Panasonic GX85 Review, Part II

(Part I is here)

Words and pictures by Gordon Lewis

One of the benefits to shooting with a Micro 4/3 camera is being able to get this much depth-of-field without having to use ridiculously small apertures.

The key to making a camera such as the Panasonic Lumix GX85 as enjoyable as possible for street photography is for the shooting experience to be smooth and intuitive. You want the camera to melt away. You want to be able to pay more attention to what’s going on around you and less on the camera. This will depend partly on camera ergonomics, but just as much if not more so on how you set it up. The way I set up a camera may not be the way you would want to set up yours, but knowing my settings will at least give you a reference point for how well the GX85 performs with them. With that in mind, here’s a basic list:

• File format: RAW
• Exposure Mode: Aperture preferred. This allows direct control over depth-of-field.
• Front dial controls aperture. This is the manufacturer’s default.
• Rear dial controls exposure compensation, with no need to press in on the dial first.
• Pressing the Fn1 button changes dial functions so that the rear dial adjusts ISO and the front adjusts white balance. Once you have assigned this function, you will be able to make the same switch by pressing in on the rear dial.
• Cursor buttons control AF point position (up, down, left, right, etc.)
• The shutter triggers only the shutter release, while the AF lock button triggers AF start. This is so that pressing the shutter button won’t alter any manual focus settings.
• Turning the focusing ring triggers manual focus assist, just in case AF fails to do the job. I opted for focus peaking, but 100% magnification in the center of the frame is also an option.
• Silent shutter. The manual shutter, although dead quiet, sounded "laggy" to me, as if the mechanical movements took longer than the actual shutter speed. I therefore opted for the silent (electronic) shutter. Its only practical limitation for street photography is that it’s incompatible with electronic flash for flash fill.

These are by no means the only available settings, but they provided what I consider a near ideal balance between full automation versus swift and sure manual control. Focus and exposure in daylight were blazing fast and, if not always 100% accurate, close enough not to ruin a shot. I experienced some AF hunting in very low light, particularly with slow lenses, but a quick shift of the focus ring was all it took to move the plane of focus point where I wanted it.

Joy, Financial District, San Francisco

Viewfinder issues
The eye-level viewfinder shows where Panasonic cut corners a bit to reduce cost. Although it’s large, high-res, and bright, eye relief is short. You’ll need to have your eye close and well-centered to see the entire frame. That can be difficult if you’re wearing glasses. Another issue—one common to most mirrorless cameras—is that direct sunlight that enters the viewfinder or reflects from the rear LCD can cause either one to wash out. A slight shift of position is usually all it takes to correct the problem. Some reviewers have also complained about a color rainbow smearing effect during rapid camera movements. I didn’t notice this, but you might, so be sure to look for it.

What I did notice was that the colors and contrast in the eye-level viewfinder didn’t quite match those on the rear LCD, and that both made scenes look brighter than in real-life. This means that if you try to "expose by eye" rather than by meter, there’s a good chance you will underexpose. Fortunately, you use the setup menus to reduce the brightness of either one or both viewfinders.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, as with all Micro 4/3 cameras, the GX85’s native aspect ratio is 4:3. However, the eye level viewfinder has a 16:9 ratio. This results in black space on both vertical sides of the frame. You can change the aspect ratio to 3:2 – the standard for APS-C and full-frame formats—to eliminate the bars, but this can also make it harder to see the entire image. Any 3:2 image will import into Lightroom pre-cropped, with the full image area still available if you want it.

I wouldn’t obsess over the viewfinder too much, though. Street photographers typically frame and shoot within seconds. Although there may be better viewfinders to be found, the GX85's is definitely respectable.

A look at lenses
As I mentioned in Part I, I was shooting with three Micro 4/3 lenses: the Olympus 17mm ƒ/1.8, Panasonic 25mm ƒ/1.7, and Panasonic 42.5mm ƒ/1.7 OIS. The 17mm was the smallest and lightest of the three, followed by the 42.5mm and then the 25mm. Each weighed less than five ounces, yet was fast enough for flash-free low light shooting without having to rely on absurdly slow shutter speeds or high ISOs.

Another advantage of their small size was that if I didn’t feel like carrying a camera bag, I could carry one lens in each pocket of a light jacket and the third on the camera; or I could carry the GX85 with 17mm alone in a single pocket; or simpler still, sling the GX85 plus any lens over my shoulder.

This was shot with the 17mm ƒ/1.8 m.Zuiko and cropped to square format. Although it may not look it, I was close enough to tap the fellow in the green plaid shirt on the shoulder.

