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Panasonic G85 review - is there any need to get an Olympus E-M1 Mark II for video?


Andrew Reid
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11 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

Yeah, that was my thought process too. When I first started looking at camera options a year ago, I was initially pretty set on the G7. Then I ended up going for the G85 and I'm glad I did. It's a lovely and reliable camera.

Oh you made a really good choice with the G85. It has made some really good videos on here. It really is all you need to get the job done. Great at photos also.  All these newer cameras test the people skills more than the camera skills. ?

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11 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Oh you made a really good choice with the G85. It has made some really good videos on here. It really is all you need to get the job done. Great at photos also.  All these newer cameras test the people skills more than the camera skills. ?

Yeah, definitely. I still have a long way to go for developing my own skills, I think, but I really love the G85. 

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I had a G7 for a while and am very familiar with the camera. I sold it once I decided to go the Raw route. The G85 would be a great second camera for me and other than IBIS, it fixes one major flaw of the G7... its plastic build... I was often afraid I would break the thing when I opened and turned the LCD screen. If Panasonic would just include the all-i 1080p features from the FZ2500/GH4/GH5 in the G9, then that would be a great option for me as well. But even as-is, the G9 with 4K 60p is definitely a great upgrade if you tire of the G85.

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Just now, mercer said:

I had a G7 for a while and am very familiar with the camera. I sold it once I decided to go the Raw route. The G85 would be a great second camera for me and other than IBIS, it fixes one major flaw of the G7... its plastic build... I was often afraid I would break the thing when I opened and turned the LCD screen. If Panasonic would just include the all-i 1080p features from the FZ2500/GH4/GH5 in the G9, then that would be a great option for me as well. But even as-is, the G9 with 4K 60p is definitely a great upgrade if you tire of the G85.

At this point, I'm probably going to end up switching to either Fuji or Nikon when the time comes for me to get a new camera. I love the color science and feel of the Fuji X-H1 and X-T3 and the new Nikon Z cameras seem really promising to me. 

It's tough to make up my mind though, as I currently lack any sort of lights (I'm looking at getting the Aputure F7 for a starting key light and maybe the Yongnuo YN360's for RGB/fill and hair lights), so I really need to consider my options for lenses for low light. I was initially looking at the Voigtlander f0.95 line and the Mitakon 25mm f0.95, but I think the Sigma 18-35 with an adapter is probably the smarter option in the long run, since I doubt I'll be sticking with the Micro Four-Thirds system in the long term and I could easily use the Sigma on a ton of other cameras over the years, including something like a RED Raven if I ever wind up owning or renting one of those. 

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@kye you may want to check out the G85 for your India trip. With CineLikeD and IBIS, this could be a good way to get your feet wet with a mirrorless ILC. Add an f/2.8 zoom, a prime and a good strap and you’ll be all set. After that, maybe the GH5 could be a logical upgrade for you.

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16 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

Yeah, definitely. I still have a long way to go for developing my own skills, I think, but I really love the G85. 

I don't know what lenses you are planing to buy but I can tell you the newest 14-140mm, the satin black one that was a kit lens on the G7, is a crazy sharp, fast focusing lens for what it is. They have made 3 different 14-140mm's. Get the latest one. It is the only native lens you need for video other than a really wide one to start with. At first you can just use cheap MF adapted ones for 35 bucks.

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1 minute ago, webrunner5 said:

I don't know what lenses you are planing to buy but I can tell you the newest 14-140mm, the satin black one that was a kit lens on the G7, is a crazy sharp, fast focusing lens for what it is. They have made 3 different 14-140mm's. Get the latest one.

As previously mentioned, I'm currently looking at saving up for a Sigma 18-35 with an adapter. That said, the newly announced Pana-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 is giving me serious pause... but I don't plan to stay in the M43 world long term, so the Sigma makes more sense as an investment.

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6 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

As previously mentioned, I'm currently looking at saving up for a Sigma 18-35 with an adapter. That said, the newly announced Pana-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 is giving me serious pause... but I don't plan to stay in the M43 world long term, so the Sigma makes more sense as an investment.

Hmm that is not very wide and it won't focus as fast. But it is a fast lens no doubt. That Pana-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 will probably be 2000 bucks. Just buy cheap stuff LoL. Fly by wire lens suck for focus anyways. Just have a good kit lens and be happy. The beauty of Mirrorless is that you can adapt about anything you find on them.

