It’s odd how life comes back around in circles. Just over two years ago I started my journey with Panasonic and the Lumix GX7 in Romania. It was a journey of firsts for many reasons. My first time in the country, first time shooting M43 and first trip with my fixer and now good friend Paul. Now two years later, I’m finding myself again writing about another trip to Romania with a Panasonic camera. My third trip there in just 2 years. I’ve already reviewed the GX7 in Romania, and the GX8 too. Earlier this year, Panasonic approach myself and fellow travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich. They pitched us the idea of shooting a campaign video for their latest Lumix G camera, the G80. “It’s got all the features you love…and more”.
Well, I was in. After some back and forth, we convinced them that Romania would be an awesome location to shoot. It has amazing hospitality, great locations and a unique culture. We even have good relationships with fixers like Paul that have been developed over the years before.
The brief was that Mitchell would be the ‘star’ photographer and the focus of the video. I’d be shooting the footage of him working. We also pitched the idea of using only Panasonic Lumix cameras to shoot the whole campaign on. GH4s for the bulk of the shooting and bringing in the new G80 for some b-roll and other shots.
I don’t want to delve too deep into the details of the BTS for the campaign. That’s for another time. What I do want to discuss is my thoughts on the camera. As well as shooting some video in Romania on the G80, I’ve also shot some travel images and even a wedding. I’d like to think after a few thousand images and a couple of hours of video, I’m pretty familiar with the camera.
As a review, this isn’t going to be a technical review. If you want test charts and crops then there are website which will be doing just that in the coming weeks. Instead, this is going to be my honest impressions of using two pre-production samples.
First Impressions
I’ve made no attempt to hide the fact that I think the GX series of cameras are really great cameras. There’s something about the flat, rangefinder-esque body that I love using. So, in the beginning, the more traditional DSLR style body of the G80 didn’t quite interest me as much. For video, I’d take the GH4 body style any day but for stills, I always found myself falling back on the GX8.
But yet, I was interested in the fact that this camera was smaller than the GH4, weather sealed and had a big EVF. Maybe I could get over my camera body prejudice?
Romania – Video Shooting + Dual IS
My first experience shooting with the G80 was as a B-roll camera for the GH4 on the shoot in Romania. As Mitchell was using the main sample camera most of the time, we kept the use of the G80 for video to a minimum. Only using it where its features were an advantage.
In my opinion, as a B-roll or hybrid camera is where this model really shines. 4:2:2 8-bit recording on to SD cards, Dual-IS II in 4K video, Cine-D and Cine-V profiles and a mic input. It’s taking the best features of the GX80 and GH4 whilst slimming down on the niche, high end features. For me, the Dual-IS is the biggest revelation. I had the benefit pain of using a DJI Ronin M with the GH4 for the shoot. Whilst it worked 75% of the time flawlessly, its annoyances were enough for me to hate it by the end of the shoot. There were also times where it was just impractical.
For example, we shot a scene where Mitchell was photographing a family on the back of their hay cart. The hay cart had very limited room, was extremely bumpy and the Ronin was just too heavy and large to manoeuvre. In the end, I swapped to the G80. Using the in-body Dual-IS stabilisation, I was able to get some shots at arm’s length off of the back of the cart. Shots that would have been impossible otherwise.
The quality of the shots in Cinelike D, if exposed well, were also not too far off the GH4 with V-Log on an Atomos. For high end work, the small difference would make rigging up the GH4 worth it. For run and gun documentary work or travel videos, I’d save the weight. Instead, I’d shoot internal onto SDs and go handheld or with a monopod. If you’re familiar with shooting on the GH4, you’ll feel right at home with the G80. As with all Lumix cameras, the menus are almost identical. With most of the features inherited by the smaller camera, it’s only the variable frame rate feature that I was missing.
If you’re interested in seeing the project video the video is below:
Brittany – Wedding Shooting
Next up for my G80 tests was wedding shooting. I’m going to preface this section with the fact that I’m not a wedding photographer. Some close friends of mine were getting married in a beautiful part of France. I’m always up for a challenge, and it’s one of the only genres of photography I haven’t shot. The lure of great food, wine and a short break after the wedding was all I needed to convince me.
I’ve always had huge respect for wedding photographers. To be able to shoot high quality and original imagery under the pressure of a wedding is a tough skill. Despite knowing how tough a challenge it would be, especially with the service spoken in a foreign language, I jumped right in.