The Panasonic 42.5mm ƒ/1.7 was perfect for available light interior shots where its optical image stabilization, combined with the GX85's IBIS, helped eliminate camera shake while the fast aperture helped blur distracting backgrounds.

Waiting for the Fox Chase, SEPTA Station, Philadelphia. Shot with the Panasonic 25mm ƒ/1.7.

The 17mm was ideal for shooting on narrow streets or in tight spaces. On the other hand, because of its wider than normal angle of view, tight framing may require you to be only a few feet away from your subject. For that reason, I tend to favor the 25mm. It lets me get tight shots without feeling as if I’m obnoxiously sticking the camera in someone’s face. The 42.5mm was best for shooting scenes on the other side of a street without actually having to cross. It had the added benefit of OIS, which, combined with the GX85’s IBIS, added up to five stops of stabilization.

File import and final notes
Lightroom will attach a generic Adobe profile to any raw files you import from the GX-85. There are no profiles that match Panasonic’s JPEG "photo styles" such as Standard, Vivid, Portrait, etc. This means that if you shoot raw+JPEG, your JPEG colors won’t match your raw colors and vice-versa. Fortunately, I found Adobe’s profile reasonably neutral yet appealing. The examples I've uploaded were only minimally altered and should offer a reliable insight into Panasonic’s overall color palette.

Waiting for a friend, Roam Burgers, San Francisco.

Here’s a center crop at close to 100%. Not bad for an image shot at maximum aperture.

What may be hard to see from these JPEG samples [TOP's blog software subtly blurs posted pictures—it's a bug, not a feature. —Ed.] is the surprising amount of micro-detail they have. We’re talking fine textures that go on and on. I attribute this to the GX85's IBIS, lack of an anti-aliasing filter, accurate focus, and good glass. Is there as much detail and low noise as you’d get from a full-frame camera? No, but unless you're making huge prints or pixel peeping and have perfect technique, you’ll never see the difference. You'd also have to shoot with a much larger, heavier, noisier camera that uses large and heavy lenses. Thanks, but I’d take the Panasonic GX85 any day.

The Panasonic GX85

If you can’t get great street shots with this camera, then trust me my friend, it won't be the camera's fault.

Gordon

Old friend Gordon Lewis, originally a colleague of Mike's from Camera & Darkroom magazine and later the writer of the blog Shutterfinger, is the author of Street Photography: The Art of Capturing the Candid Moment, published by Rocky Nook. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and three kids. In a former life, he wrote sitcoms in Hollywood.

©2017 by Gordon Lewis, all rights reserved

Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Street stealth
Buy a GX85

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Ricardo Silva Cordeiro: "Loved the review, thanks for sharing. This camera received a lot of negative feedback upon its release but when I handled one on a store I felt there was something special about it. I investigated a bit more and yes, the viewfinder isn't top-notch and it has an 'older' 16-MP sensor, but everything else seems just perfect and it looks like camera users (not testers) are loving it. The handling, responsiveness, low-profile look and small size are ideal for street shooting.

"Panasonic's UI is among the best too, as is their AF technology as long as you use single point only (in my experience Panasonic AF is only reliable that way; use multiple-point AF and you will end up with mostly front-focused shots. Happens with my LF1, LX100 and ZS100). And the sound of that shutter is even better than the one of the E-M5 which I thought was the best. I'm struggling not to get back to the ever-attractive Micro 4/3 system, but if I do I'm almost certain it will be with this camera plus a Leica 15mm ƒ/1.7 and Panasonic 25mm ƒ/1.7."

MarkB: "I really liked Gordon's thorough overview (not 'review') of the GX85, but once again, his sample photos show what a competent and experienced photographer can do with the Panasonic... not what I can expect to achieve. Like watching the Stig do laps in a reasonably priced car!"

Comments

[Wolf]

For some time I have been looking for a replacement of my aging LX7. Its natural successor, the LX100, has some issues (according to two friends - and people I trust on the web) and seemed expensive for what it offers. So I had set my eyes on the GX85 - or GX80 as it is called here in Europe. Thus Gordon's "review' came at a most appropriate moment. I realized early on that it lacks a few of the (for me) prominent features of the LX's (I always used the LX7 with the additional flipable EV): just that - an EV which I can tilt vertical, and a number of easily/rapidly accessible controls on switches/rings on the lens barrel. Fortunately I was able to rent a GX80 for this past weekend and after a few fights with menus and settings (and here Gordon's Part II helped a lot, thanks so much!) I felt reasonably comfortable with handling it. But now: Oh what lense(s) to get... I really liked to 24-90mm equivalent range of the LX7 and wondered what the experts would recommend in that range for the GX80/85. This would be my starter kit with a couple of primes possibly added later.

