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Panasonic G80 / G85 / G8 4K 5-axis stab magnesium monster
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  • @IronFilm I'd like to help but it's difficult to capture the sound of the IBIS as it's pretty quiet. Here's a sample taken with the BMPCC and you can hear that it's just barely audible over the ever present preamp noise:

    Mic is an Audio-Technica AT8024 in Mono mode, 0dB pad.

    I would describe the IBIS sound as almost a lower growl or rumble than something like white noise.

    I can't provide you with a good level reference though to say how loud it is to anything other than turning on the switch of the camera which as you can hear here is very loud in the mix.

    Also I would say if you're considering the G85 don't even let this concern you. It's something to be aware of with the camera but in no way should steer you away from this thing if it meets your other needs. It's a great camera and I would consider it a workhorse of the non-pro world (Those that don't need LOG, All-I, Timecode, etc). I've shot hundreds of hours with it without so much as a hiccup.

  • I'm also very satisfied with G80. As I'm in EU I'll have to live with 30min time limit for 4K, but as you said for FHD I have GH2 with no limit :) I have DSTE BGG1 clone with wireless remote and also USB step-up adapter with dummy battery which I use for G7/GH2 as static cam on tripod and grip with G80 to shoot dynamic scenes with monopod, glidecam or just handheld. It's good help to have 2x as much juice and could replace battery without dismounting from monopod/gimbal and also it's easier to replace battery as on the bottom of the G80.

  • @lPowell (3l) Wow, I had no idea the grip would go up in price. I should keep an eye out. I have to say mine works very well, especially for events. BTW the old DSTE batteries were garbage, but I bought two recent ones that had as much juice as the original. Where they are worrisome is that last little tick before shutdown. 1080p: I still have the GH2 running your Flowmotion, but I have to say the 1080p that I get from downsampling the G85 is really very good. And $600 is a very good price for that cam.
    Lately I have been using a $12 step up transformer which goes from a USB brick to the dummy battery. But the dual battery grip is very handy. I'm still seeing a good price on these grips in the $35-60 range from Aliexpress

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DSTE-Professional-DMW-BGG1-Vertical-Battery-Grip-for-Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-G80-G85-DSLR-Cameras-Panasonic/32848875424.html

  • @DrDave - Thanks for your reviews of the G85 and the DMW-BGG1 clone battery grip. I managed to nab the last BGG1 grip with remote that was in stock at Amazon for less than $100. Looks like the remotes are in short supply, as the other listings were selling for 2-3 times as much. The G85 I picked up was refurbished by Panasonic for just $600. This is an incredible deal for a 100Mbps 4K IBIS-stabilizied camera with a 2.2x crop factor that records with no time limit.

    Personally, I can't believe the $2K+ prices for the new full-frame mirrorless cameras, I paid less than half that for my full-frame Nikon D610, the last Nikon model that works with the 64Mbps 1080p video hack. On that note, while the G85's 28Mbps 1080p video is disappointing, we still have the GH2 ;)

  • I have sanded a lot the inside part and I can not get the screen of the G80 in, but without any modification fits perfectly in the GH2.

  • Yes, G85.

  • Oh yeah it is a very tight fit normally because I was trying to prevent it from sliding off or flopping around. Maybe the paint added too much thickness to it? If it ends up being a problem I might put up a version with a little looser straps and people can see which fit they like better. Also are you testing it on a G85 or other camera?

  • It doesn't fit at all. Its really thigh and i think will need to sand a little the inner part. I use white PLA and spray paint in black.

  • @Grimor Looks like it printed well! Did it fit?

  • Printed!

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  • Worth a try. Good one, @Firworks !

  • I designed a slide on screen hood for the G85/G7 and put it up on Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3024657

    If anyone's got one of these cameras and a 3D printer give it a try.

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  • I can confirm it's great peace of equipment. I've got mine a week ago and it's well built. I've got it also as weight addition as G85 is a bit light for my glidecam. With grip and additional battery I can balance without issue. Also I'm not stressing out mount hole on the camera which I think is not located on the best place on the camera. I've got rc version too. Mine comes with 2 plastic boxes for storing SD and TF cards as a gift so I can carry empty cards in one and full in the other which is practical.

  • My quick DMW-BGG1 clone review.
    I bought the battery grip, branded DSTE, from Amazon. Note that there are several clone versions, they all look very similar. Some included a spare battery, some include a remote control (!!!).
    The version I purchased is the "RC" version, which has a remote. This is a totally cool feature, considering the ultra cheap price of the grip (~$50).
    Basically, this grip is a no brainer. It's very well made, it works perfect, and it has a remote control. It only works with the G85, but if you have a G85 this is a great add on.
    So, it works just like the official one, it has extra shutter button, extra function buttons, extra dial, and, of course the extra battery socket and the remote for the shutter. There's an on off switch which only affects the buttons and dials, which is good. If you are shooting vertically, everything is where it should be, if you are shooting horizontally, you can turn the buttons off to avoid accidentally changing a setting.
    The battery mounts from the side. It has the same weatherproofed door as the original. This is really handy as you can change the battery without taking the camera off the tripod. The only major difference between this grip and the official grip that I can see is that the pin that aligns the base is a hard plastic instead of metal, but I actually prefer the plastic. The base fits perfect. The shutter makes an audible click, unlike the on-camera shutter, but if you need to start the camera silently, use the on-cam button or the remote, which is silent.
    So what happens when you yank out the battery? When one battery runs down, the other takes over, even in the middle of filming. However, if you yank out the battery (don't try this, obviously, it can mess up your card and maybe the camera) the camera stops filming.
    However--and this is a big however--if you are running a dummy battery on the grip and have a battery in the camera, and you unplug the dummy, as in a power failure, the camera keeps filming. No guarantees, but I tried it multiple times. This is a huge safety feature.
    Great grip for cheap that is better than the original, owing to the remote control.

