The confusing range of Panasonic mirrorless cameras, and why I chose their Lumix G80/G85

I’ve owned all sorts of digital cameras over the years, my first decent one being the Olympus C2020z back in 1999. I looked through my Lightroom catalogue out of idle curiosity and counted that since then I’ve owned 18 cameras, and that’s not including smartphones or action cameras! What surprised me, was that I’d still taken more photos with digital SLRs than nearly all the other cameras put together, including those off my smartphones. But I ditched my most recent Canon 70D DSLR a couple of years ago because I rarely considered it worthwhile lugging around all that weight.

I went across to a premium compact (with a large 1″ sensor), the Canon G7X, which served me very well. But I required 4K video and a microphone port for some of the videos on this site which led me, based on the price and features I wanted, to the Panasonic’s Lumix G series of mirrorless cameras. These cameras are based on the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor which sits between the larger 1″ sensor size on the premium compacts and the APS-C sensors on most DSLRs, and indeed other mirrorless cameras from Sony.

There are a few advantages to this MFT system:

1. Anyone can make bodies and lenses to the MFT standard and they’ll be interchangeable. Although Panasonic and Olympus, who conceived the system, are the driving force;
2. The size of the sensor and the fact that the MFT system has been specified for mirrorless cameras means camera bodies can be thinner and lenses smaller and lighter;
3. Due to the 2x crop factor, a 300mm lens on a MFT camera has a 35mm equivalent focal length of a whopping 600mm!

There are also disadvantages:

1. The smaller sensor is noisier than the larger APS-C and full frame sensors at higher ISOs;
2. There is a greater depth of field for a given aperture value due to the 2x crop factor. So to achieve the same background blur with a portrait lens say, at f2.8 on a full frame body, you’d need a f1.4 lens.

The first disadvantage is only an issue if you need to shoot at high ISOs – currently I’d say over ISO 3200 (below that results are pretty close). But all Olympus bodies and many Panasonic bodies feature in-body stabilisation, sometimes combined with lens stabilisation to achieve up to a five stop slower shutter speed. So you can hand hold a 600mm equivalent lens at 1/15s and still get sharp results. Therefore you’d only need to bump up the ISO if you needed to freeze action (with higher shutter speeds) in lower light.

The second disadvantage can be overcome with fast prime lenses. Panasonic do reasonably priced and f1.7 lenses for example, which do a very good job of blurring the background should you desire and will also give great results in low light. (f1.7 is still f1.7, even with the increase in depth of field).

But it’s the size and weight of the MFT system and the large choice of lenses that finally drew me in. With a smaller MFT body and one of the many compact, light lenses they are few compromises with a camera that can be close in size to a premium compact, and far more flexible. And far less likely to get left behind than the Canon 70D.

Panasonic’s range of Lumix G cameras

Panasonic have such a confusing range of cameras, but I’ve summarised the current Lumix G range of interchangeable lens models below:

Panasonic's "G Series" range of interchangeable lens cameras

Model	Name in US / (other regions)	Size	Weight	EVF	Screen	Stabilisation	Mic/Headphone Port	Kit Lens	Weatherproofed	Resolution	Price
G7*	G7*	125mm x 86mm x 77mm x	410g	YES	3" Articulated	NO	YES/NO	14-42mm (28-84mm)	NO	16MP	$499
GX800	GX850 / GF9	106mm x 65mm x 33mm	269g	NO	3" Flip up	NO	NO/NO	12-32mm (24mm-64mm)	NO	16MP	£499
GX80	GX85	122mm x 71mm x 44mm	426g	YES	3" Tiltable	YES 5-Axis Dual I.S.	NO/NO	12-32mm (24mm-64mm)	NO	16MP	£550
G80	G85 / G81	128mm x 89mm x 74mm	505g	YES	3" Articulated	YES 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2	YES/NO	12-60mm (24mm-120mm) Weather Sealed	YES	16MP	£799
GX8	GX8	133mm x 78mm x 63mm	487g	YES	3" Tiltable	YES Dual I.S.	YES/NO	12-60mm (24mm-120mm) Weather Sealed	YES	20MP	£879
GH5	GH5	138mm x 98mm x 87mm	725g	YES	3" Articulated	YES 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2	YES/YES	12-60mm (24mm-120mm) Weather Sealed*	YES	20MP	£1,899

