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This blog is a user's perspective on the Micro Four Thirds camera system. Read more ...

Lens Buyer's Guide. Panasonic GH4 review.

My lens reviews: Olympus 9mm f/8 fisheye, Lumix G 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6, Leica 25mm f/1.4, Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8, Lumix X 35-100mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm f/2.8, Sigma 19mm f/2.8, Lumix X PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, Lumix X PZ 45-175mm f/4-5.6, Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8, Panasonic Lumix G 100-300mm f/4-5.6, Panasonic Leica Lumix DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro, Panasonic Lumix G 45-200mm f/4-5.6, Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 pancake, Panasonic Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 pancake, Panasonic Lumix G HD 14-140mm f/4-5.8, Panasonic Lumix G HD 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6, Panasonic Lumix G 8mm f/3.5 fisheye, Lumix G 7-14mm f/4, Samyang 7.5mm f/3.5 fisheye, Tokina 300mm f/6.3 mirror reflex tele, Lensbaby 5.8mm f/3.5 circular fisheye lens
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Saturday 19 November 2016

G85 video stabilization vs Olymous E-M5 Mark II

I recently showed that the Lumix G85 is way superior to the GH4 when it comes to video image stabilization, using the newer in-body image stabilization (IBIS). However, the focus speed was not as good in 4k mode, probably due to less processing power in the Lumix G85.

But how does it compare with the Olympus E-M5 Mark II, which made waves in this area almost a couple of years ago, with a fantastic video image stabilization?

In this article, I put them head to head. To avoid any possible advantage of using the same brand name lens as camera body, I have used the third party Sigma 30mm f/2.8 Art lenses, which I like a lot:

Both cameras are mounted to a Desmond stereo bracket here. They are both recording in 1080p resolution, with 60FPS framerate. I have both set to f/2.8 aperture, and using continuous autofocus. Here is the comparison:



Based on this comparison, it looks like the Olympus E-M5 Mark II is still a bit better when it comes to image stabilization, however, this was a quite extreme test, with some careless walking around.

In terms of autofocus, no single camera is consistently the best here, but I think both do quite well.

The Lumix G85 has the newest firmware, 1.1, designed to fix the panning jerkiness.

Given the capabilities of the two cameras, my choice is clear. The Lumix G85 is by far the most usable. I also like its ergonomics much better. With the Olympus E-M5 Mark II I often get annoyed trying to find the feature I want in the menus. I will still keep it for when I want to try the high resolution mode.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous29 November 2016 at 15:06

    Thanks for doing the comparison. Very interesting! The Olympus stabilisation remains amazing, and it looks as though Panasonic have a way to go before they catch up on that front.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fredrik Gløckner29 November 2016 at 20:26

      Keep in mind that it took Olympus five years to get the IBIS right with the E-M5 II. Panasonic are later to the game, and the G85 is already very good. Perhaps the next generation will be on the same level as Olympus.

      Delete
  2. Jerry Hsu16 May 2017 at 04:51

    Hi, Fredrik,
    Thank you so much for the review. I've always enjoy your blog posts.
    I'm wondering how the G85 with firmware 1.2 compare with E-M5 MKII now.
    In the original video, I still fee E-M5 MKII is much more smooth than G85.
    It will be wonderful if you can make another video comparison with the updated firmware.

    I'm also curious how G85 compare with GH5.
    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fredrik Gløckner17 May 2017 at 13:08

      Regarding the GH5 and G85, I am in the process of making a comparison. I will publish it quite soon.

      The Olympus E-M5 II, on the other hand, is starting to get old and less relevant by this time, so I don't think I'll work so much more with it.

      Delete

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