Our Sony a6500 Vs G85 comparison today brings us two semi-pro mirrorless cameras from Sony and Panasonic respectively.
We have done a detailed breakdown of the features of these cameras in this article, therefore, it is going to be a long read that will require your time.
If you don’t have enough time to go through all the details in this article, then you can head straight for our comparison overview section (which comes right after this section).
This section contains subheadings with a summary of all the features of the cameras in comparison to enable you make a good decision, and fast too.
Comparison Overview — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Where Both Cameras Get It Right — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Both these cameras are designed with built-in Wi-Fi. They are also compatible with smartphone remote control.
For their LCD screen, these cameras both have touch-sensitive articulated screens. The Sony a6500 has a tilting articulated screen, while the G85 has a fully articulated screen.
For light enhancement, the two cameras have both a built-in flash and an external flash shoe.
These cameras also have built-in image stabilization, face detection focus, auto-exposure bracketing, and support the RAW format of images.
If you intend to also shoot video, these cameras have also got something for you as well. They both shoot video at 4K resolution, and are designed with an external microphone port.
Finally, both cameras are designed with environmental-sealing and an electronic viewfinder.
Where The Sony a6500 Does Better — Sony a6500 Vs G85
The Sony a6500 has two wireless features that make file sharing between devices easier which are Near Field Communication and Bluetooth connection.
This camera also has a higher color depth, dynamic range, auto-exposure bracketing range, and number of focus points.
Finally, this camera has a better battery life and continuous shooting mode performances.
Where The G85 Does Better — Sony a6500 Vs G85
First off, this camera has a screen that is great for shooting selfies as the screen full articulates and can be made to face you.
This camera also has a 4K photo mode, focus Bracketing, focus stacking, and post-focus mode features.
Furthermore, it supports UHS-II memory cards and has built-in timelapse recording.
It also has a higher LCD screen and viewfinder resolution.
Where Both Cameras Get It Wrong — Sony a6500 Vs G85
These cameras do not have any downsides in common, however, they have a few individual shortcomings.
For the Sony a6500, it doesn’t have a friendly LCD screen and doesn’t support ultra-high speed cards.
As for the G85 it lacks the NFC and Bluetooth connection.
Which Has The Better Price-Value Ratio: Sony a6500 or G85?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 costs less than the Sony a6500 and it still matches up to the a6500, so, of course, it will be giving you better value for your money.
Comparative Brand Strengths — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Sony and Panasonic are pretty big names in the camera industry. Sony is one of the biggest multi-industry brands in the world. When it comes to cameras, Sony is the second largest camera brand in the world, coming right after Nikon and Canon who share the top spot.
Sony is also known to have the most popular line of mirrorless cameras. From entry-level to pro-level, and from APS-C to full frame sensor cameras, Sony does it all.
Panasonic on the other hand, as a brand is involved in quite a lot of other fields like Sony. Its camera division runs under the name Lumix.
It also hosts a wide range of cameras from point and shoot to mirrorless and DSLRs. Lumix cameras are known for having a lot of unique features in brilliant focusing and sensor technology.
Comparison Table — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Sony a6500 | Panasonic Lumix G85 | |
| Max Sensor Resolution | 24 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
| Number Of Focus Points | 425 | 49 |
| Continuous Shooting | 11 frames per second | 9 frames per second |
| Battery Life | 350 shots | 330 shots |
| Weight | 453 grams | 505 grams |
| Color Depth | 24.5 | 22.8 |
| Dynamic Range | 13.7 | 12.5 |
| Low Light ISO | 1405 | 656 |
| Near Field Communication | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No |
| LCD Screen Resolution | 922k dots | 1.040k dots |
| Timelapse Recording | With optional app | Built-in |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 2359k dots | 2360k dots |
| Selfie Friendly LCD | No | Yes |
| 4K Photo Mode | No | Yes |
| Focus Bracketing | No | Yes |
| Focus Stacking | No | Yes |
| Post Focus Mode | No | Yes |
| UHS Memory Card Support | None | UHS-II |
| Image | Title | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sony Alpha a6500 Mirrorless Digital Camera w/ 2.95" LCD (Body Only) | Prime | Buy Now | |
 | PANASONIC LUMIX G85 Body 4K Mirrorless Camera, Inbody Dual I.S 2.0, 16 Megapixels, 3 Inch Touch LCD, DMC-G85KBODY (USA BLACK) | Prime | Buy Now |
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
What Situation Is Each Camera Best For? — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Sony a6500 | Panasonic Lumix G85 |
| The Sony a6500 is the kind of camera that would do a pretty good job in any workspace. However, with its image stabilization, fantastic viewfinder and live view, and articulating screen, this camera would make a fantastic street photography camera. Thanks to its small body and lightweight, this camera will make a great daily and travel camera too. Fitting it in your bag and carrying around will not be a hassle. This camera also has fast autofocus abilities and 11 frames per second continuous shooting mode performance, this means it would function to pretty well in shooting sports, action, or wildlife. | As for the G85, it would make a very good camera for shooting video. It has a very high video resolution, and if you do vlogs, this camera would also make a good choice. The fully articulated screen makes it easy for you to get a preview of yourself while shooting so you can be sure you are always in frame and focus. It also has a microphone port that gives you clean audio for the quality videos. For still, this camera has a 16-megapixel sensor so image quality is also assured for whatever you intend to shoot with this camera. |
This brings us to the end of the overview section. We go into the comprehensive review from here. So, come with us if you want more details. Otherwise, you can check out other comparisons we have done below.
