This is the best camera I've ever had

Two years ago, I wrote in a post why I wouldn’t buy another camera. All the topics I cited as reasons in that post were disproved by one camera. Actually, actually, I just wanted a camera for 4K video recordings in good quality, as I want to do more tutorials, etc. again in the future.

The Panasonic cameras from the Lumix DMC series are known for their excellent video quality and at the same time not only have the right features, but also functions that qualify them as a video camera. These include a microphone input with a good preamp, focus peaking, zebras, histogram, clean HDMI output, a tiltable display and enough controls to be able to immediately access all important settings.

I bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G81

I bought a Lumix DMC-G81 as a demo model including a 12-60 mm kit lens on Ebay for 549 euros. The current new price is just under 700 euros . The G81 is already a somewhat aging Micro Four Thirds camera and came onto the market at the end of 2016. Depending on the region, it is also offered as the Lumix DMC-G80 or DMC-G85. It is the same camera in each case, with one small exception in the video function. More on that later.

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A few days later it was with me and I was initially surprised by the good build quality and the very confidence-inspiring feel. The control dials and mode selector switch click satisfyingly and just right. Nothing wobbles or creaks. The body is sealed, splash-proof and largely made of a magnesium alloy. At 720 grams including the kit lens, it is still very light and compact. The 3-inch touch display is bright and sharp and the OLED viewfinder with 2.36 million pixels resolution doesn’t need to hide behind current system cameras. It is bright and, above all, fast. There is practically hardly any delay or stuttering - an aspect that I have hated about electronic viewfinders until now.

The system menu, similar to Nikon, is vertically structured and very well designed. In general, the menu navigation is the best I’ve worked with so far. This is also supported by the incredibly good configurability. You can assign practically all buttons with special settings. For example, you can make an individual video setup directly accessible via a button or quickly switch off the image stabilizer.

Are 16 megapixels sufficient? Yep!

Speaking of image stabilizer: the Lumix G81 not only has the O.I.S. stabilizer in the kit lens, but additionally a 5-axis stabilizer on the sensor. Both can be used together as Dual I.S. and the effect is incredibly good. I can already confirm the advertised 5 stops. 1 second exposure time handheld is absolutely unproblematic. Leaning against a wall, etc., even 2-3 seconds are possible.

Although the Panasonic DMC-G81 has “only” 16 megapixels resolution, the image quality is excellent. Due to the small Micro Four Third sensor, however, image noise increases faster at higher ISO settings than, of course, with my Nikon D750 full-frame camera. Although I actually only bought the camera for video tasks, taking photos with the Lumix is a lot of fun. The autofocus is sensationally fast and selecting the focus area via the touch display is very practical. Have I already said that the operation is perfect? Yes, I think so!

The colors of the Panasonic are more natural than those of my Nikon cameras. Red always tends slightly towards orange with Nikon - nothing that couldn’t be fixed in Lightroom with a camera profile, but out of the box I prefer the colors of the Panasonic. The large dynamic range is also noticeable.

In fact, the 16 megapixels of the Lumix G81 are still sufficient for the vast majority of applications, especially since the images are razor sharp and that with a kit lens. The RAW files offer a lot of latitude in post-processing in Lightroom and if image noise should really become a problem, DxO Photolab helps with its unbeatable Prime algorithm for denoising. Compared to its predecessor, the G70, the G81 lacks the low-pass filter in front of the sensor, which is said to result in even slightly better detail richness.

Nice functions - because you can!

The G81 offers a few very interesting functions by using videos as the basis for special photo functions. For example, you can take photos at 30 frames per second in 4K mode and subsequently extract the image with the right moment as an 8 megapixel photo. With the same technology, subsequent focusing is possible: The camera quickly runs through several focus planes and you can subsequently save the desired focus setting as an image via the touch display. Nice! A photo with focus stacking, i.e. the merging of several focus settings into one consistently sharp photo, can also be created from this.

Since the camera simply internally stores an MP4 video for this, the desired images can also be extracted afterwards. This is where Lightroom’s video function becomes really useful for the first time.

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Post-Focus. Subsequent determination of focus from a single shot

And while we’re on the subject of unusual features: The Lumix G81 also supports time-lapse and stop-motion - without any accessories. The images can be processed directly in the camera into a video.

WiFi and smartphone - why can’t other manufacturers do this?

Do you know the apps and WiFi capabilities of your camera? I could throw both Nikon’s and Sony’s against the wall. All the more I was surprised by the wireless capabilities of the Panasonic, and that despite it being almost 4 years old.

You can connect it to your home WiFi and automatically push photos to a network share immediately after taking them - including RAW formats. This saves you tethering cables and software. It’s also fast and reliable. Transfer to the smartphone also works without contortions or interruptions. Multiple destinations and networks can be saved as favorites and connected immediately. The smartphone can be used as a remote control including live image with extremely low delay and many setting options.

What contortions I’ve already gone through with my Nikon cameras and yet it was always shaky and unreliable. With the Panasonic Image App, it’s really fun and you can actually use the “big camera” mobile and on the go for Instagram.

Geotagging made easy

Geotagging? No problem! Simply synchronize the smartphone and camera clock via the Image App, start geotagging in the app and forget about it. The app records the GPS position and timestamp in the background, the interval can be set. No connection to the camera is required during this time.

Once you’ve finished your photo tour, you reconnect the app to the camera. A file with the location data is now sent from the smartphone to the camera and the position data is written to the images on the memory card according to the timestamp.

This means the camera doesn’t need its own GPS receiver, which would only consume additional power, and the photos are still geotagged directly from the camera. Without any cumbersome processing in external programs or in Adobe Lightroom.

