This is the kind of review I've been waiting for - someone to go over the nuances of the camera instead of just reading off of the spec sheet, with a real feel for the camera itself and its place within the MFT ecosystem. Thank you, David.
It's great to hear you say that - cameras have their own characters and sometimes it is the little nuanced things that make you want to pick them up or not.
@@DavidThorpeMFT I believe the difference between the G80 and G85 are the recording laws in Europe. from what I understand, the G80 separates video into sections.
David, you're reviews are just simply the best, professional, educational and a pleasure to watch. Thank you so much for all you do. I do love my G85 and you made me love it even more.
David, I'm a video shooter--and I'm finding the G85 VERY impressive indeed. Adding the Metabones speed booster enables me to use all my Canon lenses--and they work great. This is a fabulous camera. I shoot it with a LCDVF viewfinder that also helps focusing and stabilization. I know you're a stills shooter, but your reviews are always so good I couldn't help but watch--and it was super. Got to see it several more times it's so information packed. thank you so much!
Excellent diligent presentation here and by far the best G80/85 review on the internet. Clear, succinct and precise info without all the unnecessary (usually awful!) background music and frantic lingo! Thanks very much for your efforts here - much appreciated!
Great video on the G85. Also purchased your book on the menu setting for G85. Fantastic! It puts everything you would ever want to know about control of this great camera in one place with a clear, concise way that is easy to understand. Thanks.
Thank George. I'm glad you found the book handy, too. There's so much to these Micro Four Thirds cameras and the official manuals can only cover the mechanics of operation so I thought a bit of explanation might be useful too.
Well done, David. I received mine 2 days ago. It is reminding me why I love micro 43 so much. I'm astonished at some of the results I get with the 25mm 1.4 Pana Leica lens as it feels like I'm holding a feather in my hands!!
Thanks Jake. I find I get a bit blase about the size and weight of Micro Four Thirds cameras sometimes. I'm quickly brought to reality when I pick up a mate's Nikon D4!
This was a nice Christmas treat. Thank you! Really nice shots in this video. The tree in the mist, the Stag by the tree, and the pond with trees shots were very fine. It would be interesting to see how they look as large prints!
I always like your thoughtful reviews, made by photographer and for photographer, and this review is not exception. Also, I guess that your troubles with original G80 are over, and you have a perfectly healthy camera without paying extra money. And Happy New Year to you. P.S. I do not do videos, so for me omission of video performance is a big plus - all the time devoted to things that matter for me.
Hi Simon - happy new year to you too! Yes, got the G80 swapped so all is well now. My video knowledge is limited but it doesn't seem to matter to most people since my main experience is stills and I make no bones about that. I think if I did refer to video, I would make a separate video. These cameras are so capable that a review covering both stills and video and illustrated properly would take far too long to make and the review would be far too long.
I upgraded my G7 to a G80 and I'm very glad I did. A huge step up for not a lot of money. G80/G85's are being heavily discounted now as they have been around a long time, and I think they are a fabulous all round performer. The G80 feels a lot better in my hand, No shutter shake and weather sealing.. A great every day shooter.
I agree, Laurie. It's a good example of what a Micro Four Thirds system was supposed to be, a unique combination of size and performance. Small enough to be enjoyable to use with performance that is indistinguishable from much bigger cameras for all nomral use.
Sir , you've got the most calming voice , what a pleasure. I'm a proud gx7 owner and lately I haven't got a chance to shoot it , but all the points you mentioned makes me want to switch in a heart beat to G80 and take it for a walk. by the way , I just ordered the 14-140 and I can't wait to try it. Thank you for a great review! Merry Christmas.
i've been looking at dozens of cameras for the last 2 days and i think i've narrowed it down to this one. this is probably one of the best camera reviews i've seen in general. i think this will be the camera i buy and take with me to alaska
After listening to this I went straight to like and sub, only to discover I’d already sub’d at some point in the past. So I guess the only other way to show appreciation for the brilliant review/ASMR session David is to comment here and say thank you very much. A breath of fresh air amidst a sea of hyper YT camera reviews.
I just went and bought that camera a few days ago and I have to say, the joy of filmmaking has returned to me after a several year absence. I was on the fence between this camera and an A-6400 or M50 but I believe it was your video that convinced me this was the one to go with. Thank you so much - again.
Superb review, David. I own one of these bodies in addition to the three GX 85 bodies are used in the video studio. We add this body when we need four cameras. This is the only camera that I have use that is a true hybrid. Thank you for your review.
Finally got a chance to take my G85 out for some extended landscape photography along with the 12-35 Panasonic lens. Loving it. Fits well in the hand, and fast shutter on bracketed shots is amazing. Can't wait to become even more familiar with all this camera can do.
Thanks for the good review, hope you review the grip when you get one. Glad you did not mention a fuzzy view finder, I have seen that referenced in a few forums now, hope it is not an issue with this camera. Cheers
Hi Mark, thanks! Yes I'll review the grip when Panasonic have any(!). The EVF on my first G80 was indeed totally unusable - the dealer said he's never seen anything like it - but it is very good on this one. I don't think it is a general issue with the camera but it doesn't appear to be that uncommon.
Firstly, Merry Christmas David, great review I love the shots in the wilderness especially the rain drop and the elk. For further power saving you should also be able to run your LCD and Live View in Black and White whilst keeping the replay of shots in their true JPEG colour. I find it helps me focus on composition most.
That's a good tip, Brian, thanks. Happy Christmas to you too. Mist is wonderful, isn't it? Just separates a scene into individual objects in a similar way to blacj and white.
True, though I don't get much mist in the tropics. We get fantastic sunsets in the summer (Christmas Time). www.google.com.au/search?q=darwin+sunsets&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU720AU720&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=950&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjy1NWl9JHRAhWDtpQKHU4jBGsQ_AUIBigB
Your reviews have led me to pick up a G80 12-60mm kit for 450€ like new condition, and I must say I don't think I've ever spent a better photographic dollar. Or euro, actually. I'll still keep my Fuji X-T1 plus pancake around, but between these two I am now a very happy camper. Thank you for the great and realistic perspective on all the gear you review, it is really appreciated.
I upgraded from a G7 to a G8 after a year. The weather sealing, new IS and eliminated shuttershock were enough to tip me over to pay the higher price, simply as a more stable investment into my hobby's future. With the new IS the selection of actually usable analog lenses is staggering. And as much as I keep imagining even better features in a future G9, I can't come up with anything that would convince me to buy a new camera in the next 3-5 years. Maybe only a massive improvement in dynamic range, and I mean human eye level realism, would make me betray that statement.
I actually purchased a G80 after viewing this video, so thanks for that. Something I discovered by accident, us that it IS possible to monitor audio on video shooting. Audio is outputted from the HDMI socket during recording. I recently bought a small HDMI audio splitter box off eBay, for a completely unrelated use, but thought I'd give it a try. It works - you can't control replay level, but at least it's good enough to let you know something is being recorded.
Glad you like the G80, Keith. Serendipity is so important sometimes. I think more solutions are found by someone trying to do something else than by people looking for an answer!
Another fine review David, and it confirmed my decision to purchase the camera as an early holiday gift to myself. Just picked this two weeks ago, traded in the kit lens and instead bought the 12-35, the 35-100 and 100-300 lenses based on reviews from your site. The camera is an upgrade from my four year old G5. Can't wait to get out and put the gear through its paces. First have to educate myself with all the new functionality. Just starting to dive into the rather extensive manual.
Thanks, Bob. You'll find the upgrade from G5 to G80 noticeable with almost everything is improved. The lenses will, of course work superbly and the two f/2.8s with the dual stabilization put the camera firmly into Olympus territory. In essence, you'll find plenty very familiar from the G5 but wait till your hear and feel the shutter! If its any help, I have a Kindle book on the G80 at amzn.to/2hkYjtH (UK) and amzn.to/2ib99Ey (USA)
It works as well as on stills. Panasonic used to have restricted stabilization for video on some earlier cameras with IBIS but those days seem to be over now. There's an option for electronic stabilization on video too, though I'e never found it necessary.
Another great review thank you. I've had this a camera for a couple of months now. With the addition of some olympus lenses it's really starting to shine. I don't shoot video but the camera makes me want to Have a go. An adapter is available to solve the no headphone out Jack socket. The gofanco. Think it costs around $45 for anyone else wanting to primarily shoot video. Not the most elegant solution but a solution none the less. Kind regards from Sweden.
Thanks! If I didn't make videos for my channel I wouldn't have had much interest in it either but the fact that it is there as standard in such an easily accessible form would make me want to dabble in it too. The adapter is interesting and yes, elegant or not, if it works, it works. And kind regards from a very wet London, too!
Super review! You're right up there with the best of the best when it comes to reviewing camera products! Bought the G80, but went with Olympus lenses (three of the PRO series)...wanted the weather sealing features, and more robust build. Hope it wasn't a mistake...lol
No mistake with the Olympus lenses, Rick. They focus just as well (and actually superbly well) on Panasonic as Olympus, DfD or no DfD. Robust, as you say and i also like the on lens Fn button, built in back button focusing. Not to mention the manual focus lens collar. It is those lens choices that make Micro Four Thirds a system.
I did encounter an oddity when it comes to the Auto EVF activation on this camera. While shooting multiple timelapse sequences I've noticed that the moment the EVF comes back online because because I bring my eye to the viewfinder, the interval sometimes lags and misses a shot or two. All in all, great camera though.
