LUMIX GX85/GX80 Review | Worth it in 2024? 

I have this camera and eight years later it still holds its own. The stills and video are very nice. We have IBIS! I love that feature. The EVF isn’t the best. Many small cameras don’t even have an EVF. Kudos to Panasonic for stuffing IBIS & an EVF into this small body. This is a photography first. The fact this body does video is a bonus. Eli didn’t address the autofocus of the GX85. It is fast and accurate. Good enough for street or travel photography. Like all Panasonic cameras before the S5 II and G9ii this sensor only uses contrast detection. Yes, the focus will go in and out. Focus will be achieved quickly though. Panasonic was determined to make depth from defocus, DFD, work. On the whole, they succeeded for photography. Not Sony good but more than adequate. DFD is found wanting for video. Sometimes it will lock on. Other times not. Sometimes the focus will wonder. For video manual focus is the way to go. The body sells for ~$400. I’ve seen new in the box bodies with two zoom lenses sell for $500. These deals are still out there. Several RU-vidrs have sung the praises of a camera they purchased for a song but the current price is higher. Not true for this camera. An irrelevant issue. This is a beautiful camera. Rangefinder style. Put a small prime on this body and it is pocketable in coat or jacket pockets articulating screen? It doesn’t have one. I don’t care. I don’t use it and think it has a limited value. Love that the screen tilts up and down. This is a photocentric camera. It doesn’t need a flip screen. This is a killer street camera. I’m glad I own this camera. I hate that Panasonic made a camera that produces very nice video and as a couple of commenters below and Eli notes as a con, there is no audio jac. What was Panasonic thinking? Were they protecting the GH series bodies? Wasn’t there enough room to include even a 2.5mm audio jac? They did this again on the GX9 so it wasn’t an overlooked feature. Shame on Panasonic. Overall a very competent camera at a very fair price. I went on to buy the GX9 and GX8. Both excellent old cameras. This is also an excellent older camera. I recommend it. Hoping Panasonic updates the GX8 with the inclusion of the audio jac and PDAF. If the GX9 is updates I’m hoping to see an audio jac, PDAF and weather sealing. Listen up Panasonic. You have a product that can successfully compete with the X100VI. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

I think an updated GX80/GX9 with better battery, weather sealing and perhaps bundled with an updated Leica 15mm F1.7 (also with weather sealing) would fly off the shelves. Having said that I personally would like to see stay truly photography focused, no fully articulated screen (there are so many now) a USB C port with the option to have a microphone adapter would be fine with me but I think there is more value for Panasonic to keep this line photography first. You can do so much with these little GX cameras they're fantastic tools I personally love the Miniature Effect for urban photos and videos. Also love the way you can push in the rear dial for exposure comp wish move cameras had push dials

I have GX85 and I love all the features of this camera...

One of very few digital cameras that's going up in price, which tells you everything about the niche the GX80 occupies. I picked up one new in 2018 with a 12-32 for £350, which is about what you'd pay for a used example 6 years later. The EVF is a bonus in a camera of its size and it could definitely use a mic jack. Only known weakness is a tendency for the rear dial to lose connection over time in some models, though you can reallocate functions to the sturdier front dial. The 16 mp sensor was old when the camera came out, but I've printed sharp 18" prints at 1600 ISO with minimal tweaking, and video is indistinguishable from the best on most viewing platforms. Getting long in the tooth now, and well looked after examples are definitely worth buying.

There is a special look the GX85 has with the 1.2/42.5 Nocticron wide open.

I’ve had mine for 8 years, I also have the G9 and a Canon EOS 6R and apart from the honeymoon period with the other 2 my go to for travelling is still the GX80!! It does everything well and is just more fun to use! Shame there is no real comparable replacement - let’s just hope it keeps running in to the distant future!!

I just picked one up as a side cam to my G95 so I can leave a telephoto on the G95 and a wide angle on the GX85. So far I'm liking it. I had tried the G100 too but returned it after a couple weeks because it just didn't feel right in the hand. My used GX85 was about a similar price to the refurb G100 I had but feels SO MUCH better to use.

I've had this camera for about 5 years. It's my backup to my backup camera. It's best when I just want to be minimal. Combined with the 14mm, which is an equivalent to a 28mm on a full-frame, which is a popular focal length for street photography.

I just bought a second one as first one broke (all my fault). Sold my X-t5 because I reach for gx80 more and it feels great in hand. Battery life is really really poor is only downside for me. Took it on a trip to Alps last year too, very versatile for landscape too. I haven’t used it for portraits, but I have other kit for that. Good work on the reviews bud, just happened across your channel !

