Panasonic LUMIX G85MK 4K Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera Kit, 12-60mm Lens, Lexar U3 64GB Memory Card, 2 Spare Batteries, Charger, Bag and Accessory Bundle

This a fantastic value for an amazing camera bundle. This will be a comprehensive review of everything I have noticed about the camera and accessories since I bought it. I'll start off with the camera itself.The big question on everyone's mind when they look at this camera is, "How's the image quality?". As you would expect, a 16mp sensor with a 2X crop does not have the same quality as a full frame DSLR with say 50mp. With that said, it is by no means bad looking at all. On the contrary, it stacks up very well against it's mid-tier competitors. Unless you're zooming in on the image a lot, it looks fantastic. The exclusion of a low-pass filter does seem to make a difference in the quality. The low-light performance is obviously less-than-stellar, but you can bring the ISO up to about 3200 or 6400 before it the noise gets a little overwhelming. If the main feature you want in a camera is image quality, specifically low light performance, and you do not care about anything else, I would advise you to go for the Sony a6500. Colors are really good, and I haven't noticed much of a difference since switching from my old Canon T3i.Battery life is less than stellar, although the two extra batteries that come in this bundle make up for it.The kit lens (12-60mm f3.5-5.6) is by far the best kit lens I have used. Images are sharp, and there is little to no chromatic aberration (where there are random streaks of color in the shot).Now onto the main features of this camera:- The ergonomics are perfect. Everything from button placement to handgrip shape is just about spot-on. It is also super light weight, and small compared to bulky DSLRs.- The dual image stabilization is really good. It keeps images sharp, and video very stable. Do not expect it to be perfect though. You may still want to pick up a gimbal, as this will obviously do a much better job. As for IBIS noise, that seems to have been fixed by the latest firmware update, as has the issue where video would stutter when panning due to the stabilization trying to "keep up". There is a dedicated mode of stabilization that turns off the horizontal stabilization if that is still an issue for you though.- Having buttons and dials to control all the settings is wonderful. I found myself having to look up from the viewfinder a lot less when shooting, as the buttons are placed is the perfect position. The only button placement that I don't like is the video record button. It's a little too far from both my index finger and thumb when holding the camera normally. This is still not a big issue for me. I just have to shift my grip a little bit when reaching for the button.- It is so wonderful to have a touchscreen, especially for video. When paired with Panasonic's awesome menu system and programmable function buttons, you can pretty much find whatever you need right in front of you. The screen is accurate, the menu is laid out beautifully, and I can pretty much map whatever setting I want to wherever I want on the screen or physical buttons. There is one setting I would advise you to set. Make sure Extended ISO is turned on, and 1/3 EV is also turned on. This will allow you to have more fine control of the ISO, as well as bring the ISO down to 100. (Stock lowest is only 200).- One concern I had when researching this camera was the autofocus speed and accuracy. When taking pictures, I have not been disappointed. The AF is lightning fast with a half-press of the shutter button. When taking video of a moving subject, I found that the tracking mode worked fairly well. It is contrast based, so it's not quite as good as the AF in the Sony a series lineup, but it's still great. Tap to focus worked great as well, with the focus happening quickly, and with a less noticeable focus rack than I had anticipated.- Post focus mode is really cool, although I haven't found much of a practical use for it. It definitely works well though.- 4K photo mode is one that I have found to be really useful. When taking pictures of anything happening too quickly to worry about getting the shot at the right time, it works awesome. 8mp images are not too big of a problem for these types of shots to me. As Casey Neistat puts it, "The most important thing is to get the shot".- The standard burst mode works really well as well. Exactly what you would expect. 8-9 fps depending on if you are using mechanical or electronic shutter.- This leads me into the silent mode of this camera. When I first took a picture in the normal mode mode, I was amazed at how quiet it was compared to my regular non-mirrorless DLSR. The silent mode takes it a step further. It makes NO NOISE at all! When trying to get a candid shot or something that would be scared of a "loud" camera, it is awesome. I would recommend turning it off when you aren't needing it though, as it makes it hard to know when you took the picture.- Time lapse mode is cool as well, but make sure to set manual settings, or there with be slight flickering due to settings changing in between shots.- Wifi! The app works really well for transferring pictures or just general remote controlling of the camera. I mapped it to a button so I can easily turn it on and off.- Manual focus assist really helps keep pictures sharp when focusing manually.- The weather sealing is a great addition, and I don't have to worry so much about getting splashed or rained on a bit.- The onboard mic is pretty terrible, but just pick up an external mic for $50 or use an external recorder. This is to be expected.