Panasonic GX85 Available for Pre-order, Price $797

Panasonic has just announced the new Lumix DMC-GX85 (GX80 for outside of North America) 4K mirrorless camera today. A less expensive sibling to the Lumix GX8 that features a 16MP Live MOS sensor with no AA filter, a redesigned shutter mechanism, and 5-axis Dual IS.

Panasonic GX85 US price is $797, now available for pre-order at Amazon/B&H Photo Video/Adorama. Will be shipping in late May, 2016.

16MP Live MOS Sensor

Using a 16MP Live MOS sensor, the GX85 is capable of capturing clear, high-resolution stills as well as UHD 4K video. The sensor’s design omits an optical low-pass filter in order to achieve a high degree of sharpness and resolution, and its design also affords a sensitivity range from ISO 200-25600 to suit working in a variety of lighting conditions. Additionally, fast shooting performance is also afforded, with the ability to shoot at up to 40 fps with an electronic shutter function, 30 fps at 8MP using the 4K Photo Modes, 10 fps with AF-S and an electronic shutter, or 8 fps using a mechanical shutter with AF-S.

UHD 4K Video Recording

In addition to the versatile still shooting modes, the G7 also supports recording UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) video with either 30p or 24p frames rates at 100 Mbps in the MP4 format. Full HD 1080p/60 is also supported, in both MP4 and AVCHD formats, as well as HD and SD resolutions. A built-in stereo microphone can be used during recordings, and features an integrated wind-cut filter for cleaner audio quality when shooting outdoors.

4K Photo Modes

Utilizing the 4K video recording capabilities, a trio of still shooting modes are available for recording continuous 8MP stills at a 30 fps shooting rate:

• 4K Burst: Just as with video recording, this mode will allow you to continuously record 8MP images at 30 fps for up to 29 min. 59 sec., making it ideal for instances where you need a fast frame rate in order to capture the best moment.
• 4K Pre-Burst: This mode is ideal for times when you’re unsure of the critical moment to press the shutter button and will record 8MP images at 30 fps one second prior to and one second after pressing the shutter button in order to give you 60 frames to choose from.
• 4K Burst (S/S): This mode most closely follows the 4K video recording process, and allows you to playback your video, pause at the chosen moment, and use the shutter button to mark a chosen frame from the video and save it as a single 8MP frame.

Dual Image Stabilization

Helping to achieve the utmost sharpness when photographing handheld, Dual I.S. combines the GX85’s 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization technology with lens-based image stabilization to compensate for a broader range of movement types to render sharper, clearer imagery. Dual I.S. requires the use of compatible Lumix lenses featuring O.I.S.

Depth-From-Defocus AF Technology

For accelerated autofocus performance, DFD (Depth-From-Defocus) technology is employed to quickly calculate the distance to subjects and adjust the focusing position in order to suit working with continuous shooting rates up to 6 fps with continuous AF. This contrast-detection type focus method benefits both still and video recording modes, as well as subject tracking applications where subject color, size, and motion vectors are used to intelligently lock-onto the moving subjects and ensure precise focus. Additionally, supporting working in low-light conditions, a Starlight AF feature enables accurate AF performance down to -4 EV.

Benefitting manual focus operation, focus peaking is available that highlights bright edges of contrast with a colored outline for quickly recognizing your focus point, as well as Touch MF Assist for touch-to-focus operation.

Body Design and Built-In Wi-Fi

• An integrated 2.76m-dot electronic viewfinder offers a bright, clear eye-level means for composing images, and features a 0.7x effective magnification.
• A larger means for image composition and playback, the 3.0″ 1.04m-dot rear OLED monitor has a tilting design to support viewing from a variety of angles. It is also a touchscreen, which permits intuitive menu navigation and settings control.
• Nine programmable function buttons can be used to control a wide variety of settings and tools.
• Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity allows for wireless image sharing and remote camera control from linked smartphones and tablets.

Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. Lens

A versatile standard zoom, the Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. is a 24-64mm equivalent wide-to-short tele featuring a sleek design to pair well with the compact camera body. Three aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion element are incorporated within the lens design to reduce both spherical and chromatic aberrations in order to increase image clarity and sharpness. Complementing the optical design is an internal focusing system and stepping motor that pairs with the camera’s contrast-detection AF for quick, accurate focusing performance.