Battery and runtime

One thing that has always put me off mirrorless cameras was the limited battery life. Since you practically always have to use a small “TV”, i.e. an electronic viewfinder and/or the display, the power consumption is higher than with a DSLR. The G81 is no exception here. However, you get about 350 shots in normal mode. That’s not sensationally good, but quite practical. A second battery never hurts, of course. Here comes one of the few criticisms I have of the G81: unfortunately, you can’t charge it via the micro USB port. With my Sony RX100 III, I simply connect a power bank during breaks or for video recordings and the camera battery is always charged. Only the successor to the G81, the G91, can be charged and also powered via this.

However, this disadvantage is mitigated by a pretty good power saving mode, which increases the number of photos per battery charge to a good 1000. For continuous operation in video mode, I got a dummy battery with a power supply, which can also be connected to a suitable power bank.

Video functions

That was my original thought with the G81. The video quality is absolutely first-class. Period! At 100 Mbps in 4K mode, the video material is rich in detail, without artifacts or moiré and rolling shutter is also not an issue. The material can be excellently post-processed and a lot can be extracted in color grading.

If you film with the Cinema-Like Dynamic (Cine-D) setting, you don’t have true LOG, but if you dial back contrast, sharpness and saturation, you have perfect source material for many grading options. If you keep an eye on your histogram and zebras, you can even lift shadows quite strongly without artifacts being visible.

I shot a short 4K video in the garden and graded the Cine-D profile a bit in Davinci Resolve Studio. If you have a 4K TV or a corresponding display, you should definitely watch it in full resolution. You can also clearly see that the material can be well post-processed and even brightening shadows is possible in quite generous ranges.

A small 4K demo with and without grading

The autofocus during video recording works reliably and quietly, provided there is enough light and contrast. The big advantage of the Panasonic in the individualization of the controls is particularly evident in video mode. You have your personal settings ready at the touch of a button or tap on the touch display. You have no less than 5 physical buttons and 5 virtual buttons on the display at your disposal. This turns the G81 into a real video camera with fast and precise operation.

The sound of the G81 is even right when you use external microphones like the Rode VideoMic or the Rodelink Filmmaker wireless system , because the preamp of the G81 is very low-noise with good gain reserves and covers the entire frequency range. In comparison, the preamp of the Nikon D750 sounds like a toy telephone.

However, what I particularly like is the support from the image stabilization. This means you can do without a tripod or a gimbal in many situations. Since you can switch off the horizontal stabilization on the Panasonic, there are also no jerks during pans - a problem that many other stabilizers have.

The only downside with the G81, compared to the identical models G80 and G85: the recording time is limited to the typical 29:59 minutes per take. According to European customs law, a photo camera is considered a video camera if it can record longer than this time continuously and then higher customs duties apply. The models for the American and Asian markets don’t have this artificial limitation. Unfortunately, it also can’t be deactivated via firmware hacks, etc.

Sample photos

Here I have some examples for you taken in our garden. They were taken in RAW format, imported into Lightroom and converted to JPG without sharpening or noise reduction.

My conclusion on the Panasonic Lumix G81

I’ve only had a few days of experience with the Panasonic Lumix G81. However, the impressions and tests so far are so impressive that I’m convinced of the camera within a very short time. The concept of the Lumix G series has everything I’ve been looking for for a long time: compact design, but still high-quality. Good connectivity and fast autofocus. An operation that can be adapted to my wishes, because you can assign practically every setting to a function button.

The video quality is astonishing and offers a lot of latitude for editing. The image stabilizer is fantastic and absolutely video-capable. Thanks to the Micro Four Thirds format, practically any other lens can be easily adapted, although of course without autofocus or aperture control. However, the cooperation with Olympus offers plenty of choice of lenses and many third-party manufacturers also have MFT lenses in their range.

I immediately ordered the two prime lenses Panasonic H-H014A LUMIX G 14 mm F2.5 II and Panasonic H-H025E LUMIX G 25 mm F1.7 - primarily for videos. Together they cost 300 euros. A second BLC-12E original battery and a power supply are also on the way.

My flash triggers from Yongnuo also work with the G81 - of course without TTL data, but I always photograph with manual settings anyway and the Yongnuo flash units also work in manual mode with the G81.

I’m even so far as to be thinking about getting another Lumix, namely the G91. It offers 20 megapixel resolution, unlimited video recordings and V-Log L profile. However, after the current experience, a DC-G90 or even GH5 are not impossible. At the same time, I will slim down my Nikon equipment and sell some lenses. Sure, my D750 has better image quality in low light, but in most shots I have more than enough light.

On the other hand, the Panasonic is simply much more practical. The photos I take next door in my small photo studio are already on the computer when I’m back in the office and can be processed immediately. The 4K photo functions are very practical, especially for blog photos, and save a lot of time. The camera is nice and compact, so you’re happy to take it with you again.

Just because of the great video quality, perfect handling and the affordable price, the Panasonic G81 is the ideal camera for high-quality YouTube videos. The remote control option via app including live preview is an almost unbeatable argument here, because as a vlogger you can very conveniently remotely control and check focus, exposure and image composition.

Why did I ignore the Panasonic Lumix G series for so long? By the way, there are also rumors about a Panasonic GH6 as the successor to the GH5.

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Hi! I'm Markus – the Fricklr. ⚡ Electrical engineer, 🎵 musician (bass, guitar, keys) and professionally 'something with the internet' 🌐 for over 30 years – nowadays with AI too 🤖 – a 55-year-old generalist from Bavaria, Germany.

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