What you are saying emphasises the fact that these cameras could be just as aptly titled imaging computers! Of the thousands of actions a user might make, no-one thought of that. Probably 2 separate ostensibly unrelated lines of code among tens of thousands in the firmware.
Thank you for this and all your other reviews. I find your considered presentation of the cameras and lenses like breath of fresh air especially when compared with many of the other, almost hysterical, reviews that are available on the internet. At present I am looking to purchase a new MFT body as I recently drenched my GX7 in sea water; it still works but some buttons do not work all the time. I also have an Olympus EM5 mk1 but have never really liked the user interface so I see it as my spare body. My next camera will have to be weather sealed and while I don't do much action photography some improvements to CAF would be welcome. I have been seriously thinking about an Olympus EM1 Mk2 but since seeing this review I think I am tending towards the Panasonic G80 as the CAF seems good enough for my needs and I like idea of being able to change the size of the focus point. I also like saving a thousand pounds on a body that will most likely be almost worthless in five years time. Do you think I should be considering any other MFT cameras before I buy. Thanks again, best wishes Simon
Sea water is the worst for cameras. I dropped a Nikon F5 in the sea once and that was that. Camera wise, the G80 is about the best all round camera in Micro Four Thirds in terms of performance and price. Unless there is any specific attribute of the Olympus you want, the twin SD slots say or you major on sports,, the G80 is better value.
Yes sea water corrodes the contacts, anyway that will teach me to be more careful. I will probably go for best value and get the G80, that will leave me with some money to invest in some more glass.
My perhaps the biggest gripe with this camera is the charging method if you have the battery grip. You'd need to carry two seperate chargers to charge the grip battery and camera battery at the same time. USB charging would solve _much_ of the problems. just plug the camera to a PC. At the same time you could import all the photos and videos. I find it very odd that Panasonic put USB charging into GX80, but not in G80. G80 even has a bigger body...
I find that odd too. I was quite surprised when I saw it. To charge both batteries in situ from the camera USB would have been very handy. Maybe something they are saving for the GH5 next year?
USB3.1 on GH5 would allow even faster charging and streaming uncompressed data. It would make sense, but taking the development time of GH5 into account, I doubt it. Anyway. It's a shame that G80 doesn't have usb charging as it's still a "prosumer" camera. Most prosumers like convenient things and USB charging would be a obvious one.
Yes, as I say, the camera I recommend to any friends who ask my advice. IBIS was at the top of any Panasonic users wish list, including mine and now they've done it. At a price - what's new :-(
It's from Peak Design. I put the their fittings on all my cameras and then you can either use their neck or wrist straps or they supply a fitting to adapt your own.
Great review! I got G7 on Black Friday for $497 and after a couple of weeks ended up exchanging it for G85. Addition of IBIS and elimination of the shutter shock did it for me:o)
Thanks for the reply, I wonder why I am getting blocked my end, maybe something on my PC. Would be nice for more options though. We tend to purchase via apple store now after having Kindle problems.
Apple are just too complicated to deal with for something with potentially low sales. Amazon and Kindle make it really easy to make a book. I can't understand why I can get it and you can't. I am using the Australian site in the UK, of course but there is no limitation on my part and I regularly get Australian sales. Have you contacted Amazon?
I have a question about the stabilizer in movie mode. Is the hand with the up and down arrows suppose to be grayed out. The only 2 stabilizer options I have are the hand setting used for panning left and right and E-Stabilization for video. I thought you were suppose to use the hand with up and down arrows when you shoot panning videos. Am I mistaken about the stabilizer setting??
Yes, the hand is supposed to be greyed out. Stabilization with video is a complicated matter because in most video shots you _want_ movement. When panning, you want movement on the background but not the subject so when the camera 'sees' the blurred background it corrects for the relatively static foreground subject. That's fine for stills but in video even when panning there will still be some up and own movement in the subject. The way a person or dog walking bobs up and down, for example. The camera can't know whether you want that or don't want it so you are just not given the option. Actually, for pan shots in video, stabilization is best turned off anyway. In a case where you are panning slowly and the background is therefore not very blurrred, the camera may try to correct the movement with unpredictable but usually unpleasant effects. The best video is shot an a tripod, stabilization off. If you doing a run and gun, again stabilization is often best left off, since the natural movement of the camera is part of the effect.
So does a weather sealed body still matter even when using lenses that are not weather sealed? (like the 14-140 II) IN other words does a non weather sealed lens compromise the weather sealing benefit of the body?
Not really. The question is whether you are willing to potentially let water ruin your gear (who is?). So any combination of camera body/ lens that included a non-sealed item makes that combination unusable in wet or dusty conditions. Personally, I do everything to protect my gear from the weather, sealed or not. In casual use, keeping the camera under your jacket and just popping it out for a shot or two won't hurt it except under conditions where you probably couldn't take pictures anyway.
I live in Hong Kong and I watched a David Thorpe video last year. As a result I went out and bought the G7 for my girlfriend as a Christmas gift. I am not sure if I have ever done that before, allowed myself to be so immediately influenced. And you must understand that in Hong Kong that Panasonic does not spend very much on marketing, as the camera market is dominated by Sony, Canon and the others. But on the 13th floor of the Sogo building you can buy all the Panasonic from a direct distributor. So making a blind decision sort of went against the local mindset-- and even the local salesmen at camera shops. The outcome has been that my girlfriend now takes better pictures than me, partly because the intelligent modes on the Panasonic are so good. So I blame David for that. But she thinks I'm a winner because I buy such great presents. I hope to buy a Panasonic when my current cameras wear out. Thanks, David
dear David i m so glad you finally got your camera from panasonic and you have the chance of giving your opinion on this camera that i learn to love in so little time. I did buy on jun the G7 because your great review and i buy on nov the new one because i love the G7 so much and i used always that the newone i asume it s going to be a blast, and it was, i really love this micro 4/3 the portability and the mixing of so many lens i can put fro different brands, that having the in body stabilitation it is so cool that for me well cost the extra 200 o 300 buck for it, of course if you don t have the budget the g7 it is the best option but if you can pay the extra money well it is the superb choice for content creator, photographer and videographers. on video it is a great choice too, the video it is most of the time smooth and crispy. I really enjoy your review and well worth the wait having this good of a revieew from such as you my good friend, as always graceful for the time you take on deliver so good reviews. see u on your next videos and i hope you could share most videos of this one and other good stuff in the future.
Excellent review. I did have the G7 and because I got a double discount on that when I bought it, really didn't resent the price hike when I traded it in for a G80. I'm having quite a lot of fun lately using some old Canon FD lenses on the G80 via an adapter, they work very well especially because of the in built manual focusing capabilities of the G80.
Thanks, John. Some of the Panasonic deals around are amazing. Manual focusing is a lot easier than most people think but I suppose it is more difficult for photographers who have never used a film camera.
I would love a GX80 with the articulating screen and grip of the G80. I don't want a mic jack since stand-alone external mics are always better and more flexible anyway in my experience. Weather sealing is nice too but adds bulk and can't say I enjoy taking pictures in the rain that often. :)
The back, I know, I know :-) I reckon the G80 is as capable as any DSLR with some elctronic wizardry thrown in as well. The Canon will have the edge in some respects but with its size and weight the G80 is a joy to use.
Can I tell if the IBIS on the G85 is working in still photo? I can't see the IBIS working when half-pressed (yes, dual-is icon is lit). Does it only work when you press the shutter button? I could see it working while recording a clip. The thing is...even though the kit lens (12-60 NOT f2.8 ->) has power ois, AND the body has IBIS...its seems the stabilisation was working better on my E-M10 with the 14-14 II R, where there is ONLY IBIS. Howcome?
If the 'dual' icon is on and not the red hand with the line through it, the stabilization is on. I can't explain why the E-M10 would be better, the G85 should be a bit better. But these things are very subjective.
It really is nice. I haven't overall much liked the sound of the (necessarily) triple action Micro Four Thirds shutters because they sound slightly indefinite to me as well as percussive. This does away with all that.
Very very good review david really enjoyed that thank you, I have owned the G80 about 6 weeks now and I absolutely love it, it is a stunning camera and the IBIS for me makes it a game changer. I did own a couple of GH4's and a G7 which I have unloaded to pay for one of these babies and now just awaiting the release of the GH5 due out in Mar 17 ;)
Thanks, David. Yes, the in body stabilization is a game changer for many photographers. I'm looking forward to the GH5 too, though I'm struggling to find anything that limits what I want to do using the G80.
Yes me too the G80 is a little stunner, I am primarily a videographer shooting weddings so really can't wait for the GH5 to be released with the fabulous 4k 60p and of course no more silly 30 minute recording limit well done Panasonic :)
I've always been impressed by Panasonic's willingness to listen to what their users say and act on it. I thought in the past that Panasonic were committed to in lens stabilization and would stick with it but they have taken on board what users wanted and supplied in body stabilization as well. I like that kind of flexibility. It seems the same with the GH5 and many video people seem to be getting quite excited about it. All I need to do now is negotiate a second lifetime with the devil to get up to speed with what it all means and how to best use it :-)
Can you add an external monitor to this camera via HDMI? With its predecessor, the G7, the external monitor works until you start recording. The moment you start recording the monitor goes blank with the message "recording video" or something like that. In other words, you can't have a live feed on an external monitor via HDMI while recording. I know you can use the Panasonic camera app, but there the window of your frame is pretty small.
