Setting up the Panasonic GX80/85

Admiring the view with Margaret Olley

Menus, controls and operation of the GX80/85 are very similar to other recent Panasonic cameras so much of the material here is similar to that in the posts on setting up the G7 and GX8

Like other recent Panasonic   Micro Four Thirds MILCs, the GX85 is a very sophisticated piece of equipment with a multitude of features and capabilities. In addition the function of many of the external controls can be user selected from a long list of options.

This makes the GX85 very configurable. Each user can virtually design their own camera and decide what it will do and how it will work.

This is a wonderful thing but it requires many decisions to be made by the user. Experts who are  familiar with  Panasonic menus and way of doing things can breeze through all this in a few minutes. 

But newcomers to the brand may face a steep learning curve.

This post on setting up the GX85 is designed to help those people.

I will refer to the  GX80/85 Owners Manual (PDF) for advanced features which should be downloaded from a Panasonic website and open on screen.  Fortunately Panasonic’s PDFs are easier to navigate than some with “jump to” and “jump back” capability and a decent layout.

The Owners Manual tells you a lot about what you can do but almost nothing at all about why you would select one of the many options in preference to any other.

I will try to offer some assistance with this. I will explain my understanding of the options available and my selection with reasons. Your requirements will be different from mine and therefore likely to lead to  different selections.

I do not use video capture much so anyone who wants to use the GX85 primarily for video would best seek elsewhere for advice. This series of setup posts is aimed primarily at still photo users.

User groups and basic Mode Dial Settings

The GX85 is suitable for the full range of users from complete novices up to professionals.

Novices can set the Mode Dial on the [iA] icon, leave all menu items at default and enjoy the camera’s automatic, point and shoot  operation which works very well.

The [Creative Control] (Artists palette) icon on the Mode Dial  lets you play about with various in camera JPG effects, just for fun.

The [Scn] Mode is similar with imaging presets like “Appetizing Food” and “Cute Dessert”. I never use or recommend any of these as they give control of imaging parameters to the camera. One of the options is “Clear Sports Shot” but I would never use that for sport/action photos because that is one type of subject where you must have full control of the camera to get good photos.

Those wanting to take a bit more control can try [iA+] but I find iA+ more confusing than helpful.

Users wanting to properly take control of camera operation need to use the P,A,S,M Modes.

Basic ergonomic concepts

The GX85 like all recent Panasonic M43 cameras allows you to assign many menu based items to Function buttons and/or the Q Menu button. You can also decide which button is used for the Q Menu. The list of assignable functions is so long as to bewilder the newcomer. So you need a conceptual framework to guide the process.

The framework which I use and recommend is to understand the use of a camera in four phases: Setup, Prepare, Capture and Review.

Setup Phase decisions are made at home with the Owners Manual to hand. Items which do not need to be adjusted when out and about with the camera can remain in the main menu system, accessed via the Menu/Set button.

Prepare Phase decisions are made in the minutes before taking photos.  This might involve, for instance switching from “tripod/landscape” settings to “hand held sport/action” settings.

Some adjustments in this Phase are made with the Mode Dial

Other adjustments in Prepare Phase can be allocated to the Q Menu and the Q Menu function itself is allocated to a Fn button.  I leave it at the default location which is Fn2.

In Capture Phase you want to quickly adjust primary and secondary exposure and focus parameters without disrupting the picture taking flow. These include  Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, Exposure Compensation, AF on, Change position and size of AF box.

The best control modules for this phase are the front and rear dials, the programmable Function Buttons and the 4way pad (called Cursor Buttons in Pana-speak).

Review Phase is accessed via the [Playback] button the function of which cannot be reassigned.

Touch Screen Operation

The GX85 offers many sophisticated touch screen functions and operations (Custom Menu screen 8/9, Manual Page 219)

Someone coming from a smartphone background might think the touch screen would be the obvious way to operate the camera. However the screen on a camera is much smaller than that on a smartphone making all the touch icons smaller and more fiddly to use. In addition the camera is designed to be used with the EVF which makes touch operations very difficult to put it mildly.

I note that cameras designed for professional use generally do not offer touch operation.

The touch options in the Custom Menu are:

1. On/Off

2. Touch Tab. When [On] a line of flyout tabs appears at the right side of the screen like those unloved Charms in Windows 8.   You get an extra 5 little Fn button pads and several other functions.

By all means give this a try but I find the tabs too small, too fiddly and the whole process a distraction from the capture flow.

To operate a smartphone you look AT the screen. To operate a camera you look AT the subject THROUGH the screen or EVF. I find that if I have to look AT the screen to operate the camera it distracts my attention away from the subject.

