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Camera ergonomic scores updated July 2016

Panasonic Lumix TZ80 (ZS60) tripod mounted.

You can read about my camera ergonomic score method and schedules here

Camera	Setup Phase Max 15	Prepare Phase Max 15	Capture Phase			Review Phase Max 5	Total Max 100
Camera	Setup Phase Max 15	Prepare Phase Max 15	Holding Max 20	Viewing Max 20	Operating Max 25	Review Phase Max 5	Total Max 100
Sony A3500	5	5	12	7	8	2	39
Nikon 1 V2	7	6	12	10	8	3	46
Panasonic GM5	10	10	4	10	12	2	48
Nikon P900	10	6	13	11	8	2	50
Sony RX100 Mk4	8	12	7	9	11	5	52
Panasonic LX100	10	8	11	10	10	5	54
Fuji X-T1	10	9	9	13	10	4	55
Canon SX60	10	9	16	11	6	4	56
Panasonic TZ110(ZS100)	12	13	4	10	15	5	59
Panasonic TZ70(ZS50)	12	13	6	11	20	2	64
Panasonic TZ80 (ZS60)	12	12	7	10	19	5	65
Panasonic G6	11	10	14	14	14	3	66
Panasonic GX80/85	10	12	11	12	17	5	68
Panasonic GX8	10	12	12	18	14	5	71
Panasonic FZ300/330	10	12	18	18	16	5	79
Panasonic G7	10	13	18	18	17	5	81
Panasonic FZ1000	10	13	17	18	20	5	83
Panasonic GH4	10	13	18	18	19	5	83

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Panasonic GX80/85 User Review Part 3 Ergonomics

Mẹo sử dụng đồ gia dụng 03:14

GX85 with 12-32mm kit zoom mounted

This evaluation and score follows my usual schedule which you can read about here.

The GX80/85 is a flat top faux rangefinder style interchangeable lens camera which continues a theme started by the GX7 of 2013.

This flat top style has certain inherent advantages and disadvantages compared to the hump top DSLR–like style.

Practical advantages include a slightly lower height which may enable the camera to fit in a smaller bag although that is very dependent on lens selection.

Disadvantages arise from the more limited space on top of the body for modules such as flash, hotshoe, dials and other controls.

In addition designers usually elect to fit flat tops with no handle or a mini handle which has consequences for holding. An exception to this is the GX8 which has a substantial handle on a flat top design. Unfortunately the GX8 handle is not anatomically shaped and therefore does not provide an optimum holding experience.

Setup Phase

The GX85 has a standard Panasonic Menu system. Anyone familiar with other Panasonic cameras will feel right at home with the GX85.

The graphical user interface is very nice and the level of adjustment provided is extensive.

However I think it is past time that Panasonic upgraded the content and layout of the menus to group like items together more coherently and discard some legacy items.

Dial functions, Q Menu items and Fn button functions are all user selectable making the GX85 a highly configurable device in typical Panasonic fashion.

The Operating Instructions for Advanced Features (PDF) are comprehansive and reasonably easy to navigate.

Setup score 10/15

Prepare Phase

The GX85 is well supplied with interface modules to change settings in the few minutes before capture if conditions have changed.

Dial functions can be user configured.

The Q Menu can be left as supplied or a Custom Q Menu created with up to 15 items only 5 of which are visible at any time. I think Panasonic could usefully consider revising the Q Menu to more resemble Sony’s Fn button interface.

There are four hard Fn buttons each of which can be assigned a user selected function from a long list of options.

There are also several soft Fn buttons available if the relevant touch function is enabled. I always switch this off as having the soft Fn buttons on results in perpetual inadvertent activation of one or the other just when it is least wanted or expected.

Prepare score 12/15

Capture Phase: Holding

The GX85 has a mini handle. This is reasonably comfortable but does not give the user much purchase on the camera. This is not a problem with small, light lenses like the 12-32mm kit zoom supplied with the camera or one of the pancake primes.

But as lens size/mass increases the mini handle becomes increasingly inadequate.