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4 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

At this point, I'm probably going to end up switching to either Fuji or Nikon when the time comes for me to get a new camera. I love the color science and feel of the Fuji X-H1 and X-T3 and the new Nikon Z cameras seem really promising to me. 

It's tough to make up my mind though, as I currently lack any sort of lights (I'm looking at getting the Aputure F7 for a starting key light and maybe the Yongnuo YN360's for RGB/fill and hair lights), so I really need to consider my options for lenses for low light. I was initially looking at the Voigtlander f0.95 line and the Mitakon 25mm f0.95, but I think the Sigma 18-35 with an adapter is probably the smarter option in the long run, since I doubt I'll be sticking with the Micro Four-Thirds system in the long term and I could easily use the Sigma on a ton of other cameras over the years, including something like a RED Raven if I ever wind up owning or renting one of those. 

So many great options out there. I am in love with the X-T3 image, if it had IBIS, it would be a no brainer for me, but since I shoot ML Raw with the 5D3, 10bit just isn’t enough for me to spend on a second system. 

I will say that the 25mm Voigtländer really is a work of art and if you can find one reasonably priced... then you should get one. I used it with the G7 and the BMMCC and I can only imagine how special it is with IBIS. I could see myself picking up a G85 or E-M10iii just to use that lens with IBIS.

10 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

As previously mentioned, I'm currently looking at saving up for a Sigma 18-35 with an adapter. That said, the newly announced Pana-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 is giving me serious pause... but I don't plan to stay in the M43 world long term, so the Sigma makes more sense as an investment.

The problem with the Sigma 18-35mm for your current and future uses is that you will need to buy the Nikon version if you plan on upgrading to the Nikon Z6 in the future but you will only be able to use it in crop mode since that lens is made for aps-c sensors. Also with the G85 you will not have any electronic connections with that lens.

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7 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Hmm that is not very wide and it won't focus as fast. But it is a fast lens no doubt. That Pana-Leica 10-25mm f1.7 will probably be 2000 bucks. Just buy cheap stuff LoL. Fly by wire lens suck for focus anyways. Just have a good kit lens and be happy. The beauty of Mirrorless is that you can adapt about anything you find on them.

It's not, but the Sigma 18-35 is effectively a set of quality 24, 28, 35, 40 and 50mm lenses all in one with a constant aperture of f1.8. They might not be as versatile as say a 24-70, but the range within the 18-35 are all go-to focal lengths for narrative filmmaking. Plus it's a lens that can be adapted to a ton of different cameras out there, including a number of lower level cinema cameras. 

I don't make much money right now, hence why I haven't purchased a ton of gear yet and all the lights I'm looking at are pretty cheap. I definitely need to upgrade for a faster lens than my kit lens soon-ish, but the best options I've looked at are all in the same general price range and will require a decent amount of saving up and investing long term. I adore the look of the Voigtlanders, but would it be wise of me to spend the money on that lens when I'm already eyeing other camera mounts with larger sensors?

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7 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

It's not, but the Sigma 18-35 is effectively a set of quality 24, 28, 35, 40 and 50mm lenses all in one with a constant aperture of f1.8. They might not be as versatile as say a 24-70, but the range within the 18-35 are all go-to focal lengths for narrative filmmaking. Plus it's a lens that can be adapted to a ton of different cameras out there, including a number of lower level cinema cameras. 

 

Uhh, the G85 has a 2x crop factor. So that 18-35 is really going to be a 36-70mm lens. That is a far cry from what you are stating.

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That set up will not focus for shit in video mode. And with a fly by wire lens, hmm. I think you are going to be disapointed unless it is static stuff, or far away shots at f5.6 in manual mode. AF sucks pretty much on Any camera in video mode, let alone non native adapted stuff.

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5 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

It's not, but the Sigma 18-35 is effectively a set of quality 24, 28, 35, 40 and 50mm lenses all in one with a constant aperture of f1.8. They might not be as versatile as say a 24-70, but the range within the 18-35 are all go-to focal lengths for narrative filmmaking. Plus it's a lens that can be adapted to a ton of different cameras out there, including a number of lower level cinema cameras. 

