Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am an enthusiast and new to the micro 4/3 system. This is my own experience with using my new camera as compared to my previous and existing gear. I think it is unfair to rate it one star because of panning issues in video, besides a firmware update has already been released. I skipped the kit lens and got the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 instead. I did not encounter any such problems for this lens when IBIS or dual IS is on after the firmware update. My review is more on using this camera for stills. Primary reasons why I bought the G85: Lightweight and small, low profile, reasonable price of camera and lenses, good in lowlight conditions (with Dual IS), built-in bright EVF and LCD screen, versatile stills and video camera, customizable and easy user interface for a small mirrorless, weather sealed (water and dust resistant). Camera features I really like: • 4K Photo • Silent mode • Time-lapse option on the dial • 11 customizable function butttons • Customizable in-camera highlight and shadow. Cuts down work in post processing. • Post focus and built-in Focus Stacking (JPEG only). I would prefer Focus Stacking output as RAW. However, with the highlight shadow feature setting I can pull up highlights and shadows in-camera and the JPEG result is still good. Hopefully RAW output will be included in the future. Compared with the Sony a6000 (that I sold): Focusing - The hybrid (w/ phase detect) autofocus with the a6000 is just phenomenal (now more impressive with the new a6500) but I don't shoot sports often. Contrast detect for the G85 is sufficient to track pets, kids, indoor sports (I prefer using the Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8). It can also track faster movement like birds in flight quite well. Short buffer on the a6000 compared to the G85. Battery- Battery life is almost the same. Non-OEM batteries (Wasabi) used with the a6000 causes the camera to freeze. I had no problems with Wasabi batteries on the G85. Mirrorless cameras are notorious for sucking a lot of juice from your battery therefore you need to have at least two spare ones. Powering On - Instantaneous on the G85. I can take pictures soon as I turn on the switch. Similar to my FF DSLR. With the a6000 it takes 2 to 3 secs to start up. Good luck if you use cheap batteries. I missed a lot of shots because of it. Video - Of course, the G85 has an advantage with 4K does heats up quickly and so far after using it a couple or more times, it does not overheat. Sony a6000 starts heating up after taking video for more than 15 mins. It still plagues the a6300 and hopefully not the a6500. Diagonal panning issues and jitters have been resolved after the firmware update. Humming sound of the IBIS is still present with the G85. The humming can be picked up by the built in mic in a quiet environment. You need an external mic if you do need to record video in such conditions. User interface - Love the DSLR like controls on the G85. Two dials (front and back) is very convenient in manual mode. Sony a6000 does not have intuitive controls like the G85. The G85 has 11 customizable function buttons (6 physical, 5 on the LCD screen), pressing a function button (physical) for 2 sec. will let you directly assign a function, not to mention the Q. MENU possibilities. What I like about this camera is that I can retain back button focusing when in PASM modes, and half pressed shutter focusing in auto mode which is not possible with my DSLR. The touchscreen and touch focusing feature with G85 is convenient and very responsive. Careful not to touch your nose on the screen though as it can move your focus point. Among some settings that are easily accessible when pressing the Exposure Compensation button (F1 by default) are Exposure Bracketing and Flash Compensation. Still looking for other cool stuff that this camera has in store. IBIS and Dual IS - With Dual IS I can shoot even at 1/10th of sec. to even 1 sec. handheld and still get sharp images especially when paired with the 12-35mm f2.8 lens. The a6500 will have IBIS and dual IS on Sony lenses that has OSS. Lenses - Reasonable prices for micro 4/3 lenses and other choices from Olympus, Rokinon or Sigma. Sony aps-c has limited zoom lenses