Panasonic LUMIX GX85 4K Digital Camera, 12-32mm and 45-150mm Lens Bundle, 16 Megapixel Mirrorless Camera Kit, 5 Axis In-Body Dual Image Stabilization, 3-Inch Tilt and Touch LCD, DMC-GX85WK (Black)

This review isn't about the technical aspects of the camera. This review is tailored towards the consumer who wants a small, compact and capable mirrorless camera that they could take everywhere with them. This review if for:- Someone who understands the importance of some really good food pics- Likes adventure and looking back at it through pics and videos- Explores around town and takes photos along the way- Has cute pets and likes cute pet pics- Has an eye for design and wants photos of cool spaces- Wants to travel light but not miss a photo momentBasically this is a review for the photographer/social media influencer/enthusiast who believes the best camera is the one they have on them.Just a couple housekeeping notes:* Before I continue, I have to put out a disclaimer and say that I was chosen as part of Panasonic and Lumix USA’s campaign (#PanasonicAdvocate) to test this camera out and share my experiences with an unbiased and honest review. And that is exactly what I’m going to do as these opinions are my own and I have literally been using this camera almost every day for over a month.** All images posted to this review are taken with the kit lens.I started out my mirrorless journey with the Panasonic GF1. It was a pioneer amongst the mirrorless cameras and to this day remains one of my favorite cameras to have used. Since then, I’ve owned mirrorless cameras from Olympus, Fujifilm and now Sony so it’s kind of cool how this all came full circle when Panasonic approached me with the gx85.DISLIKESLet’s get the things I dislike out of the way because they’re not a deal breaker for me, they’re simply just things I think can be improved upon. While I appreciate and have grown to love the tilt screen, I wish this camera flipped all the way up for selfies and group shots. Selfies aside, when I’m traveling, this is super useful trying for getting quick self-portraits.This is also my first touch screen for a camera. While I love the option to quickly change my focal points with a touch of the screen, I find that when I put the camera up to my eye to compose a shot through the EVF, the touch focus point is so sensitive that it moves around like crazy.The camera is also a bit heavy for it’s size. I read that people complained that it’s predecessor seemed dinky in the hands and while they improved that with the gx85 feeling robust, in my opinion, it’s a touch too heavy for such a compact m43 camera.On that same note, because the added weight is attributed to making the camera feel more robust, they really should have made this weather proof. It would cancel out any negative feelings one has towards this camera being slightly heavy for a small compact.High ISO = mehhh photo quality. There’s not much to this point other then when you have a small sensor and you’re pushing it’s ISO, images tend to smudge up, noise builds and the clarity becomes lost. It’s not horrible by any means and they’ve come such a long way since the first m43 cameras, but larger sensor cameras will always have the edge when it comes to high ISO.LIKESIt’s so cute/cool. Yea I said it. Whatever lol. I’m big on how cameras look these days. I think the aesthetic of ones tools are a direct representation of ones style. For me, I love when cameras can embody a retro rangefinder look while still infusing some modern design elements without looking like the two are fighting against each other. When I think of retro and modern design friction, I think of some of the Olympus bodies. When I think of the perfect blend of retro and modern, I think of the Leica Q.The buttons and dials are all fantastic. So much so I rarely use any of the touch screen buttons to navigate around for settings and the camera interface and menus.The build quality is first rate. I know I said earlier it was a tad bit too heavy and while I stick with that statement, it really does feel good in the hands regardless.Start up time is instant. Something Sony really needs to take note on.I love the kit lens. It’s so small but provides a good range and the quality is really good for what it is. It’s also built well for a kit lens so the overall vibe of this combo still feels like a premium product.The image stabilization on this thing is BANANAS. My Sony A7RII also has 5-axis image stabilization, but the gx85 also takes advantage of lens I.S. created a Dual I.S. system. Video clips feel like they’re taken with a gimbal (super amateur clips btw).I’ll never buy a camera without Wi-Fi. Many times, I like to post photos instantly, especially when I’m traveling. The Wi-Fi on the gx85 works great with the app and transfers images relatively fast. I’ve yet to loose connection while transferring photos.And like many current mirrorless cameras, the autofocus is lightning fast.OVERALL IMPRESSIONSJust like with every other mirrorless camera out there, there are still some short comings. Most of which I didn’t feel the need to mention because we’ve heard it time and time before. The most notable for me being battery life. It makes sense though when you have a small battery trying to give life to an almost all electronic device (LCD, EVF, shutter, etc.).With those little gripes aside, I still do believe mirrorless is the future and this camera is just part of that journey.The Panasonic gx85 is a great, be-with-you-at-all-times camera. As you can see by the photos I’ve posted, that’s exactly what happened. The gx85 was with me at all times. It came with me to dinner, it came exploring in my Jeep and it came with me to hang out with some friends.Will I be using it for paid work? No, but that’s because I have my Sony line of cameras to do that for me. Is it capable for paid work? Absolutely! Just ask any of the social influencers making a killing per post with an iPhone.