In answer to your question, "What situations do I use it in?" I would say predominantly travel. I have used it for theatre and concerts on a tripod, but it has 2 drawbacks: the lack of a remote control facility (I find using the Image App on my phone cumbersome) and the fact that using the silent/electronic shutter means that it drops from 12 bits to 10 bits (not that I can truthfully say I can notice the difference). Combined with the Olympus 45mm f1.8, I have also used it for some satisfying portraits.

Thanks for your review:) I use GX80 as a main 4/3 camera for photography :) I had lumix lx100 before and love simple menu and button layout of Lumix cameras. Also image quality is more than enough for me. With super sharp Panasonic 42.5 f 1.7 its pleasure to shoot photos with that setup. Only downside - screen is only tiling, not fully articulated as in GX8.

Great video! Tempting camera!

The lack of a mic input and flip out screen made sense with this one. It was like a test to see if they could condense the GX8 into a smaller body, but it really does make me beg the question as to why the GX9 didn't bring back the mic input, full articulating screen rather than a tilt... or even have weather sealing????

Refresh it with a mic jack, no flip out display ideally, better viewfinder. Give it all the video features, I don't even think it needs the 25 mp sensor but I suppose that'd be nice. The biggest thing it needs imo though, is allowing a minimum shutter speed in semi-auto modes.

Thanks. I appreciate my GX85 better. I use it mostly as back up.

Good review Eli. I sold my GX80/85 as I found a used G80/85. The same sensor and processing, but I was more comfortable with the SLR style body, although a little bigger. The G80 has a better EVF, slightly improved stabilisation, weather sealing and a mic input! It also has a flip out screen, good for video, less good for stills. However, if I want to travel even smaller and lighter, I got an old Olympus E-PM1 very cheaply as the IS was broken. Really small with the Lumix 20mm or 14mm :⁠-⁠) Remarkable photos at least for viewing on screen.

I picked up a GX85 last year as a sort of last-gasp swing at m43. I have been in the Pana-Oly ecosystem for 10+ years, but I tested the E-mount waters and found that Sony can match all of the ingredients I liked about the GX85 - handling, EVF+IBIS, compact size - for tradeoffs that I find pretty marginal. I've got too many bodies now and it's likely I divest from m43 since the GX85 is basically the top of the ladder; no 3rd-party glass or new improved rangefinder bodies are coming to save the day.

I use it as a small stills camera so any video related shortcomings don’t concern me. My overall opinion is this camera would be a home run if only Panasonic had installed a better viewfinder panel on the GX85. The panel used is ok for autofocus framing but not good for serious manual focus. It just never looks all that sharp. Still despite the viewfinder issues I give the camera an A-. The camera, my Oly 12 2 and the Oly 45 1.8 fit in a small bag and weigh very little. A good thing👍

My favourite camera, I have aG9 as well and it is great, but the small size is a major positive, I wish Panasonic would bring out an updated model.

I just traded my Sony a7c for the Panasonic g9ii and now I want one of these, but they are impossible to find.

Thinking to get this used for 200 euro and a 12-32 lens included. Yes, in 2024.

I got one three years ago and I am using it for videos because of the very good stab. I had some problems with this camera and it had to bee repaired fortunately within the warrenty. That is why I bought a uses GX9 which has more controls and a flexible viewfinder and I can get GPS-Data from my phone with the Pana image app. My main camera is the GX8 which fits better in size with larger zoom lenses. But this camera has no stab in video mode, and no GPS connection, but is has a mic input. I will keep the GX80 because of its size. Panasonic will probably not develop the GX series any further. The G9 and the G9 ii are too heavy and too bulky for travelling at a time when everyone uses his smartphone to take photos.

Use it as a EDC with the Lumix 12-60, for street and nature/scenery (not animals/birds).

I had this camera(GX80) and loved it. Unfortunately, it was stolen. I replaced it with a GX9, also very nice.

well, it's a 4k camera with clean HDMI that costs 330$. Add two capture cards, a recorder and you have a multicam studio capable to stream for less than 2k$.

Why do you prefer Lumix cameras to Olympus??

Loved my GX80 with one caveat; It was my first M43 after getting back into the system since i had an EP-1 when it was launched! The only thing that i struggled with was the field sequential EVF. My eyes just couldn’t cope with that system and it just made my preferred way of shooting very difficult! Like you say, tearing and shearing of colours plus the edges seemed blurred if looked to one side. Everything else was perfect for me. Wish Lumix could bust out a new camera in the same format but just improve the EVF. Great video; thankyou!