Gary you said something like "It may not be the perfect camera but it always inspires me to go out and take photos." That almost sounds like the definition of a perfect 📸 camera.....
Hello Joe! It definitely is inspiring to use everyday, and a very fun camera to use too despite its shortcomings! I found myself snapping pictures and videos almost everyday now with the GX85 😁
This is one of the most thorough camera review I’ve seen. It makes me want to go out with my GX85 tomorrow. BTW my favorite lenses, like yours, are the 20mm f/1.7 and 45mm f/1.8, plus the 12-32 mm kit lens.
I've owned for the GX85 for many years now. Bought it new. A few items: 1. Panasonic is really bad in naming consistency. The same camera is the GX7-II in Japan and that's really what it is. It's not really a GX8 follow-on. 2. You're right in that the highest native flash sync speed is limited, 1/160s. However, the camera works with high-speed sync flashes just fine. I use Godox strobes (and remote triggers). With HSS turned on, fastest shutter speed is 1/4000s. Very useful. 3. Panasonic redesigned the shutter mechanism in this camera. It no longer has the shutter induced vibration issues some complain about in the GX8. It should also be a much quieter mechanism than the GX8; try it side by side. 4. The GX85 doesn't have the anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor. You should see slightly sharper images relative to the GX8, but trading off the chance of moire in rare circumstances. The one thing I really miss is a rotating EVF. That was nice when shooting outdoors under harsh sun.
I use the jjc hand grip. It does not block the battery and has a built in Arca-Swiss compatible base. Great piece of kit that completely changes and improves the ergonomics. Gx85 is my Fav everyday carry camera despite me owning cameras that cost more than 10x as much.
GX85 is a fantastic camera, I used mine for a good 5 years before switching to GX9 - I only have one camera so the GX9 was a sensible upgrade for me, if I had multiple cameras maybe I would have kept it. One feature I wish the GX9 had was a flip out and tilt LCD.
for street photography, yes, it's better for the hip shots, but for everything else an articulating screen is better for me, especially when shooting portrait orientation which I do a lot of. @@sdrtcacgnrjrc
Well said Gary. You don't need the latest equipment to have fun and take beautiful photos (memories). I use the Olympus Pen F with some cheap lenses, including manual lenses like the Laowa 17mm.
I have the tan-leather gx85 and I love it. I have the panny 20mm f1.7 and the panny 42.5mm f1.7. Brilliant for my main use: garden photography and flower portraits. Lots of creativity. Really sharp and easy to use. The panny 42.5 beats the oly for close up work; not a macro but great for flowers and insects.
Thank you for the comment! Yes definitely the Pan 42.5 works better than Oly 45 for close up, the combination of the GX85 with smaller prime lenses really excels for everyday photography!
Have you compared these two lenses? The Oly 42.5 is highly regarded but does it have better image quality? or did it just come out first so is better known?
The GX bodies are a smaller, lighter, and less expensive version of the G bodily. They are very performant. I love the range finder inspired body. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)
I had the GX80 for four years. I loved it so much that last year I replaced it with the GX9! I recommend you get the JJC grip. It is not expensive and it makes a difference. You can also easily use it with a tripod.
Michael thank you for the recommendation of the JJC grip! GX9 is such a nice camera, it's a shame there's none available with good price here in Indonesia. Even the used ones are expensive.
🌟 Make sure you check out the sample photos and videos throughout the whole video! Chapters 00:00 Start 00:47 Introduction 03:45 Favorite GX85 Setup 07:14 How I Use my GX85 12:18 What I like from GX85 16:15 What I don't like from GX85 18:40 Final Thoughts
Gary, I have had a GX85 for a few years now and really love using it. So much that I bought a used one at a Pawn show but had to pay to have it fixed, but now it works just as well as the one I got new. I took them both on a vacation up to Maine in 2021 and used them to complement the G95 that I took on the same trip. I also have an OMD EM10 Mii and a Miiis that I really love using as well. Have you used them before?
@@andreatilli6227 I love using both models, I actually don't notice much of a weight difference. I like the EM10 models for their partial Retro look and feel to the old film cameras. But the GX85s I have are also alot of fun to use. Both body types are much smaller than my APSc and Full frame models. However, I do have A6000 Sony that rivals them in size and weight. Just love all things photography! You can't go wrong with any one you choose.
I was super fortunate to get the LUMIX G 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens from the Prime Day glitch years ago, and it's been my one and only lens I use ever since. At first glance the images on the camera screen look bad, but when I zoom in or upload them.. I'm very pleasantly surprised how amazing the photos are from this camera. I want to upgrade because I like new things, but I'm glad I watched this video. I realized I'm happy with what I got.
