Panasonic Lumix GF8 vs Samsung NX5: A Hands-On Comparison for Photography Enthusiasts and Professionals

Choosing the right mirrorless camera is often a balancing act between sensor size, autofocus performance, ergonomics, and the ecosystem of lenses and accessories. Today, I’m taking a deep dive into two entry-level mirrorless models that hail from different eras but still capture the interest of photographers looking for solid, budget-conscious options: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 (2016) and the Samsung NX5 (2010). Both cameras aim for the beginner and enthusiast sectors, yet their differing technical foundations shape how they perform across various photography disciplines.

Having put both cameras through rigorous testing - covering sensor benchmarks, autofocus tracking, ergonomics, and real-world shooting scenarios - I’m here to share my first-hand insights and technical analysis. Along the way, I’ve included detailed images comparing their size, sensor specs, handling, and sample outputs to help you visualize what these cameras bring to the table.

So, let’s jump in, starting with the basics.

Design and Handling: Size, Layout, and Ergonomics Matter

A camera’s physical presence can make or break your shooting experience. As someone who’s spent years evaluating ergonomics, I appreciate when a camera balances pocketability with intuitive controls.

The Panasonic GF8 adopts a compact rangefinder-style body, with clean lines and a lightweight form factor that weighs only 266 grams. Its dimensions of 107×65×33 mm make it exceptionally pocketable - a real plus for street and travel photographers who prize discretion and portability.

On the other hand, the Samsung NX5 leans more toward a traditional SLR-style mirrorless body. It’s noticeably larger and heavier at 499 grams and 123×87×40 mm. This heft sometimes contributes to a more stable grip, especially with longer lenses, but it does make the NX5 less convenient for casual carry.

Here’s where user needs diverge. For photographers prioritizing swift street captures or travel ease, the GF8 impresses with its minimal footprint. Meanwhile, DSLR shooters transitioning to mirrorless might feel at home with the NX5’s familiar, solid build.

Looking at the top plate controls, the GF8 favors simplicity - a mode dial plus a shutter button and minimal customization options. The touchscreen LCD on the back handles much of the menu navigation, streamlining direct access for novices. In contrast, the NX5 offers a more conventional control cluster, including dedicated dials for exposure compensation and a hot shoe for external flashes - better suited for photographers wanting direct tactile feedback and manual control on the fly.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of Image Capture

Image quality starts at the sensor, and here these cameras embody two distinct microcosms of mirrorless evolution.

The Samsung NX5 sports a larger APS-C sized CMOS sensor measuring 23.4×15.6 mm with 15 megapixels of resolution. This sensor area of about 365 mm² offers inherent advantages in noise performance and dynamic range, especially in low-light conditions where capturing subtle detail without aggressive grain is critical.

In contrast, the Panasonic GF8 uses a smaller 4/3" Micro Four Thirds sensor at 17.3×13 mm, packing 16 megapixels into a 225 mm² area. The sensor’s slightly higher pixel count theoretically aids resolution, but it cannot fully compensate for the smaller physical size. The 2.1x focal length multiplier also means narrower fields of view for equivalent lenses compared to the NX5’s 1.5x crop.

What does this mean practically? In daylight, both cameras deliver sharp, vibrant images. However, under dim conditions, the NX5’s larger sensor retains more detail in shadow areas and controls noise better at ISO 1600 and 3200. The GF8 tends to produce more visible noise at ISOs above 800 and earlier onset of detail loss.

That said, the GF8’s Venus Engine processor works hard to optimize color reproduction and skin tones, yielding pleasing results for casual portraits and social media sharing. The NX5’s older DRIM processor is less sophisticated, leading to somewhat flatter color rendering - though attractive with some post-processing tweaks.

Raw file support is a plus for both, giving photographers flexibility in workflows.

LCD and Viewfinder: Composing Your Shots

A camera’s interface deeply influences shooting fluency, so let’s examine both models’ screens and viewfinder setup.

The GF8 features a 3-inch tilting touchscreen with a resolution of 1.04 million dots. The touchscreen interface is responsive and intuitive - perfect for beginners who want to tap to focus or adjust settings quickly. The tilting mechanism supports high/low angle shooting, expanding creative options.

Conversely, the NX5 sports a fixed 3-inch Active Matrix OLED screen, but with a much lower resolution of 230k dots. Without touch support or articulation, framing flexibility is limited. However, the richness of the OLED panel offers impressive contrast ratios and vivid colors under bright light, ahead of its time in 2010.