Hi Mario - The G80 is as good as any Micro Four Thirds camera for birds in flight, excepting the Olympus E-M1 Mkll which is exceptional and built (and priced!) for fast shooting/ accurate C-AF. The phase detection on the Mark 1 is not a patch on the Mark 2 and the G80 will function just as well, especially with a Panasonic lens. As an all round Micro Four Thirds camera I think the G80 is the best there is - a feeling which many others seem to share.
Very tempted to swap out my 4 year old Oly E-M1 for the G80. I also want the new 100-300 or 100-400 with the dual IS which would be great! 16MP with no low pass filter will be more than enough for me. Is this a good idea?
The Olympus is a great camera and I'd say keep it except that the G80 really is such a great all rounder and will work so well with the lenses you mention that I'd be inclined to get it. The new shutter is really sweet and the stabilization excellent. And with the updates to the 100-300, it should be just as instantaneous in its focusing as I found the 100-400 to be. So, good idea, yes I reckon so.
Hi David, congratulation for getting finally the G80/85, and of course a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Great comprehensive review as always. I had read the G80/85 instruction manual and was a bit confused regarding wireless flash. Could you tell me if the Metz 15 MS-1 works in wireless mode with the G80/85? Thanks again for your great u-tube work
Hi Martin - thanks for the kind words. Yes, the Metz works seamlessly with the G80/85. Set the Flash menu to wireless operation, cover the G80's flash with the Metz mask and fire away with everything under TTL control.
Hi David, do those little red straps clip on either side of the camera clip onto a bigger shoulder/neck strap? If so can you please provide the link to what it is. Lovely review by the way. Some of the misty scenes, the big tree, the antlers, were they photographed at Knole, Kent in the vast grounds of Knole House?
Hi Mike - glad you like the review. The clips are from Peak Design, an American company but you can get them on Amazon amzn.to/2FslpL0 You can either use their straps or your own but they make the strap easily removable either way. The park, no, it is Richmond Park but both that and Knole are very similar. I know Knowle well because I was brought up in Tunbridge Wells and we used to visit frequently.
It's likely better than the GH4 simply because it is newer but not enough to warrant a change from one to the other. It's very hard to be sure about these things because it is impossible to duplicate shooting conditions exactly enough for definitive assessment. Both would likely be better than the D80. All I can say is that I find the C-AF of the G80/85 fast and reliable and I have no qualms about using it. Ditto the GH4.
It's likely better than the GH4 simply because it is newer but not enough to warrant a change from one to the other. It's very hard to be sure about these things because it is impossible to duplicate shooting conditions exactly enough for definitive assessment. Both would likely be better than the D80. All I can say is that I find the C-AF of the G80/85 fast and reliable and I have no qualms about using it. Ditto the GH4. Sony, I just don't know.
Great, thank you for your insights! I suppose it's not a very useful question to ask if it's better than a camera you haven't used. I shoot alot of moderately fast moving outdoor sports (skiing, mountain biking, running). Would this camera be sufficient for those activities given there being good lighting?
Yes, one of the best for such subjects. Get an f/2.8 or better lens and you don't even need good light. I shoot at 3200 ISO on FHD with no problems. 4K is great because down sampled to FHD it lowers the noise l;evels a lot.
Congratulations. Great review as always David. I have a G6 and recently bought a G80. I am very satisfied with this camera, in addition to the improvements in image quality, I would say the ergonomics and usability of this camera is the best I have tried till now. (And given my old age, I have tried quite a few). I am planning a trip to Africa this spring, and I value very much that the equipment is light and ease to use (not a lot of lens changes) but produce a good image quality. I will bring the G80 with a 12-35 f2.8 (great lens) and my panasonic 100 - 300, I am considering buying the panasonic 35 - 100 f2.8, but then I saw a good offer on the Olympus 40 150 f2.8, I would like the extra reach of the olympus, and may leave the 100 - 300 at home, using then only two lenses (maybe one on the G6 and the other on the G80) but I am concerned with the weight and size of the olympus, and lack of stabilization. I will appreciate very much if can share your thoughts on this?
Thanks Luis The G80's stabilization copes happily with the 40-150mm, no worries there. Although the Olympus is bigger and heavier than most Micro Four Thirds lenses, it really replaces 2 lenses, the 35-100 and (with the 1.4x converter) nearly the 100-300. A G80 and those 2 lenses is an awful lot of power. With the 12-35 on the G6 and the 40-150mm on the G80 you have a _seriously_ capable outfit that'll still fit in a quite small bag and is still relatively light. It's also top quality from 12 though to 210mm. You also, in the 40-150mm Pro have a lens that you are very unlikely ever to want to sell which offsets the price in the longer term.
They are fittings from Peak Design amzn.to/2jPpnHj (UK) amzn.to/2juphkZ (USA). I put the fittings on all my cameras so that i can use the same wrist strap and neck strap on all of them.
I am planning to get this camera should i get it with the a)12-60mm f3.5-5.6 or b)14-140mm f3.-5.6 for extra $200? I guess the benefit of the second option is the longer reach but is it worth the extra price and the lost in weather sealing? Thanks
Provided the lens is not allowed to get drenched it won't come to any harm. I always protect my lenses anyway if it is pouring. Different if you are a professional sport photographer, of course, where full weather sealing is absolutely necessary but otherwise cameras can usually be sheltered. Weather sealed is always better though! The 12-60 offers a wider angle but I personally feel that the 14-140 is a better buy. It is pretty much a one stop solution which you would keep even if you bought other lenses because it is great when you want to do video or are on holiday and and don't want to be fiddling around looking for and changing lenses. There's no sacrifice in IQ over the 12-60. My opinion is that the G80 with 14-140 is one of the most versatile and effective outfits in Micro Four Thirds today.
Thanks for that, Frederick! That is a hard decision between cameras to make. The Panasonic is better in focusing, the Olympus in stabilization, though the Panasonic matches it if you have a stabilized Panasonic lens. There's nothing in the performance of these cameras to make either one decisively better., though. The Panasonic has 4K video and all the 4K stills goodies, the Olympus has the high resolution facility. Honestly, I'd decide on the feel of the cameras in my hands. For me that would be the Panasonic because I find the Olympus a bit too small ad cramped but there will be just as many who would prefer the Olympus to the 'too big' Panasonic. Good luck! :-)
Hi David, would you still recommend it November 2018? My problem with it’s successor G9 is: G9 is bulkier, heavier, has no flash built in. Would you still recommend getting G9 instead G85 ? My application is stills, video (half half ) Of our active little ones, family, causal shooting, travel . (Not professional). I would appreciate good results jpegs out of the camera because I can’t spend to much time on editing. Thank you!
I think the G80/85 would suit your purposes perfectly. The G9 is really only an advantage for high speed sequencing and high end requirements which won't really concern your type of photography and more than it normally would mine. But the G85 has the smaller size and built in flash in its favour. Of all the Micro Four Thirds cameras the G85 is probably the one that embodies the core advantages of the system best.
David Thorpe thanks for your kind help. I read about complains of G85 jpeg engine, not nice skin color, aggressive noise reduction and colors. Is that true in real life or more academic pixel peeping. Also I see complains about video auto focus does not work. But I think when Tabbing ob the touch screen it should focus ok.
@@mvhan911 Video auto-focus works pretty well in my experience. Video focusing is slower than stills, as it should be, because snapping to focus looks awful in movies. The colours of the G85 , some prefer them to Olympus and vice versa. Noise reduction is a matter of choice. I leave it at standard or reduce it a couple of points but you can reduce it more. Personally, I'm happy with colours from my G80 - it's a matter of pesonal taste and, more, the device you are viewing on. For example, The OLED screens that Samsung use on the S phones make anything look good!
Hi David, What a nice review!! It ticks all the points: clear, interesting, and formative. Thank you very much. It made me considering upgrading mi gh3.... from strictly the stills quality, do you think is it worth? Thanks again.
Hi Ramiro - you won't see any dramatic improvement in image quality, its images will be a bit less noisy and a bit more contrasty, cleaner looking. The stabilization, new shock free and whisper quiet shutter and so on make it a worthwhile upgrade, though. So overall, yes, it is worth it.
Glad you liked it Djay! It's a leaf of a plant in a London garden. Nothing exotic but that's what I love about macro, the oddity of things pulled out of context and displayed with no reference points.
Please tell me what is up with that shot lol. Is it floating on water? Is it behind a glass with water on it? Is it some glitch in the editing process? It drives me mad, it's like that picture from star trek they wanted to upload to the Borg in order to drive them insane.
Remembering it, it kept moving around and trying to bite me. Then it spoke and said its name was Norman and it was from the planet ^C)NNTX in the YTRIX galaxy. Then it started to threaten me with vaporization if I didn't get it a cheese sandwich. So I took a picture of it and went to the authotities but they just said, "best leave it". That's all I know. :-)
Good solid review David. I upgraded from the G6 up to the G80 and so far it is great for all the reasons you have mentioned. The only niggle is not having a headphone port so I can monitor audio whilst filming. I think someone suggested a workaround if you use a Zoom H1 microphone it has a headphone port so maybe you can plug headphones into that and monitor the audio-not sure, I will try it and see if it works. I have reviewed the G80 with samples on my channel if you are interested.
Thanks Steve! That would be an interesting workaround. I think Panasonic probably leave the headphone port off for marketing reasons. There have to be reasons to buy a GH4!