I was hesitant about using the G80 for the wedding. I was quite unfamiliar with the camera. It was a pre-production sample and in weddings you can’t really afford to miss anything. For this reason, I had both the GX8 and GH4 as back up cameras just in case.
Fortunately, the camera performed excellently. I used the camera for most of the day with the battery grip. This allowed me to shoot in portrait mode quickly and also to run two batteries at the same time. The one feature that stood out for me was the new dampened shutter mechanism. I’ve been a big proponent of the silent shutter mode of Lumix cameras for a long time. The only downside is that in artificial light you can often get banding. In the older Lumix cameras, the mechanical shutter was reasonably loud. Your options were then limited to loud or silent, no in-between. With the new shutter mechanism, the shutter is extremely quiet in normal use. So, much so that I could use it in the church without being a distraction.
In lowlight, the G80 performance is pretty much in line with the other Lumix cameras, it’s decent. It’s not full frame. The benefits of weight saving and usability of these cameras mean that it doesn’t bother me. I can still shoot in 99% of scenarios I’ll find myself in and I’m not a pixel peeping obsessive anyway.
Paris Street Shooting
It has been a long while since I had a non-work travel holiday. For the last 3-4 years, all my travel has revolved around photography. So, to spend a few days in Paris just to wander around and grab the occasional shot here and there was nice.
The beauty of the G80 is its adaptability. You can add the battery grip to make it look ‘serious’, or go without and it becomes much more unassuming. It’s also lightweight. So, I had no problem carrying it over my shoulder whilst we walked over 30miles+ over the 3.5 days of exploring.
Much like other Lumix cameras, it’s fast and responsive and very quiet. The swivel screen means low angle shots are a breeze and Touch AF is an intuitive way to shoot. Silent shutter a + the new quieter mechanical shutter makes street shooting much less daunting. I’m not sure I would ever want to go back to moving focus points with buttons ever again…or a camera with a loud mirror assembly either.
Is the G80 the Perfect Hybrid?
I’m a convert. I think the G80 is the best all round camera Panasonic have made to date. It’s responsive, fast and versatile when shooting stills. It’s equally as good for video. Unless you need 10bit external recording, 96fps or timecode, then I think the G80 makes a lot of sense. It’s cheaper, lighter and internal recording quality with the Dual IS stabilisation is an improvement over the GH4.
Out of the Panasonic cameras I have, the GX7, GX8 and GH4, the G80 is the one I’d pick if I had to have just one camera for a trip shooting both stills and video. It’s a real performer, and it’s the definition of a ‘Hybrid’ camera. I’d be happy to shoot an entire film/documentary on it whilst being equally as happy to shoot a photo story on it too. Now there’re few cameras I could say that about. Especially not at this price point.
Do you want to know more about the camera? Feel free to ask away in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.
Alternatively if you’re at Photokina please stop by and introduce yourself. I’ll be on the Panasonic booth all show.
Hi thanks for this article. I have been waiting for gh5. And now this comes along.
I have gh3, and Gx85. And they both works well together.
I assume g80 hasn’t got headphones out, has it.
It is not end of the world as I am more annoyed Gx85 hasn’t got even mic input.
From what I read it looks like g80 will be my new camera. Thanks
No headphone out but mic in, only the GH series at the moment has the headphones out
Hi Jacob. Purely for video would you go for a gh4? I already have a 70d that I love for stills. I have a swag of lenses that I like for photography. Though I want 4K!
GH4 would give you some extra high-end features (depends if you need them) but if you have the money, I’d go for the GH5, it’s a big step up!
Problem is GH5 is going to be 3x the price of the g85!
Get a beachtek or Seramonic audio adapter if you want to monitor the audio. The in-camera amplifiers are terrible anyway and those from those adapters are far better. I use a beachtek dxa-slr mini, which I got for 80 bucks second hand for my Panasonic G7
Are you sure that’s 4:2:2 recorded internally? For video and 4K Photo? At 100Mbps?
If so, I’m going to be very impressed.
8-bit. Not 10-bit.
Yes 8-bit 4:2:2 internally
“4:2:2 8-bit recording on to SD cards” Are you Sure?
I think it is 4:2:0 internal and 4:2:2 external!?
Panasonic’s own specs say: “4:2:2/8-bit (While recording motion picture on the SD memory card in the camera unit.)”
Good review, Just wondering how it performs at higher iso for video, I saw a few shots but what’s your impression?
About the same as the GH, 3200iso is the limit for useable footage in my opinion
IS the G80 capable of real-time image output to the external monitor via micro HDMI cable simultaneously while recording video?
