Setting up the Panasonic GX8 Part 1 Basic Decisions

GX8 + 12-35mm

Users who are familiar with   other Panasonic micro four thirds cameras will have no trouble setting up the GX8 as the menu system and operation follow established themes.

However newcomers to PanaWorld might be daunted at first by the number of choices and options available. 

So here are some setup suggestions. They are biased towards still photo usage not video, although many of the setup decisions will likely be the same for both.

As always with my setup guides I describe the options available, why you might select one over another, what I opt for and why.

The GX8 and similar recent model Panasonic M43 cameras are highly configurable. This means each individual user can basically design their own camera.

This is a wonderful thing but it does mean coming to grips with many this-or-that type decisions.

Fortunately you can go back later and change any setting which you deem not to be working for your particular needs.

Complete beginners

It may be that some beginners to ‘camera photography’ (as distinct from ‘smart phone photography’) might find themselves with a GX8 and 12-35mm or 14-140mm lens in hand.

I recommend that these users set the Mode Dial to the [iA] position, set the time and date when prompted by the camera, leave all menu settings as found or reset them to default with a used camera, make sure the OIS switch on the lens is pushed up (ON) then go out and make lots of photos.  You will find the camera does an excellent job in a wide variety of conditions.

Creative Control 

The artist’s palette icon next to the [iA] icon on the Mode Dial brings up the ‘Creative Control’ settings. You can play with these for a while. They include ‘Expressive’, ‘Retro’, ‘High Key’ …..etcetera.  In my view these features are just gimmicks, not creative and certainly not giving the user any control over the camera’s output.

Panorama

The GX8 has a dedicated setting on the Mode Dial for Panorama. I find this setting very useful. With the right subject and technique excellent panoramas can be achieved. Please see my post on this here.

To set up for panoramas:

1. Move the Mode Dial to the Panorama icon.

2. Press the Menu/Set button to enter the Menus,  scroll to the Rec Menu then down to the [Panorama Settings] on screen 5/8.

3. Scroll to [Direction]. Now things get a bit confusing. You are offered four options. The camera can do a sweep panorama left-to-right or down-to-up in either landscape or portrait orientation.

The setting which I use and recommend is the bottom one of the four displayed. This allows you to hold the camera in portrait orientation and sweep from left to right for a horizontal panorama which is the most common type. Using portrait orientation gives you more height to the final image than is available with landscape orientation. Try it, you will see what I mean.

4. On the GX8 you are offered a [Picture Size] option, Standard or Wide. I find the Wide option quite extreme so I set Standard which still gets you an impressively wide panorama.

Moving up

After you press the [Menu/Set] button to access the menu system you will see an option to set [iA+]. 

This provides more options and functions than [iA]. For instance there are 3 screens of Rec Menu options in[iA] and 8 screens in [iA+]. You can use RAW capture in [iA+] Mode.

In effect the camera is prompting you to try [iA+].  Which you can do.

However I find [iA+] more confusing than helpful and you still don’t have full control of the focus box size and position in [iA+] so I recommend moving right on to the P (Program) setting on the Mode Dial and from there to the A, S and M settings.

For the remainder of this post I will assume one of the P, A, S, M   Mode settings.

Autofocus control

I think the first big decision is about your preferred autofocus control interface.

Panasonic cameras including the GX8 have a very sophisticated auto/manual focus system with many options. Some of these are detailed on pages 144-155 of the advanced Operating Instructions.

My personal view is that Panasonic has gone over the top with AF options which are so numerous as to confuse.

1. You can let the camera decide where in the frame and on what subject element to focus. You get this automatically in [iA].

In one of the P, A,S or M modes you need to find [Autofocus Mode = AF Mode]. By default this is accessed via the left cursor button, but it can be allocated to any Function button. 

The options in AF Mode are Face/Eye Detect, Tracking, 49 Area, Custom Multi, 1-Area and Pinpoint.

If you set 49 Area then AF will work just as it does in [iA] Mode.

This is nice and easy but you have no control over the selected AF point(s).

2. You can set Face/Eye Detect which can be useful with, say, a portrait session or a person-in-landscape or similar where you know there will be a face looking towards the camera. It works fine as long as you understand the limitations of face detect.

