G85 overheating? record time? light sensitivity? stabilization?

Quantum Target wrote:

Hello everyone,

• I am considering purchase of the G85 and would like some input. Your time and attention are immensely appreciated. I did search for G85 content and find that with the exception of the questions put forth here , the body will do what I need. I have considered Panasonic HC-WXF1K and other camcorders like the AX53 4K Handycam but neither should perform better (on a technical basis) for this application. Doubtless there will be some areas where the camcorders will excel but most important, the G85 will beat the camcorders in terms of sensitivity - a key factor - and for other factors, hold its own and bring some tasty extras to the table. Am I wrong?

No, you are basically right. It also has great IBIS which not all camcorders have.

I looked at the E-M1 Mark II and M.Zukio digital ED 12-40 f2.8 Pro & ED 40-150 f2.8 Pro briefly. Clearly, a leap beyond in low light performance but probably triple the cost which puts it out of the running as are other Panasonic bodies if the G85 can get the job done. $1500.00 to $1800.00 for body and lens is doable and the G85 comes in below that - leaving room for cards and batteries and the possibility of faster or longer focal lenghts sooner if needed.

I have the Oly Em1.2 and the Gh4. The G85 has better IQ (when we do not consider the GH4 Vlog) than the GH4. Oly 4K video looks good, but the datarate is very inconsistent (read: quite low sometimes with sudden drops). The Oly 4K, althoughI have never compared it with G85 is probably not better at all.
Since Em1.2 is on your mind it seems the most obvious cam you should look for is either the G9 or the GH5.

My primary use is for 4k recording of teaching. Sessions are planned not to exceed 1 hour approximately. Typical setting will be a room with a little better than average lighting and I hope, minimal to no supplementary lighting required. Other settings could be a church or hotel meeting room. Those are a real unknown. Some of them will be easy, some more challenging. The plan is to use, 2 G85s - each with the kit lens. Both will be provided with external battery power. A WIFI connection to the second camera will provide supervision, start, stop and focus.

Are you going to manual focus. Otherwise the Panasonic is not the cam you want and the Oly neither. You should probably look at Fuji or Sony for that in 4K. Both do have issues with longer recording, Sony overheats and stops in  all models but not all of them at the same time. Or they just let you go ahead and chose if you want to let the cam overheat or not.

WIFI also means more power and heat of course. Initially, no projected powerpoints will be used so house lighting is assumed to be up. When / if we get to using projected powerpoints we will find faster lenses if the subdued lighting often needed becomes an issue. Can the G85 with kit lens reasonably be expected to perform well enough in this kind of setting? The same as everyone else, I would like optics like the M.Zukio digital ED 12-40 f2.8 Pro but anything like that is off the table unless required. If it is required, I need to re-run my selection with a higher target cost and see if other combos rise to viability.

Well take the Panny 12--35 mm f2.8 into account. It is an outstanding lens. Very small and may be cheaper than the Oly yet every bit as good and it is adapted to Panasonics DFD where the Oly is not.

Stabilizaton: There is a youtube video gives me concern. It compares the GH4 Lumix 14-140 with the A7s Canon 70-200. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQlAvRuTYIQ&list=WL&index=19 . In this test the cameras are stacked with the Lumix body in the preferred, more stable position closer to the tripod. There is a clear oscillation in the GH4 image. Since the GH4 body has no stabilization this must be the lens. Has anyone else seen this type of misbehavior in the G85 with the 14-140 or the kit lens? I know this is apples to apples but If I was to get a G4 as #2 or use this lens... I think I read something here about an issue but I am literally dreaming about this stuff and when awake I am awash with information to consider…

I wonder what you mean with oscillatiion. Could be a DFD artefact, so the cam is then in AF mode.

Heat: I considered the Sony A6500 but the reports of overheating when used at room temperatures still happening take it out of consideration. Better isn’t good enough for that issue! And yes any camera will overheat if abused. The problem is, the G85 manual mentions overheating in 4k modes specifically. This is a concern for me because my use case is extended 4K recording sessions. Not short takes or clips. I will not be recording outdoors where the camera would be in full sun or in 90F+ weather (would shade camera anyway in those cases). In all cases, the cameras will be in normal room temps - say below 75F with no external heat source impingement on camera. Also, since heating in the sensor raises the noise floor this may also have greater effect when dealing with less than optimal lighting - though I would think that the camera would shut down before noise would get that far out of hand. Your thoughts and experiences

Panasonic camera simply rarely overheat and are least of all prone to overheating. I have seen a test with the GX85 in the blistering sun (40 C in the shade!) and it overheated after 29+ minutes, almost reaching the max  recording time.

Record time and file handling: I am planning on using only the specified "UHS-I / UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 (U3)" cards large enough to fit a full session or 2. The standard will allow a single recording up to about 3 hours if the card is large enough. I am interested in hearing experiences working with such large files. Are there issues getting such large files off the cards seamlessly? I understand that the primary issue is the file system - FAT32 VS exFAT. Assuming the file system of the destination drive will support the file size, is there still a requirement to use Panasonic software to transfer 4K content from card to PC? I have re-formatted SDHC cards as exFAT in the past if memory serves and used them successfully - though never with this camera. Will the camera USE SDHC cards formatted exFAT? Releasing worms...

No such  requirements needed. Your recordtime is possibly/probably limited to 30 minutes, unless you buy a GH5.

Developers and manufacturers often demonstrate lazy and needlessly regimented thinking (you are only allowed to 'create' the way we have imagined). That 'class' would check the card type when it is inserted and since the SDHC standard requires FAT32 they require the card be formatted this way - even though the standard does not exclude the ability to format with other file systems - like exFAT AND the camera contains the code to read and write the exFAT file system! I see this thinking with Panasonic and their attitude about 'modifications' to the way other cameras in their line work in terms of record time limitations. As I see it the only difference is in the 'mind' of the manufacturer (and possibly lawyers and politicians) between adjusting any control on the camera away from the factory default setting and removing "features" aka hobbles or adding capability. Canon has it right - the camera is yours. The camera isn't a camera without the firmware. Use it as you like. If you do something to render the camera inoperative like drop it or change firmware and it goes wrong, restoring the camera will not be covered by warranty. Anyway, this is why I have to ask.

[This next part may need to move to a separate thread but there is some relevance here at this stage I think.] As for work flow, I would like to use the free version of DaVinci Resolve on a Win 10 platform. The PC will probably be a 32G Hades Canyon with 2 512G NVMe, M.2 drives -1 OS, 1 scratch. And whatever works well enough for bulk store and render sink. I don't need to work with much more than 2.5 hours total 4K content at a time and will be doing not more than 1.5 hours of finished video per week. Any roadblocks or hazards to be aware of with the camera default / only 4K format? Anyone using DR with this camera? Are you dissatisfied with any aspects of the combination?

Thanks to all for your input.

Anon