In summary
Once again, Panasonic has produced a mirrorless camera that caters for both still photography and movie enthusiasts.
The review camera turned in a sterling performance with the Lumix G-Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S lens and we would recommend this kit to anyone looking for a walkaround combo. It’s a neat partnership that works equally well for shooting stills and movie clips.
Panasonic’s stabilisation system is up there with the leaders and the support for 5-axis Dual I.S. makes the camera usable at slow shutter speeds. The integrated Wi-Fi system is one of the easiest to use and the camera’s logical menu system will help novice users to capitalise on the many functions on offer.
Full review
Arriving in stores roughly six months after the DMC-GX85 camera was announced, Panasonic’s new DMC-G85 slots in just below the now venerable GH-4, to provide a slightly smaller and lighter SLR-styled model for enthusiast photographers and introduce a wealth of handy innovations, including improved 4K Photo modes. More feature-rich than the G7 it replaces, it has the same 16-megapixel sensor as the GX85 but in a magnesium-alloy body with dust- and splash-proof sealing.
Angled view of the Panasonic DMC-G85 camera with the 12-60mm, ‘weatherproof’ kit lens. (Source: Panasonic.)
Photo Review received an early production quality sample for this review so we’ve been able to run our standard suite of tests. It was supplied with the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens, which is one of the lenses to be sold with the camera body in kit format. We have reviewed the camera and lens separately. The camera was tested with Firmware Version 0.2, while the lens had Version 1.0.
Who’s it For?
Like the GH4, the G85 is designed for photo enthusiasts who enjoy shooting video as well as still pictures and want the high level of functionality in a relatively compact camera. Its magnesium-alloy body has similar dust- and splash-proof sealing to the GH4, making this camera attractive to active photographers who enjoy taking pictures outdoors ““ particularly when they use one of the many weather-sealed lenses available for M4/3 cameras.
The revised Dual I.S. 2 stabilisation, new shutter mechanism and improved 4K Photo modes will make it attractive to sports and wildlife shooters, particularly those who use long lenses like the 100-400mm lens we reviewed in March 2016. In-camera processing enables the G85 to integrate in-lens and in-body stabilisation systems for 5-axis stabilisation that works with both stills and movie modes. The new Advanced Bracketing modes should also appeal to these photographers, while Face/Eye Detection AF will be advantageous for both travellers and family snapshooters.
Without an optical low-pass filter on the sensor, the G85 should be able to maximise the resolution available from the 16-megapixel sensor. The new Venus Engine image processor, which has been configured to address moirø©, false colour and other aliasing artefacts associated with filterless sensors should deliver more detail per pixel.
Build and Ergonomics
The G85 is a bit of a ‘Goldilocks’ camera; it’s not quite as boxy-looking as the G7, nor as big as the GH4. Most of the external controls are in the same places as on the G7 and the familiar Panasonic menus system will make it feel ‘just right’ to many potential purchasers. It should even attract some photographers who have hitherto used rival brands.
The grip moulding is large and very comfortable to hold since it positions the shutter button and surrounding front dial control in easy reach of the user’s index finger. There’s a well-designed indentation for the second finger just below the shutter button that helps make the grip very secure. The shutter button sits well forward on the grip and is surrounded by the front control dial.
The only other controls on the front panel are the lens release button and the embedded AF-assist LED, which is positioned just below the mode dial between the front control dial and the top of the lens mount. Neck strap lugs with attached D-rings are located on each side of the camera where the top panel joins the rest of the body.
Top view of the G85 with the kit lens fitted. (Source: Panasonic.)
The layout of controls on the top panel is almost identical to the G7’s, with separate mode and drive dials, the former located between the rear control dial and the EVF/flash housing and the latter to the left of the EVF housing. The mode dial gains two new settings and loses one, bringing its total to 11. There are now two Custom memory positions (as there were on the G6) and an iA+ mode as well as the normal iA, P, A, S and M modes. The Creative Video, Creative Control and Scene Guide modes carry over but the Panorama mode has vanished.
