Question Help me upgrade. Panasonic GX80 or RX100?

timmothy

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Me wouldand my girlfriend would like a new camera as our current RX100 mk1 is getting on a bit. The things we really wish it had is WiFi or Bluetooth. Our old Fuji had them both and it was so useful to just be able to get off a couple of photos into our phones for family or social media.

Other things we would really like on a new camera are decent video recording, electronic viewfinder and tiltable screen.

I have been looking at the GX80 which can be had for £300 and seems like it's well reviewed. I just wonder if its overkill for what we will use it for. 95% of the time it will be in auto mode and saving to jpeg. We use it while traveling and going out for walks so need it to be highly portable.

Do you think the image quality for how we use it will be better on the GX80 or are we better off going for a newer RX100 or equivalent?

Thanks
 
I had a GX80 until recently, and loved it - apart from the viewfinder which was a little too small for me as a glasses-wearer. But, I guess that won't be an issue if you're shooting mainly video as you'll be using the LCD.

The kit 12-32 is a lovely small and decent quality lens, and if you can stretch to the Summilux 15mm lens you'll have a superb street-photography camera too.

There's some great YouTube reviews of it - check out David Thorpe for one.
 
You could also get a sigma art 19 or 30mm f2.8.

Less that £100 the image quality is just stunning.

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The 30mm is the sharpest of the three Sigma Art primes.

Ice
 
Me wouldand my girlfriend would like a new camera as our current RX100 mk1 is getting on a bit. The things we really wish it had is WiFi or Bluetooth. Our old Fuji had them both and it was so useful to just be able to get off a couple of photos into our phones for family or social media.

FWIW you can get SD cards that create a WiFi hotspot on a non-WiFi camera.
I used to use Toshiba Flash Air cards in my Olympus E-PL5 and Fuji XF1 and they work well with the Toshiba app on iPhone for copying a few images and sharing on social media.
The earlier cards had to be switched on/off by locking/unlocking an image on the card. The later card I had was simply "on" when the camera was powered up.
They go for about £30 new on eBay so might be worth a look to keep your RX100 in use regardless.
Do a bit of research as I haven't used mine for a while.
There are other similar SD cards available but I've no experience of them.

Choosing between the later generation of RX100 or the GX80 - the GX80 will take better pictures in lower light because it has a larger image sensor. It also has 5 axis stabilisation so it can compensate for camera movement that would ordinarily cause a blurred image.
There's no issue with using these types of camera in Auto mode if you're not super into photography. I set my cameras to iAuto when I pass them to people to take shots with me in them as there's less to go wrong.
As long as you're happy to carry a slightly larger camera then the GX80 would be my choice.
 
Thanks for the answers. I went for the gx80 in the end. Will see how I get on. Some of those shots seem amazing with the different lenses but I really need to not get drawn into that pit of money.
 
Have fun with it and feel free to ask us any questions :thumbsup:.
I'd recommend having a browse on YouTube to find out how to get the best from it.
This book is also a great introduction to the basics of photography

At some point you may want to start post processing your images - this was the single biggest step up in the quality of my photography and I wish I'd begun earlier - shooting RAW+JPG so I had more options to change things at the computer. Just simple stuff like getting the horizon exactly level and adjusting the exposure can make a huge difference.

The limiting factor for the beginning will be your technique. It'll be a while before you outgrow the kit lens - unless you develop a fondness for low light or want a longer zoom.
I shoot Olympus Micro 4/3rds so all the lenses I use are compatible with your camera. There are lots of reasonably priced and very good lenses. If you do decide to add lenses then you can save a lot of money buying used - most of my lenses were bought that way.
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
Example.....https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sigma-30mm-F2-8-DN-Black-Art-Series-Lens-MICRO-FOUR-THIRDS/401108181081?epid=141707619&hash=item5d63e92059:g:J~gAAOSwtvZb8tuq

This lens above is £119 brand new..... Stunning lens, absolutely love it..... And it's pretty compact.

So you don't have to spend a fortune.

Ice
 
Well the gx80 arrived yesterday and it is far too big for our needs. It will not fit in a pocket and will be a nightmare to take on walks. Any other options in the £300 price range. The other things is the images seem no better than the rx100 and in low indoor light the rx100 is miles ahead with a more realistic bright image.
 
Well the gx80 arrived yesterday and it is far too big for our needs. It will not fit in a pocket and will be a nightmare to take on walks. Any other options in the £300 price range. The other things is the images seem no better than the rx100 and in low indoor light the rx100 is miles ahead with a more realistic bright image.

I'm a big fan of the RX100 for a pocketable camera as I think the 1in sensor strikes a good balance offering a genuinely pocketable camera but also still a fast lens as well. I also find Sony's wireless support is extremely good especially if you have an NFC enabled phone.