At the rear is a small thumb support with a depth of 2mm. Again, this is fine with small light lenses but is found wanting with the heavier lenses.

The 12-60mm zoom with which I tested the camera weighs only 270 grams but even with this lens I keep wishing for a more substantial handle and thumb support.

Holding score 10/20

Capture Phase: Viewing

The EVF is serviceable enough but there have been several complaints from reviewers and users on forums about it.

I suspect there might be several issues here:

The first is that several users and I suspect some reviewers are unaware that the EVF is fully adjustable for brightness, contrast, saturation and color balance. Panasonic is largely responsible for this ignorance as the EVF (which Panasonic calls Viewfinder or sometimes LVF) adjustment tab is cunningly concealed behind the [Monitor Display] tab in the Setup Menu. Look in the viewfinder and the display switches to [Viewfinder] and the adjustments can be activated.

If they simply separated the tabs that problem would disappear.

The second is that the EVF is of field sequential type which some users find distracting with various disturbing artefacts but others (like me) have no trouble with this at all.

A third potential problem is that the eyepiece is a little small and the eyecup very small and not effective at preventing the entry of stray light. This is one of the downsides of the flat top style.

The monitor screen is very nice with no negative reports that I have seen. It is also touch sensitive.

Note that I do not score touch screen capability as I consider it as much a liability as a benefit. There are many complaints and questions on user forums about unexpected behaviours of the AF area when touch is enabled.

The screen flips up and down but is not the more versatile fully articulated type.

Viewing score 12/20

Capture Phase: Operating

The GX85 is decently serviceable in the sense that most of the controls and functions work as advertised.

However there are several ways in which the user experience is less than optimal. Most of these stem from the flat top design which imposes restrictions on the number, nature and position of the controls which are available.

To highlight a few:

The right index finger curves over the Mode Dial to reach the shutter button. This places the base of that finger very close to the right side of the rear dial, impeding use of the dial by the right thumb. The dial itself has slightly insufficient projection so it is not easy to move without flexing the interphalangeal joint of the thumb. This might sound rather technical but in practice the user experience is the sum of many small elements. When several of these are not-quite-right that experience suffers.

The Cursor Buttons (4 Way controller) are serviceable and not as flat as those on the G7 but the experience of operating the Cursor buttons is much more positive with the FZ1000 or the TZ80.

I really don’t know why Panasonic persists with the ergonomically sub optimal ‘5 buttons’ style of Cursor Button module when they already have better versions in production on several fixed lens models.

There is no JOG lever. In my view it is time every manufacturer fitted every model with a properly located and configured JOG lever with which the AF area can be moved directly. As it is the GX85 inherits the usual Panasonic rigmarole which forces the user to move AF Area by touch with the attendant ‘wandering AF Area’ problem about which there have been many complaints on user forums or to use Direct Focus Area which forces relocation of the default Cursor Button functions.

The buttons generally are small, flat and flush with the surrounding surface which makes them difficult to locate and operate by feel.

Another feature which Panasonic does not yet have (in any camera) is a ‘smart’ auto ISO algorithm which moves ISO with lens focal length to keep shutter speed not slower than a pre set speed for each focal length range. Ideally there would be 3 or 5 different ranges for minimum shutter speed depending on circumstances and/or the user’s ability to hold the camera still.

Sony and Nikon have such a feature and it is high time Panasonic followed suit.

One last thing which I put here although it is not strictly an ergonomic issue is the position of the tripod socket which is right at the front edge of the baseplate just like the Olympus Pen F Digital.

I assume the socket is in this location in each case to make room for the IBIS unit inside.

This location is satisfactory for small, light lenses but I would not want to hang a Lumix 100-300mm (which has no tripod foot) off the front of this camera if it were tripod mounted.

Oh yes, one other last thing. The camera ships without a separate battery charger so is reliant on in camera USB charging which makes it impossible to use the camera while charging a battery. I got an aftermarket charger to solve this problem.

And yet another last thing: several users have reported they inadvertently turn the mode dial when turning the camera on or off. The two are very close together.