Hello Thanks for the review. Very informative. However, from some posting sites there have been comments that the Panasonic 100-300 won't work on the G80 because of the dual IS. Do you know if this is true as the 100-400 is too expensive for me? Cheryl
The 100-300 works fine on the G80 but can't use the dual stabilization. It's not so important since it has perfectly good stabilization in the lens itself. There's a new version of the 100-300 which has improved focusing and will use dual stabilization and if you bought one now, it would be that one. Best to confirm it with the dealer, though. There may be a few old style 100-300s at a good price? The new one is here amzn.to/2lPdXTN (UK) or amzn.to/2lP73xM (USA). The old one is here amzn.to/2m7xTSF (UK) and amzn.to/2lRSUhK (USA)
Hi, David, Great review, as usual, and thanks again for the hard work you do for us regular folk! I'm on the verge of buying this camera even tho I have the G7 (which I will keep), but decided to buy a second camera. Just wondering your opinion on something. I read that the mechanical shutter is able to use more of the sensor and gives better IQ than the electronic shutter. Do you find this to be true? I'm a little spoiled to the silence of the electronic shutter, and I rarely use flash so that's not really a factor for me. Hope you had a great Christmas, and have a happy and prosperous New Year!
Hi Linda - nice to hear from you. Happy Christmas and New Year to you and yours too. I think some time ago the electronic shutter was prone to banding in low light but those days are gone. I can't tell any difference at all in comparison shots, though maybe scientific tests on test charts might show something . I doubt it, though. Anyway, most of us don't shoot test charts and the real world is very different. The only minus points to the e-shutter that I can see are the usual ones of no, or restricted flash use and distortion of moving images. With the G80 I've been using the mechanical shutter since it is so smooth and quiet and has no limitations other than a lower fastest speed. I'm waffling here - there's no reason to use one or the other on the G80, just personal preference. On the G7 it avoids any possibility of shutter shock.
Thanks a bunch, David. That helps me to know that I'm not sacrificing IQ with the e-shutter since I do shoot a lot of 4k photo mode which, of course, defaults to the e-shutter to get 30 fps. I'm happy now. :-)
After using this new model now which do you prefer this one or the GX8? Just wondering as the only thing I have negative about the GX8 is shutter shock, and most people do not seem to see it. Build wise there does not seem to be any failures like other Mu-43 brand(s). The GX8 seems to be rock solid apart from being not the most up to date and every camera has that problem soon after release.
Another great review, are we talking about C-AF on a par with my GX8,i struggle holding the GX8 without making un intentional button adjustments so would like to consider this camera. The GX8 though is great for birds in flight.
Thanks! I didn't have any problems with the GX8 buttons but if you do the G80 might suit you better. I'd try one first though, to make sure. For BIF, I doubt there's any notice any difference at all in focusing performance. I love the GX8 - if it had the G80 shutter and stabilization there's be no way to choose between them than to see which one felt best - unless the 20Mp was crucial.
Just to let you know i took the plunge and changed my GX8 for the G80,it does BIF just as well and i feel its giving me sharper images with the 100-400. Thanks
Panasonic focusing is superb generally but I found that the 100-400 was outstanding even in that context. I find the G80 hard to fault. It reminded me of the first time I picked up a GH3 and felt like I'd used one for years.
coming from the 1st gen em5, im thinking of upgrading my camera to either the Oly EM5 MK2 or this lumix G85... what are ur thoughts guys between these two cameras?
My personal preference is for the G85 because it fits my hand a bit better. I found the Olympus to be a bit cramped and needed the hand grip to make it comfortable to hold without jogging some controls accidentally. Also, the focusing on the Panasonic is better, quicker and more confident. The Olympus has a lovely solid, jewel like feel to it. There's no bad choice here, just a better one for personal taste.
David Thorpe thanks very much for this inputs.. now definitely leaning now on the g85.. in terms of stills performance and IQ, is there any significant differences between these two? how bout ibis? thanks a lot..
IBIS in both is very similar, though if you have a stabilized Panasonic lens, you have the dual stabilization which makes the Panasonic maybe a bit better. But the Olympus's stabilization is wonderful, so there's little in it even so. Image quality is much the same with either camera. I'm inclined to the Panasonic because of the focusing and much better menu system but I'd be happy using either.
David Thorpe Thanks for the most useful and enjoyable review and for this answer. I was considering the same question! Regards to the (neighbors's) cat.
hey so would you recommend this as an upgrade from a lumix g6 or should I wait another year or so and get the latest g body eg if they bring out a g8 or g90? thanks
From a G6 the G80 will feel more natural being a DSLR style. The G80 has the whisper quiet shock free shutter and the upgraded stabilization which don't need improvement. It's hard to see what they can improve on it. Maybe a GX8 style EVF but the G80's is already good and you'd only notice the difference compared side by side. But who know what they'll think of? For me, the G80 represents about all the camera I need so I'd buy that. But if you are still happy with the G6 - and why not? - it won't be too much hardship to hold on. Also, if a G9 or 90 doesn't offer anything for you over the G80, you'll pick up a G80 at a good price as dealers sell off stock.
Do see a noticable difference between the stills of the G85 and EM-10ii? I am planning to purchase the G85 or G9 as my main camera and keep my em10 as a secondary. A good choice?
A very good choice, I'd say. What difference there is between stills from the G85 or E-M10 would not be of any significance in day to day use. Certainly, for me, I'd use whichever was at hand. Lovely size for a second camera, the E-M10, slipped into a bag you'd hardly know it was there.
As usual, an expertly given review of the camera. Such a listenable to voice as well. You will be missed David.
This is the kind of review I've been waiting for - someone to go over the nuances of the camera instead of just reading off of the spec sheet, with a real feel for the camera itself and its place within the MFT ecosystem. Thank you, David.
It's great to hear you say that - cameras have their own characters and sometimes it is the little nuanced things that make you want to pick them up or not.
David Thorpe very true. I like the lx 100 for that very reason.
David Thorpe b
@@DavidThorpeMFT I believe the difference between the G80 and G85 are the recording laws in Europe. from what I understand, the G80 separates video into sections.
WOW WOW WOW that is about the most detailed and full of micro info I've seen in a camera review. Great job.
Very flattering to hear that and I'm very glad you think so.
We all wish you’d had another lifetime David. Very much missed.
David, you're reviews are just simply the best, professional, educational and a pleasure to watch. Thank you so much for all you do. I do love my G85 and you made me love it even more.
Thanks for telling me that, Dan. I appreciate it - and your enthusiasm too!
Simply brilliant.
Comprehensive, well paced and accessible.
Quiet quality.
Thank you.
Glad you thought so and I appreciate you telling me. Thank you, Paul.
David, I'm a video shooter--and I'm finding the G85 VERY impressive indeed. Adding the Metabones speed booster enables me to use all my Canon lenses--and they work great.
This is a fabulous camera. I shoot it with a LCDVF viewfinder that also helps focusing and stabilization.
I know you're a stills shooter, but your reviews are always so good I couldn't help but watch--and it was super. Got to see it several more times it's so information packed.
thank you so much!
Excellent diligent presentation here and by far the best G80/85 review on the internet. Clear, succinct and precise info without all the unnecessary (usually awful!) background music and frantic lingo! Thanks very much for your efforts here - much appreciated!
Good to hear that, Henry and thanks. I try to do exactly what you say, basically stick to the point without frills.
Yes! and I'll certainly be looking out for your review on the GH5 when it eventually arrives! Cheers!
I honestly enjoy your style and the thoroughness of your reviews.
Thanks Shaun, much appreciated!
Great video on the G85. Also purchased your book on the menu setting for G85. Fantastic! It puts everything you would ever want to know about control of this great camera in one place with a clear, concise way that is easy to understand. Thanks.
Thank George. I'm glad you found the book handy, too. There's so much to these Micro Four Thirds cameras and the official manuals can only cover the mechanics of operation so I thought a bit of explanation might be useful too.
Well done, David. I received mine 2 days ago. It is reminding me why I love micro 43 so much. I'm astonished at some of the results I get with the 25mm 1.4 Pana Leica lens as it feels like I'm holding a feather in my hands!!
Thanks Jake. I find I get a bit blase about the size and weight of Micro Four Thirds cameras sometimes. I'm quickly brought to reality when I pick up a mate's Nikon D4!
David you are always my go-to-guy for reviews. This is my next camera!
Thanks Jimmy - good choice of camera!
This was a nice Christmas treat. Thank you!
Really nice shots in this video. The tree in the mist, the Stag by the tree, and the pond with trees shots were very fine. It would be interesting to see how they look as large prints!
Yes, that would be interesting. The G80 has picked up very subtle colouring and detail in the pix, so it'd need a good printer.
I have an Epson T3270 (24") hint, hint.
:-)
I always like your thoughtful reviews, made by photographer and for photographer, and this review is not exception. Also, I guess that your troubles with original G80 are over, and you have a perfectly healthy camera without paying extra money.
And Happy New Year to you.
P.S. I do not do videos, so for me omission of video performance is a big plus - all the time devoted to things that matter for me.
Hi Simon - happy new year to you too! Yes, got the G80 swapped so all is well now.
My video knowledge is limited but it doesn't seem to matter to most people since my main experience is stills and I make no bones about that. I think if I did refer to video, I would make a separate video. These cameras are so capable that a review covering both stills and video and illustrated properly would take far too long to make and the review would be far too long.