and they are larger than micro 4/3. No Sony 24-70 f2.8 (35mm equivalent) for aps-c. Best I ever used is the Zeiss 16-70mm f4.0. Sony FF e-mount lenses are expensive. Main reason why I left Sony. If they have more lenses for aps-c and make it smaller and affordable, I may come back... maybe. Image Quality - Love the IQ of photos taken with the a6000 but the IQ of the G85 is equally good despite having a smaller sensor. Just do not crop too much. WiFi and Mobile App - The best I have ever used so far. It never prematurely disconnects, very capable controls and app performance is nearly flawless. Good job software team. The only caveat, as with all the other camera brand apps is that they only download images in JPEG. I only shoot in RAW and download my images to my iPad Pro using a card reader since I mostly edit my photos with Adobe Lightroom Mobile and later syncing and tweaking some of it on my PC. This is how rate my experience with the WiFi apps: Very Good - Panasonic App w/ G85, Could have been Excellent if it downloads RAW. Good - Sony PlayMemories w/ Sony a6000. Good controls but it disconnects. WiFi turned on quickly drains the battery. Acceptable - Canon Camera Connect w/ Canon G7X Mark II (sold) Mediocre - Nikon WMU w/ my D610 w/ wifi adapter, D5500 (sold). Limited controls and disconnects. Since I am an Apple user I cannot attest to how SnapBridge performs but still the app should work well with all platforms. As if Nikons software department is almost non-existent. Why did I choose the G85 over the 1 inch sensor Canon G7X Mark II(sold)? The G7X Mark II is an excellent camera because of its portability and performance in low light, but sometimes I needed a viewfinder. It is difficult to see anything on the LCD screen on a sunny day. Could not wait for the Nikon DL 18-50mm. Still no built in viewfinder and is priced at almost $1000. Sony RX 100 IV or V? Maybe. But soon as I got hold of this camera I just couldn't let go. Why did I choose the G85 over the Sony a6500? Price. The a6500 is $1500 . If I was thinking of getting the GH5, which is in the same price point, I would consider the a6500. However, native Sony aps-c E-mount lens selection is still limited. Compared to my Nikon D610: Image Quality - Full frame wins in this department, hands down. But if you only post photos in social media or don't print that often in large sizes then why need a full frame DSLR at all. Weight and portability - I would rather equally enjoy taking photos and traveling without lugging heavy equipment. I would not drag my Nikon 80-200 f2.8D on overseas trips and would rather carry a Lumix 35-100mm f2.8 lens or Lumix 45-150mm lens. For most of my travels, I will just bring my Nikon 20mm f1.8G on my Nikon D610 for landscapes and Panasonic Lumix G85 cam and lenses (12-35mm f2.8, 35-100 f2.8 or the lighter and affordable 45-150mm f4.0-5.6) for walk-around. Price - Micro 4/3 wins, camera and lenses! The pro grade Panasonic Lumix 35-100mm f2.8 lens with IS for the G85 is selling for $897 at this time of writing vs the expensive Nikon 70-200 f2.8G VRII for $2200+. User Interface - Going from AF-S to AF-C on the D610 is a nuisance sometimes. Back button focusing resolves this issue and having it permanently on AF-C. Most DSLR users know this. The G85 however has a dedicated switch for AFS, AFC and MF. Awesome. I can take advantage of the 9 fps on AF-S or MF with focus peaking at any time. D610 has no wifi and touchscreen. Build quality - My D610 looks and feels sturdier, however as light as it is, the build quality of the Panasonic G85 does not dissappoint. Suffice to say, I am happy with my new camera system. I am a Micro 4/3 convert. UPDATE: Purchased the Lumix 45-150mm, 35-100mm f2.8 and included sample photos. Night and long exposure shots of Union Square shot using Lumix 12-35 f2.8. Close up of xmas tree and skating rink shot at 1/15th, f2.8, ISO 800 handheld. Bird photos using the Lumix 35-100mm f2.8 at 100mm. UPDATE 2: In video mode, microjitters are still apparent when using the long end of the Lumix 35-100mm f2.8, even after the firmware update. You may not want to shoot handheld at 100mm. No problems with the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 which normally what I use for video anyway. Still a stellar performer.