Operating score 15/25

Review Phase

The camera uses its twin dials and Cursor Buttons effectively to allow rapid enlargement of the review image with scrolling from one frame to the next at the same place on the frame and same size.

Review score 5/5

Total score 68/100

Comment

This is a somewhat low score for the latest ILC from a major maker. The GX85 loses points with its suboptimal handle, thumb support, EVF and operation.

The G7 which is a very similar sized M43 camera but of hump top design scored 81 and would have scored even higher with a decent Cursor Button module.

I think there is a message here. It is easier to work good ergonomic function into a well designed humptop than a flat top.

If the innards of the GX85 found their way into an upgraded version of the G7 with a decent Cursor Button module you would have a really appealing camera which would be better than either the G7 or the GX85 by utilising the best features of both.

I have already posted about this under the title ‘Why Panasonic needs the G8’.

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Panasonic GX80/85 User review Part 2 Image Quality and Performance

Mẹo sử dụng đồ gia dụng 21:34

GX85 with 12-60mm at 35mm

Image Quality

The main determinants of image quality are the sensor, processor, lens and other factors in use such as image stabiliser. The GX80/85 appears to use the same basic sensor as the GX7 but with the anti aliasing (AA, a.k.a. OLPF) filter removed for a small increase in resolution.

This sensor is no bad thing and in fact makes very good pictures but there appears to be a significant pause in sensor development in the micro four thirds sector.

The GH4, G7, GX7 and GX80 all appear to use the same or very similar 16 Mpx sensor which has now been around for about three years.

Sure, that is not very long but the smaller Sony ‘One inch’ sensor which now appears in many fixed lens cameras from Sony, Canon and Panasonic has more pixels and about the same DXO Mark score.

For instance the GX85 scores 71, the RX100 Mk4 scores 70, virtually the same. The GX85 has about one EV step less noise at ISO 6400 but at low ISO settings the smaller Sony sensor has a slight advantage.

Panasonic claims that the GX85 has “almost 10%” better resolution than the GX7 and my tests tend to support this claim, with resolution from the GX85 being so close to that of the 20Mpx GX8 that I really cannot pick the difference.

I also found no evidence of increased moire or other artefacts resulting from the lack of an AA filter.

Otherwise the GX85 has about the same image quality as the GX7 and other recent 16 Mpx M43 cameras.

The new mechanical shutter makes an important contribution to image quality. It has not thus far been shown to cause shutter shock. Therefore the mechanical shutter can be used all the time.

Compare this to the G7 for instance which has a shutter which does cause shutter shock requiring use of the E-Shutter with some lenses. But this drops output from 12 bits per channel to 10 bits with a deleterious effect on image quality particularly in dark tones lifted in Photoshop or other image processor.

So although the image quality story is largely 16 Mpx-business-as-usual the addition of the new shutter, removal of the AA filter and the contribution of Dual IS all work together to help the user to make slightly better pictures than was possible with previous 16Mpx models.

Performance

The GX85 is a very fast, responsive camera in every respect.

For the performance tests I used a San Disk 95 MB/Sec card.

Using AF Single, Drive Mode Single and pressing the shutter for AF + AE on every shot, I made 10 shots in 3 seconds which gives a shot-to-shot time of about 0.3 seconds which I regard as excellent.

Using AF Continuous, Burst M Drive and JPG capture the camera fired 53 frames in 10 seconds for a rate of 5.3 frames per second with AF on each frame. There was no delay clearing the buffer with JPG capture.

When I switched to RAW+JPG, the camera shot 46 frames in 10 seconds (4.6 fps) before slowing down. The buffer then took 35 seconds to clear.

The camera continued to work while writing to the card.

With AF single I found focus speed and accuracy to be excellent in all conditions. AF acquisition is so fast it is almost instantaneous in most conditions with most lenses.

In very low light, so dark I can barely see, the camera switches to low light mode and will slowly (by which I mean it can take a second or so) but surely acquire accurate focus. The AF assist light is not required.

The camera responds to all user inputs promptly with no delays.

