G85 vs. GH5 for YouTube and stills

Rapidisimo wrote:

johnpatrickbishop wrote:

Hey Everyone. So maybe this is not a comparison that anyone else is interested in, but these are the 2 M4/3 cameras I own! But I also think my experience may show why the G85 is still a very relevant camera and why I also upgraded to the GH5.

TL;DR... If you're interested in YouTube content creation, home movies, or travel/family stills, then the G85 is very capable and perhaps all you need (and even more than that). A great bargain. I would still buy one today.

As background, I came to M4/3 from Nikon. I jumped into a G7 as a dalliance, enjoyed it for stills, but as I increasingly got into making videos for my YouTube channel, I quickly decided I wanted to experience IBIS. I purchased the G85 and that was it! It pretty much met all of my needs. The IBIS was game changing for my purposes, the 4K was incredibly crisp even with the kit lens. Small, light (but not too light), fit perfectly in my hand. I spent about a year pumping out videos and really learning the basics. If you're mostly a stills photographer who is dabbling in video, either home video, YouTube, or even light stuff for work--this is the way to start. This is the camera to learn how much you don't know, and to figure out what your real needs are. You may never require anything more.

For stills...I didn't expect much, and in fact my Nikon was my camera for "real photography." But increasingly, I found myself shooting most of my family and everyday photos with the G85. The 16MP G85, with the right lens, has produced some of my favorite images. And though this is such a personal thing--I just love the sound of the mechanical shutter. No idea why it brings me such joy, but I digress. It took a while for me to figure out that you have to shoot and post-process the files differently. M4/3 is just a different look compared to FF, and much of my photography journey with M4/3 has been about learning to embrace and exploit these differences.

So...G85, perfect camera for me...And yet, I upgraded to the GH5 a few months ago. The main reason is that I'm getting increasingly into video and reaching a point where I want to make it a part of my job. At this point, the GH5 is admittedly too much camera for me, but what I have is a machine that I can grow with for years to come. There are also a few additions that are very meaningful for my usability--namely the headphone jack, the joystick, and 4K 60 fps. Admittedly this last one is just a "nice to have not a need to have"--the G85's 1080 60 fps was more than good enough.

The stills performance on the GH5 is better for sure, but not such a huge jump. Lenses make all the difference of course and I'm pretty confident that, say, the Nocticron on a G85 would be killer.

But I recently had to take a trip overseas, and the camera I took with me was the G85. Though the GH5 isn't huge by DSLR standards, it is noticeably bigger and heavier, and just that little bit makes it less appealing as a travel and everyday carry camera. The GH5 is quickly becoming more like my "serious camera" for projects and pretentious artsy stuff while the G85 is the everyday camera that can do almost everything I need. It is still a joy to use.

So basically, if I had a friend who was looking into getting into M4/3 or video, I would still recommend the G85 as a price-to-performance all arounder. Seems like this camera really embodies the potential of M4/3.

Nice write up. I also own a G85 that I use for YouTube and food photography at a hobby level. Though I still covet the GH5/s. Nowadays it's a little close to my budget compared to the days it cost $2k.

Can you elaborate on the learning to process the files differently from a full frame. Also what lenses do you use and for what.

I have the kit 12-60 3.5-5.6, 25mm 1.7, 42.5 1.7

For my content I only use the 25mm and the 42.5. The kit isn't good because of the variable aperture indoors and it doesn't help that the G85 doesn't have auto ISO in manual video mode.

About processing files...for me it’s more about doing more to get it right in camera first and finding a “look” that I like. I still shoot FF and I have to say those Nikon files are so much more forgiving of poor technique. As far as my Panasonic files go, I try to ETTR, process them less, no wild swings of the sliders, and go black and white when the light gets low. I have experimented with Dxo photo lab and the nik collection, but I still mostly use LR. If I’m shooting in daylight I actually don’t feel the need to process crazy amounts, just little adjustments. But really this is just me I’m hardly an expert.

I have all the lenses you mention but have added the 12-35 2.8. And I shoot some vintage (inexpensive) manual Nikon lenses with a viltrox speedbooster. My favorite lately is the 28mm 2.8 AIS.

this is one of my “looks” in m43. Its not for everyone but works for me. Just a hobbyist capturing life.