I've been mostly happy with an RX100m4 so I haven't looked at rivals for a while although the obvious one is the Canon G7X series. There's also the Panasonic LX100 which has good controls although I felt it still still a bit big for a camera to carry around in my pocket. The main disappointment with the RX100mk4 after the mk1 is that the jpeg quality is still not good and the sensor is capable of a lot more so I wouldn't expect much change in IQ if you do buy a newer RX100 model.
 
Thanks for that. It's a bit disappointing that the image quality on JPEGs is still not great. I am worried that due to its age it might die while we are in the middle of our travels and we will miss out on pictures. I have looked at other options and everything seems so expensive. I did think about a second hand rx100 mk3 that I could get in budget. But then that's old and second hand. This GX80 is new and has 5years warranty. So difficult to know what to do. The rx100 was such an easy choice. But now they seem to be more expensive than 3 years ago.
 
I'd suggest you persevere with the GX80 to find a set up that gives you the results you want - but if it's just too big then there's not much point.

When I was considering one the RX100 mk3 was the sweet spot for price and performance but in the end I decided to stick with larger, more capable cameras.
It's testament to the design that John Lewis are still selling mk1 - mk7 online today. The Mk3 is £479 new.

I'd be a little nervous about buying a small compact used as I've had two fail with issues with the collapsible lens mechanisms in the past.
You can buy them with warranty - for example CEX will sell you a grade B Mk 3 camera for £230 or grade A for £265 but that's out of stock.
You get a 2 year warranty - so as good as buying new - but you're buying sight unseen and as it's older there's more chance it's going to let you down.
 
It's been a few months so I thought I would update this. I almost RMAd the GX80, I got the return number and boxed it all up. I then had a change of heart and thought I would have another go at it.

Took it for a long walk and took some pics, absolutely fell in love with it. I'm not exactly sure why, the image quality in my not professional opinion is on par with the rx100 but not noticeably better. The low light performance is a lot worse as well. The size is larger than my usual cameras and it is a pain to constantly have to twist the lens to start shooting. Even with all this I have never enjoyed using a camera as much. I also tend to take a lot less pictures when out as I tend to choose more wisely now. The video quality is excellent, I would like a higher frame rate, 24fps is just not smooth in my opinion.

I have been pondering whether to get a prime, I almost purchased the 25mm 1.7 but ended up not getting it as it would add a lot of size to the camera. I really enjoy the compactness and don't want anything larger. Someone local is selling the 1.7 20mm for £130 which I am considering, it's a pancake so good for size. I'm just wondering whether it would give me a lot more than the kit lens and if I would miss the dual is.

Thanks for everyone's opinion who commented on my original questions.
 
The 20mm is tack sharp but! The focus is slow... Like really slow.

I now have a GX9 and am impressed even more....

I think your night photography would be better using raw and working within the parameters of the m43 system. Again, put a good bit glass on it and the camera will perform.

I not trying to upset you but that gx80 is a cracking camera..... And the 4k options for photography using the video and post focus also helps.

I use the 12-32mm pancake on my camera..... Brilliant lens and tiny.....

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These 2 shots were taken from the raw shots and edited yesterday using pancake lens...... In manual mode.


Try it!

Ice
 
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I'm a bit late to this thread and would have initially recommended the RX100-3 or newer. There's no doubt that the GX80 can give better pictures but no-one seems to have mentioned the lens aspect (except recommendations of lenses)

As you've found, the GX80 is not as compact and not pocketable, in order to make the GX80 compact and have versatility you have to use one of the pancake zooms, and they don't showcase the best of the m4/3 cameras (although are decent). Also, they're 2 stops slower meaning that they let 1/4 of the light in of the RX100-3 lens, which results in noisier images when the light's not good.

If you want to see a noticeably difference between the RX100-3 and m4/3 cameras you need to use better lenses on the m4/3 which tends to mean a noticeable increase in size, or a prime which means lack of flexibility.

However, as you've found, using bigger cameras tend to be more enjoyable to use as they're not so fiddly, and enjoying it is (imo) the most important thing.
 
If you got the money grab the 15mm Panasonic prime..... Not cheap but on the gx80 is reasonably small but stunning quantity lens.... No question.

Ice
 
That 15mm does look lovely but will cost me more than the camera and way out of budget.
 
That 15mm does look lovely but will cost me more than the camera and way out of budget.
Look at the Sigma DN 30mm f2.8 for mft. About £100 stunning tack sharp lens.... But it's not a pancake lens.... Would transform the images you get from the Panasonic GX80. I have the 19 and the 30mm and truly brilliant value and results for the money.

There is also a 60mm lens and that is a great telephoto lens with the 2x crop Making it effectively a 120mm f2.8 lens.

Check them out....
Bluntly had a video on YouTube for the 30mm lens..... His reaction to this lens says it all.

Ice

 

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