Panasonic GF8 vs Panasonic ZS8

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic GF8 and Panasonic ZS8, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are offered by Panasonic. The image resolution of the GF8 (16MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the GF8 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The GF8 was announced 4 years after the ZS8 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the GF8 scores against the ZS8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic GF8 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF8 has outside dimensions of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GF8 and Panasonic ZS8 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the GF8 compared to the ZS8.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GF8 and ZS8 is 90 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF8 and ZS8.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The GF8 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic GF8 will give greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The newer GF8 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.