Let's start by talking about 4K. The GX85 shoots 4K at 100 Mb/s, the as GH4. The GX85 will shoot 4K as long as your battery and storage allow. For me, my 64GB filled up after 1 hr 29 min, but hey, the camera filled that card up, no questions asked (battery held up, almost). If you want to shoot video in 1080P or lower, shoot in AVCHD and you will have unlimited recording time. You can officially retire that camcorder for good.In my opinion, this camera is better than the GH4 for video. Even though the GH4 has more bitrates for 720P/1080P and some flat profiles, the fact is that the GX85 and GH4 have identical best image quality, but your handheld footage on the GX85 will look much better than on the GH4 because of its excellent IBIS. After repeated claims that IBIS is impossible in 4K because of overheating, two years later, Panasonic somehow combine IBIS and 4K in a tiny body that can continuously shoot an hour and a half without any signs of overheating. Heh. Good one, Panasonic.If you want to bypass internal codecs, you're in luck because this camera also has clean HDMI out for external recorders. In short, while the GH4 still has some "pro" features some "pros" might want, in practice, the GX85 is every bit the video shooter that the GH4 is, at basically half the price and with IBIS! Chew on that!Anyway, many of the other reviews cover what I would have covered anyway, which is that this is a beautiful camera that is a superb stills shooter, but I just wanted to address the video issue, too, since a lot of these points were not made in the press releases (probably to protect the GH4's reputation as a high end video shooter).Despite all this talk of video, I'm mainly a still shooter. Ever since receiving my GX85, I find that I simply cannot put it down. This is a gorgeous little camera. I initially started using MFT because of its balance of size and quality, but over time, I had been trending toward bigger cameras because they had the best features. However, a weird thing happened. I took my camera out less and less. When I got the GH4 to be the camera to end it all, I pretty much stopped taking my camera to social events completely because the GH4 just felt too formal. But ever since I received my GX85, I want this camera around me all the time! I love shooting pictures again.The image quality on this camera is easily the best I've ever seen in any Panasonic camera I've tried yet. There is no shutter shock. Thanks to the lack of an AA filter, improve shutter, and IBIS, I find that pictures are sharp to the last pixel! There is no softness whatsoever.Are there downsides? Yeah, small ones, but it seems like almost every downside has an upside. For instance, I prefer charging in an external charger so I can be charging a battery while using another one, but in-camera USB charging has a huge upside for keeping my camera bag light! I must say, though, the port cover for the HDMI/USB is kind of annoying to open, but hey, I'll get used to it. The tilt screen is a bit stiff and doesn't have huge freedom of movement, but on the other hand, it's super low profile and functional enough.Blah blah, I could go on and on, but a lot of people consider the GF1 to be the best MFT camera that Panasonic has ever made. To me, this camera, the GX85, is their best camera since the GF1. It's a camera that combines usability, stylish looks, superb stills performance, and 4K prowess. And it even comes with a pretty good kit zoom lens. It is excellent bang for the buck.As an aside, I feel bad for GX8 buyers. I wonder how many of them feel a bit bitter about the improved shutter and IBIS on the GX85, which is considerably cheaper than the GX8 ever was.