  • There's the DSTE add on base with full controls and an extra battery--the batteries can work in relay or you can use a dummy battery through the side of the base.

  • Thanks for the review DrDave. I can only compare my G85 to my previous GH2 but I think it's a great camera for video.

    One thing I wanted to mention is that third party battery grips are now available for a reasonable price. This lets you use the G85 for long takes like certain interviews, conferences, etc.

  • My quick review of the G85:

    I bought one of these when one of my G7 cams conked out. I needed it on the same day so I didn't get a great deal, but it was not so bad, price wise. It's like a G7 plus.
    It's a little heavier, a little better built, has better weather seals, and more features. All the great dials of the G7 but everything is more solid. When you first pick it up, and look at it, you think "G7". But then when you pick them up side by side, you can feel that it is just a bit more solid and a tiny bit thicker, and there's some really small changes to the layout.

    IQ is about the same as the GX85, ever so slightly better than the G7. It's a teeny teeny bit less sharp than the GH5.

    Someone obviously thought a lot about the controls and ergonomics, for example, there's a little indent so you can flip out the screen easier. However, as some have noted, the buttons on the back are hard to feel and have a very short travel. Not a deal breaker but it is nice to be able to navigate by touch easily.
    Similarly, the mode dial is just a bit more solid, in keeping with the overall "more solid" style of the camera.
    Weight: with a battery, and with a card, but no lens or cap, 506 grams. The G7 weighs 413 grams. I weighed all three G7 cams and they weighed the same, the silver weighs the same as the black, just in case you are curious. So 93 grams, not a lot, but not a little.

    Image stabilization works great. Floats like a good bar of soap. Not like 5 stops but really nice and smooth.

    Shutter is nice and quiet. So, I personally think there may still be some shutter shock, but it is really smooth compared to other Panasonic cameras and a very nice piece of high tech in the new shutter.

    Viewfinder: it's great. Big, bright viewfinder. Now, the GX85 had a more "movie" style viewfinder, but it is also off center. The G85 has it right in the center, but in a more photo like crop format. Manual focus with peaking through the VF is pretty awesome.

    There's one thing I didn't read anywhere, maybe I missed it, there's a setting that tells the camera to reset the lens to where it was when you turned it off, when you turn it back on. Now this is a totally great feature.

    Focus was pretty zippy. Takes the same battery as the G7 (I still have the battery from my GH2).
    One pain--if you are using a dummy battery, there is a stupid hole in the bottom so you have to disconnect the battery from the battery or power supply and thread it through the hole, You can't just pop it in.

    On thing that is better on the GX85 is that you can use the built in flash as a bounce flash. It's very cool. Sadly, this is not so on the G85. I rarely use it, but every now and then it is great to have the built in bounce flash.

    Several reviews have said that the G85 writes video files just like the G7, that is, when it gets to 4GB it seamlessly starts a new file. Actually, that is not true. I'm guessing they never tried it. If you record a video in 4K, it writes one big file just like the GX85, which is what you would expect since the electronics are similar.

    Other reviewers note that you can take a non IS lens, like the Olly 75mm, or a legacy lens, and shoot at .4 seconds aperture handheld, using the cameras in body stabilization. Well, I tried that and I think like all of this vaporware about IS you have to be realistic. I was able to consistently get a sharp image at 1/15 second and sometimes 1/10 with the heavy 75mm.

    Although the specs list 4K as 24p, it is in fact 23.976 fps. I mention this because several Panasonic cameras do shoot at real 24p (like the GH5), and Panasonic should clear up their terminology, and the review sites just cut and paste it, of course.

    Noise and whir: this camera has gyroscopes to help with the IS. If you hold your ear up to the camera, you will hear a soft whir. If you place a mic right on it, you might pick up some whir. It makes the exact type of whir that an image stabilized lens does. And, if you have the two together, you will get a bit more of this sound. You can't hear it two feet away, but for super sensitive recordings, factor that in. The GX85 makes the same noise, as does any camcorder with IS.

    Overall, it feels like the best of the G7 and the GX85, with better stabilization and a nice set of features. No time limit on mine. It does make one appreciate the lightness of the G7, actually, but there are times when you want a more rugged camera, for sure.

    So for travel, you have to "weigh" the additional features against the heavier weight and a few mm more bulk. I like having IS on the camera, and with the 14-42 kit you get the double IS.

    It's a nice camera, bottom line.

    [Formatting added by VK]

  • I need help from those who have installed Firmware Ver.1.3. I currently have firmware ver.1.2 in the camera. In photo mode, the x-sync speed is 1/160 using the built-in flash. However, when I use an external "dumb" flash the x-sync is 1/320. The camera does not lock the shutter speed to 1/160 using a dumb flash. What I mean by "dumb" flash is a type of flash with just 1 center contact. So my question is, if you have installed firmware ver.1.3 already, does the camera still let you set the shutter speed higher than 1/160 in photo mode when you use a flash? The aperture and shutter speed blink "red" but the camera does not prevent you from going over 1/160 with firmware ver.1.2. I want to make sure that I still have this capability after installing verion 1.3.

    I would greatly appreciate those who can check this for me.

    Thank you.

  • I was also hoping for some new features like IS Lock.. we probably don't get any new features for G8 from Pany.. shame

  • LUMIX DMC-G8 Firmware Ver.1.3

    • Improved camera shake correction performance with H-ES 200 lens.
    • The stability of operation during using of external equipment has been improved under specific conditions.

    http://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/fts/index2.html

  • Man, nice deal. Anyone want a G7 with no time limit and a 14-42 lens?

  • Natural profile, panaleica lenses (12-60, 25 & 43)