Thank Gary, my main M43 system Olympus and lunix. In lumix I like GX line ( I have bought for GX7, GX8 and now keep GX9(maybe same as GX85)), Gx8 are great, most function are pro leave but the shutter shock and more that GX9 (I use for wildlife birding , later I change to g85). Gx9 and little bit small for me to hold (I need to add a grip ). Anyway it is a great line for use.
My first one, very good with 20mm pancake for light Travel or with 35 100 f2.8 and 75mm for bigger gear with great results 👍 Some very good modes such as photo4k or postfocus but not very usefull everyday. Great nostalgic review 😅👍
Thanks for a very timely video. I was trying to decide between the gx7, gx8, gx9, and Pen F, watching you and Micro Four Nerds I've just ordered a second-hand gx80/85. Just £197 with only 53 shutter activations. As for sound recording I'm using the Olympus ls-p1, what sound recorder do you use? My main camera is an EM1 mk2. Thanks again for the video.
Thank you! I bought it secondhand from a seller in an online shop here in Indonesia. GX85 was very difficult to find here, especially with a good price.
I still have mine...got it when it came out. STILL AWESOME! one of my favorites. Amazing for video and photo. Still amazed at the IBIS on the GX85. Also love all the guitars in the back. I play as well. You are so right! Don't get caught up with the latest and greatest. I have been looking at the GH6 and I won't be getting it. I don't need it. The GX85 has been used for some client work and a lot of video. It is outstanding! If I want to do pro photography again I'll go back to Canon, but, photography is still outstanding on the GX85.
I bought my GX85 back in 2020 but didn't use it much since I got my S22 Ultra. I'm going on a safari trip next month so I'm pulling it out for that. I could really use that kit zoom with ois and 4k video capture. Still hate that it doesn't have mic input. I can still use my zoom mic and sync sound but...ugh... Extra work. I can get that very easily on my S22 Ultra + galaxy buds pro 2. I'll take both. Superb picture quality from the GX85 and the S22U to go everywhere in my pocket.
I think it is better to use and maximize just one camera when you are starting out. Only upgrade or add another camera when you know it's necessary. Cheers 😁
Do you know if this is a good camera for concert photography? I'm not a professional photographer, but I am learning, and thought of getting this as my first. I've been borrowing other people's camera whenever I'm out to shoot for concerts, so thought it's about time I get one of my own.
I really enjoy the GX85 except for the bump they call a grip. I added the Panny DMW-HGR2 hand grip, and it completely fixed the issue. The little camera handles well even with the heavy 14-140 that is usually installed or the 100-300. The ONLY downside is having to remove this grip to access the battery or memory card. I think about how much better the camera is with this grip as I spend those 20 seconds removing it for access. The 1/4-20 tripod thread in this grip is located toward the rear of the camera body, another plus. Thanks for reminding me how great this little GX85 is!
I use the JJC hand grip which really improves the handling of the GX85. It has a cutout, so I can access the battery and SD card without having to remove the grip. The base of the grip is machined to be arca-swiss compatible.
Hi, I am deciding to purchase a camera to start my photography journey. I was considering either the lumix gx80 or canon r50. I would appreciate any advice on which you would recommend. I hope to use this as an everyday camera for travel and street photography. Thanks :)
Both are great choices, I don't have any experience with the Canon R50, but I can say I'm very happy with my GX85 as my travel, street, and everyday camera. It's also great for recording B roll videos, short video clips that you can turn into a montage, travel videos, etc. Hope this helps!
Hi Gary, interesting video. A quick questions, I got the GX80 the European version of GX85, which wide angle you will suggest to use the GX80 just for indoor video use? Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words! There are lots of wide angle lenses for Micro Four Thirds, I suggest either Laowa 7.5mm f/2 for a small manual focus wide angle lens, or Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4 if you need autofocus and don't mind larger lens. They both work well for indoor video use.
My current camera is a panasonic g9, the one before that was the olympus pen epl-5, i loved the smallness of it but then one day weird stuff started happening to it and then i went to use it one day and it would turn on a sec, then give me an error code (something to do with ibis) and then shut off, went to see what the problem was and turned out it would cost way more than i paid for the camera to be fixed, so i ended up saving up (for 2 years) and getting the g9, i love it, but i miss that small easy to carry camera, so i have been looking at this camera or the gx8, having that articulated screen on the g9 has spoiled me, but i still like the size and ease of carry the g85 has.
