Point and shoot / daddy cam for a family outing.
Today, was my very first outing with the GX8 and the Panasonic / Leica 25mm f/1.4. The GX8 + 25mmf/1.4 combo is pretty much the same size and weight as the Fuji X-T1 and 35mm f/1.4 (50mm equivalent focal length for both cameras). However, for family stuff, the GX8 is much faster to autofocus. With the tap to focus / shoot functionality it makes it a better choice for a fun outing.
Today we hit the Point Defiance Zoo, Rosewood Cafe, and Old Town Park in Tacoma. It was an overcast day which provided for nice diffused lighting. All of these pics are straight out of the camera. Most of them were shot in vivid mode, but a few were set to the scenery preset. Also, the greater majority of these were shot at f/1.4. Personally, I prefer warmer tones, so I manually had the white balance set to cloudy or shady for most of the day.
Even though the X-T1 gives better pictures (although that could be argued — the GX8 is really that good), the EVF and LED on the GX8 make for quite an enjoyable shooting experience. I really don’t like the flip out LED as opposed to the tilt / flip style, but it does make selfies possible. One thing I noticed though when looking at the selfie images, we’re looking at the LED, not the lens. If the LED were above the lens or below it, we’d appear to be looking at the camera instead of off to the side.
Lastly, the Rosewood Cafe is definitely my new favorite place to eat after a zoo outing. The restaurant as a comfy and casual atmosphere with great food / desserts and the prices are fair as well. Vanessa tried a huckleberry cider that was the a beautiful and deep purple that she said tasted amazing. We plan on going back by ourselves for dinner on a date night.
As of 9/20/2015, I have now crowned the Panasonic GX8 as the new:
Ultimate Daddy Camera
Previously, that title belonged to the Olympus E-M1, but Panasonic’s newest camera is faster, has better IQ, a nicer EVF / OLED, and the Panasonic / Leica prime lenses are amazing.
