An all-around Micro Four Thirds camera designed for photographers and videographers, the black Lumix DMC-GX85 from Panasonic features a compact build and intuitive layout, along with a feature-set to suit a multimedia lifestyle. Utilizing a 16MP Live MOS sensor, which lacks an optical low-pass filter for increased sharpness, the GX85 is capable of shooting continuously at up to 10 fps with single-shot autofocus, or 6 fps with continuous autofocus, as well as up to 40 fps when using an electronic shutter function. UHD 4K video recording is also supported in 30 and 24 fps frame rates, as well as Full HD 1080p, and the 4K recording abilities also permit shooting 8MP stills at a 30 fps rate. A sensitivity range up to ISO 25600 permits working in difficult and low-light settings while 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization also helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake for sharper handheld shooting. Spanning a broad range of features for both still and moving images, the GX85 is a versatile mirrorless camera further characterized by its sleek form factor and connected functionality.
Complementing the imaging attributes, the camera also incorporates both a 2.76m-dot electronic viewfinder as well as a 3.0" 1.04m-dot touchscreen LCD, which has a tilting design to better enable working from high and low angles. Built-in Wi-Fi is also integrated into the design, which facilitates wireless image transferring and remote camera control from linked smartphones or tablets.
16MP Live MOS Sensor
Using a 16MP Live MOS sensor, the GX85 is capable of capturing clear, high-resolution stills as well as UHD 4K video. The sensor's design omits an optical low-pass filter in order to achieve a high degree of sharpness and resolution, and its design also affords a sensitivity range from ISO 200-25600 to suit working in a variety of lighting conditions. Additionally, fast shooting performance is also afforded, with the ability to shoot at up to 40 fps with an electronic shutter function, 30 fps at 8MP using the 4K Photo Modes, 10 fps with AF-S and an electronic shutter, or 8 fps using a mechanical shutter with AF-S.
UHD 4K Video Recording
In addition to the versatile still shooting modes, the GX85 also supports recording UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) video with either 30p or 24p frames rates at 100 Mbps in the MP4 format. Full HD 1080p/60 is also supported, in both MP4 and AVCHD formats, as well as HD and SD resolutions. A built-in stereo microphone can be used during recordings, and features an integrated wind-cut filter for cleaner audio quality when shooting outdoors.
4K Photo Modes
Utilizing the 4K video recording capabilities, a trio of still shooting modes are available for recording continuous 8MP stills at a 30 fps shooting rate:
- 4K Burst: Just as with video recording, this mode will allow you to continuously record 8MP images at 30 fps for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds, making it ideal for instances where you need a fast frame rate in order to capture the best moment.
- 4K Pre-Burst: This mode is ideal for times when you're unsure of the critical moment to press the shutter button and will record 8MP images at 30 fps one second prior to and one second after pressing the shutter button in order to give you 60 frames to choose from.
- 4K Burst (S/S): This mode most closely follows the 4K video recording process, and allows you to playback your video, pause at the chosen moment, and use the shutter button to mark a chosen frame from the video and save it as a single 8MP frame.
Dual Image Stabilization
Helping to achieve the utmost sharpness when photographing handheld, Dual I.S. combines the GX85's 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization technology with lens-based image stabilization to compensate for a broader range of movement types to render sharper, clearer imagery. Dual I.S. requires the use of compatible Lumix lenses featuring O.I.S.
Depth-From-Defocus AF Technology
For accelerated autofocus performance, DFD (Depth-From-Defocus) technology is employed to quickly calculate the distance to subjects and adjust the focusing position in order to suit working with continuous shooting rates up to 6 fps with continuous AF. This contrast-detection type focus method benefits both still and video recording modes, as well as subject tracking applications where subject color, size, and motion vectors are used to intelligently lock-onto the moving subjects and ensure precise focus. Additionally, supporting working in low-light conditions, a Starlight AF feature enables accurate AF performance down to -4 EV.
Benefitting manual focus operation, focus peaking is available that highlights bright edges of contrast with a colored outline for quickly recognizing your focus point, as well as Touch MF Assist for touch-to-focus operation.