3. You can set 1-Area, locate the AF box in the center of the frame and use the focus-and-recompose technique. Some people prefer this, having become accustomed to it from past experience. This also works but may be subject to errors with wide angle lenses used close up and may give an incorrect exposure as AF and AE are by default evaluated and locked together.

If you want to use focus-and-recompose, I suggest focussing with the AF/AE Lock button (the one on the thumb support). First go to the Custom Menu, screen 1/9, [AF/AE Lock] and set the [AF Lock] option. Then back in the Custom Menu scroll down to [AF/AE Lock Hold] and set this ON.

Now you have separated AF from AE. You can lock focus anywhere in the frame and recompose with AE measured just before the exposure.

4. You can move the active AF box anywhere in the frame with the 4 Way pad (called Cursor Buttons in Panaspeak). There are basically three ways of doing this. 

Yes I know, too many options………………..

If the camera had a JOG lever to move the AF box none of this messing about with other buttons would be required, but there is no JOG lever so we must press on with the options which are available…. 

4.1 With the Cursor Buttons at default settings you:

* Press the left cursor button which brings up the AF Mode.

* Then press the down cursor button which changes the AF bounding box from white corners to a yellow box with a yellow arrow on each side.

* Now press any cursor button to move the box anywhere you like, up/down/left/right.

* Change the size of the AF box in little steps with the front dial or big jumps with the rear dial.

* Recenter the box with one press on the Disp button.

* Resize the box to default with a second press on the Disp button.

* Return to shooting function any time with a half press on the shutter button.

4.2  You can assign to any one of the Function buttons the task of bringing up the active AF box. In the Custom Menu, screen 7/9 scroll to [Fn Button Set].

You will see that each Fn button can be assigned one of 56 functions. On screen 3/14 of these is [Focus Area Set]. When this is assigned to a Function Button then pressing that button brings up the active AF box with yellow border and bounding arrows.

But which Fn button ?

I am unable to nominate a suitable one.  Ergonomically it should be the Playback button but 

Panasonic never lets you retask this button. So I do not recommend this option.

Update July 2016:  One respondent to this post says he uses Fn3 for [Focus Area Set]. The problem is that button is right at the bottom of the control panel which is inconvenient and requires the right hand to substantially release its grip on the camera.

4.3 Direct Focus Area.  This is the option which I use and recommend.

The advantage is you get direct control of the AF box position.

The disadvantage is you have to find alternative access to AF Mode, ISO, WB and Drive Mode. 

Some users are daunted by this prospect but it is easily done via the many Fn buttons and the Q menu. Thus I find the advantages of Direct Focus Area outweigh  the disadvantages.

In the Custom Menu, screen 3/9 set [Direct Focus Area] ON.

For the record I allocate:

* Drive Mode to the LVF/Fn 6 button

* AF Mode to the Fn 5 button in the Focus Mode lever module, this being a logical place for it.

* ISO to the Q Menu/Fn 2 button.

* I set White Balance in the Q Menu (allocated to Fn 1).  I rarely find I need to use the specific white balance options. I almost always set auto white balance and make any required corrections later in Photoshop.  

But wait !  There’s more:

You can drive yourself completely potty with all the autofocus options in the AF Menu. There are too many variables here for the comprehension of ordinary mortals trying to use the device for the purpose of taking photographs.

* Face/eye detect can be useful sometimes but you have to press buttons to access that function.

* Tracking might sometimes be useful especially for video where you want to hold focus on a person/dog, whatever, which is moving around the frame.

For a series of still photos using Burst Mode and AFC to follow focus on a moving subject plain old 1-Area AF is more reliable in my experience.

* 49 Area prevents you from having control over AF point selection.

* Custom Multi is for the tragically tech addicted user more interested in fiddling with the options than taking photos.

* 1-Area is the option which I use 99% of the time and recommend.

* Pinpoint can be useful on occasion for the ‘small-bird-in-a-tree’ type of subject.

To repeat myself

Panasonic and other camera makers need to fit all cameras in the expert/enthusiast section of the market with an ergonomically located  JOG lever of good  haptic design.