The drive mode dial still has six settings, but the Auto Bracket mode has been replaced with a button that provides direct access to Post Focus recording. Bracketing functions are more complex with the new camera so this function has been moved to page 2 of the shooting menu, where you can select from exposure, aperture, focus and white balance bracketing.
The Fn and Movie buttons are still in the same positions just aft of the front control dial and the former still defaults to adjusting EV compensation. The pop-up flash is located towards the front of the EVF housing and raised with a slider on the left side of the hot-shoe, which sits between the flash and the EVF eyepiece.
The EVF has the same 2,360,000-dot resolution as the G7 and GX8 but its 20 mm eyepoint is higher than the G7’s (17.5 mm) but less than the GX8’s (21 mm). Its magnification of 0.74x sits between the G7’s 0.7x and the GX8’s 0.77x. Dioptre adjustments range between +4.0 and -4.0, slightly wider than the GX8’s range. Small differences, but nonetheless significant.
A new Power Save LVF mode lets you decide when the camera will be powered down automatically when the eye moves away from the viewfinder. You can choose between three, five or 10 seconds. Used judiciously, this mode can increase battery life from around 320 to up to 800 shots/charge. There’s also a Sleep Mode for Wi-Fi that can be switched on or off.
Rear view of the G85 with the monitor screen facing inwards. (Source: Panasonic.)
Like the GH4, G7 and GX8, the G85’s monitor is fully articulated and has a resolution of around 1,040,000 dots plus a touch-screen overlay. The arrow pad is unchanged since the G7, with the directional buttons accessing (clockwise from the top) the ISO, white balance, Fn3 and Focus modes.
Below it is the Delete/Cancel button. The Quick Menu/Fn 2, Playback and Display buttons are located above the arrow pad, with the AE Lock and focus mode lever just above the top right hand corner of the monitor moulding. The Fn5 button is in the same position as on the G7, just left of the EVF eyepiece.
The memory card now has its own compartment in the right hand side of the camera body, as befits an enthusiast-level camera. Two rubber flaps pull down on the left hand side to expose the microphone and remote sockets and USB and HDMI ports.
The battery compartment is housed in the grip and accessed via a locking door in the base plate. The DMW-BLC12PP battery is the same one as used for the G7 and GX8 cameras. It’s smaller than the GH4’s battery and is rated for 330 shots/charge.
A metal-lined tripod socket is also located in the base plate in line with the optical axis of the camera. To its right is a rubber cover for the attachment for the optional battery grip, which will sell for AU$399 (RRP) and houses an additional battery that will double the camera’s recording capacity.
The battery grip has separate buttons and dials for operating the camera vertically plus a switch to turn them off so they aren’t triggered inadvertently. A side door allows the battery to be removed without detaching the grip from the camera.
New Features
The G85 is the second G-series camera to use an electromagnetic shutter drive and, although it’s similar to the drive in the GX85 (the first G-series camera to use this technology) the G85’s is a smaller mechanism that supports electronic first-curtain flash synchronisation, a new addition. The new drive reduces shutter shock and makes the camera very quiet to operate.
Users can choose between mechanical and electronic shutters or select an auto mode that switches between them automatically. The mechanical shutter has a maximum speed of 1/4000 second and supports exposures of up to 60 seconds, while the electronic shutter ranges from one second to 1/16,000 second.
There’s an electronic first-curtain shutter mode, which can be used for shooting at up to 1/2000 second and is useful when there is potential for slight vibrations (due to air movement or passing traffic) to reduce image quality. Flash synch is supported at shutter speeds up to 1/160 second.
Improved Features
Features carried over from other Panasonic cameras include the fastContrast AF system with DFD technology, which has been tweaked to operate in light levels as low as -4EV and includes Panasonic’s Starlight AF function. Other AF features shared with other G-series cameras include 49-point focus detect, Custom Multi AF, Face/Eye Detection AF and Pinpoint AF
The Venus Engine processor in the G85 has also been tweaked to be better able to track moving subjects and there’s a new AF Sensitivity mode that lets the user set tracking sensitivity according to different subject types. It’s a bit like the Canon ‘Case’ system and provides several scenarios to choose from.