I used to have an E-PL6 which is not too different from your E-PL5 I suppose, love that camera too! The GX8 is a fantastic camera with lots of useful features such as better manual controls, more function buttons, full-articulation screen, and weather sealing, but the GX85 is smaller and it has significantly better IBIS for both stills and video. Thank you for your comment 😊
How to turn off constant notifications from body Lumix GX80 about setting proper focal length (35mm - I use manual lens Arrisans 35mm 1.2 )? Always from sleep or turn on asking me. Thank you for help
Glad you enjoy it. For me, GX85 AF is a letdown for moving subjects in stills or video. You can use tips from G9 BIF photographers to improve it, but many incorrectly focused shots remain. Also the JJC grip really helps, and doesn’t block the battery.
Thank you for the comment! Sorry to hear about the AF, it is only a problem for me for continuous video. For stills so far it is fine. Thank you for the tip on JJC grip as well, I will check it out!
Could you please explain me why you liked GX85 more? I came from Nikon APSC 24mpx to GX80, and I am liking the portability, added functions, cheaper lenses and everything else on GX85, but i found the 16mpx sensor and 4:3 aspect ratio rather limiting for cropping... Earlier I could easily crop more than half the image on 24mpx Nikon and get a great 30x20cm print... With GX80 not so much...so I am considering a GX9 just for its 20mpx... Thanx
Hello Steve, thank you for the comment! I don't have much experience with a GX9, what makes you think the GX85 is better than the GX9 if I may ask? I got the GX85 simply because it was quite affordable 😁
@@Gary_W I liked the dials on the gx85 better then the gx9. The build quality was a little more hefty on the gx85. However for video on the gx9 was more advanced
Thank you for your comment! I haven't notice any excessive scratches on my GX85 so far, I only had it for about 3 weeks now so maybe I will need more time to test that 😁
I actually prefer the black one over my brown one, but it's the only one available at the time of the purchase. I actually don't know if it's an Asia only color or not, but I remember it was quite easy to find here where I live.
I dont believe this was sold as an upgrade to the GX8 (?) As you say, the GX8 has features this doesn't (weather sealing, large EVF). Ironically the GX9 *is* an upgrade to the GX85 and not the GX8 -- has very similar body to GX85 (but with better grip); again a smaller EVF than GX8 (but does tilt), and no weather sealing. Panasonic seems to want to confuse the world with it's naming systems ...
Agree with what you said. The naming of these GX cameras is a little bit confusing, especially for people who aren't closely following GX cameras timeline.
There is one more rather annoying difference between the G and GX bodies: The GX bodies do not have a remote shutter release/cable release port. This is really annoying when putting the body on a gimbal that depends on connecting to the camera via a remote cable release port. If video is your primary use case and you intend to use a gimbal, go for the G bodies over the GX bodies.
I just noticed what you said, I didn't find any remote shutter port on my GX85. This was weird since my GX8 and already-sold GX7 have that port. Thanks for letting me know!
I prefer a GX9 for more dials and custom buttons, as well as slightly higher resolution (20MP), but the GX85 is already more than good enough, I am very happy with the GX85.
@@dillu12121 it is necessary for using manual lenses, otherwise the camera won't show anything on the display when you connect the Rokinon lens and gives you an error message instead.
I agree completely with your opinion, Gary. I bought this camera in 2021, but used it little. On my first trip with this camera, it failed and produced vertical lines on each video and sometimes on the still pictures. It needed to be repaired, that was done free of charge due to the guarantee. The first repair didn't change anything and I had the same problems. So I tested the camera very carefully and with a little documentation I sent it back to the repair shop of Panasonic. It took a while, and the camera came back again. Some parts were changed and it is working fine. A issue, that you didn't mention, is the additional crop factor in the video mode of 4K, that is about 2.4. So my 9 mm (i.e., 18 mm full frame) lens becomes a 22 mm lens (full frame). Only the very expensive top cameras G9, GH5 etc. are not cropping in 4K mode. I get a better hand grip with this item: www.amazon.de/gp/product/B08147CMVB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 and the not flipping screen on the back can be solved with this selfie flip screen: www.amazon.de/gp/product/B08HYTRT4Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The build in microphone is not the best, but sufficient for vlogging indoors. With the additional hand grip, it is really a heavy camera compared to its size.
Thank you for your comment! And also thank you for the 4K crop clarification, I forgot to mention that because I don't really shoot a whole lot of 4K videos these days. Cheers!
