age, but it’s something that I really value in a camera. And the picture quality is excellent too.

There are two features that, after the quality of the images, really sold me on keeping the camera; 4k Photo and Post Focus.

4k photo is a really clever feature that allows you to shoot a short video and then pull high res stills from the video, which I think you’ll agree is a pretty awesome thing to be able to do. It comes in so handy when it comes to getting pics of the pooches.

Next up is post focus, which essentially does the job of my 50mm on my SLR. The post focus mode essentially takes 20+ photos of the same thing and you can pick the focal point after you’ve snapped. Which is great for DOF shots without needing to have another lens on you.

But there are a few draw backs to both these settings – they are fab but you need to remember to unset them or you’ll end you’ll end up trying to snap a quick shot and end up having to wait for the photo to process, 4k or post focus – both take some time after the photo has been taken!

And now a little glimpse of the phone app interface – because we all know the main point of taking photos these days is to share on Instagram. So, the camera is wifi enabled (if you camera isn’t just buy a wifi memory card). You can download your images, remote shoot your camera and edit photos and videos in the app. I’ve not used the editing facilities as I’ve got loads of apps for that already, but the remote shooting and downloading of images couldn’t be easier! (and don’t judge the amount of puppy photos. You’d do the same!)

I know that I bought this camera to do away with the need for extra lenses but I’ve already got my eye on a couple of them for a time when I might have some space cash lying about. I mean, because I always have some spare cash lying about. Don’t you?

So, here are my thoughts on the Panasonic Lumix GX80 (GX85 in the US) after using it for a couple of months. Have you used a micro four thirds camera yet? What are you thoughts? And if you have, have you bought any extra lenses for it – what you suggest if so?

And just for full disclosure I bought the camera with my own funds – no freebies here – but I’d not say no if someone from Lumix wants to send me some lenses or something just as lovely!

The GX80 – my thoughts after 3 months with the camera

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