With a suitable lens (DFD compatible) the camera can hold focus on a moving subject using 1 Area AF, AFC and burst M.

Summary

The GX85 delivers very good image quality and performance in almost any circumstance.

It offers small but useful upgrades over previous M43 models including the more expensive GX8 which lacks the new electro mechanical shutter and 5 axis IBIS.

However when I use the GX85 I have the sense that this is a camera-in-waiting for the next big thing whatever that may be.

There are some obvious candidates, including a significant increase in sensor performance, a global shutter and high level DSLR standard predictive autofocus.

We shall see, but I think the M43 product development people need to come up with significant developments sooner rather than later.

I have recently been using the Sony RX100 (4) compact camera alongside the GX85 with 12-60mm lens. I am finding that I have to enlarge test frames to 200% on screen to detect any difference between them, which by the way is slightly in favour of the Panasonic combination and then mainly in the corners. But you would not pick this in everyday photography.

If I want to go out and about with a camera and not be overly burdened by equipment, I will usually take the little Sony or even the Panasonic TZ80 in preference to the GX85.

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Panasonic Lumix 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 zoom lens user review

Mẹo sử dụng đồ gia dụng 18:08

Lumix 12-60mm at 60mm on GX85. There is very good detail and local contrast across the frame.

Micro Four Thirds (M43) was the first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) system, introduced to the market in 2008.

The number and variety of lenses available for M43 has grown steadily since then, making this the most comprehensive MILC system with the greatest choice of lenses, both primes and zooms.

Panasonic has released 31 lenses, Olympus 26 in the period 2008-2016.

In 2011 Olympus released the 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 utility zoom. I bought one of these and used it for a time on an EM5. It was decently compact with a handy focal length range but unfortunately optical quality was not impressive.

The response from Panasonic has been a bit delayed but now, better late than never, we have the Lumix 12-60mm f3.5-5.6.

This lens finds a niche in the price/performance rankings between the kit zooms below and the pro style constant f2.8 zooms above.

Panasonic promotes the lens as being for “anywhere, anytime shooting”, with a 5x zoom range, dust and splash proof design and decent close up ability.

It provides a lower price point/smaller zoom range alternative to the popular Lumix 14-140mm zoom for general purpose/holiday/travel, using the policy of ‘mount-one-lens-on-your-camera-and-leave-it-there’.

It can also find use as an alternative to the 12-35mm constant f2.8 pro style lens, having a greater zoom range but a smaller aperture (larger f-number) at all focal lengths.

In fact the 12-35mm, 12-60mm and 14-140mm are quite close in overall size and mass, use the same 58mm filter and are similarly styled.

I tested my copy of the 12-60mm on a Panasonic GX85 body which enables dual IS, using the optical stabiliser in the lens (OIS) and the sensor displacement IS (IBIS) in the body simultaneously.

Panasonic’s engineers have somehow managed to ensure the camera makes reliably sharp photos with both the OIS module in the lens and the sensor in the body each wobbling about in response to camera movement.

Us camera users can be a bit blasé about technology sometimes but I must say I find dual IS so remarkable as to be almost miraculous.

The other issue regarding the relationship between the GX85 and the 12-60mm lens is that of shutter shock.

In summary I found no evidence of image degradation due to shutter shock when using the mechanical shutter in the GX85 with the 12-60mm lens mounted.

This is extremely good news for Panasonic M43 users who no longer need to mess about switching between the M-shutter and the E-shutter depending on the shutter speed.

Readers please note: at this stage (7 July 2016) this happy state of affairs only applies if the GX80/85 body is used.

Lumix 12-60mm on GX85 body. With Dual IS and DFD AF available this body-lens combination works well. However as you can see the lens appears quite large on the GX85 body and might feel better matched to one of the G or GH series hump top bodies, although these lack Dual IS.

Description The Lumix 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 looks and operates like several other Panasonic Lumix M43 zooms. There are focus and zoom rings but no other controls on the lens itself. A reversing petal type lens hood is provided.

The lens appears to be constructed of good quality polycarbonate with a metal mount surrounded by a thin rubber gasket to prevent water ingress.