I upgraded my G7 to a G80 and I'm very glad I did. A huge step up for not a lot of money. G80/G85's are being heavily discounted now as they have been around a long time, and I think they are a fabulous all round performer. The G80 feels a lot better in my hand, No shutter shake and weather sealing.. A great every day shooter.
I agree, Laurie. It's a good example of what a Micro Four Thirds system was supposed to be, a unique combination of size and performance. Small enough to be enjoyable to use with performance that is indistinguishable from much bigger cameras for all nomral use.
Sir , you've got the most calming voice , what a pleasure.
I'm a proud gx7 owner and lately I haven't got a chance to shoot it , but all the points you mentioned makes me want to switch in a heart beat to G80 and take it for a walk.
by the way , I just ordered the 14-140 and I can't wait to try it.
Thank you for a great review! Merry Christmas.
Thanks Serg! You'll love the 14-140, probably the best all round versatile lens in the Micro Four Thirds system. It's a nice size on the GX7, too.
i've been looking at dozens of cameras for the last 2 days and i think i've narrowed it down to this one. this is probably one of the best camera reviews i've seen in general. i think this will be the camera i buy and take with me to alaska
After listening to this I went straight to like and sub, only to discover I’d already sub’d at some point in the past. So I guess the only other way to show appreciation for the brilliant review/ASMR session David is to comment here and say thank you very much. A breath of fresh air amidst a sea of hyper YT camera reviews.
What can I say except thanks so much, Reginald!
I just went and bought that camera a few days ago and I have to say, the joy of filmmaking has returned to me after a several year absence. I was on the fence between this camera and an A-6400 or M50 but I believe it was your video that convinced me this was the one to go with. Thank you so much - again.
@@reginaldworthington7558 Glad it has worked out so well - the pleasure of photography was what Micro Four Thirds brought back for me.
using Password generators for model names, lol, good one
Superb review, David. I own one of these bodies in addition to the three GX 85 bodies are used in the video studio. We add this body when we need four cameras. This is the only camera that I have use that is a true hybrid. Thank you for your review.
I felt in love with your style of reviewing cameras. I hope I'll fall in love for the G80 too 'cause I'm sold now :)
Thank you, David!
Thanks so much! I think you will love the G80. There's not much to dislike, really.
Thank you so much for confirming the camera to buy, the G85. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos. Aloha!
Thank you David. Being a G7 owner shooting mainly video, you have helped me make up my mind to hold out for the GH5. Merry Christmas to you.
Thanks and Merry Christmas to you too. The G7 was and remains a great camera.
Finally got a chance to take my G85 out for some extended landscape photography along with the 12-35 Panasonic lens. Loving it. Fits well in the hand, and fast shutter on bracketed shots is amazing. Can't wait to become even more familiar with all this camera can do.
Good to hear you like it - there's such a lot the camera can do but as you've found, mosu imortantly it does the basics very well indeed.
Thank you for this revied David. Lovely. I have been deliberating getting this camera for 4K needs.
You're welcome, Bart.
Thanks for the good review, hope you review the grip when you get one.
Glad you did not mention a fuzzy view finder, I have seen that referenced in a few forums now, hope it is not an issue with this camera.
Cheers
Hi Mark, thanks! Yes I'll review the grip when Panasonic have any(!). The EVF on my first G80 was indeed totally unusable - the dealer said he's never seen anything like it - but it is very good on this one. I don't think it is a general issue with the camera but it doesn't appear to be that uncommon.
Firstly, Merry Christmas David, great review I love the shots in the wilderness especially the rain drop and the elk.
For further power saving you should also be able to run your LCD and Live View in Black and White whilst keeping the replay of shots in their true JPEG colour. I find it helps me focus on composition most.
That's a good tip, Brian, thanks. Happy Christmas to you too. Mist is wonderful, isn't it? Just separates a scene into individual objects in a similar way to blacj and white.
True, though I don't get much mist in the tropics. We get fantastic sunsets in the summer (Christmas Time). www.google.com.au/search?q=darwin+sunsets&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU720AU720&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=950&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjy1NWl9JHRAhWDtpQKHU4jBGsQ_AUIBigB
Thanks for the review... even in 2023 it seems like a great camera.
You mentioned a flash sync via hotshoe at 3:41 in your video. Which one would you recommend?
I just use a cheapie - amzn.to/2ljbvVi (UK) or this one amzn.to/2kVzd6r (USA) would do the trick.
Thank you for another great video.
Merry Christmas David
and all the health & happiness for you & your family.
Glad you liked it - Merry Christmas to you and yours too.
Your reviews have led me to pick up a G80 12-60mm kit for 450€ like new condition, and I must say I don't think I've ever spent a better photographic dollar. Or euro, actually. I'll still keep my Fuji X-T1 plus pancake around, but between these two I am now a very happy camper.
Thank you for the great and realistic perspective on all the gear you review, it is really appreciated.
That's a really lovely and upbeat comment, Jenny/ Thank you.
I upgraded from a G7 to a G8 after a year. The weather sealing, new IS and eliminated shuttershock were enough to tip me over to pay the higher price, simply as a more stable investment into my hobby's future. With the new IS the selection of actually usable analog lenses is staggering. And as much as I keep imagining even better features in a future G9, I can't come up with anything that would convince me to buy a new camera in the next 3-5 years. Maybe only a massive improvement in dynamic range, and I mean human eye level realism, would make me betray that statement.
Damn it David, I didn't expect to want to buy this camera but after this review I have to get it. Excellent review as always.
Thanks! There's a new version out now (or soon) the G90.
No contest for Thorpe doing camera reviews. Just take it 🏅
What can I say except - thank you!
Best review I've ever watched.. thanks for all the examples of the cameras photo capabilities as well as video.
Praise indeed and highly appreciated. Thanks. Travis!
Thanks for all your work this year David. I always look forward to your videos. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Enzo
Merry Christmas to you and yours too, Enzo. Luckily, I enjoy the videos and associated photography so much it never feels like work :-)
I actually purchased a G80 after viewing this video, so thanks for that. Something I discovered by accident, us that it IS possible to monitor audio on video shooting. Audio is outputted from the HDMI socket during recording. I recently bought a small HDMI audio splitter box off eBay, for a completely unrelated use, but thought I'd give it a try. It works - you can't control replay level, but at least it's good enough to let you know something is being recorded.
Glad you like the G80, Keith. Serendipity is so important sometimes. I think more solutions are found by someone trying to do something else than by people looking for an answer!
Another fine review David, and it confirmed my decision to purchase the camera as an early holiday gift to myself.
Just picked this two weeks ago, traded in the kit lens and instead bought the 12-35, the 35-100 and 100-300 lenses based on reviews from your site. The camera is an upgrade from my four year old G5. Can't wait to get out and put the gear through its paces. First have to educate myself with all the new functionality. Just starting to dive into the rather extensive manual.
Thanks, Bob. You'll find the upgrade from G5 to G80 noticeable with almost everything is improved. The lenses will, of course work superbly and the two f/2.8s with the dual stabilization put the camera firmly into Olympus territory. In essence, you'll find plenty very familiar from the G5 but wait till your hear and feel the shutter!
If its any help, I have a Kindle book on the G80 at amzn.to/2hkYjtH (UK) and amzn.to/2ib99Ey (USA)
Yes another great review from TH-cams best reviewer ! Would you choose this over the GH4 David (for video)?
Get the G85 and the eoshd colour profile lut. Once you use the IBIS you'll never go back.
The IBIS on the G80 is very much on a par with its Olympus counterparts now. The firmware upgrade was for movie stabilization, I believe.
It works as well as on stills. Panasonic used to have restricted stabilization for video on some earlier cameras with IBIS but those days seem to be over now. There's an option for electronic stabilization on video too, though I'e never found it necessary.
David, some amazing photos in this video. Thank you!
The G80 is very enjoyable and easy to use, I'm sure that makes a difference to the pictures you take.
Another great review thank you. I've had this a camera for a couple of months now. With the addition of some olympus lenses it's really starting to shine. I don't shoot video but the camera makes me want to Have a go. An adapter is available to solve the no headphone out Jack socket. The gofanco. Think it costs around $45 for anyone else wanting to primarily shoot video. Not the most elegant solution but a solution none the less. Kind regards from Sweden.
Thanks! If I didn't make videos for my channel I wouldn't have had much interest in it either but the fact that it is there as standard in such an easily accessible form would make me want to dabble in it too. The adapter is interesting and yes, elegant or not, if it works, it works. And kind regards from a very wet London, too!
Which lens and hood do you have on the thumbnail photo?
David, thank you for all of your great work! Love from Canada.
You are more than welcome -thanks! And love from London.
Have bought my g80 and am not disappointed, coupled with the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4, they are a superb combination.
Excellent camera, excellent lens. I'm glad you are pleased.
Super review! You're right up there with the best of the best when it comes to reviewing camera products! Bought the G80, but went with Olympus lenses (three of the PRO series)...wanted the weather sealing features, and more robust build. Hope it wasn't a mistake...lol
No mistake with the Olympus lenses, Rick. They focus just as well (and actually superbly well) on Panasonic as Olympus, DfD or no DfD. Robust, as you say and i also like the on lens Fn button, built in back button focusing. Not to mention the manual focus lens collar. It is those lens choices that make Micro Four Thirds a system.
no flash sync socket ? what does this mean ? can I connect a flash transmitter to the camera ?i hope so ?
