I was planning on renting one or just outright buying it as it is on sale at Adorama, B,&H., and others. I had a temporary budget issue as our company recently started temporary furloughs. I'm hoping the pricing is good in a couple of months from now. I really like the features on the camera and for what I typically shoot , the sensor size isn't an issue.
I've been holding off until new models were released to see what the next GX camera would be like because I like the smaller size camera body and tilting screen as opposed to a flip-out screen.
But I have always admired the G85. It's a well-rounded camera and I think the successor G95 would suit me well. There are some good prices around at the moment where I live (Sydney, Australia) - e.g. body only for AUD $995.
I am going to visit a local store this aftenoon that has a G95 on display so I can hold it and see if I like the size.
I hope you like it. Due to current restrictions because of the corona virus, there are no camera shops open in my area for me to go and check out tge various models. I might still rent one for a week or so to check it out. Buying one will depend on how my finances are. Let me know what you think of the ergonomics. Based on the photos of the camera, they look good to me. Both the G85 and G95 are similar in physical size to my old Sony a300 but are lighter weight.
I went to the local store and played with the G95 for about 10 minutes and have to say that I really liked it.
It's actually a great size. For some reason I was expecting it to be bigger but it's a reasonably compact camera. I had checked out camerasize.com beforehand but there's nothing quite like holding the camera in your hands. It was very comfortable to hold - the grip shape and size is great, good grippy textured surface, buttons and dials are all easily accessible. I like the 'wheel' on the back - it makes it easy to scroll through menus.
The viewfinder is awesome in comparison with my GX85 - big and bright and clear. Quite a revelation to me. Operation of the camera felt very fast compared with my GX85, e.g. focus, taking a shot, navigating the menus just felt quicker.
Using this camera would be quite different to how I use my GX85. With the GX85, I usually shoot from the hip, i.e. camera held about belt-height with my hands on both sides (i.e. not using the grip) and screen tilted out to almost 90 degrees, and use my thumb to focus/shoot. I rarely ever hold the camera up to use the viewfinder. With the G95, the ergonomics of the grip and the big viewfinder would probably mean that I'd shoot more traditionally. I tried holding the G95 at belt-height with the screen flipped out and that worked ok although having the screen to my left instead of inline with where the camera was pointing felt a bit weird. I am sure that I'd get used to that though.
So I think that I will probably go ahead and get the G95. I feel that it's time to get my next camera body. It would be nice to have an idea of what Panasonic has coming up next (both G and GX line) but pricing is always high at release so I appreciate the benefit of waiting and getting a decent camera at a lower price.
