Canon EOS 5DS R vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS R and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5DS R was introduced in February 2015 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 was introduced in February 2016. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5DS R over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 over Canon EOS 5DS R.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5DS R has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,040k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Canon EOS 5DS R

Canon EOS 5DS R has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.71x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8.

Canon EOS 5DS R features a 50.6 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 features a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5DS R is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8688 x 5792 resolution. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4:3 (3232 x 2424, 2272 x 1704), 3:2 (4592 x 3064, 3232 x 2160, 1824 x 1216), 3:2 (4592 x 2584, 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080), 1:1 (3424 x 3224, 2416 x 2416, 1712 x 1712) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5DS R has Canon EF lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS 5DS R its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Low-Pass Filter on Canon EOS 5DS R

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Canon EOS 5DS R. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 5DS R it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 nothing can be done. On Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5DS R nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5DS R has a Mini HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS R comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5DS R has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 5DS R has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS R, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/500 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. Canon EOS 5DS R can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 can shoot continuously up to 5.8 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5DS R has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has 23 focusing points. Canon EOS 5DS R has detection range from -2 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5DS R ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 5DS R and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS R and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.60 m at ISO 200. Canon EOS 5DS R has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5DS R.

Canon EOS 5DS R body has dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 body has dimensions of 107 x 65 x 33 mm (4.21 x 2.56 x 1.3"). Canon EOS 5DS R weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8 weighs 266 g (0.59 lb / 9.38 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS R

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8

152 mm

116 mm

107 mm

65 mm

116 mm

65 mm

76 mm

33 mm