[Ken James]

I enjoyed the comments Gordon Lewis made in this posting. He is a welcome addition to TOP, in my opinion. I like this kind of "user" review of cameras.

[Jeff]

I'd love to see the 'Joy' photo with the right side, inward facing facade cropped out, leaving the larger windows from the building on the right.

[christer almqvist]

I have never had a 4/3 camera and I do not even know the size of its sensor, so excuse me if this question sounds primitive. It is about d.o.f.. (And yes, I know that d.o.f. is not what it used to be in film days when it was based on a Leitz definition from the 1930s.)

Assume Gordon and I take the same picture, Gordon with his micro 4/3 and I with my 24x36mm sensor camera. Gordon uses his 25mm lens and I use a lens with a focal distance to eliminate the effect of the "crop factor". I guess that will have to be a 50mm lens. If we have the same standpoint and shoot the same target, then our displays would show exactly the same picture.

If we have used identical f-stops (and iso values and shutter speed and tripod and all the rest) then it is generally proclaimed that Gordon's picture will have a larger d.o.f. than mine because at identical f-stops his aperture is smaller than mine in absolute terms as his focal length is shorter than mine. Sounds logical, even to me.

If we now want to show prints of our pictures, and we want them to be the same size, say A4 or 8 by 10 inches, then Gordons picture will lose some of its sharpness as it needs to be enlarged twice as much as mine. Sounds to me as if some of his larger d..o.f. effet will get lost in enlarging.

Is it so, and then to what extent?

[All correct except the assumptions about "enlarging" (inkjet printing, I assume you mean). 8x10 is not large enough to distinguish quality differences between the sensors, with the possible exception of a slight amount of microdetail or "smoothness" from the larger sensor. It won't make a difference in "sharpness," as sharpness (an elusive quality, difficult to define rigorously) is largely a matter of software processing these days—plus, technically, smaller-format lenses can be made to be a *little* better and "sharper" than larger-format lenses. It would depend on "all things being equal" (to which I always hear, in my mind, Ctein adding "...which they never are.") It also depends on the picture--the closer you are to the "center" of ideal conditions, the less difference will be apparent; the farther from the ideal and closer to the extremes of difficulty for the imaging system, the more one or the other systems might have an edge. In some properties you might look at. I think you would still see the modest difference in "bokeh" based on the conditions you describe.

Focus and subject distances and lens focal length have more effect on d.o.f. generally than sensor size and maximum aperture. Experimenters like to posit hypothetical "identical" conditions as you have done here (although you failed to mention pixel density, which would have to be controlled for--do your two sensors have the same number of total pixels, or the same pixel density?), but from an experimental standpoint that's reductionist thinking and has little to do with the conditions under which we actually photograph. Note that the lens I bought to experiment with pictures in which "bokeh" is dominant is a 45mm ƒ/2.8 Micro 4/3 lens. Forum convention would dictate that that's a very poor lens from which to get out-of-focus blur, but of course it's not--you just have to see with it that way and use it that way. Really, from a grubby seat-o'-the-pants perspective, the only sensible reason for using larger sensors is if you want to make larger prints. --Mike]

[San Warzoné]

Gordon, Thanks for the tips and techniques. The one drawback you mentioned with most mirrorless cameras is the electronic viewfinder. No matter how hard I try with my Sony A6300, it doesn't come close to the circular eyepiece of my Nikon D500. With a comfortable sling strap and the 16-80 Nikkor lens it works for me. The difference in size is outweighed by the touch, feel and "view" I get with this combo. The smaller 35mm F1.8 DX prime lens makes the D500 even a little lighter. All the quick adjustments you spoke of are just as handy, quick and easy.

[alan]

I have a GX80 and it's a nice camera. I also have a GX7 and I wish they'd kept the tiltable EVF and the AF/MF switch on the back.

Actually as I see no image quality difference between the two what I'd really like is a GX7 with the GX80's shutter and a better EVF not the field sequential one.

As a former 5D owner and now the happy owner of an A7 I've looked at the differences and for me the DoF factor works, convert the focal length and aperture and the picture and the DoF look pretty much the same but the FF shot will be sharper if you pixel peep and go looking for the differences. The A7 also has a bit more dynamic range but the MFT cameras and lenses are smaller and much faster to use.

