G85 overheating? record time? light sensitivity? stabilization?

hindesite wrote:

is there still a requirement to use Panasonic software to transfer 4K content from card to PC?

No, and there never was.

I didn't put that well. I was concerned about stitching files together where there was a 4g limit - usually from the media format when it is FAT32.

I think you are overthinking this. Just let the camera format whatever card you put in it, and you'll be OK.

On file sizes: The formatting of the card will or ought to be the final deciding factor that controls whether or not the recording is broken up at the 4G size. If you are not formatting cards exFAT - the camera probably won't for SDHC - you will have 4G chunks. If you are using SDXC and the camera formats, you should never see 'chunked' video I expect. I am trying to confirm that the camera will use file system file size limit - except EURO models where avoiding a tax is the deciding factor (see “grumbling” above). This line of inquiry is driven by reports of inconsistencies with the 'chunking' process - occasional dropped frames - a complication I don't need! Still not clear about how rigid the firmware is in terms of what it will accept for formatting on a given card. Will it accept a validly formatted card and write to the card based on the limitations of the file system format or does it ‘know better’ and protest or use small files because the card is an “H” instead of an “X” and ignore the fact that the valid exFAT format will permit files greater than 4G.

4K isn't even very demanding at 100Mb/s so I wouldn't waste money on "specified" cards. I now use Samsung Select 128GB microSDXC cards with zero issues - just make sure your card writes at the required speed and you are good to go. You don't need UHS-II, either.

On speed: I get that write speed is key. Some cards will/may not write at the 100Mbs rate and still be usable because of a combination of a deep buffer in camera, a card that writes just under the 'required' speed and the user not needing a record duration that doesn't overwhelm the combination of the two. It bears mentioning, though likely only the newest among us might not be aware, that sustained write speed is what videography requires and that the card manufacturer or seller will not necessarily give this number but the easier to achieve burst speed. Also careful attention to Bvsb. Even the most seasoned have little slips on that one occasionally. Familiarity with the related standards and a good sense of the ‘why’ for those standards as well as a bit of wariness serves well to avoid buying memory that won't meet your needs - and to be fair - wasting money on over spec’d cards. There is another speed factor that bears consideration. Read performance for transfer into my edit system. Here, my reader will be able to max out the fastest cards available ATM. Having a faster card than needed by the camera still has some benefit. I am going to run some numbers on this before buying but for me, less time spent waiting for transfers is worth some coin.

I have no issues using the latest version 14 or Resolve with 4K video, on my laptop (unlike v12); I'm editing 4K video from the G7 generally.

And you could consider the G7 as your main camera

As I mentioned, the session length is planned to be about 1 hour. The G7 is off the table because: "Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] in [4K] is 29 minutes 59 seconds." this is still up on the Panasonic web site. Any system that limits 4K uninterrupted record time to less than 1 hour won't receive further consideration. I am ok with 3+ hour file size if that were to require a hard break (it shouldn't) but even at that I expect the record time to be limited only by the maximum supported card size. As far as I can tell the G85 doesn't even meet baseline 1 hour requirement. From website:

" Continuous recordable time (Motion picture): MP4 [4K/30p]: Approx. 90 min with H-FS12060"

and

"Actual recordable time (Motion picture): MP4 [4K/30p]: Approx. 45 min with H-FS12060"

BAH!!! The most unhelpful set of specifications EVER!  And why on earth does the lens need to be specified!!!!

I just noticed this ACTUAL LIMIT! HELP!

... you don't need stabilisation anyway, and the camera is very cheap. In fact, the Z-cam E1 would be absolutely ideal for you application. and it is even cheaper. There's probably people round here with one that don't know what to do with it, maybe they'll sell you theirs?

True, I don't need stabilization for the specified use case but I don't want to limit myself for other applications too much either. As for the Z-cam It may work but is significantly reduced in capability and will require purchase of lens. Assuming I use the same kit lens, the overall cost will be similar and I loose lots of capability and have to deal with a reduction in picture quality - not a lot but some. I could buy lens for less - esp. used but I think I need some zoom for flexibility right out of the box.

Also consider you are going to need an external power supply for longer recording times.

I did mention this was in my plan.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Anon