I don't make much money right now, hence why I haven't purchased a ton of gear yet and all the lights I'm looking at are pretty cheap. I definitely need to upgrade for a faster lens than my kit lens soon-ish, but the best options I've looked at are all in the same general price range and will require a decent amount of saving up and investing long term. I adore the look of the Voigtlanders, but would it be wise of me to spend the money on that lens when I'm already eyeing other camera mounts with larger sensors?

It depends where you think you will end up. The only definitive way to future proof lenses is to buy full frame lenses. And if you’re going to do that, you may be better off buying a good prime lens in your favorite focal length to start off. If you definitely know which path you will take, then buy accordingly, if not then purchase for the system you already own. There are a lot of upgrade options in Micro4/3 so a Voigtländer isn’t necessarily an unwise decision if you like prime lenses. You also can sell the lens at a minimal loss if you need to.

Honestly, if I was going to get a micro4/3 camera, I’d definitely look into the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 and the Olympus 17mm 1.8. My friend has both of those lenses for E-M10iii and they are truly beautiful lenses.

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Just now, webrunner5 said:

That set up will not focus for shit in video mode. And with a fly by wire lens, hmm.

That's very true, but let's be real- should I really be using a Panasonic in general for reliable autofocus as narrative filmmaking?

The Sigma is a fly-by-wire, but apparently its focus and zoom rings are designed with a throw that feels pretty similar to traditional lenses. It's really popular for indie filmmaking for a reason.

1 minute ago, mercer said:

It depends where you think you will end up. The only definitive way to future proof lenses is to buy full frame lenses. And if you’re going to do that, you may be better off buying a good prime lens in your favorite focal length to start off. If you definitely know which path you will take, then buy accordingly, if not then purchase for the system you already own. There are a lot of upgrade options in Micro4/3 so a Voigtländer isn’t necessarily an unwise decision if you like prime lenses. You also can sell the lens at a minimal loss if you need to.

Honestly, if I was going to get a micro4/3 camera, I’d definitely look into the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 and the Olympus 17mm 1.8. My friend has both of those lenses for E-M10iii and they are truly beautiful lenses.

Yeah, I've been debating about holding off and getting a couple of cheaper prime lenses for the M43 mount to start off with. 

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2 minutes ago, mercer said:

Honestly, if I was going to get a micro4/3 camera, I’d definitely look into the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 and the Olympus 17mm 1.8. My friend has both of those lenses for E-M10iii and they are truly beautiful lenses.

Yeah the 12-40mm has that MF clutch thingy. That helps a ton.

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5 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

That set up will not focus for shit in video mode. And with a fly by wire lens, hmm. I think you are going to be dilapointed unless it is static stuff, or far away shots at f5.6.

Well, it seems he is planning on using the camera for narratives, so how well these lenses AF with horrific Panasonic AF probably isn’t a big concern. 

3 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Yeah the 12-40mm has that MF clutch thingy. That helps a ton.

The 17mm has the MF clutch as well.

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6 minutes ago, Vintage Jimothy said:

That's very true, but let's be real- should I really be using a Panasonic in general for reliable autofocus as narrative filmmaking?

The Sigma is a fly-by-wire, but apparently its focus and zoom rings are designed with a throw that feels pretty similar to traditional lenses. It's really popular for indie filmmaking for a reason.

Yeah, I've been debating about holding off and getting a couple of cheaper prime lenses for the M43 mount to start off with. 

The Only reliable autofocus as narrative filmmaking is a Canon, newer one with DPAF. Sure the Sony, Panny ones with touch screen work, but that is not easy to do solo compared to trusting the camera. This is why there is really not a great, one camera does it all thing.

But if not doing run n gun I guess about anything works, but one screw up, early in a film and your goose is cooked for the rest of the film. People will be looking for it and not the story line.

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1 minute ago, webrunner5 said:

The Only reliable autofocus as narrative filmmaking is a Canon, newer one with DPAF. Sure the Sony, Panny ones with touch screen work, but that is not easy to do solo compared to trusting the camera. This is why there is really not a great, one camera does it all thing.

I'm well aware. I was trying to say that auto-focus wasn't really a factor for me when getting the Panny G85 since I'm a narrative filmmaker first and foremost, so I plan to do more manual focus to begin with. 

1 minute ago, mercer said:

Damn, I am talking myself into a G85 and Olympus lenses... lol.

Yeah, the Olympus glass is stunning...

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