[Stanleyk]

"Really, from a grubby seat-o'-the-pants perspective, the only sensible reason for using larger sensors is if you want to make larger prints"

I really could not agree with this more having gone from FF to M4/3 to APSC. Honestly, I usually print at 12 X 18 or 12 x 16 and cannot tell the difference. The whole bokeh thing is so over the top on the internet. Now days you see photos where virtually nothing is in focus.

Honestly, if I was in the market for a new camera I would strongly consider this Panasonic. From a very brief time when I had a M 4/3 camera I found the lenses to be fantastic. I had an Olympus and I still print photos I took with it at 12 x 16 and it was only 12 MP.

I am just very happy with my X100F but I really like that tilting viewfinder on this camera. I just need to stay away from the Panasonic display next time I go to Precision Camera.

What a great review by Gordon Lewis. This type of article is why TOP is the best photo site on the internet!

[Mike P]

I've shot m4/3 for five years now as a full time working pro. Currently I have two GX8's and two G85's. The difference between the sensors in IQ is imperceptible. I've made prints from the files that are not distinguishable from full frame cameras, and better than even medium format film scans made on an Imacon scanner. Billboards and image wraps the size of a bus have been made, without issue. The reality is that 16-20mp is more than sufficient for most needs.

With the increased DOF you get with the shorter lenses, it's actually a benefit over FF as far as I'm concerned. I can gather light at 1.4 and enjoy either a faster SS or a lower ISO while taking advantage of the DOF characteristics as a FF camera shooting at 2.8. Shooting my old FF lenses at apertures like that often left far too little in focus to be useful. But if I really need that look I have a set of lenses with an f0.95 maximum aperture.

Big sensors and high megapixel counts are demonstrably better for landscape, still life, high end fashion, and shooters who just feel better with either the biggest or most expensive gear. But as someone who actually uses and has to carry gear every day, I'm happy for the lower weight.

[Chris Bertram]

I've had mine from about six months ago and shelled out for a "special edition" GX80 with a tan finish. I lose out on the anonymity, but I get into a lot of conversations about the camera as a result. Generally walk around with the Panasonic 20mm and the Olympus 45mm.

A bit minus for me was the touchscreen, which kept resetting the focus point (I generally go for a single one and recompose) and which also drains the battery. Battery life is a big issue with this camera until you learn which features to switch off.

Manual focus was also hard to make use of until I worked out how to reprogram a fn button to toggle it.

Otherwise, I'm loving it.

[Keith]

An upcoming trip overseas last year led me to look at getting a new camera to complement my Sony RX100. The three new Panasonic cameras had just come out (here in Australia the GX8, GX85 and the G85) and I really liked the feel and handling of all 3. I went for the G85 over the other 2 in the end.

Commenting because I'm finding the same about the sensor in the camera. I love the smaller, lighter (and generally cheaper!) lenses available. Reviewing the photos I was getting though.... I was used to getting pretty good out of the camera jpegs with the Sony. A little sharpening, a slight bump on the saturation and I was happy. Not the same experience to be had with the Panasonic.

Out of the camera, I found the G85 files to be flat, and without the micro details and contrast that I was used to getting. But. The files seem to have a lot of information in them, just that the Panasonic jpeg engine chooses to leave it up to the user as to how to pull it out. Speculating here, I don't know if this is a video engineer thing? The look is almost reminiscent of how a v-log frame looks.

So, a bit more work needed to pull together a workflow to get the most out of the files. Straight out of the camera, not that pretty. But there seems to be a lot in there.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Excellent concise commentary on the Panasonic GX85, Gordon. And superb sample images. Your observations largely coincide with mine.

If I may add just a few thoughts to your commentary, Gordon...

First, your point about the GX85’s images featuring a remarkable amount of detail is worth amplifying. It’s true. This is a difference that shines brightest in prints (and during editing). But I think I can show an additional illustration.

Here is a GX85 image I made of a Guggenheim Museum visitor studying a painting by the late Agnes Martin. Martin’s later work consisted largely of arrays of fine lines scribed or painted onto flat neutral backgrounds. The extremely subtle horizontal stripes of this Martin painting were a central aspect of this image's visual play on striped patterns. As you can see, the GX85 had no trouble capturing them.

Image detail

A candid image in low-ish museum light shot very quickly from shoe-top. Eh?

Second, for those who really don’t want to swim out into the sea of M43 lenses, you could do worse than to just use the GX85’s 12-32mm kit lens. I’ve found it to be shockingly good in all kinds of conditions. Most importantly, its compactness really makes the GX85 a very versatile, jacket-pocketable, go-anywhere camera. Sneer if you will but it's damn good on this camera.