Actual mass with 58mm protect filter, front and rear caps and hood is 279 grams.

Measured length with filter and front cap is 81mm from the face of the mount.

Mechanical Operation Zoom and focus actions are smooth.

Electronic Functions The lens supports all the latest Panasonic hi-tech functions including DFD autofocus and Dual IS on a suitable body.

AF is very fast and reliably accurate.

Dual IS works very well.

Optical performance My copy of the lens is very well centered and delivers excellent results at all focal lengths and apertures.

Sharpness/resolution is very high in a broad central area of the frame right from the widest aperture at all focal lengths.

At 12mm the corners are not quite sharp at f3.5 but become sharp by f5.0.

At all other focal lengths sharpness and resolution are excellent across the frame right from the widest available aperture.

I had the opportunity to test the kit 12-32mm f3.5-5.6 lens alongside the 12-60mm. There is simply no comparison. The 12-60mm delivers better sharpness and resolution at all focal lengths and apertures. The superiority of the 12-60mm is particularly evident at the edges and corners of the frame.

I also tested the Lumix 25mm f1.7 lens at the same time as the 12-60mm. I found the 12-60mm to be as sharp as the better of the 2 copies of the 25mm available for testing although the 25mm peaked at f2.5 and the 12-60mm was 2.5 stops slower at f5.6.

Panasonic rectifies aberrations and distortion in camera software. The result with the 12-60mm on a GX85 body is mild barrel distortion at 12mm and a virtual absence of chromatic aberration and purple fringing at any focal length.

Summary The lumix 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 is an excellent mid range general purpose zoom lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. It is particularly suitable for Panasonic cameras which support DFD AF and Dual IS.

It delivers a very high standard of resolution and sharpness at all focal lengths and apertures. I was unable to find any faults, failings or deficiencies at all with my copy of the lens.

The only thing about which I might have thought to complain is the modest aperture range. But a wider aperture would require a commensurate increase in size, mass and price.

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Panasonic GX80/85 User Review Part 1, Key Features

Mẹo sử dụng đồ gia dụng 01:04

Sydney CBD across the harbour. GX85 with Lumix 12-60mm at 60mm.

Panasonic’s M43 product development people have in recent times been throwing off models like a hyperactive Catherine Wheel.

The original G-without-another-letter(Just-G) and GH series have more or less stayed with the hump-top-with-handle style, notwithstanding a minor deviation for the G3 which had a mini handle for no reason apparent to me.

Then they introduced the GF and GM series of tiny tots which appeared to be showing off just how small a MILC can be, although the purpose of such a demonstration has always eluded me.

If I want really small, the Sony RX100(4) does a much better job of

a) being small and

b) taking pictures.

The common theme of the GX series is that all models to date have been flat tops.

First there was the GX1 of 2011, with no built in EVF, a nasty little problem with shutter shock and no E-Shutter to smooth things out.

Then in 2013 came the GX7.

How did we get from GX1 straight to GX7 ? Beats me. However the GX7 did have an inbuilt EVF, it had a good sensor and it did have E-Shutter which fixed the shutter shock problem and still gave 12 bits per channel RAW files. I had one for a while and sold it on as I did not like the ergonomics.

However some users do like the way the G7 handles and operates.

In 2015 the GX8 arrived.

How did we get from the slim compact GX7 to the big bulky GX8 ? One can but wonder. Apart from the flat top there is little evidence of thematic consistency here.

And now we have the GX80/85 which Panasonic assures us is the real successor to the GX7 and just to add to the confusion is apparently sold as the GX7 Mk2 in Japan.

Notwithstanding all the product development muddle at Panasonic the GX80/85 turns out to be one of the most appealing M43 models yet produced due to some new technologies.

The three new technologies of most interest to me are:

1. A new electro magnetic (EM) focal plane shutter mechanism. Why is this important ?

The bugbear of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (including M43 models) since their introduction in 2008 has been Shutter Shock a problem which I have discussed at length on this blog.