You will find such a control module on high end Canon models such as the 7D (2) and 5D, Nikon D500 and higher models. The technology is well established over several years of use. Even my old Canon EOS 40D of 2007 had one.

A well located and configured JOG lever completely invigorates the ergonomics of AF point selection. The best location is just to the left of the right thumb in rest position. All my mockups have one, to demonstrate that a JOG lever can be fitted even to small-ish cameras with thoughtful design.

Touchscreen

The GX8 has some very sophisticated touch screen functions. Some users say they really  like touchscreen functions and get very critical of any camera without them.  Others have no use for the touch screen and switch it off.

The problem is that with eye level viewing you are unable to see the screen and thus most touch functions  are unavailable.

There is one touch function which can be used with EVF viewing, however. It is called [Touch Pad AF]. It is set via the custom Menu, screen 8/9, [Touch Settings]. You need to set [Touch Screen] ON then the next options, Touch Tab, Touch AF and Touch Pad AF become active.

The idea of [Touch Pad AF] is that while looking through the EVF you touch the monitor with a finger and thus move the AF box about the screen, with the position of the box displayed in the EVF.

Some users say they really like this feature. I have tried it on many Panasonic cameras and find that I can control the position of the AF box with [Direct Focus Area] and the cursor keys much more reliably and efficiently.

I imagine that some situations such as video with a tripod mounted camera might benefit from touch screen function.

But for hand held single shot photography I find touch screen a nuisance and switch it off.

Dial Function

On Page 51 of the Operating Instructions you can find a list of options for the Front and Rear Dials.

The [Dial Set] tab is found in the Custom Menu, screen 7/9.

In P, A and S Modes the dials have the same function.

In M  Mode you can set one to change Aperture and the other to change Shutter Speed.

If you want to confuse yourself completely you can configure the dials to work the opposite way from default. I strongly recommend leaving them at the default setting in which each dial delivers ‘value up’ when the finger working the dial is moved to the right. This is what I and I suspect many people expect to happen.

You cannot set one of the dials to adjust  Exposure Compensation in P, A or S Mode.  This is presumably because the camera has a separate, set-and-see type Exposure Compensation Dial stacked beneath the Mode Dial.

But the EC dial can only do +/- 3 stops. So to get up to 5 stops you have to turn the EC dial as far as it will go then turn either the front or rear (whichever one you set, I use the rear one) to get the extra 2 stops.

I regard this arrangement as a complete ergonomic kludge,  presumably the result of someone high up in  product development command insisting on putting that redundant  Exposure Compensation Dial on top of the camera. Never before have I seen one dial cause so much trouble. If they allowed exposure compensation to be assigned to the front or rear dial there would be no need for the separate EC dial at all or the dial could be used for Drive Mode.

Next in this litany of dysfunctional dial options we have [Dial Operation Switch Setup]. This has recently appeared on Panasonic M43 cameras.

A bit of history and background to this might be helpful.

The basic idea is that there are many more functions  than control modules (buttons, dials etc).

Therefore it might seem desirable to squeeze two functions out of each module.  Or it might  just be confusing, I will get to that.

Panasonic has a long established, tried and effective method for providing this in the form of the ‘push-click’ dial.

For instance, the rear dial on the FZ1000 does a very nice ‘push-click’. It usually adjusts Aperture or Shutter speed, depending on the selected Mode. But push it in until it clicks and it switches to Exposure Compensation with a clear indication in the monitor and EVF letting the user know what is being adjusted right now.

Notice that the rear dial on the FZ1000 is of the semi submerged type. But the dials on the GX8 are open type which cannot be configured for ‘push-click’ operation.

Why are they open type ?

I have no idea. If pressed I would have to guess it is a fashion.

The semi submerged type have several practical and ergonomic advantages.

So ‘push-click’ is not possible on the GX8 (or the G7 by the way and for the same reason).

So the designers had to come up with an alternative and the [Dial Operation Switch] is it.  Olympus has the same issue for the same reason with its OM-D cameras. They elected to use a little lever to make the switch.

The idea is you press a programmed Function button to switch the dial to a prearranged alternative function and press it again to return the dial to the original function.

By default the operative button is Fn 13 (the one in the middle of the rear dial) although any Fn button can be used.

There is a list of assignable functions on Page 51 of the Operating instructions.