Finally, yes, the GX85’s EVF is not luxurious. It shows you what’s in the frame and the basic camera status quite adequately. But the GX85’s remarkable articulating touch-screen LCD more than compensates for this by encouraging me to shoot differently. Panasonic has devoted a great deal of work towards its camera touch-screens over several generations and it shows. The GX85’s touch-screen controls are extremely responsive. You can, for example, move and resize your focus point very easily and quickly. You can even set the camera to focus-and-shoot with just a screen tap. Even better, you can move and size the focus position by touching the screen while you’re looking through the evf! I’d say that I’ve made over 80% of my GX85 images using the screen, and perhaps 50% of those with the touch-to-shoot feature. Keeping the small candid camera below eye-level and away from my face is essential for me.

In summary, the GX85 is a camera that truly invites you to customize it to your own style while inviting you to develop new, faster styles of shooting. It's among the best of the small, high-quality, durable, non-fussy, good-for-travel interchangeable lens cameras available today at an excellent value price.

For those who want to investigate the camera more deeply here’s a link to Panasonic's GX80 / GX85 Manual (PDF).

[Scott Paris]

"One of the benefits to shooting with a Micro 4/3 camera is being able to get this much depth-of-field without having to use ridiculously small apertures."
I laughed. I thought I was the only person left who thought about getting enough depth-of-field.
.
Also: I remember a few years ago you had some posts about what digital camera could be the new Leica M3. (Can't seem to find them now.) I think you had a name for the concept.
This looks like a candidate. As a small, light, fast digital "rangefinder" it's pretty close, even if it lacks the carved-out-of-a-block-of steel quality of the original.

[JohnMFlores]

I jumped into Micro Four-Thirds back in 2011 (gosh, was that really 6 years ago already?!) with a pair of GH2s that I bought for video and hoped that they'd also shoot good stills. Alas, the stills lacked dynamic range and the RAW files were just too crunchy. I didn't abandon the system altogether though and knew I'd jump back when the sensor made enough improvements. My bogey was the lovely 12 megapickle sensor of the Pentax K-x.

Fast forward to 2016. I "needed" new cameras for my cross country motorcycle trip, and the GX85 ticked off all the right boxes - improved sensor, image stabilization, 4k video, small form factor. I bought two and have been happy. 95% of my recent images are made with them, including these from the weekend:

But if I must be honest, a funny thing happened on the way to the present. While the GX85 files are more than good enough for my magazine publishing needs, I want a little more. A little more megapickles to work with, a little more dynamic range to massage, a little more low light performance. I'm learning patience though and will be happy with the GX85 for several more years.

[Geoffrey Heard]

A funny thing happened on my way to the GX85 -- I liked the GX7 too much to give it up, despite the GX85's wonderful shutter and sensor tweaks. So I kept the GX7 and bought a G85 as my other camera. Now that wonderful shutter, sensor tweaks, and GREAT EVF are seducing me…

An amazing fact about the GX80/85 -- the built-in flash cannot be used as the trigger for the Panasonic/Olympus wireless remote flash capability. An accessory flash can be the trigger, but not the little pop-up. Did someone at Panasonic miss lunch on a critical day?

So my walkaround/street outfit remains the GX7 with the 12-32 pancake zoom with auto-lens cap fitted and the lovely little 45-175 zoom in my pocket. If I want more aperture, that latter will be the Olympus f1.8 45mm, a very small and sharp lens that looks as though it is a natural outgrown of the GX7.

Never had a problem with focus with either the GX7 or the G85.

Panasonic JPEGs? I shoot nothing else. I generally choose "Vivid" mode and I have tweaked that just a little for color and contrast (to make it a little more vivid!).

EVF and LCD colors, etc.? You can adjust them too, over quite a large range.

I prefer the "silver model, by the way. I see black cameras today as the new "hi viz" in cameras. Raise a black camera to your eye and everyone knows you are a "photographer" and therefore suspect. Raise a silver or gaudily colored camera to your eye and nobody takes any notice!

And yes, I am up for calling the GX7 and GX80/85 the spiritual successors to the Leica RFs. That's what they feel like to me (although the nearest I ever got to a Leica M was a Canon 7S with execrable rangefinder visibility).

A picture or two? If it is allowed: https://www.dpreview.com/galleries/5951224179/photos/3623224/17-04-21-p1940102-profile

Cheers, Geoff