Panasonic GX8 Image Quality

Very good image quality from both the 20-megapixel GX8 and 16-megapixel GX7 here at base ISO, though the added resolution does allow the GX8 to resolve a little more detail than the GX7 while also producing slightly lower noise levels.

The 16-megapixel APS-C Fuji X-T1 produces cleaner results here at base ISO with brighter colors as well. But the GX8 is able to resolve significantly more detail in most areas of our target including in the mosaic and pink fabric, though the X-T1 actually does better with fine detail in our tricky red-leaf swatch.

The 16-megapixel Olympus E-M5 II produces a brighter, crisper, more contrasty image than the GX8, however sharpening artifacts are much more obvious. Again, the 20-megapixel GX8 is able to resolve a little more detail than the E-M5 II, but its more conservative default processing means its images don't look quite as punchy and vibrant straight out of the camera.

At base ISO, the 28-megapixel APS-C Samsung NX1 clearly has an edge in resolving power and sharpness, and it also produced an image with higher contrast and lower noise levels, though keep in mind the Samsung's base ISO is lower. The Samsung did better in the pink fabric and in our tricky red-leaf swatch, but it produced some unsightly moiré patterns which the GX8 did not.

The 24-megapixel APS-C Sony A6000 has a slight resolution advantage, but it isn't resolving significantly more detail in most areas here (the majority of the resolution advantage is in the width of the image because of its wider 3:2 aspect ratio). The A6000's image is however more vibrant, contrasty and crisper without obvious sharpening artifacts, giving its image more "pop".

Here at ISO 1600, we see the GX8 resolves slightly more detail in most areas than its predecessor, yet it manages to produce similar noise levels despite its smaller pixels. Impressive! Both struggle with fine detail in our tricky red-leaf fabric, though, and Panasonic's area-specific noise reduction does start to introduce artifacts at boundaries where detail changes.

The Fuji X-T1's high-ISO performance is amazing for a sub-frame camera, producing a crisper, brighter and cleaner looking image than the GX8 at ISO 1600. Chroma noise levels are much lower from the Fuji yet it does much better with our difficult red-leaf fabric, however luminance noise is higher than the GX8 in the shadows.

This comparison is a tougher call, because the GX8's image looks more natural and less processed in most areas, but doesn't have the vibrancy, crispness and more pleasing colors of the E-M5 II's image. Noise levels from the E-M5 II are lower, but there are more obvious noise reduction artifacts while the GX8's noise is more grainy and film-like, but contains artifacts from area-specific noise reduction at boundaries where detail changes.

The Samsung NX1 continues to resolve more detail and produce a crisper image than the GX8 at ISO 1600, but this time noise levels are higher from the NX1, and there are more obvious noise reduction artifacts from the Samsung as well.

The A6000 also continues to produce a crisper, more vibrant image at ISO 1600, but the noise in flatter areas looks a little artificial compared to the more film-like "grain" from the GX8. The Sony appears to produce more detail in the red-leaf swatch, but some of it is false and distorted, though it does do better than the GX8 in the pink fabric.

At ISO 3200, the GX8 manages to resolve a bit more detail in the mosaic crop while producing noise levels that are lower or comparable to its predecessor, but the GX7 does just a bit better with fine detail in our tricky red-leaf swatch.

The Fuji X-T1 continues to impress with its high-ISO performance at ISO 3200, producing a more refined, brighter image that has better detail in most areas, and is almost devoid of chroma noise. The GX8 does better in some high-contrast areas, but the Fuji does better overall, and especially in our red-leaf fabric where the GX8 has blurred away almost all fine detail.

Once again the Olympus produces a crisper, brighter image with better color, though strong noise reduction and more aggressive sharpening leads to more artifacts and a more processed look than the GX8 produces, however the Panasonic's area-specific noise reduction makes some subject boundaries look noisier and rougher.

The Samsung NX1 still manages to produce better detail and contrast at ISO 3200, but noise levels are noticeably higher, particularly in the shadows.

At ISO 3200, the Sony produces a cleaner, brighter image overall, but you can tell it's working hard to reduce noise. The GX8's image arguably looks a little more natural, but overall, the Sony produces the more pleasant image even if it does look a little over-processed. Again, much of the apparent detail in the red-leaf swatch from the Sony is highly distorted and false.