The Post Focus mode now includes focus stacking. While it operates in the same way as in other Panasonic cameras, users can now merge images captured with different focus areas into a single picture ““ in the camera. The saved image is in JPEG format.
As before, this mode works best when the camera is tripod mounted. Once the shutter button is half pressed, the AF system will detect areas in the frame that can be focused. If no areas are detected, the focus icon will flash. Pressing the shutter button captures the sequence of shots.
Users have two options for how selected shots are merged: Auto merging and Range Merging. As expected, the auto mode selects pictures suitable for merging and combines them into a single picture. When Range Merging is selected, users must select at least two areas they want sharply focused and the camera will combine the frames between them. Areas that may cause problems will be highlighted in grey, giving users the change to re-select different frames.
The 4K Photo with 4K Pre-Burst mode shoots 30 frames per second before and after the shutter is released. A new ‘Batch Save’ setting for continuous shooting can store an entire burst sequence of up to 150 frames. In addition, a new ‘Light Composition’ mode saves the brightest pixels from a series of shots in-camera, to produce more dramatic pictures of night scenes containing bright lights, such as fireworks.
The bracketing options from the GX85 have been ported across to the new camera and their capabilities have been extended. They are accessed via the Bracket setting on page 2 of the shooting menu.
Focus bracketing is now supported for up to 999 shots at different focus points and users can set the number of shots to be taken and the increments between focus positions as well as the direction for the adjustment (forwards or backwards). This mode can be used when shooting raw files as well as for JPEGs.
Aperture bracketing is also more adjustable and users can set the aperture range to be covered and choose whether three or five shots will be taken in the sequence or choose ALL to cover the full range of the lens. Sequential shots are captured in increments of one f-stop. Regular exposure and white balance bracketing are also supported.
Also from the GX85 is the Dual I.S. (Image Stabiliser), which has been upgraded to version 2. The gyro sensor that detects movement has been de-coupled from the sensor and now works in synch with the lens to provide 5-axis correction for both stills and movie shooting. A new algorithm improves processing capabilities.
The system automatically identifies lenses compatible with the Dual I.S. system and will display either DUAL2 or DUAL1 icons, depending on which one the lens can use. In movie mode, different icons are displayed and for incompatible lenses the camera defaults to electronic 5-axis stabilisation (which crops the frame a little).
4K Live Cropping for video recording also migrates from the GX85 into the new camera, where it enables users to utilise the entire sensor area while recording a movie with a cropped, Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution frame. Users simply set the cropping start frame and then move it across the screen in the desired tracking direction, pinching in or turning the rear dial to adjust the zoom ratio. Pressing the movie button starts the recording. Up to 40 seconds of video can be recorded in this mode, producing very smooth results.
In-camera filter options include 22 settings that can be applied in the P, A, S and M shooting modes, along with Panasonic’s ‘L Monochrome’ profile that applies tonal gradations reminiscent of classic black and white film. Wi-Fi connectivity is the same as in other Panasonic cameras and based around using the Panasonic Image App.
Sensor and Image Processing
The sensor in the G85 has the same 16-megapixel resolution as most other G-series cameras. However, it’s a new chip that has been paired with the latest Venus Engine IX quad-core processor. This processor has enhanced capabilities for tracking fast-moving subjects.
Like the GX85, the G85 supports an extended ISO sensitivity range with a maximum ISO of 25,600 and a minimum of ISO 100 for stills. Sensitivity is not adjustable in movie mode, which means ISO 100 is not available, although the high ISO 25,600 value should be, but it can’t be selected.
The fastest continuous shooting speed is 40 frames/second (fps) with the electronic shutter for up to 100 frames. Focus and exposure are locked in with the first frame. Regardless of which shutter you select, the camera can support continuous shooting at up to 9 fps in the High Speed AFS drive mode or 6 fps in High Speed AFC drive mode. The buffer memory can hold up to 300 JPEGs or 45 raw files.
