I wrote not long ago an article on why I stopped using m43 cameras: flat rendering. Some has asked me to switch to Panasonic as their cameras render images differently from Olympus despite following the same standards and using the same lenses. A friend of mine has compared using his Leica M lenses on a Sony A7ii vs. a Leica SL and the results in depth are day and night. I hope the GX8 does the same to lenses I have deemed flat (perhaps because of Olympus).

A call for testing

Many of us asked for truer side by side comparisons. I have acquired the latest in amazing m43 gear:

The amazing Lumix GX8: New sensor with hopes of better results.

New sensor with hopes of better results. Leica 15 (9 elements): my favorite walk-around prime lens for m43

(9 elements): my favorite walk-around prime lens for m43 Lumix 20 (7 elements): the only low-element count fast prime lens of the m43 lineup

(7 elements): the only low-element count fast prime lens of the m43 lineup Lumix 42.5 1.7 (10 elements): the newest m43 telephoto prime

I’ve decided to use the lenses I know will pop on my fullframe Nikon D750.

Nikkor AF 28mm 2.8D (6 elements): a low element count wide angle street lens

(6 elements): a low element count wide angle street lens Voigtlander 40mm f2 Ultron (6 elements): a low element count normal lens to match the lumix 20

(6 elements): a low element count normal lens to match the lumix 20 Nikkor AF 85 1.8D (6 elements): a low element count telephoto lens

The images will be shot and compared like the previous blog entry (fullsize images here):

tripod + timer: same angle, pure sharpness/stability

same angle, pure sharpness/stability f8 (half aperture and half ISO values for m43 meaning f4 on the Gx8): wide depth of field (dof), to make sure elements are in focus

(half aperture and half ISO values for m43 meaning f4 on the Gx8): wide depth of field (dof), to make sure elements are in focus focussed on the bunny: round head, best hint of pop.

round head, best hint of pop. matching frames (either d750 or gx8 shots were cropped at 4:3 aspect ratio to match frames): better comparisons

(either d750 or gx8 shots were cropped at 4:3 aspect ratio to match frames): better comparisons matching colors in raw on lightroom: better comparisons

Predictions