You might want to give [Dial Operation Switch] a try but please not while you are trying to make any photos deemed important such as a family wedding or other unrepeatable occasion.

The problem is that [Dial Operation Switch] is really awkward to implement, it is difficult to remember what function you assigned as the alternate and the opportunity for mistakes is high.

I avoid the whole thing like the plague. The GX8 is complicated enough without adding another layer of functions to forget.

The other problem is that you don’t gain much. Sure there are two new dial functions if you can remember which ones you set. But you lose the function of the Fn button assigned to Dial Switch. So you really only gain one function which could just as easily have gone to the Q menu, leaving the dials with just one function.

All right, enough with the dials.

Function Button task allocations

Pages 70-71 of the Operating Instructions have the details.

Go to screen 7/9 of the Custom Menu to find [Fn Button Set]. You will see there are different options for Rec and Play Modes.

There are 8 hard buttons on the GX8 with user assignable function plus the AF/AE-L button which also offers user selectable function options. In addition there are 5 soft Fn buttons available if Touch Screen is enabled.

Each Fn button can be assigned one function from a list of 55 available.

So the total number of combinations of functions is mind boggling and beyond the capacity of my calculator.

Each user will have his or her own idea about Fn button allocations and I would imagine these will change with experience. I have no idea what your personal preferences might be so I will just describe the Fn function allocations which I use with my reasons.

First up let us deal with the hapless Fn 7 button. That’s the hidden one on the front of the body, flush with the surface so you can’t find it when you want to but located where you will always bump it accidentally when picking up the camera.  I score a complete fail for the design team there.

Fn 7 is by default assigned [Preview] see Page 102 of the Instructions. But [Preview] puts irritating little signs on the screen when the button is pressed so I want to get rid of that.

You cannot disable it so I assign [Flash Adjust] function to it. There being no flash on the camera this effectively renders the button function-less.

For the rest, here are my selections with reasons:

Fn1, just to the right of the rear dial on the top plate. I put the Q Menu here. I put Prepare Phase adjustments in the Q menu. These are things I might want to adjust in the minute or so before taking photos but not during the Capture process. So I don’t need the Q menu in a high priority position.

Fn 2 is the one labelled Q menu. This is in a high priority location so I put ISO Sensitivity here because I want to change ISO during Capture Phase of use.

Fn3 is the Delete/Return button lower left on the control panel. I put Quality (JPG/RAW) here. It is not a top priority location but I still want ready access to Quality sometimes in Prepare Phase.

Fn 4 is bottom right on the control panel. I put Level Gauge here.

Fn 5 is the button in the center of the Focus Mode lever. This is a logical place for Auto Focus (AF) Mode.

Fn 6 is the LVF button to the right of the EVF (LVF). I put Drive Mode Here. This is a Prepare Phase adjustment. So I put it where I can access it easily enough but not to use up a high priority control button.

Fn 7 has been dealt with. Severely.

Fn 8-12 are soft and since I have the touch screen off so are they.

Fn 13 is the one in the middle of the rear dial. I put M-Shutter/E-Shutter/Auto there.

If at first you find all this overwhelming I suggest you just leave everything at default for a while until you become familiar with the camera.

Q Menu

This is an ideal place to collect some Prepare Phase functions which have not yet been assigned to a Fn button. Each user will have their own ideas about what best to locate here.

There is a set of default functions on the Q Menu but I suggest you create a Custom set to suit yourself.

First go to the Custom Menu screen 7/9 and scroll to [Q Menu] then set Custom.

Now press whichever button you assigned to Q Menu then the down cursor button to highlight the [Q+Wrench] symbol bottom left on the screen. Press Menu/Set to bring up the Q menu Customise screen.

You can have up to 15 items on the Q Menu but not more than 5 are visible at a time so I try not to exceed that number.

All 33 available options can be seen on the 5 pages of the Customise screen, you can also peruse pages 66-69 of the Instructions for further details.

There might be a temptation to load lots of things onto the Q Menu but I suggest that lean is good and restricting items to those which require adjustment in Prepare Phase is efficient.

For the record I have Stabiliser, E-Shutter and White Balance on the Q Menu.

Next: Custom Menu