3. Touch AF. This can be set to activate AF, AE or both at any part of the screen which is touched.

4. Touch Pad AF. The idea here is to allow you to move the AF Area using touch on the monitor, while looking through the EVF.  Select OFFSET which allows you to move the AF area over the whole picture area while using only the right half of the screen. ‘Nudge’ operation is also supported.

Some people say they really like this feature, others of whom I am one find it easier to move AF Area with the cursor buttons.

My conclusion after several years is that the touch functions are probably most useful for video work on a tripod when you are viewing on the monitor and do not have to hold the camera.

I don’t do video and infrequently use a tripod so I switch all the touch functions off.

Direct focus Area

The next thing which I like to decide is whether or not to use Direct Focus Area (Custom Menu, Manual Page 212) as this influences what functions need to be allocated to the Q menu and Fn buttons.

Novices will be accustomed to the AF system which works in [iA] Mode. The camera uses 49 Area AF Mode and decides where to place the focus using algorithms in the firmware. This often produces multiple small green boxes when the shutter is half pressed.

Users coming from a DSLR background may be familiar with the “focus (in the center) and recompose” procedure, which you can also use with the GX85.

But there is a better way, faster and more precise than either of the methods above.

The GX85 is a mirrorless camera which allows the user to change position and size of the active AF area at will. This is achieved with the Cursor Buttons. With default settings the direct functions of the 

Cursor Buttons are ISO, White Balance, Drive Mode and Autofocus Mode.

Note that Autofocus (AF) Mode is different from Focus Mode (AFC/AFF/AFC/MF).

In order to change position and size of the AF area you first press the left Cursor Button to enter AF Mode, then the down Cursor Button to activate the AF area Setting screen. This is indicated by a yellow bounding box around the AF area with up/down/left/right yellow arrows. 

Now pressing a Cursor Button will move the box.

You can put it anywhere. Change the size of the box in 8 big jumps with the rear dial or  68 small increments with the front dial.

Press the Disp Button with the AF box yellow and arrows visible to return the box to center, press twice to restore the box to default size.

Half press the shutter button to restore the AF box to white, indicating readiness for focus operation.

Some users are happy to leave the camera like this and in fact it works fine. But you  have to press the left then the down cursor buttons to enter the AF Area Setting Screen.

If you set [Direct Focus Area] in the Custom Menu then pressing any of the cursor buttons causes the camera to enter the AF Area Setting screen immediately and also moves the AF box immediately.

This is faster but you have to find a place to access ISO, WB (if desired) and Autofocus Mode. As it happens this is easy enough.

My practice and recommendation is to set [Direct Focus Area].

I put ISO on Fn4 and Autofocus (AF) Mode on the Q Menu on Fn2. Although Panasonic provides a plethora of AF Mode options I find that [1 Area] gives the most reliable focus in most situations with static and moving subjects. It also gives me the most control.

I don’t bother adjusting White Balance (WB) before capture as I run all my photos including JPGs through Photoshop where I find it much easier to achieve satisfactory white balance. If you shoot 

RAW then setting WB doesn’t matter.

If you want to shoot JPG and use photos straight out of the camera it may be necessary to adjust WB pre capture. In that case you can allocate WB to a Fn button or the Q Menu.

I put Drive Mode on Fn3.

Dial Operation

The GX85 is a full twin dial camera like a professional DSLR  but with better dial ergonomics than most of them, enabling the camera to be driven like a sports car. Which is wonderful but like a sports car the driver needs to have  sufficient  knowledge and skill.

I would advise someone who has never used a twin dial camera to leave Dial Operation  at default settings initially  then explore what’s available a little later when you are more familiar with the camera. But I put the explanations here because dial settings greatly affect the user experience.

Dial options are found under the [Dial Set] tab, screen 7/9 in the Custom Menu, Manual Page 46.

1. F=Aperture, SS=Shutter Speed. In Manual Exposure Mode this sets which dial changes Aperture and which changes Shutter Speed. Both dials are easy to use so the choice is by personal preference. I find the front dial easier to use than the rear dial so I use that as the main aperture/shutter speed control.

2. Rotation. Ask your self which way you expect to move a control for [value up], in other words higher f number or faster shutter speed . At the default setting rotating the front of the front dial >right (finger moves right) gives value up and rotating the back of the rear dial >right (finger moves right) also gives value up. My brain is wired to expect this so I leave the setting at default.  If your brain is wired up differently you can try setting the reverse.

3. Exposure Compensation (EC). You can set up either (or neither) dial to give Exposure Compensation directly. The other dial will adjust aperture in A Mode and Shutter Speed in S Mode.

This is a very fast way to apply EC and it works well. When I set up my GH3/4 for direct EC on the rear dial it got bumped all the time so I had to switch it off. But that has not been a problem with the GX85. I prefer to adjust aperture/shutter speed with the front dial and EC with the rear dial. But you can have it the other way around if preferred.