I know GH4 is capable, but G80 is not sure.
I’m not too sure, I can find out for you. It has clean HDMI out but Im not sure it can do both together.
Did you ever find out?
Great article, thanks. What lens was used in the second picture in this article?
42.5mm f1.2 Leica
It is 4:2:0 internal and 4:2:2 external.
Panasonic’s own specs say: “4:2:2/8-bit (While recording motion picture on the SD memory card in the camera unit.)”
That doesn’t necessarily mean 4:2:2 internal, it means the HDMI output is 4:2:2 whilst at the same time the camera is able to record to the SD card, but it doesn’t specify what the SD card recording is.
Like the GH4 outputs 4:2:2 10bit via HDMI but only records 4:2:0 8bit to the SD card.
I hope it does do 4:2:2 internal, that would be great.
I’ll double check and get back to you, specs seem a little vague to say the least. GH5 has been announced with 10-bit 4:2:2 internal, so 8-bit 4:2:2 internal would make sense but as you say it could just be for external monitoring/recording.
Thanks for this. Lovely work. Do you know if the G80 battery grip has a headphone socket? TechRadar implied it did. Also, how does the autofocus in video mode compare to the GH4? Cheers!
No, it doesn’t, well at least not the grip I’ve been using for the last couple of months, but strangely a number of ‘reviews’ state it does. I’d suggest they’re wrong.
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Great. Love this! I enjoyed watching the video prior to this so was a great insight to the video you guys made
Im stuck wether to get this or GH4. I own the FZ1000 and love the I.S. but obvs missing Prime lovelyness and extreme wide. I mainly shoot 1080 50 for dance and vlogging. And always shoot handheld. My dream is a image stabilised 50mm prime but thats not available with the GH4.
My question would be would I notice the difference in shooting 1080 50frames at 100/200mpbs compared to 28mpbs of the G85? And is the IBIS that good from G85?
Also lack of superslomo is a shame!
Thanks again! Great blog.
Hi Ben,
Apologies for the delay in replying, seems my email notifications are no longer getting through…I guess you have a couple of options:
1) GH4 will give you good results but no stabilisation + VFR slow mo
2) G80/85 will give you as good image quality (if not slightly better in low light) as the GH4 + the very good IBIS but no slowmo.
The video quality internally is basically the same on both cameras, there might be a couple of subtle differences but I’d make my decision based on whether you need the headphone jack, better build quality, slow mo and some higher end video features like timecode or whether you’d sacrifice them for the IBIS.
Either way I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised moving from the FZ1000 to either of these.
Great review and I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these!!! I have one on preorder and really excited about the IBIS. Most of the things we shoot are handheld and are moving, well we video dogs
I am hoping this has better low light than the G7 not sure if you have compared them or not. I know the g7 was about a stop better than the gh4 but have not heard anything from anyone about the low light on this camera. Last question… did you try the IBIS at all with the lecia 12mm 1.4 lens? Was wondering how well these would work together. Thanks
Hi Jason,
I haven’t done any definitive tests, but I’d say the G80 is a bit better than GH4 in low light, so I think it’s in the same ballpark as the G7. Hard to say exactly how much they differ without specifically testing. I know we shot some stuff at 3200 ISO that is useable (just) but 6400 is not great in 4K. If you shoot 4k and deliver in 1080, you’ll get an extra stop or so.
The 12mm with IBIS works pretty well because it’s a wide lens anyway so it doesn’t suffer from shake as much as say a 25mmm. The body IBIS seems to give about 3.5stops (in my experience) on it’s own, and 5 stops with an OIS lens w/ Dual IS firmware. So even without the OIS in the lens, you’re still getting a decent stabilisation.
Hope this helps!
Great post and pictures. I already saw the video on the Panasonic website 👍
I don’t own a Panasonic but tempted by this because nowadays I like to do photos and video – great price too with kit lens. Did you try the 12-60mm?
12-60 is great as a kit lens, Dual-IS works great, very stable but I’d try and stretch to the 12-35 f2.8 if you really want the best IQ
Very nicely done Jacob! Wonderful footage and great editing.
Thanks Ryan!
Hey. Since it capture 4:2:0 internally, can it handle flat image like slog or something like that? Or only colored footage?
Stick to Cinelike D at 8-bit, V-Log only really shines at 10-bit 4:2:2. Check out the Lemming LUT, seems to be one of the best at getting the best IQ out of these 8-Bit Lumix 4K Cams
So.. G80/85 support 10 bit with HDMI or not? And internally only 4:2:0, right?
