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Panasonic GX80 review: A great and compact all-rounder

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £599
inc VAT (as of 24th of May)

Responsive and feature-packed, the Panasonic GX80 ticks a lot of boxes and is competitively priced

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Image quality

Photo quality is in line with other Panasonic G cameras. That means pleasing colours, reliable autofocus, seriously sharp details and expertly judged automatic exposure settings, but slightly higher noise than rival CSCs from Sony and Fujifilm.

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That’s down to the 17.3x13mm sensors used by Micro Four Thirds cameras, which are about 60% of the size of Fujifilm and Sony’s APS-C sensors (by surface area). It’s not a deal breaker but it gives Panasonic a slight disadvantage for image quality.

Panasonic GX80 sample shot^ Rich, smooth colours and pixel-sharp details on the sculpture, but there’s a hint of noise in darker areas of the sky. (1/640s, f/11, ISO 200, 44mm equivalent)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 2^ There’s lots of detail in the dense foliage in this wide-angle shot. Focus is a little softer towards the edges of the frame but there’s no sign of chromatic aberrations. (1/320s, f/5.6, ISO 200, 24mm equivalent)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 3^ This shot is at the long end of the zoom range, and focus is sharp across the frame. (1/320s, f/8, ISO 200, 64mm equivalent)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 4^ Another detail-packed shot with rich, lifelike colours. (1/60s, f/4.1, ISO 250, 34mm equivalent)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 5^ Shooting in low light at ISO 3200, there’s not much definition to hair textures but noise is kept in check. (1/60s, f/4.2, ISO 3200, 36mm equivalent, -1 EV)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 6^ This shot is a tougher test for noise handling. Hair and skin looks a little smeary and blotchy on close inspection but looks fine at modest sizes. (1/125s, f/5.2, ISO 2000, 50mm equivalent)

Panasonic GX80 sample shot 7^ Manually setting the shutter speed to 1/250s to freeze motion (and stress-test noise levels), image quality is just about holding together for casual snaps. (1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 8000, 64mm equivalent)

Conclusion

There’s nothing particularly radical about the GX80, but I often find that it’s mid-range models like this that provide the best value. All in all, the GX80 is very similar to the Panasonic GX7 released in 2013, but with 4K video, a slimmer kit lens and a much lower launch price. Comparisons with the GX8 are inevitably not going to be in the GX80’s favour. It doesn’t help that the GX8 is available for just £575 body only, or £500 with a cashback offer until 1 June 2016. I expect the GX8 and GX80’s prices will settle down sooner or later and its Recommended award is based around this camera being priced below its larger sibling within a matter of weeks.

Compare it to the superb Fujifilm X-T10, and the GX80 looks extremely impressive with its superior autofocus controls, touchscreen, 4K video and wealth of exotic shooting modes. It’s up to you to decide whether these features are worth more than the X-T10’s superior exposure controls and lower noise levels. 

Buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX80 now from Jessops

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Hardware
Sensor resolution16 megapixels
Sensor size17.3x13mm
Focal length multiplier2x
Optical stabilisationSensor shift and in kit lens
ViewfinderElectronic (2.7 million dots)
Viewfinder magnification (35mm-equivalent), coverage0.7x 100%
LCD screen3in (1.04 million dots)
ArticulatedYes
TouchscreenYes
Orientation sensorYes
Photo file formatsJPEG, RAW (RW2)
Maximum photo resolution4,592×3,448
Photo aspect ratios4:3, 3:2, 16:9 1:1
Video compression formatMP4 (AVC) at up to 100Mbit/s
Video resolutions4K at 24/25fps, 1080p at 25/50fps, 1080i at 25fps, 720p at 25fps, VGA at 25fps
Slow motion video modesN/A
Maximum video clip length (at highest quality)29m 59s
Controls
Exposure modesProgram, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed range60 to 1/4,000 seconds (1/16,000s with electronic shutter)
ISO speed range100 to 25600
Exposure compensationEV +/-5
White balanceAuto, 56 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin
Auto-focus modesMulti, flexible spot, zone, pinpoint, face detect, tracking
Metering modesMulti, centre-weighted, centre, face detect
Flash modesAuto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, rear curtain, red-eye reduction
Drive modesSingle, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, focus bracket, WB bracket, aperture bracket, 4K Photo, Post Focus, multiple exposure, Light Composition, time lapse, stop motion animation, HDR, panorama
Kit lens
Kit lens model namePanasonic H-FS12032
Optical stabilisationYes
Optical zoom (35mm-equivalent focal lengths)2.7x (24-64mm)
Maximum aperture (wide-tele)f/3.5-5.6
35mm-equivalent aperturef/7-11.2
Manual focusYes
Closest macro focus (wide)20cm
Closest macro focus (tele)30cm
Physical
Lens mountMicro Four Thirds
Card slotSDXC
Memory suppliedNone
Battery typeLi-ion
ConnectivityUSB, micro HDMI
WirelessWi-Fi
GPSVia smartphone app
HotshoePanasonic TTL
Body materialMagnesium
AccessoriesUSB cable, neck strap
Weight500g
Dimensions (HxWxD)70x129x70mm
Buying information
WarrantyOne year RTB
Detailswww.panasonic.com/uk
Part codeDMC-GX80KEBK

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