Panasonic G, GX and GH cameras up to the GX80 all use a spring loaded shutter mechanism which produces sufficient perturbation as it fires to cause image degradation with some lenses at some shutter speeds, typically in the 1/100-1/160 second range.

The GF and GM models use a version of the EM shutter incorporating electronic first curtain. This appears to eliminate shutter shock but has a slow flash synch speed of 1/50 second and a slow top speed of only 1/500 second.

E-Shutter has its own problems and limitations as does Electronic First Curtain.

On my tests using the Panasonic 12-60mm, 12-32mm and 25mm f1.7 lenses the GX80 shutter appears to cause no sign of image degradation due to shutter shock at any shutter speed.

The new shutter is clearly more gentle and controlled in action than the old spring loaded one.

Panasonic claims a 90% reduction in the amplitude of the shock wave and based on my observations

I am inclined to believe this.

The old shutter fires with a loud click-e-ty-clack sound and an easily felt shockwave passing through the camera body and lens.

The new EM shutter makes a softer did-el-y-plop sound with a much less palpable shock wave.

The result is a mechanical shutter which can be used without restriction at all shutter speeds from 60 seconds to 1/4000 second.

At last we have a ‘set and forget’ solution to the shutter shock problem.

For this reason alone I currently recommend the GX80/85 over all other M43 cameras.

The final solution is, of course, the much anticipated global (electronic) shutter but it seems we must wait awhile longer for this to appear on consumer still cameras.

2. No optical low pass filter. Digital sensors are prone to a phenomenon called ‘moire’ in which subjects with closely spaced regular features such as threads in clothing or parallel lines are rendered falsely with various drawing and color artefacts. The solution to this for many years has been a special filter (OLPF) in front of the sensor. This works but reduces resolution.

By removing the OLPF Panasonic claims an “almost 10% improvement in resolution” over 16 Mpx cameras with OLPF. Moire and associated artefacts will, we are told, be managed in the image processing software.

Does it work ?

On my tests, yes I would say it does. On close examination of subjects likely to produce moire I see no more evidence of this in images from the GX80 than cameras with an OLPF.

The GX8 has a 20mpx sensor giving a horizontal resolution of 5184 pixels. This is 13% more than the 16 Mpx GX80 which has 4592 horizontal pixels.

So in effect the GX80 can deliver linear resolution almost equal to that of the GX8 which has 20 Mpx with an OLPF.

3. 5 axis In Body Image Stabiliser (IBIS) with Dual IS. Image stabiliser technology is one of the wonders of modern photography. It enables sharp hand held photos at much slower shutter speeds than would be possible without IS.

Traditionally Olympus has had IBIS, Panasonic has relied on an Optical Image Stabiliser module in the lens.

But many lenses, especially primes, do not have OIS, so Panasonic users have been calling for IBIS for several years.

This first appeared in the GX7, then we saw an improved four axis version in the GX8 and now the GX80/85 has the latest 5 axis version. Even better, the GX80 enables Dual IS with lens OIS (if available) and body IBIS working together. The notion of two separate IS modules wobbling simultaneously in response to camera movement sounds so improbable as to seem almost miraculous. But to my considerable amazement, it works and delivers consistently sharp pictures in the process.

Videographers will be pleased that the GX85 offers Dual IS with 4K video, which the G8 does not.

Other features The GX85 is jam packed with a multitude of features, functions and capabilities which you can read about elsewhere.

Summary

Since 2008 Panasonic has released 24 Micro Four Thirds camera models and Olympus 19, for a total of 43.

I rate the GX80/85 as the most appealing M43 model yet produced for still photographers because of the new EM shutter which appears to have eliminated image degradation due to shutter shock. Note, this is yet to be confirmed with some key lenses such as the Lumix 14-140mm.

I find it ironic that Panasonic which never openly admitted that shutter shock was (and still is with most models) a problem now proudly announces a workable, set-and-forget solution.

I will detail my observations about picture quality, performance and ergonomics in posts coming soon, but in very brief summary

Picture quality is very good

Performance is very good

Ergonomics are acceptable with a less than optimal holding and viewing experience.

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