Hi there,
Great review.
My question is that I am currently using the g7 with metabones speedbooster ultra canon version + a sigma 18-35mm 1.8 art lens. Do you think this setup will suit nicely with the new g80? Especially the metabones as I don’t know if anyone has tried that out yet…
Thanks!
I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t and there’s a few upgrades from the G7 which would make it worthwhile I think
Super video, Jacob. I note you were using the G80 with the Panasonic Leica 100-400mm lens in the intro frames and at 2:23. Currently, I use the 100-400mm on one of my G7s, which means I only have lens stabilisation and, therefore, tend to use a tripod or monopod for shots at the end of the zoom range. With the G80’s in-body stabilisation as well as that in the lens, could I get away with hand-held at 400mm? I’m particularly keen on wildlife, so this (and the weather-sealing!) could be an important benefit.
The G80 works very well with the 100-400mm handheld. Until now I didn’t use my tripod, I use the combination for birds at 400 mm
Dank u vell, Henk.
Oh, da ist was dran! Freizeit hat sehr viel mit Freiheit zu tun. Veinrrbgt sie doch auch jeder irgendwie anders und versteht auch etwas anderes darunter! Das ist ein wirklich tolles Beispiel!
Great review! Do you know if the G85 has the 29 minute video limit, or can it go longer?
thanks so much!
It’s limited
Nice Review bro! I was choosing whether to get G7 or G80 ! for Still photography ( urban photography etc. ) and also Videography (travel vlogs or nice hyperlapse/timelapse ) and what lens do you think is perfect for it? thanks in advance!
I’d go for G80 for the stabilisation. Good all-round lens is the 12-35 f2.8 but I’d also want a couple of primes (15, 25 and 42.5 ) for low light work.
Also why the G80 over the GX85? I heard there was a firmware update that basically made them pretty much the same for the IS and the GX85 is 400 dollars less. I am over here tearing my hair out trying to decide between the two lol. I am also looking at the 12-35 2,8 and the 15 1.7.
Do you have any other insights to help me with my decision?
I am considering getting the G85 and then the GH5 when it comes out. What one lens for photo and video would you pick up first?
Depends what you’re shooting
As above, my advice would be: Good all-round lens is the 12-35 f2.8 but I’d also want a couple of primes (15, 25 and 42.5 ) for low light work.
What lenses did you use when shooting the video above?
Yeah i really like the 15 f1.7 for sure and i considered the 12-35. What do you think of the 12-35 vs the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO. Worth the money?
Hei Jacob,
Since you used GX8 also, what is the big difference between GX8 and G80? Except for the shape.
Do G80 do better 4K?
Do the body feel like plastics on G80?
I really want to know about the G80 viewfinder. Do the touchscreen works for moving the af while you using the viewfinder just like in GX8?
Thank you
Hey Ferri,
The shape is one difference, the other is that the G80 has more video functionality, full size headphone jack, and also 5-axis dual is II and no low pass filter (sharper images). The build of the G80 is pretty good, not quite as tough as the GH series but I wouldn’t be concerned about it in any way. Touchscreen functionality is identical across all the latest models
Hope that helps!
Great review but now I’m torn, I have my eye on the gx8 and the G80. I do like the range finder style of the Gx8 but at the end of the day it’s all about which one handles better, I am mainly just wanting to use it for stills so does the 20mp make a difference?
Hey Karen, I still prefer the GX8 for purely stills. It’s not easy to explain but I prefer the rangefinder body, the 20mp sensor seems to have a bit more dynamic range and the off-centre EVF is more of my preference. The G80 does have some benefits though, 5-axis IS and no AA filter makes a difference for portraits and low light work. You won’t go wrong with either, pick the one that feels better in your hand
Thank you so much for your reply Jacob, I am leaning more to the gx8 because of its looks which I know is wrong.. I will check them both out!
I’ve been using both the G85 and Gx8 for the last month. Bought both in order to help make up my mind. I’ve enjoyed both cameras but find myself really looking forward to using the Gx8 for my shooting. The viewfinder is just fantastic and allows for me to consider my compositions more thoughtfully. Also, I’ve found that looking down into the viewfinder allows for me to sort-of “detach” myself a bit from the subject and so it’s less uncomfortable taking pictures of people that are facing in my direction. Not really sure why… perhaps it’s because while I am looking through the viewfinder it’s easier to know whether they are looking directly at me… also I feel it’s less obvious to others when I’m taking their photo because my head is tilted slightly downwards and away rather than directly forwards with both my head and camera directed at them. Also, in comparison to the G85, I don’t like smooching my nose against the LCD when attempting to use it’s viewfinder.