I did encounter an oddity when it comes to the Auto EVF activation on this camera. While shooting multiple timelapse sequences I've noticed that the moment the EVF comes back online because because I bring my eye to the viewfinder, the interval sometimes lags and misses a shot or two. All in all, great camera though.
What you are saying emphasises the fact that these cameras could be just as aptly titled imaging computers! Of the thousands of actions a user might make, no-one thought of that. Probably 2 separate ostensibly unrelated lines of code among tens of thousands in the firmware.
Another wonderful review. Now the GH5 is just around the corner...
It has a lot to live up to and the makers do like to pull something special out of the bag for their flagship models.
Excellent review! Gorgeous photos too!
Looking forward to seeing what the Lumix G5 will be able to do.
Thanks! Presuming you mean the GH5 :-) Yes, me too.
Yes GH5. And very much looking forward to seeing what you can do with it. Your photos with the GH4 show that you are the master of the micro 4/3.
😊
Thank you for this and all your other reviews. I find your considered presentation of the cameras and lenses like breath of fresh air especially when compared with many of the other, almost hysterical, reviews that are available on the internet.
At present I am looking to purchase a new MFT body as I recently drenched my GX7 in sea water; it still works but some buttons do not work all the time. I also have an Olympus EM5 mk1 but have never really liked the user interface so I see it as my spare body.
My next camera will have to be weather sealed and while I don't do much action photography some improvements to CAF would be welcome. I have been seriously thinking about an Olympus EM1 Mk2 but since seeing this review I think I am tending towards the Panasonic G80 as the CAF seems good enough for my needs and I like idea of being able to change the size of the focus point. I also like saving a thousand pounds on a body that will most likely be almost worthless in five years time. Do you think I should be considering any other MFT cameras before I buy.
Thanks again,
best wishes
Simon
Sea water is the worst for cameras. I dropped a Nikon F5 in the sea once and that was that. Camera wise, the G80 is about the best all round camera in Micro Four Thirds in terms of performance and price. Unless there is any specific attribute of the Olympus you want, the twin SD slots say or you major on sports,, the G80 is better value.
Yes sea water corrodes the contacts, anyway that will teach me to be more careful. I will probably go for best value and get the G80, that will leave me with some money to invest in some more glass.
Excellent review as always. Your presentation of the information is simply the best.
I'm still learning a lot so I'll stick with my G7 for now.
Thanks Billy. Yes, no pressing reason to change.
Merry Christmas Mr Thorpe peace to you and your family.
To you and yours too Grady!
My perhaps the biggest gripe with this camera is the charging method if you have the battery grip. You'd need to carry two seperate chargers to charge the grip battery and camera battery at the same time.
USB charging would solve _much_ of the problems. just plug the camera to a PC. At the same time you could import all the photos and videos.
I find it very odd that Panasonic put USB charging into GX80, but not in G80. G80 even has a bigger body...
I find that odd too. I was quite surprised when I saw it. To charge both batteries in situ from the camera USB would have been very handy. Maybe something they are saving for the GH5 next year?
USB3.1 on GH5 would allow even faster charging and streaming uncompressed data. It would make sense, but taking the development time of GH5 into account, I doubt it.
Anyway. It's a shame that G80 doesn't have usb charging as it's still a "prosumer" camera. Most prosumers like convenient things and USB charging would be a obvious one.
The E-M1Mkll has USB3.
Yeah. That'd be the dream camera. Price is a bit steep...
And it doesn't charge via the C type USB socket on the camera ;-(
I have a Panasonic G7, wonderful little camera, I wish it had the IBIS of the G80.
Yes, as I say, the camera I recommend to any friends who ask my advice. IBIS was at the top of any Panasonic users wish list, including mine and now they've done it. At a price - what's new :-(
what kind of camera strap is this called?
It's from Peak Design. I put the their fittings on all my cameras and then you can either use their neck or wrist straps or they supply a fitting to adapt your own.
Awesome thanks
Great review! I got G7 on Black Friday for $497 and after a couple of weeks ended up exchanging it for G85. Addition of IBIS and elimination of the shutter shock did it for me:o)
Yes, big attractions. I was surprised how much the removal of the possibility of shutter shock meant to me.
Thanks for the reply,
I wonder why I am getting blocked my end, maybe something on my PC. Would be nice for more options though. We tend to purchase via apple store now after having Kindle problems.
Apple are just too complicated to deal with for something with potentially low sales. Amazon and Kindle make it really easy to make a book. I can't understand why I can get it and you can't. I am using the Australian site in the UK, of course but there is no limitation on my part and I regularly get Australian sales. Have you contacted Amazon?
I have a question about the stabilizer in movie mode. Is the hand with the up and down arrows suppose to be grayed out. The only 2 stabilizer options I have are the hand setting used for panning left and right and E-Stabilization for video. I thought you were suppose to use the hand with up and down arrows when you shoot panning videos. Am I mistaken about the stabilizer setting??
Yes, the hand is supposed to be greyed out. Stabilization with video is a complicated matter because in most video shots you _want_ movement. When panning, you want movement on the background but not the subject so when the camera 'sees' the blurred background it corrects for the relatively static foreground subject. That's fine for stills but in video even when panning there will still be some up and own movement in the subject. The way a person or dog walking bobs up and down, for example. The camera can't know whether you want that or don't want it so you are just not given the option. Actually, for pan shots in video, stabilization is best turned off anyway. In a case where you are panning slowly and the background is therefore not very blurrred, the camera may try to correct the movement with unpredictable but usually unpleasant effects. The best video is shot an a tripod, stabilization off. If you doing a run and gun, again stabilization is often best left off, since the natural movement of the camera is part of the effect.
So does a weather sealed body still matter even when using lenses that are not weather sealed? (like the 14-140 II) IN other words does a non weather sealed lens compromise the weather sealing benefit of the body?
Not really. The question is whether you are willing to potentially let water ruin your gear (who is?). So any combination of camera body/ lens that included a non-sealed item makes that combination unusable in wet or dusty conditions.
Personally, I do everything to protect my gear from the weather, sealed or not. In casual use, keeping the camera under your jacket and just popping it out for a shot or two won't hurt it except under conditions where you probably couldn't take pictures anyway.
I live in Hong Kong and I watched a David Thorpe video last year. As a result I went out and bought the G7 for my girlfriend as a Christmas gift. I am not sure if I have ever done that before, allowed myself to be so immediately influenced. And you must understand that in Hong Kong that Panasonic does not spend very much on marketing, as the camera market is dominated by Sony, Canon and the others. But on the 13th floor of the Sogo building you can buy all the Panasonic from a direct distributor. So making a blind decision sort of went against the local mindset-- and even the local salesmen at camera shops.
The outcome has been that my girlfriend now takes better pictures than me, partly because the intelligent modes on the Panasonic are so good. So I blame David for that. But she thinks I'm a winner because I buy such great presents.
I hope to buy a Panasonic when my current cameras wear out. Thanks, David
You are welcome, Chris. And I'm acting as cupid as well as a camera reviewer!
dear David i m so glad you finally got your camera from panasonic and you have the chance of giving your opinion on this camera that i learn to love in so little time.
I did buy on jun the G7 because your great review and i buy on nov the new one because i love the G7 so much and i used always that the newone i asume it s going to be a blast, and it was, i really love this micro 4/3 the portability and the mixing of so many lens i can put fro different brands, that having the in body stabilitation it is so cool that for me well cost the extra 200 o 300 buck for it, of course if you don t have the budget the g7 it is the best option but if you can pay the extra money well it is the superb choice for content creator, photographer and videographers.
on video it is a great choice too, the video it is most of the time smooth and crispy.
I really enjoy your review and well worth the wait having this good of a revieew from such as you my good friend, as always graceful for the time you take on deliver so good reviews.
see u on your next videos and i hope you could share most videos of this one and other good stuff in the future.
Thanks for the kind words - great to see your enthusiasm for the G80/85.
Excellent review. I did have the G7 and because I got a double discount on that when I bought it, really didn't resent the price hike when I traded it in for a G80. I'm having quite a lot of fun lately using some old Canon FD lenses on the G80 via an adapter, they work very well especially because of the in built manual focusing capabilities of the G80.
Thanks, John. Some of the Panasonic deals around are amazing. Manual focusing is a lot easier than most people think but I suppose it is more difficult for photographers who have never used a film camera.
Thank you and Merry Christmas
And to you Jergen - thanks!
I would love a GX80 with the articulating screen and grip of the G80. I don't want a mic jack since stand-alone external mics are always better and more flexible anyway in my experience. Weather sealing is nice too but adds bulk and can't say I enjoy taking pictures in the rain that often. :)
You need a sort of mix and match camera system! Good point about the mic.
Bravo review. Sold my canon 40D kit a while back as it was getting on my nerves ands back. This really looks the business.
The back, I know, I know :-) I reckon the G80 is as capable as any DSLR with some elctronic wizardry thrown in as well. The Canon will have the edge in some respects but with its size and weight the G80 is a joy to use.
Can I tell if the IBIS on the G85 is working in still photo? I can't see the IBIS working when half-pressed (yes, dual-is icon is lit). Does it only work when you press the shutter button? I could see it working while recording a clip. The thing is...even though the kit lens (12-60 NOT f2.8 ->) has power ois, AND the body has IBIS...its seems the stabilisation was working better on my E-M10 with the 14-14 II R, where there is ONLY IBIS. Howcome?
If the 'dual' icon is on and not the red hand with the line through it, the stabilization is on. I can't explain why the E-M10 would be better, the G85 should be a bit better. But these things are very subjective.