Still image sizes are the same as those offered by other 16-megapixel G-series cameras, with three settings provided for each of the four aspect ratio modes. Two quality levels are available for each JPEG setting. The table below shows what’s available.
|
Aspect ratio |
L |
M |
S |
|
4:3 |
4592 x 3448 |
3232 x 2424 |
2272 x 1704 |
|
3:2 |
4592 x 3064 |
3232 x 2160 |
2272 x 1520 |
|
16:9 |
4592 x 2584 |
3840 x 2160 |
1920 x 1080 |
|
1:1 |
3424 x 3424 |
2416 x 2416 |
1712 x 1712 |
The full image frame is recorded when raw file capture is selected, regardless of the aspect ratio setting. RAW+JPEG capture is available with Fine or Normal quality selectable.
Video
The G85 supports the same movie recording capabilities as other recently-released Panasonic cameras, including 4K recording at a frame size of 3840 x 2160 pixels with a choice of frame rates covering 30, 25 or 24 frames/second (fps) and a bit rate of 100 Mbps. Full HD and HD recording are also available at frame rates of 60p, 50p, 30p and 25p.
Users can choose between the AVCHD codec, which only supports Full HD movie recording, and MP4, which supports 4K, Full HD and HD, the latter at 30 fps with a bit rate of 10Mbps. The table below shows the settings available.
|
Video format |
Aspect ratio |
Picture size |
Frame Rate |
Bit rate |
Recording capacity/8GB card |
|
AVCHD |
16:9 |
1920 x 1080 |
50p |
28 Mbps |
37 minutes |
|
50i |
17 Mbps |
1 hour |
|||
|
25p |
24 Mbps |
43 minutes |
|||
|
24p |
24 Mbps |
43 minutes |
|||
|
MP4 |
3840 x 2160 |
25p |
100 Mbps |
10 minutes |
|
|
24p |
|||||
|
1920 x 1080 |
50p |
28 Mbps |
37 minutes |
||
|
25p |
20 Mbps |
49 minutes |
|||
|
1280 x 720 |
10 Mbps |
1 hour 33 minutes |
UHS Speed Class 3 cards are required for 4K video recording and the frame is cropped slightly in this mode. No maximum recording time is listed in the user manual but clips are limited to 4GB in size, at which point the file is divided and a new clip starts. You can check the recordable time on the monitor screen.
The camera supports 4:2:2 8-bit recording, although not to an SD card. However, it can provide real-time image output to an external monitor in via an optional micro HDMI cable while simultaneously recording 4:2:0 8-bit video to the SD Card.
Time-lapse and interval shooting are also supported, enabling animated movies to be created. Most of the functions available for shooting still pictures can also be accessed in movie mode, including the P, A, S and M modes and Photo Style filters as well as many of the Creative Control settings.
Playback and Software
Nothing has changed since the G85. The software has to be downloaded from Panasonic’s website (instructions are provided on page 57 of the printed manual). It’s the standard Panasonic offering and consists of the latest versions of PhotoFun Studio and Silkypix Developer Studio plus a 30-day trial version of Super LoiLoScope. Because we received a camera before it was announced there was no camera-specific software available for downloading.
We weren’t prepared to install Silkypix on our computer as we’ve found it to be an inferior raw file converter. So, instead we used the freeware converter, Raw Therapee, which is better at retaining resolution but not exactly ideal, for processing raw images used for this review. (It’s available at http://rawtherapee.com/blog/list/13.)
Performance
Shots taken with the review camera were very similar to those we took with the GX85, which isn’t surprising as both cameras use the same image sensor. There were no issues with obtaining correct exposures and JPEGs recorded had a decent dynamic range and good colour fidelity. Saturation was restrained and plenty of detail was recorded in shots.
Autofocusing was very fast, even in low light levels and the camera also handled backlit shots with aplomb, focusing quickly and accurately. We encountered no problems with moirø© in still shots or movie clips.