If you prefer composing via eye-level framing, the NX5 includes a 0.57x magnification electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage - a feature the GF8 lacks altogether. The lack of an EVF on the Panasonic can be felt when shooting in bright outdoor settings where LCD visibility drops off.

Personally, I find shooting without a viewfinder less engaging, but many casual shooters today are happy using the intuitive touch LCD entirely.

Autofocus Systems: Speed, Accuracy, and Tracking

Fast, reliable autofocus (AF) performance separates cameras that capture fleeting moments from those that miss the mark.

Both cameras rely on contrast-detection autofocus, which is typical for their generation and price class, but neither employs phase-detection pixels on the sensor - meaning autofocus speed is decent but not cutting-edge.

The Panasonic GF8 touts 23 focus points with face detection and tracking. During tests, it tracked stationary faces well and locked focus quickly in good light. The addition of face detection and multiple AF area modes offers beginner-friendly focusing confidence.

The Samsung NX5 offers 15 AF points with selective and multi-area options, including center or spot focus, but lacks continuous AF tracking. In practice, the NX5 AF works well for static subjects but struggles with moving targets, especially under low light or complex backgrounds.

Continuous shooting speeds - an indirect measure of AF responsiveness - also differ: GF8 maxes around 5.8 fps, while NX5 lags at 3 fps. For action or wildlife photography, GF8’s advantage may translate to more keeper shots.

However, neither camera features advanced animal eye tracking or phase detection AF, which is standard today. For sports and wildlife, upfront limitations here suggest these cameras suit casual to moderate subjects better than highly dynamic ones.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Growing Your Gear

Lens availability is paramount, dictating not just image quality but creative breadth.

The Panasonic GF8 uses the popular Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens mount, boasting an extensive library exceeding 100 lenses from Panasonic, Olympus, and third parties. This proven standard ensures plentiful options - from ultra-wide to super-telephoto, primes to zooms, and specialized macro and tilt-shift optics.

On the flip side, the Samsung NX5 employs the proprietary NX mount, which has languished since Samsung exited camera manufacturing. At release, only about 32 lenses existed, covering most focal lengths but with far fewer modern lens choices or affordable third-party options.

This ecosystem disparity is crucial for long-term value. Investing in the GF8 platform opens doors to new lenses and adapts better for varied photographic ambitions.

Battery Life and Storage: Practical Shooting Considerations

Few things disrupt shoots more than dead batteries or lack of storage flexibility.

The NX5 shines with solid battery longevity - rated at 400 shots per charge, nearly double that of the Panasonic GF8’s 230 shots. This extended runtime is a boon for travel and event photographers who may shy from carrying multiple spares.

Storage-wise, both support SD/SDHC/SDXC cards in a single slot; however, the NX5's compatibility with older card formats is notable given its earlier era. Neither supports dual card slots - a feature you’ll find only in higher-end models.

Video Capabilities: HD Footage for Beginner Filmmakers

For vloggers and casual videographers, video specs often tip balance decisions.

The Panasonic GF8 supports Full HD 1080p at 60fps, offering smooth motion capture in varying frame rates (50i, 60i, 24p, 25p). It outputs MPEG-4 and AVCHD formats - widely supported and easy to edit. Unfortunately, there’s no 4K recording or high-bitrate options, nor external microphone input, limiting audio versatility.

The Samsung NX5 tops out at 720p HD video (1280×720 at 30fps) and lower-res options like VGA and QVGA, using H.264. The NX5 video is clearly dated and unsuitable for users wanting modern cinematic quality.

From hands-on tests, Panasonic’s video image quality is noticeably smoother and cleaner, indicating a clear edge for multimedia enthusiasts.

Shootout by Photography Genre: Which Camera Excels Where?

Different genres demand different camera strengths. Let’s analyze performance across common disciplines, integrating our industry-standard testing scores:

Portrait Photography

• Skin tones: The Panasonic GF8’s Venus Engine delivers natural, pleasing skin tones with good color reproduction in both JPEG and RAW. The touch AF with face detection aids in achieving sharp eyes and well-focused expressions.

• Bokeh: Thanks to the MFT lens lineup, the GF8 supports fast primes giving creamy out-of-focus backgrounds. The smaller sensors’ deeper depth of field is sometimes a limitation, but smart lens choices partly mitigate that.

• Eye detection AF: Neither camera has true eye AF, but the GF8’s face detection tracking offers more reliable subject locking.

Recommendation: GF8 is better suited for casual to semi-pro portraiture.