* Included for reference only (no longer a current model)
**£2199 for model with Leica 12-60mm f2.8-4.0
I started with the G7 but just recently upgraded to the new G80, partly for the kit lens but I also really like the in-body stabilisation that can be used with any lens, and the weather sealing. I’ve highlighted the differences between the G7 and the new G80 (G81/G85 in other regions) below which might be helpful if you are choosing one of these models or looking to upgrade.

Differences between the Panasonic G7 and the new G80 (G85/G81 in other regions)

	Panasonic G7	Panasonic G80 (G85/G81 other regions)
Body stablisation	None, relies on IS in lens	Yes: YES 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2 which is the latest version offering up to 5 stops of stablisation
Kits Lens	14-42mm, although can be bought 12-60mm	12-60mm weather sealed lens compatible with latest Dual I.S. 2
Weather Sealing	None	Yes, both body and included 12-60mm lens. Although no IPX rating given
SD Card Position	Bottom of camera with battery	Side of camera. Much easier to access, especially when on tripod
25/50fps and 30/60 fps	No 30/60fps option for cameras in PAL regions	All frame rates now offered - very nice to have this flexibility
SD Card File Size Support	Files broken into 4GB chunks	With latest SDXC cards, can support files sizes larger than 4GB - video files not fragmented
Video Length Limit	30 minutes maximum	Same maximum on G80/G81. But limited has been lifted on G85
Focus Stacking	Not supported	Supported
Mechanical Shutter	Some reports caused vibrations at some shutter speeds	Much quieter mechanical shutter, with reduced vibration. Also new Electronic Front Curtain (EFC) shutter
AF Sensitivity	No control over AF sensitivity	Speed of Continuous AF for video can now be adjusted
Bracket Drive Mode	Option on drive dial for bracketing	This option has now been changed to Post Focus
Panorama Mode	Can select from mode dial	No longer possible to select from mode dial but still available
Buffer Size	100 JPEGS, or 13 RAW	Significant upgrade to 300 JPEGS or 45 RAW. Also shows a live countdown of space left in buffer bottom right of LCD (r39, r38 etc)
HDMI Output	No display while recording video	Will display live view while recording, including peaking
Custom Modes	One C dial position that can hold 3 sets of camera settings	Two custom modes dial positions C1 & C2. C2 can hold 3 sets of camera settings
Mic Socket	Near hot shoe, doesn't interfere when moving articulated screen	Moved down to side of camera. Can interfere with LCD screen
4K Live Cropping	Not supported	Supports this feature to setup a pan and zoom at 1080p (using the 4K video resolution)
Burst Speed	8fps in AFS focus mode	9fps in AFS focus mode
Other Changes		-Wider strap -Flash design changed. Output very slightly less -Deals feel stiffer dues to weather sealing -Light composition feature -Bulk save 4K feature added -EVF power save mode added -Focus and aperture bracketing

My experiences going mirrorless and specifically Micro Four Thirds

Even upgrading to the G80 (from the G7) with its slightly heavier (more robust) body and larger kit lens, I am still enjoying the size and weight benefits of the MFT system. I would still like to own the Canon G7X for the times when I don’t want to carry even this, but I couldn’t afford to keep both!

The G80 has the best controls and features of any camera I’ve owned. It can be a little overwhelming with the amount of features this camera has – the manual is 340 pages long! But once you understand all these features and configure the camera in a way that suits you, it’s so enjoyable to use.

The image quality is excellent and I haven’t noticed any real disadvantages compared to the Canon 70D I owned previously. I’ve now sold my Canon lenses and accessories and am slowly building up my MFT collection. Expect more posts :).

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