Imatest showed JPEGs from the review camera came very close to meeting expectations for the 16-megapixel sensor. RW2.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Raw Therapee exceeded expectations by a comfortable margin. Resolution held up well with both file types across the camera’s sensitivity range, as shown in the graph of our Imatest results below.
Long exposures were handled well and the camera maintained consistent brightness and contrast levels as the sensitivity was increased. Dynamic range was acceptable at low ISO settings but very good in the middle of the ISO range. Noise could be seen in long exposures at ISO 12800 and ISO 25600 but these images would be usable at small output sizes.
Despite having a relatively low guide number (6 metres at ISO 200), the built-in flash performed well when used within its output range. Shots were a stop or two under-exposed at ISO 100 and ISO 200 and slightly over-exposed at ISO 25600. Between those settings, flash exposures were consistent and correct.
White balance performance was similar to other G-series cameras we’ve reviewed. In the auto mode, a slight warm cast remained under incandescent lighting while shots taken in both fluorescent lighting and with the camera’s built-in flash had close to natural colours. Manual measurement delivered neutral colours under each type of lighting and plenty of in-camera adjustments are available.
We were impressed by the review camera’s video recording capabilities, particularly when the two 4K modes were selected. Clips shot in these modes were virtually identical and we’ve included examples of both to show the dynamic range and natural colour balance recorded.
Both the MP4 and AVCHD recordings had similar levels of sharpness ““ and both were excellent. Colours were also accurately recorded, and contrast was a little higher than normal.
The AF system, which defaults to continuous AF in movie mode, also performed well and appeared able to lock on quickly and track moving subjects, even while they were moving and if light intensity varied. The built-in microphones delivered usable soundtracks with no apparent interference from camera noise, although they were somewhat susceptible to wind noise. A wind-reduction filter is available with High and Standard settings plus an off mode.
Our timing tests were carried out with a 16GB Panasonic SDHC Class 10 UHS-3 card, which is fast enough to support 4K movie recording. The review camera powered up in less than half a second. We measured an average capture lag of 0.15 seconds, which was reduced to 0.05 seconds when shots were pre-focused. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.5 seconds without flash and 3.2 seconds with.
Going by indicator on the screen that shows files are being processed, we estimate the following average processing times: high-resolution JPEGs – 2.1 seconds, RW2.RAW files – 3.7 seconds and RAW+JPEG pairs – 5.0 seconds.
The Super high-speed mode was able to record at 120 frames in three seconds but is JPEG-only. In the High-speed mode the camera appears to have ‘unlimited capacity for JPEGs. We recorded 58 JPEG frames in 7.5 seconds without the camera showing any signs of slowing. This equates to a frame rate of just under 13 fps.
On swapping to recording RW2.RAW frames the review camera recorded 53 frames in 7.7 seconds before pausing, which equates to approximately 14.5 fps. With RAW+JPEG pairs, we found the buffer memory filled at the 44th frame which was reached in 5.9 seconds; a frame rate of 13.4 fps.
Conclusion
Once again, Panasonic has produced a mirrorless camera that caters for both still photography and movie enthusiasts. We could find few faults with the G85, the most notable being the raw file processing software that Panasonic keeps promoting. Surely, by now both Panasonic and Fujifilm should have given Silkypix the flick as it is incapable of extracting the quality levels buyers expect from both companies’ cameras.
On the quality side, the review camera turned in a sterling performance with the Lumix G-Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S lens and we would recommend this kit to anyone looking for a walkaround combo. It’s a neat partnership that works equally well for shooting stills and movie clips.
The 4K Photo modes are fun to use and could prove useful in some occasions. Just remember that most of them are JPEG-only, although the bracketing modes support raw as well as RAW+JPEG capture.
Panasonic’s stabilisation system is up there with the leaders and the support for 5-axis Dual I.S. makes the camera usable at slow shutter speeds. Panasonic’s integrated Wi-Fi system is one of the easiest to use and the camera’s logical menu system will help novice users to capitalise on the many functions on offer.