Hello David, is there a crop factor in 4k video mode on this model like the GH4
Great review David. I'm amazed at how much I love the sound and feel of the magnetic shutter compared to my GH4.
It really is nice. I haven't overall much liked the sound of the (necessarily) triple action Micro Four Thirds shutters because they sound slightly indefinite to me as well as percussive. This does away with all that.
Very very good review david really enjoyed that thank you, I have owned the G80 about 6 weeks now and I absolutely love it, it is a stunning camera and the IBIS for me makes it a game changer. I did own a couple of GH4's and a G7 which I have unloaded to pay for one of these babies and now just awaiting the release of the GH5 due out in Mar 17 ;)
Thanks, David. Yes, the in body stabilization is a game changer for many photographers. I'm looking forward to the GH5 too, though I'm struggling to find anything that limits what I want to do using the G80.
Yes me too the G80 is a little stunner, I am primarily a videographer shooting weddings so really can't wait for the GH5 to be released with the fabulous 4k 60p and of course no more silly 30 minute recording limit well done Panasonic :)
I've always been impressed by Panasonic's willingness to listen to what their users say and act on it. I thought in the past that Panasonic were committed to in lens stabilization and would stick with it but they have taken on board what users wanted and supplied in body stabilization as well. I like that kind of flexibility.
It seems the same with the GH5 and many video people seem to be getting quite excited about it. All I need to do now is negotiate a second lifetime with the devil to get up to speed with what it all means and how to best use it :-)
Can you add an external monitor to this camera via HDMI? With its
predecessor, the G7, the external monitor works until you start
recording. The moment you start recording the monitor goes blank with
the message "recording video" or something like that. In other words,
you can't have a live feed on an external monitor via HDMI while
recording. I know you can use the Panasonic camera app, but there the
window of your frame is pretty small.
Yes, you can. It will give both clean output or with shooting info as you wish.
Hi Mario - The G80 is as good as any Micro Four Thirds camera for birds in flight, excepting the Olympus E-M1 Mkll which is exceptional and built (and priced!) for fast shooting/ accurate C-AF. The phase detection on the Mark 1 is not a patch on the Mark 2 and the G80 will function just as well, especially with a Panasonic lens. As an all round Micro Four Thirds camera I think the G80 is the best there is - a feeling which many others seem to share.
Very tempted to swap out my 4 year old Oly E-M1 for the G80. I also want the new 100-300 or 100-400 with the dual IS which would be great! 16MP with no low pass filter will be more than enough for me. Is this a good idea?
The Olympus is a great camera and I'd say keep it except that the G80 really is such a great all rounder and will work so well with the lenses you mention that I'd be inclined to get it. The new shutter is really sweet and the stabilization excellent. And with the updates to the 100-300, it should be just as instantaneous in its focusing as I found the 100-400 to be. So, good idea, yes I reckon so.
As always, another informative and entertaining review.
+Rich Castro Thanks Rich!
Hi David,
congratulation for getting finally the G80/85, and of course a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Great comprehensive review as always.
I had read the G80/85 instruction manual and was a bit confused regarding wireless flash. Could you tell me if the Metz 15 MS-1 works in wireless mode with the G80/85?
Thanks again for your great u-tube work
Hi Martin - thanks for the kind words. Yes, the Metz works seamlessly with the G80/85. Set the Flash menu to wireless operation, cover the G80's flash with the Metz mask and fire away with everything under TTL control.
Thanks David for your input regarding the wireless flash.
Hi David, do those little red straps clip on either side of the camera clip onto a bigger shoulder/neck strap? If so can you please provide the link to what it is. Lovely review by the way. Some of the misty scenes, the big tree, the antlers, were they photographed at Knole, Kent in the vast grounds of Knole House?
Hi Mike - glad you like the review. The clips are from Peak Design, an American company but you can get them on Amazon amzn.to/2FslpL0
You can either use their straps or your own but they make the strap easily removable either way. The park, no, it is Richmond Park but both that and Knole are very similar. I know Knowle well because I was brought up in Tunbridge Wells and we used to visit frequently.
Ah! Richmond Park yes, forgot about that. Thanks for the link to Amazon.
How might the C-AF for photos compare to the GH4? How about the Sony a6xxx series, or a mid-range DSLR like the 80D?
It's likely better than the GH4 simply because it is newer but not enough to warrant a change from one to the other. It's very hard to be sure about these things because it is impossible to duplicate shooting conditions exactly enough for definitive assessment. Both would likely be better than the D80. All I can say is that I find the C-AF of the G80/85 fast and reliable and I have no qualms about using it. Ditto the GH4.
It's likely better than the GH4 simply because it is newer but not enough to warrant a change from one to the other. It's very hard to be sure about these things because it is impossible to duplicate shooting conditions exactly enough for definitive assessment. Both would likely be better than the D80. All I can say is that I find the C-AF of the G80/85 fast and reliable and I have no qualms about using it. Ditto the GH4. Sony, I just don't know.
Great, thank you for your insights! I suppose it's not a very useful question to ask if it's better than a camera you haven't used. I shoot alot of moderately fast moving outdoor sports (skiing, mountain biking, running). Would this camera be sufficient for those activities given there being good lighting?
Yes, one of the best for such subjects. Get an f/2.8 or better lens and you don't even need good light. I shoot at 3200 ISO on FHD with no problems. 4K is great because down sampled to FHD it lowers the noise l;evels a lot.
Thanks David. I'll follow your advise
Congratulations. Great review as always David. I have a G6 and recently bought a G80. I am very satisfied with this camera, in addition to the improvements in image quality, I would say the ergonomics and usability of this camera is the best I have tried till now. (And given my old age, I have tried quite a few). I am planning a trip to Africa this spring, and I value very much that the equipment is light and ease to use (not a lot of lens changes) but produce a good image quality. I will bring the G80 with a 12-35 f2.8 (great lens) and my panasonic 100 - 300, I am considering buying the panasonic 35 - 100 f2.8, but then I saw a good offer on the Olympus 40 150 f2.8, I would like the extra reach of the olympus, and may leave the 100 - 300 at home, using then only two lenses (maybe one on the G6 and the other on the G80) but I am concerned with the weight and size of the olympus, and lack of stabilization. I will appreciate very much if can share your thoughts on this?
Thanks Luis
The G80's stabilization copes happily with the 40-150mm, no worries there. Although the Olympus is bigger and heavier than most Micro Four Thirds lenses, it really replaces 2 lenses, the 35-100 and (with the 1.4x converter) nearly the 100-300. A G80 and those 2 lenses is an awful lot of power.
With the 12-35 on the G6 and the 40-150mm on the G80 you have a _seriously_ capable outfit that'll still fit in a quite small bag and is still relatively light. It's also top quality from 12 though to 210mm. You also, in the 40-150mm Pro have a lens that you are very unlikely ever to want to sell which offsets the price in the longer term.
David Thorpe thank you very much David, I appreciate very much your help.
whats the read ears connected to it?
They are fittings from Peak Design amzn.to/2jPpnHj (UK) amzn.to/2juphkZ (USA). I put the fittings on all my cameras so that i can use the same wrist strap and neck strap on all of them.
Great review David! I just bought this to replace my Sony A7r and it's absolutely awesome.
Thanks Horace! The Sony is no slouch so that is praise indeed for the Panasonic.
And very happy with your book about the G80, with more practical information than the official (dutch) manual!
That's good to know, John. Thank you.
I am planning to get this camera should i get it with the
a)12-60mm f3.5-5.6 or
b)14-140mm f3.-5.6 for extra $200?
I guess the benefit of the second option is the longer reach but is it worth the extra price and the lost in weather sealing?
Thanks
Provided the lens is not allowed to get drenched it won't come to any harm. I always protect my lenses anyway if it is pouring. Different if you are a professional sport photographer, of course, where full weather sealing is absolutely necessary but otherwise cameras can usually be sheltered. Weather sealed is always better though!
The 12-60 offers a wider angle but I personally feel that the 14-140 is a better buy. It is pretty much a one stop solution which you would keep even if you bought other lenses because it is great when you want to do video or are on holiday and and don't want to be fiddling around looking for and changing lenses. There's no sacrifice in IQ over the 12-60. My opinion is that the G80 with 14-140 is one of the most versatile and effective outfits in Micro Four Thirds today.
I cant decide between the G7, G85 and Olympus EM10 Mark II.
It's difficult because they are all so different. Overall, I'd go for the G85, no real downsides and capable of most things that you can throw at it.
This, or an OMD EM-5 mark ii - ugh i can't decide. Love your reviews!! Thanks for all your hard work!!
Thanks for that, Frederick! That is a hard decision between cameras to make. The Panasonic is better in focusing, the Olympus in stabilization, though the Panasonic matches it if you have a stabilized Panasonic lens. There's nothing in the performance of these cameras to make either one decisively better., though. The Panasonic has 4K video and all the 4K stills goodies, the Olympus has the high resolution facility.
Honestly, I'd decide on the feel of the cameras in my hands. For me that would be the Panasonic because I find the Olympus a bit too small ad cramped but there will be just as many who would prefer the Olympus to the 'too big' Panasonic. Good luck! :-)
thanks for this - I feel that the Olympus is a tad small, as well. Thanks again for all your videos and your response!!
What are the low light stills quality like?
It's pretty good - 36x24mm sensors and above are obviously better but I use my Micro Four Thirds up to 3200 without any second thoughts.
