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@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +While testing Panasonic GX8 last year I found myself thinking, if this were just about 25 percent smaller it would be the perfect micro four thirds camera. Apparently someone at Panasonic must have had the same thought, or at least recognized that there was a market of people who loved the rangefinder style, but wanted a more compact body, because not too long after the GX8 came out the company announced the smaller GX85. + +There's some confusion around the name, in Europe it goes by the GX80, in the U.S. it's the GX85 and in Japan it goes by the most revealing name, the GX7 Mark II. Much more so than its larger sibling, the GX85 is the successor to the much-loved GX7. It takes virtually the same body design as the GX7 but pulls in many of the feature improvements found in the GX8, making it, in most ways, the best of both worlds. + +The GX85 does not use the very nice 20MP sensor that the GX8 has, instead opting for the more familiar 16MP micro four thirds sensor. However it's the first Panasonic camera to drop the anti-aliasing filter, which means it produces slightly sharper images, though there is a tendency for filterless sensors to show some moiré. Panasonic says that the new Venus Engine image processor in the GX85 has been specially tweaked to cut down on moiré and for the most part I found this to be true. + +While the GX85 doesn't get the GX8's larger sensor it does get almost all of its arguably more important features like Dual I.S. (with supported lenses), 4K photo mode, Post Focus, Depth from Defocus AF, and a redesigned shutter mechanism that's been designed to reduce shutter-induced blur, the so-called shutter shock that plagued the GX8. The GX85 doesn't suffer from shutter shock at all. To be fair I never noticed the problem with the GX8 either, but the internet is filled with disappointed users who did so rest assured, with the GX85's electromagnetic shutter you will not suffer the same fate. + +It's also worth nothing that Panasonic released a firmware update for the GX85 which adds the Focus Stacking feature which the company announced at Photokina in September. Post Focus uses 4K video to grab a number of images, focusing across the frame as it goes. It then offers the ability to select the areas of focus on the camera's touchscreen and spits out the results as a JPEG. To be honest I've yet to encounter a situation that called for it, what I find far more encouraging than the feature itself is that Panasonic is actually issuing firmware updates, something it hasn't done as much in the past. + +Compared to the GX7, the GX85 gains all the features above and also adds a much-improved 49 point AF system and a slightly higher burst rate (8fps vs 5fps). On the other hand it loses the tilting EVF, is capable of fewer shots per full battery (290 vs 320 in the GX7) and gains a little weight (a mere 20g, but it is heavier). The front grip is also a bit smaller, which I happen to prefer though this is very subjective and I would suggest handling the camera yourself to see how comfortable it is in your hand. + +As with every camera in the micro four thirds market these days the GX85 checks all the standard feature list boxes including built-in wireless, NFC support, an articulating touchscreen, 4K video, 22 "creative filters" panoramic image tools, a multiple exposure tool, as well as stop motion animation and time-lapse video support. There's not a lot this thing can't do. + +Which brings us to image quality. The GX8's 20MP sensor is arguably "better" but putting RAW files side by side from my earlier testing I had to really look for places where the 16MP sensor of the GX85 failed compared to the 20MP. It did, occasionally, where you would expect -- high ISO shots in dim light -- but it did so rarely enough that I would call the two effectively equal in terms of RAW image quality. + +JPGs are a different story. I found the GX85's JPGs to be generally washed out, though this tends to be par for the course with Panasonic. The more disappointing problem is that as the ISO increases the noise reduction gets noticeably more aggressive, to the point that detail is often lost. If you're primarily a JPG shooter and don't mind the extra weight, the GX8 definitely produces better results. + +I should also note that the kit lens that comes with the GX85 is perhaps the crappiest piece of plastic I've ever come across. It feels like it must have cost $2 to make. Though it does manage to turn out halfway decent images, I primarily tested the camera with my own mix of Panasonic and Olympus lenses. Thankfully the GX85 is now available without a lens, which was not the case when it was released earlier this year. + +The main annoyance of shooting with the GX85 is the EVF. It's a field-sequential LCD panel, which means it's susceptible to some very distracting color "tearing". In fact, it appears to be the same EVF that was in 2013's GX7. Simply put the GX85's EVF sucks compared to what you'll get in the GX8 or for that matter the Olympus PEN-F or really any other EVF on the market today. And while the 16:9 aspect ratio is fine when you're shooting video, if you want to frame your image at 4:3 for stills the image in the already-small EVF gets even smaller. + +Still, I would not call the EVF a deal breaker necessarily, especially considering how much camera you're getting for the GX85's $700 price tag (body only). + +In fact the GX85, despite a couple shortcomings, is the best micro four thirds camera I've used this year. Its compact design make it a perfect choice for travel and street photography. With its (relatively) low price point it also makes a good all-round option for anyone new to the micro four thirds format. + +Wired: Comfortable, smaller design feels more like a micro four thirds camera. The absence of an anti-aliasing filter means more detail is squeezed out of the same sensor, RAW performance is on par with larger sensors. + +Tired: The aging EVF is one of the worst on the market, over-aggressive noise reduction can mean lost detail in high ISO JPGs, kit lens isn't worth the money, no mic input jack makes it less useful to videographers. + +7? 6? |