We can’t comment on pricing at this stage since the camera has still to be released, although it’s scheduled to go on sale in the second half of October. Panasonic usually matches overseas pricing (or comes very close) and local re-sellers can be quite competitive.
In Australia, the G85 will be listed as a body alone for AU$1399 (RRP) or in three kit versions with different lenses. The kit reviewed, with the Lumix G-Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S lens, is priced at AU$1699. The kit with the Lumix G-Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens has a local RRP of AU$1499, while the zoom lens kit with 14-140mm lens (INSERT LINK) will sell for AU$1999. An optional accessory battery grip, which contains an additional battery, is priced at AU$399.
SPECS
Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm Live MOS sensor with 16,840,000 photosites (16 megapixels effective); no low-pass filter
Image processor: Venus Engine
A/D processing: Not specified
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Digital zoom: 2x and 4x
Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3), RW2.RAW, RAW+JPEG, MPO (for 3D); Movies: MP4, AVCHD
Aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Image Sizes: Stills ““ 4:3 aspect: 4592 x 3448, 3232 x 2424, 2272 x 1704; 3:2 aspect: 4592 x 3064, 3232 x 2160, 2272 x 1520; 16:9 aspect: 4592 x 2584, 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080; 1:1 aspect: 3424 x 3424, 2416 x 2416, 1712 x 1712; Movies: MP4 – 4K 3840 x 2160: 4K @ 30p, 25p, 24p – 100Mbps; Full HD -1920 x 1080 @ 60p, 50p 28Mbps; 30p, 25p 20Mbps, HD 1280 x 720 @ 30p, 25p 10Mbps; AVCHD – Full HD 1920 x 1080, 50p/28Mbps, 50i/17Mbps, 50i/24Mbps, 24p/24Mbps
Image Stabilisation: Image Sensor Shift Type Dual I.S. 2 (5-axis / 5 stop)
Dust removal: Supersonic wave filter
Shutter; speed range: Mechanical focal plane shutter; 1/4000 to 60 seconds plus bulb (max. 120 seconds): Electronic shutter; 1/16000 second; movie range with electronic shutter – 1/25 to 1/16000 second
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV steps (+/-3EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 3, 5, 7 frames in 1/3, 2/3 or 1 EV Step, Max. +/-3 EV, single/burst
Other bracketing options: White balance, aperture, focus
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay plus 10 sec. 3 shots
Focus system: Contrast AF system with DFD technology
Focus modes: AFS (Single), AFF (Flexible), AFC (Continuous), MF, Face/Eye Detection, Tracking, 49-Area,Custom Multi, 1-Area, Pinpoint AF, Starlight AF
Exposure metering: 1728-zone multi-pattern system with, Multiple, Centre-weighted and Spot metering patterns
Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Photo Style modes: Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, Scenery, Portrait, Custom
Creative Control modes: Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Monochrome, Dynamic Monochrome, Rough Monochrome, Silky Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Toy Pop, Bleach Bypass, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Fantasy, Star Filter, One Point Colour, Sunshine
4K Photo modes: 4K Burst – 30 fps; 4K Burst (S/S) – 30 fps; 4K Pre-Burst – 30 fps, approx 2 seconds
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto, iAuto, ISO 200-25600 in 1/3 EV steps; extension to ISO 100 available
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash, White Set (x3), Colour temperature setting; Blue/Amber, Magenta/Green bias adjustments
Flash: TTL Built-in pop-up flash, GN 9.0 equivalent (ISO 200/m); range – 0,5 to 7.3 m with the H-FS12060 lens
Flash modes: Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max. 9 frames/sec. with mechanical shutter; 40 fps with electronic shutter
Buffer capacity: Max. 300 Large/Fine JPEGs, 45 RAW files or RAW+JPEG pairs (depends on card capacity and image size/compression)
Storage Media: Single slot for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (Compatible with UHS-I/UHS-II and UHS Speed Class 3 cards)
Viewfinder: OLED Live Viewfinder with 2,360,000 dots, approx. 100% field of view coverage, approx. 1.48x / 0.74x (35mm camera equivalent) magnification with 50 mm lens at infinity; 20 mm eyepoint, dioptre adjustment of -4.0 – +4.0 (dpt)