Also, I feel as though I have originally overestimated my video-taking needs. I’m not a filmmaker and don’t really need the abundance of stabilization granted to me in cases where I might be walking and/or running and taking video. If I’m doing video at all, it’s usually while standing in one place. I also bring with me a little JOBY Micro Hybrid tripod for those rare occasions. In this case, the stabilization granted to me within the lens is sufficient (even more so if using the small, 3-legged tripod). Perhaps I’ll further stabilize my videos in post using Premiere or something. Let’s not even mention the fact that I don’t really own a computer or laptop yet good enough to handle 4k processing.
I will say that the G85 fits better into my hand like a glove. It also seems to perhaps be better for low light situations but I have to do a side-by-side comparison of photos to see if this is true.
In the end… I’m going to keep my Gx8.
I should note that I’ve also purchased a Gx85 just in case I might like to do some videos this summer. It was fortunate that I was able to make a purchase of a gx8 and gx85 at decent prices on eBay. After selling off the lenses, the amount spent on the two bodies was only about $100 more than purchasing a brand new g85 body. I know, right…? money to burn… I suspect that, later down the road, I’ll end up selling my gx85 in favor of simply owning the gx8 given all of the aforementioned reasons in addition to the weather-sealing, 20mp, Cine D options, etc.
Yes, I normally recommend the cameras like this:
Purely stills – GX8
Stills and a little video – GX80
50/50 – G80
Mostly video – GH5/4
The GX8 is still my favourite camera. Just something great about it, I hope the GX9 (or whatever it will be) will continue that with the 5-axis, no low pass and some 4K slow motion option. If so it will be my ultimate camera!
Hi Jacob…
I enjoyed reading our review, very pro I think!
Maybe you can help us select a camera.
I am going to “Trump Country” this summer and are in California about 25 days! (San Francisco, Grand Canyon, the National Parks, LA and Las Vegas)
I only own a small cheap point and shoot Panasonic camera at this time and I don´t want to miss anything on this trip.
I am NOT used to setup a camera manually to take pickture and mostly using the “Auto” setting.
But, this could be the time where I should play around with the new camera weeks before the trip, so we get the most out of it.
This trip surely requires a new camera, and I am really struggling between the FujiFil X-T20/18-55mm and the Panasonic G80 12-60mm or G80 14-140mm
I would like to get great pictures and a bunch of nice video 😉
What to do?
Here in Denmark, the Fuji X-T20 is totally sold out and you have to be on a waiting list to get one, so I can´t even try one before buying!
Hope you or other readers can help 😉
Thanks in advance…
With best regards, Erik from DK
Hi Eric,
Honestly, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with any of those cameras for stills photography, and in IQ terms, there’s not much in it between the Fuji and Pana.
I do however think you would see better results in video with the G80, due to the video features I mentioned in the above article.
All of the Pana cameras also come with Intelligent Auto mode which is perfect for those times you just want to point and click.
I hope that helps somewhat
Jacob
Hi Jacob…
Yes, your opinion helps a lot 😉 Panasonic G80/85 it is!
But, the lens…should I take the 12-60mm or the 14-140mm?
The price is not the issue, but is it worth the 230 Dollars it cost more here in Denmark!
Thanks again 😉
Best regards from Erik…
Hi Jacob
Great work and good on you for taking the time to answer everyones questions in such a good way !
For me I’m one of those torn between the Gh4 and the G85 guys who can’t afford the GH5 but still wants the best of both worlds,being I’m getting back into filming video I’m sure i can’t go wrong with either the GH4 or G85 as my last camera was a Canon 60D and if i decide to keep it up i can always buy something different later if need be.
What keeps me drawn to the GH4 is the high end video functionality and I’m likely to use a tripod anyway so stabilisation isn’t such an important thing. The GH4 is a proven machine and I’m sure many people will continue to use theirs for plenty of time to come.
Thanks very much
Mike
Hi just wanted to say great article. I also wanted to ask a quick question. I am looking to up grade my G7 to either the G80 or GH4. the thing i am unsure about is if the G80 outputs to and external monitor when on record mode, or is it just the GH4 that is capable if using an external monitor.
any help on this matter would be truly appreciated
Kind regards