Note that if you push the rear dial until it clicks, flash exposure adjustment becomes available with the front dial. Press again to return to previous function.

Dial Operation Switch Settings.  This is a recent feature for Panasonic M43 cameras. The idea is to use one of the Fn buttons like an [Alt] key on a Windows computer, to temporarily reassign function of the dials.

I think Panasonic has taken a step too far with the Dial Operation Switch function. It’s all too convoluted both at setup  and in  operation.

I find that when using a camera that I need to train my nerve/muscle pathways to automatically perform  certain movements when I wish to complete specific tasks. Neurologically this process actually involves certain nerve pathways firing preferentially when performing those tasks.

If the camera changes configuration in mid process I will have all the wrong nerves firing. That means I have to stop what I am doing and concentrate on the camera when I should be concentrating on the subject and the picture taking flow.

My solution to this is to leave Dial Operation Switch function well alone.

Function (Fn) Button Actions   Custom Menu screen 7/9, Manual page 58.

Each of the Fn Buttons can be allocated one of 56 possible functions. On first sight the list looks impossibly long and the selection process daunting. But some principles can be usefully applied.

* The Q Menu must be allocated to one button and the default Fn2 is as good as any.

* That leaves three available hard Fn buttons.

* If Direct Focus Area is set for the Cursor Buttons you need to locate ISO, AF Mode, Drive Mode and, if desired, White Balance somewhere.

I put:

* Focus Mode on Fn1, because I often want to switch quickly between AFS, AFC and MF.

* Autofocus Mode in the Q Menu because I infrequently use any setting other than 1 Area, but I sometimes want Pinpoint and maybe Face Detect.

* Drive Mode on Fn3 because I want to change quickly between single, Burst and Timer.

* ISO on Fn4 because I quite often want to set a specific ISO sensitivity.

I never use the ‘soft’ Fn buttons as I find they are very easily touched accidentally.

So that is what I do with my reasons. But you will have different ideas about priorities so go through the list and try to work through which functions you want to bring out of the main menu system and onto Fn buttons for ready access.

The best part of this is that you can change your mind at any time. But at some stage you need to settle on a group of settings so you can train your neuro muscular system to function reliably and without having to think about it in the service of making adjustments quickly and smoothly.

AF/AE Lock button Custom Menu screen 2/6, Manual Page 210.

This is the button under your thumb as you hold the camera normally.

You may have read about “back button focus” on some enthusiast and high level cameras. Well this is where you can set up back button focus on the GX85. Or not as the case may be. You can choose.

Options for the button are Auto Exposure Lock, Autofocus Lock, Both, and AF-ON.

If AFL is selected the camera will focus and lock focus.

If the next tab down,[AF/AE Lock Hold] is set to ON, focus will stay locked when you release the button.

If AF-ON is set the camera will focus continuously if AFC is set on the Focus Mode lever. This is useful for sport/action where you might want to get the AF system up to speed before initiating a capture sequence with the shutter button.

I find the most useful combination for the way I use the GX85 is AFL and AF/AELock Hold ON.

There are plenty of options with which to experiment.

Q Menu   Custom Menu screen 7/9,  Manual Page 57.

This is the ideal access portal for items which you want to adjust in Prepare Phase of use, in the few minutes before capture. By default there is a preset list of items allocated to the Q Menu but I recommend you make a Custom list, selecting items from the 37 available.

The process for listing items in the Q Menu is reasonably well described on Page 57 of the Manual.

I find the custom Q Menu is most easily set up using touch screen to drag and drop items as required.

The active items line can contain 15 items but only 5 are displayed at any time without scrolling across. Therefore I recommend and practice using a maximum of 5 items in the Custom Q menu.

I allocate Photo Style, Stabiliser, Quality, AF Mode and Shutter Type to the Q Menu.  However I have had no problems with shutter shock thus far so it may be possible to leave the mechanical shutter on permanently.

There appears to be no list of  Q Menu items in the Operating Instructions, so you need to trawl through the options on the monitor screen.   Decide which items you would be happy to leave in the main menu system and which you want available for ready access on the Q Menu but do not require a dedicated Fn button.

Expect to revise these decisions with experience.  Fortunately the camera allows you to change your mind any number of times.

Got in a muddle ?

If you feel you have made a mess of things so far and gotten your settings in a muddle fear not. Go to the Setup Menu>Reset and start over.

 Menus

In the Operating Instructions find

 Rec Menu on Page 187

Setup Menu on Page 220

Custom Menu on Page 210.

The menu items are almost identical to those in the GX8 and G7.

For further details please refer to my posts for setting up either of those cameras.