LCD monitor: Free-angle 3-inch TFT LCD monitor with static touch control, 3:2 aspect, approx. 1,040,000 dots, wide viewing angle
Playback functions: 30-thumbnail display, 12-thumbnail display, Calendar display, Zoomed playback (Max. 16x), Slideshow (All / Picture Only / Video Only / 4K PHOTO / Post Focus / Category Selection / Favourite, duration & effect is selectable), Playback Mode (Normal / Picture Only / Video Only / 4K PHOTO / Post Focus / Category / Favourite), Location Logging, RAW Processing, Light Composition, Clear Retouch, Title Edit, Text Stamp, Video Divide, Time Lapse Video, Stop Motion Video, Resize, Cropping, Rotate, Rotation Display, Favourite, DPOF Print Set, Protect, Face Recognition Edit, Picture Sort, Creating Still Pictures from a Motion Picture
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 Micro-B, microHDMI Type D , 2.5 mm remote jack,3.5 mm microphone jack
Wi-Fi function: IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 2412 MHz – 2462 MHz (1-11 ch), Wi-Fi / WPA / WPA2, Infrastructure mode
Power supply: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack; CIPA rated for approx. 310-330 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 128.4 x 89 x 74.3 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 453 grams (body only); 505 grams with battery and card
Distributor: Panasonic Australia, Ph. 132 600; www.panasonic.com.au
TESTS
Based on JPEG files from the camera.
Based on RW2.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with RawTherapee.
SAMPLES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with flash.
60 second exposure at ISO 100; f/5; 23mm focal length.
30 second exposure at ISO 200; f/5.6; 23mm focal length.
15 second exposure at ISO 800; f/7.1; 23mm focal length.
6 second exposure at ISO 6400; f/9; 23mm focal length.
5 second exposure at ISO 12800; f/11; 23mm focal length.
2.5 second exposure at ISO 25600; f/11; 23mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 100; 60mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 200; 60mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 800; 60mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 6400; 60mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 12800; 60mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 25600; 60mm focal length, 1/80 second at f/5.6.
Close-up; 60mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/5.6.
Close-up; 12mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Close-up; 60mm focal length, ISO 1000, 1/125 second at f/5.6.
22mm focal length, ISO 1250, 1/125 second at f/5.6.
44mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/60 second at f/7.1.
60mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/5.6.
12mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/4.5.
33mm focal length, ISO 1000, 1/125 second at f/5.1.
44mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/7.1.
20mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/9.
50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/8.
23mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/30 second at f/4.3.
Still frame from 4K video clip recorded at 30p / 100Mbps.
Still frame from 4K video clip recorded at 25p / 100Mbps.
Still frame from 4K video clip recorded at 24p / 100Mbps.
Still frame from Full HD (1080p) MP4 video clip recorded at 50p / 28Mbps.
Still frame from Full HD MP4 video clip recorded at 25p / 20Mbps.
Still frame from HD (720p) MP4 video clip recorded at 25p / 10Mbps.
Still frame from a Full HD AVCHD video clip recorded at 50p / 28Mbps.
Still frame from a Full HD AVCHD video clip recorded at 50i / 17Mbps.
Still frame from a Full HD AVCHD video clip recorded at 25p / 24Mbps.
Still frame from Full HD AVCHD video clip recorded at 24p / 24Mbps.
Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Panasonic Lumix G-Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. POWER O.I.S lens.
Rating
RRP: AU$1699 (as reviewed with H-FS12060 12-60mm lens)
- Build: 8.8
- Ease of use: 9.0
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Still image quality JPEG: 9.0
- Still image quality RAW: 9.0
- Video quality: 9.0