- The articulating screen makes a big difference. Yes, the mic port does block it a little bit is you have a mic plugged in, but this was not a huge deal to me.Now onto video performance (bear with me here, I know it's a long review). The 1080p video at 60fps looks really good. This is what I use most of the time as 4K file sizes kill me. When I first used the 4K mode though, my mind was blown. It looks absolutely stunning, even next to it's more expensive competitors. This is the feature that really sold me here. The ability to take 4K video at 100mbps under $1000 is great.I guess we can also talk about the other accessories that come in this bundle.- The bag seems to be pretty high quality. I have really enjoyed carrying it.- The two extra batteries and charger are a lifesaver. Just keep two charging while using one, and you're all set. They aren't as high capacity, but the combination of the three easily lasts a day of heavy use.- The lens filters are cheap, but they work.- The lens cleaning kit is a nice addition.- The screen protector is a pain to put on. I just ditched it. You have to cut it perfectly to size (not an easy task).- The hotshoe / slave flash works great, but drains AA batteries incredibly fast.- The mini tripod is nice, but not a daily carry for me.- The SD card reader works (mind you at USB 2.0 speeds), and the SD card wallet is nice to have.- The SD card is a very welcome addition. 64Gb is perfect for getting started with this camera, and I am glad I didn't have to buy one separately.So, I guess it's conclusion time. You can see from my review that there was not much about this camera that I do not like. Even if this camera was the same price as the Sony a6500, there would still be a very compelling case to buy this camera. When you factor in it's price, it becomes almost a no-brainer, as long as you don't need the image quality, low-light, and perfect autofocus of the Sony cameras.The advantages of a Micro 4/3 sensor far outweigh the negatives for me. One major advantage is that lenses are relatively cheap. I would pick up the 7-14mm lens for a beautiful wide angle, as well as the 20mm f1.7 lens to get good depth of field on portraits and macro images.Feel free to make your judgement about the images from the pictures that I have attached.

I spent weeks deciding on which camera I wanted to purchase. I narrowed it down to a mirrorless camera because I have used and handled DSLR's and I wanted the mirrorless for travel/lightweight purposes. The Lumix G85 won out for several reasons.16MP is plenty for uploading online and printing pictures sized to hang up around my place or give as gifts to friends and family. The image stabilization is incredibly helpful on this device and, although I haven't used it on a tripod, taking pictures by hand with a lower shutter speed is possible (lowest I have tried so far is 1/8 and there was no noticeable shake blur whatsoever). This camera is splash-proof and weather sealed, which was important to me since I live by the beach/coastal area and also in an area where rain can move in and out quickly. I primarily take pictures of landscapes and nature, so that technical aspect is certainly useful. I find the auto-focus to be very quick and stable, although full disclosure; I have not taken any photos fast moving objects yet, so I cannot comment on that. However, once you read the manual it is easy enough to set the camera up to do so.The camera has good heft, but is very comfortable to hold and carry around. Hanging on my neck, it doesn't bother me at all.I had originally considered a sony a6000, but when I went to a store and held it in my hands I found it to be pretty uncomfortable. I also did not enjoy the feel or aesthetic of the EVF on the Sony. Speaking of which, the EVF on the Lumix is incredibly detailed and very easy to use and identify how your current mode and settings will affect the outcome of the photo. While this is the most advanced camera I've ever owned or used before, I find myself becoming more used to the controls and settings daily. It can seem confusing at first, but I fiddled with the menus for a few days and now I feel quite confident it making changes or finding different settings within the menu system. I DO highly suggest reading over the physical instruction manual that comes with the camera, it really helps explain the basics. The PDF version of the advanced instruction manual (available online) is very useful and easy to skim through, based on what you're looking to find. I'm taking my time getting comfortable with this camera and I try not to exhaust myself by just simply reading straight through the advanced manual (it is over 300 pages!!).The multi-angle touchscreen is very nice and looks really good when reviewing photos and information. I also really appreciate the ability to close the screen so the screen itself is not exposed. Makes me feel better when moving around and packing the camera away. I'm OCD like that. So maybe this won't be too big an issue for most.The kit lens is nice and while I plan on ordering several other lenses eventually, I find myself enjoying the clarity and ease of use of this lens.Ritz Camera included a lot of accessories here and while I may not utilize all of them, I find the SD card, filters, cleaning kit, and spare batteries well worth the price of admission. Ritz sent out the package 3 or 4 days after I ordered it, and it arrived within 2 days after it shipped. It was packed well (box within a bigger box) and the package was in very good condition. Would certainly order gear or accessories from Ritz Camera again.Thanks for reading my review. I hope I have helped anyone who may be mostly new to photography in deciding if this is the camera for them. I believe it certainly is for me!