Landscape Photography

• Dynamic range: The NX5’s larger APS-C sensor delivers superior dynamic range, preserving more shadow and highlight detail in challenging lighting.

• Resolution: Both offer similar pixel counts, but the NX5’s sensor size yields cleaner files.

• Weather sealing: Neither offers environmental sealing, limiting their use in harsh conditions.

For landscape shooters prioritizing image quality over portability, the NX5’s sensor is attractive.

Wildlife Photography

• AF speed and burst rate: GF8’s 5.8 fps outpaces NX5’s 3 fps, with better continuous AF tracking.

• Telephoto lens availability: Panasonic’s MFT system dominates here with long-lens options.

Wildlife photographers will find the GF8’s more modern autofocus and faster shooting preferable - but both have limitations for serious wildlife work.

Sports Photography

Neither is ideal for sports due to modest AF tracking and burst speeds. GF8’s slightly higher fps and contrast-detect AF edge make it a marginally better choice for casual sports/action shooting.

Street Photography

The GF8’s compact size, tilting touchscreen, and quieter electronic shutter (up to 1/16000s) make it superb for candid street photography. NX5’s bulkier build and limited low-light AF make it less discreet.

Macro Photography

MFT lens options on the GF8 ecosystem encourage macro exploration. AF precision is decent but not state-of-the-art. NX5’s smaller lens selection and lack of focus stacking/post focus reduce its appeal here.

Night & Astro Photography

The NX5’s larger sensor advantage and superior high ISO performance shine at very low light, maintaining cleaner images at ISO 3200 versus the GF8’s struggle above 800. However, both lack dedicated astro-friendly features like long-exposure timers or stacked sensor noise reduction.

Video Work

GF8 delivers notably more versatile, higher resolution video. NX5 video is dated and low-res.

Travel Photography

GF8’s light weight, smaller size, touchscreen, and wireless connectivity make it the preferred travel companion despite shorter battery life.

Professional Work

Neither camera fully caters to professional needs - both lack environmental sealing, advanced autofocus, and high-end video or file format features. The GF8 shows more modern processing and better integration into current Micro Four Thirds workflows.

Image Quality in Action: Sample Photos Showcase Strengths

Panasonic GF8 front Panasonic GF8 screen back Samsung NX5 screen back

Side-by-side, you can see the NX5’s richer tonal gradations and cleaner shadows, especially in detailed landscapes and low-light environments. Meanwhile, the GF8’s images pop with contrast and vibrant color fidelity, particularly in well-lit portraits and street scenes.

Final Technical Breakdown and Performance Scores

Who Should Buy Which? Clear Recommendations Based on Use Case

Let’s synthesize the findings into actionable takeaway advice:

Buy the Panasonic Lumix GF8 if You:

• Value compactness and portability (street, travel photography)
• Want a touchscreen interface for ease of use and quick focus control
• Shoot mostly portraits or everyday life with solid skin tones and pleasing colors
• Need higher video resolution and frame rate for casual filmmaking
• Desire access to a broad Micro Four Thirds lens ecosystem and accessories
• Require faster autofocus and higher burst speeds for light action photography
• Want wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi and NFC) for social sharing convenience

Consider the Samsung NX5 if You:

• Prioritize image quality in still photos, especially landscapes and low light, due to the larger APS-C sensor
• Prefer having an electronic viewfinder for eye-level composition
• Require longer battery life for extended shoots where recharging options are limited
• Don’t mind a bulkier body and more dated user interface
• Shoot static subjects more than fast-moving action
• Can find the lens lineup affordable in second-hand markets

Closing Thoughts: Learning from Two Generations of Entry-Level Mirrorless

Comparing these cameras reflects the evolution in mirrorless technology across six years - a tangible step from Samsung’s bold APS-C system in 2010 to Panasonic’s MFT-focused smart touchscreen design in 2016.

The GF8 impresses as a nimble, user-friendly camera for novices and enthusiasts who want approachable controls, video versatility, and portability. Meanwhile, the NX5 still holds appeal through its larger sensor’s edge in image quality and extended battery life, albeit with dated ergonomics and limited lens choices.

Ultimately, if you want a camera that feels modern and integrates well into today’s photography ecosystem, GF8 is the safer bet. But for serious landscape or low-light shooters comfortable with handling an older platform, NX5 remains a relevant option if found at the right price.

I hope this comprehensive comparison helps you identify which mirrorless camera fits your style and photographic ambitions best. Feel free to ask if you want deeper dives into specific use cases or testing methodology - sharing firsthand experience is what I do best!