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Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
74
Imaging
59
Features
84
Overall
69
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Panasonic GX8
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 487g - 133 x 78 x 63mm
  • Announced July 2015
  • Superseded the Panasonic GX7
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Panasonic GX8 versus Panasonic S2, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the GX8 (20MP) and S2 (14MP) and the GX8 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The GX8 was released 3 years later than the S2 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GX8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise overview of how the GX8 scores vs the S2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GX8 over the Panasonic S2

 GX8 S2 
RevealedJuly 2015January 2012Fresher by 43 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kCrisper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Panasonic GX8

 S2 GX8 

Common features in the Panasonic GX8 and Panasonic S2

 GX8 S2 

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GX8 comes with external measurements of 133mm x 78mm x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") and a weight of 487 grams (1.07 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S2 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GX8 versus Panasonic S2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the GX8 versus the S2.

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the GX8 and S2 is 74 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The visual underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the GX8 and S2.

All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GX8 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic GX8 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern GX8 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GX8 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Portrait photography camera
75
manual focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
includes face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GX8
Street photography with Panasonic S2
80
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (112g)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX8 Sports photography info
Panasonic S2 Sports photography info
68
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
bad battery life (330 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
great battery power (280 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GX8
Travel photography with Panasonic S2
73
weather proofing
offers touch to focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery life (330 shots)
70
great battery power (280 CIPA)
lighter than competition (112g)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GX8 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Landscape photography camera
76
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
bad battery life (330 CIPA)
41
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
great battery power (280 shots)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX8 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic S2 Vlogging highlights
81
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes microphone support
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competition (112 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
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Panasonic GX8 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX8 and Panasonic S2
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Company Panasonic Panasonic
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2015-07-16 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 49 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.77x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 12.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 487 grams (1.07 lbs) 112 grams (0.25 lbs)
Physical dimensions 133 x 78 x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 75 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 806 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 shots 280 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $898 $109