Awesome review!
Thank you!
Are you able to switch between ntsc and Pal?
No need - 25/30 and 50/60 fps are all options in the menu.
Hi David, would you still recommend it November 2018? My problem with it’s successor G9 is: G9 is bulkier, heavier, has no flash built in. Would you still recommend getting G9 instead G85 ? My application is stills, video (half half ) Of our active little ones, family, causal shooting, travel . (Not professional). I would appreciate good results jpegs out of the camera because I can’t spend to much time on editing. Thank you!
I think the G80/85 would suit your purposes perfectly. The G9 is really only an advantage for high speed sequencing and high end requirements which won't really concern your type of photography and more than it normally would mine. But the G85 has the smaller size and built in flash in its favour. Of all the Micro Four Thirds cameras the G85 is probably the one that embodies the core advantages of the system best.
David Thorpe thanks for your kind help. I read about complains of G85 jpeg engine, not nice skin color, aggressive noise reduction and colors. Is that true in real life or more academic pixel peeping.
Also I see complains about video auto focus does not work. But I think when Tabbing ob the touch screen it should focus ok.
@@mvhan911 Video auto-focus works pretty well in my experience. Video focusing is slower than stills, as it should be, because snapping to focus looks awful in movies. The colours of the G85 , some prefer them to Olympus and vice versa. Noise reduction is a matter of choice. I leave it at standard or reduce it a couple of points but you can reduce it more. Personally, I'm happy with colours from my G80 - it's a matter of pesonal taste and, more, the device you are viewing on. For example, The OLED screens that Samsung use on the S phones make anything look good!
Hi David,
What a nice review!! It ticks all the points: clear, interesting, and formative. Thank you very much. It made me considering upgrading mi gh3.... from strictly the stills quality, do you think is it worth? Thanks again.
Hi Ramiro - you won't see any dramatic improvement in image quality, its images will be a bit less noisy and a bit more contrasty, cleaner looking. The stabilization, new shock free and whisper quiet shutter and so on make it a worthwhile upgrade, though. So overall, yes, it is worth it.
What kind of image is that at 2:50? It looks so weird! Like compression artifacts but it's something else.
Thanks for the awesome video!
Glad you liked it Djay! It's a leaf of a plant in a London garden. Nothing exotic but that's what I love about macro, the oddity of things pulled out of context and displayed with no reference points.
Please tell me what is up with that shot lol. Is it floating on water? Is it behind a glass with water on it? Is it some glitch in the editing process?
It drives me mad, it's like that picture from star trek they wanted to upload to the Borg in order to drive them insane.
Haha! No, very prosaic, just some sort of lumpy lead with raindrops on it. It was in The Temple, off The Strand in London.
But that doesn't look right, it shouldn't be! :D
Remembering it, it kept moving around and trying to bite me. Then it spoke and said its name was Norman and it was from the planet ^C)NNTX in the YTRIX galaxy. Then it started to threaten me with vaporization if I didn't get it a cheese sandwich. So I took a picture of it and went to the authotities but they just said, "best leave it". That's all I know. :-)
Fantastic and passionate review! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Hi David, Does the book you have on Amazon give your custom settings at the end, as you give in the G7 book? Thanks.
Hi Joe - yes it does.
Good solid review David. I upgraded from the G6 up to the G80 and so far it is great for all the reasons you have mentioned. The only niggle is not having a headphone port so I can monitor audio whilst filming. I think someone suggested a workaround if you use a Zoom H1 microphone it has a headphone port so maybe you can plug headphones into that and monitor the audio-not sure, I will try it and see if it works. I have reviewed the G80 with samples on my channel if you are interested.
Thanks Steve! That would be an interesting workaround. I think Panasonic probably leave the headphone port off for marketing reasons. There have to be reasons to buy a GH4!
Hello
Thanks for the review. Very informative. However, from some posting sites there have been comments that the Panasonic 100-300 won't work on the G80 because of the dual IS. Do you know if this is true as the 100-400 is too expensive for me? Cheryl
The 100-300 works fine on the G80 but can't use the dual stabilization. It's not so important since it has perfectly good stabilization in the lens itself. There's a new version of the 100-300 which has improved focusing and will use dual stabilization and if you bought one now, it would be that one. Best to confirm it with the dealer, though. There may be a few old style 100-300s at a good price? The new one is here amzn.to/2lPdXTN (UK) or amzn.to/2lP73xM (USA). The old one is here amzn.to/2m7xTSF (UK) and amzn.to/2lRSUhK (USA)
Hi, David,
Great review, as usual, and thanks again for the hard work you do for us regular folk! I'm on the verge of buying this camera even tho I have the G7 (which I will keep), but decided to buy a second camera. Just wondering your opinion on something. I read that the mechanical shutter is able to use more of the sensor and gives better IQ than the electronic shutter. Do you find this to be true? I'm a little spoiled to the silence of the electronic shutter, and I rarely use flash so that's not really a factor for me.
Hope you had a great Christmas, and have a happy and prosperous New Year!
Hi Linda - nice to hear from you. Happy Christmas and New Year to you and yours too. I think some time ago the electronic shutter was prone to banding in low light but those days are gone. I can't tell any difference at all in comparison shots, though maybe scientific tests on test charts might show something . I doubt it, though. Anyway, most of us don't shoot test charts and the real world is very different.
The only minus points to the e-shutter that I can see are the usual ones of no, or restricted flash use and distortion of moving images. With the G80 I've been using the mechanical shutter since it is so smooth and quiet and has no limitations other than a lower fastest speed. I'm waffling here - there's no reason to use one or the other on the G80, just personal preference. On the G7 it avoids any possibility of shutter shock.
Thanks a bunch, David. That helps me to know that I'm not sacrificing IQ with the e-shutter since I do shoot a lot of 4k photo mode which, of course, defaults to the e-shutter to get 30 fps. I'm happy now. :-)
Superb review David. Thank you
After using this new model now which do you prefer this one or the GX8?
Just wondering as the only thing I have negative about the GX8 is shutter shock, and most people do not seem to see it. Build wise there does not seem to be any failures like other Mu-43 brand(s). The GX8 seems to be rock solid apart from being not the most up to date and every camera has that problem soon after release.
Another great review, are we talking about C-AF on a par with my GX8,i struggle holding the GX8 without making un intentional button adjustments so would like to consider this camera.
The GX8 though is great for birds in flight.
Thanks! I didn't have any problems with the GX8 buttons but if you do the G80 might suit you better. I'd try one first though, to make sure. For BIF, I doubt there's any notice any difference at all in focusing performance. I love the GX8 - if it had the G80 shutter and stabilization there's be no way to choose between them than to see which one felt best - unless the 20Mp was crucial.
Just to let you know i took the plunge and changed my GX8 for the G80,it does BIF just as well and i feel its giving me sharper images with the 100-400.
Thanks
Panasonic focusing is superb generally but I found that the 100-400 was outstanding even in that context. I find the G80 hard to fault. It reminded me of the first time I picked up a GH3 and felt like I'd used one for years.
coming from the 1st gen em5, im thinking of upgrading my camera to either the Oly EM5 MK2 or this lumix G85... what are ur thoughts guys between these two cameras?
My personal preference is for the G85 because it fits my hand a bit better. I found the Olympus to be a bit cramped and needed the hand grip to make it comfortable to hold without jogging some controls accidentally. Also, the focusing on the Panasonic is better, quicker and more confident. The Olympus has a lovely solid, jewel like feel to it. There's no bad choice here, just a better one for personal taste.
David Thorpe thanks very much for this inputs.. now definitely leaning now on the g85.. in terms of stills performance and IQ, is there any significant differences between these two? how bout ibis? thanks a lot..
IBIS in both is very similar, though if you have a stabilized Panasonic lens, you have the dual stabilization which makes the Panasonic maybe a bit better. But the Olympus's stabilization is wonderful, so there's little in it even so. Image quality is much the same with either camera. I'm inclined to the Panasonic because of the focusing and much better menu system but I'd be happy using either.
Thanks a lot :) maybe now's the time to jump into Panasonic and give it a try. really appreciate the response.. :)
David Thorpe Thanks for the most useful and enjoyable review and for this answer. I was considering the same question! Regards to the (neighbors's) cat.
hey
so would you recommend this as an upgrade from a lumix g6 or should I wait another year or so and get the latest g body eg if they bring out a g8 or g90?
thanks
From a G6 the G80 will feel more natural being a DSLR style. The G80 has the whisper quiet shock free shutter and the upgraded stabilization which don't need improvement. It's hard to see what they can improve on it. Maybe a GX8 style EVF but the G80's is already good and you'd only notice the difference compared side by side. But who know what they'll think of?
For me, the G80 represents about all the camera I need so I'd buy that. But if you are still happy with the G6 - and why not? - it won't be too much hardship to hold on. Also, if a G9 or 90 doesn't offer anything for you over the G80, you'll pick up a G80 at a good price as dealers sell off stock.
Do see a noticable difference between the stills of the G85 and EM-10ii? I am planning to purchase the G85 or G9 as my main camera and keep my em10 as a secondary. A good choice?
A very good choice, I'd say. What difference there is between stills from the G85 or E-M10 would not be of any significance in day to day use. Certainly, for me, I'd use whichever was at hand. Lovely size for a second camera, the E-M10, slipped into a bag you'd hardly know it was there.
David Thorpe thank you! What about the G9? Is it a significant improvement for stills?