Common Features — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Here are features common to both the Sony a6500 and the Panasonic G85:
i. Built-in Wi-Fi
ii. Image stabilization
iii. Articulating screen
iv. Built-in flash
v. External flash hot shoe
vi. Touch screen
vii. Viewfinder
viii. RAW support
ix. Face detection focus
x. 4K video mode
xi. Microphone port
xii. Environmental sealing
xiii. Auto exposure bracketing
xiv. Smartphone remote control
We will now look at each of these features in detail…
Built-In Wi-Fi
Overtime, the technology of connections has evolved from one stage to another. The most current connection method for digital devices is the wireless connection.
The Wi-Fi connection is the largest and widest wireless connection that exists. The Wi-Fi connection allows the camera to connect to the internet to share files with your other devices.
This gives you the convenience of not having to carry all your devices around with you on every journey.
Once you have the location on your other devices where the files will be saved preset and have the camera connected to the internet, you can seamlessly transfer all the files.
Image Stabilization
A lot of times, photographers capture images and due to camera shake, the images come out blurry.
Image stabilization is a feature of the camera that helps counter the blur effect that comes with the camera shake, and it comes in different forms.
For the cameras on review today, they have function with an image stabilization system called the sensor-shift image stabilization.
Sensor-shift image stabilization system functions with actuators. When the accelerometers of the camera detect a shake, the actuators adjust the sensor of the camera and re-align it to the axis of the image, thereby, averting the blurring of the image.
Articulating Screen
The articulating screen is a feature of the camera’s LCD screen that allows it to move in different directions. This makes it easier to frame images from different positions.
The Sony a6500 has a tilting articulated screen. This articulated screen type is designed to move about just one axis, allowing the screen to only tilt slightly upwards and downwards.
As for the G85, it has a fully articulated screen. This screen type is designed to move about two axes that are at the right angle to each other, allowing the screen to both tilt and swivel.
The fully articulated screen doesn’t only allow you to shoot at flexible positions, it also allows you get a preview of your image when taking selfies.
Built-In Flash
The built-in flash is a light enhancement tool that is designed as a part of the system of the camera. Although this feature is quite basic, it does come in handy when shooting poorly lit scenes. However, it has its limits and won’t serve in really dark scenes or serious photoshoots.
Furthermore, the built-in flash is designed as a part of the camera body and system. This simply means that when exposure-related settings are made on the camera, it also has an effect on the power of light the built-in flash will give off.
External Flash Hot Shoe
The previous feature was about a light enhancement tool. This feature is part of the camera that allows you attach an external flash – which is also a light enhancement tool – to the body of the camera.
An external flash is more powerful than a built-in flash. So, for your dark and poorly lit scenes, this feature will be your best chance at getting properly exposed images.
Touch Screen
This is another feature of the LCD screen of a camera. This feature allows you to navigate the camera menus and files by just touching the camera screen.
The touch screen feature makes navigation much easier. By just touching, swiping and pinching, you are getting things done in than when making use of the traditional hard button system.
Viewfinder
A viewfinder is a small part of the camera that allows the photographer to look through it to get a view of the scene for framing before shooting.
The viewfinder is a fantastic tool for framing because it also offers the photographer a lot of composure when shooting. This is because, in order to use the viewfinder, the camera needs to be held as close to the eye and body as possible. This keeps the hand more stable, thereby, offering better composure.
There are two basic types of viewfinders, the electronic viewfinder and optical viewfinder.
Both cameras here are designed with the electronic viewfinder type.
The electronic viewfinder is commonly found in mirrorless cameras. It functions like a very small LCD screen.
When a camera is positioned on the scene, the camera sensor records an image of the scene and then electronically projects it to the viewfinder.
Using the EVF has its advantages and of course, its disadvantages.
The first advantage of the EVF is that the image seen on the EVF would look like the final result of the image shot. The EVF is also great for shooting in dark scenes because it lights up.
The major disadvantage of the EVF is that it is known to be a battery-draining feature of the camera.
RAW Support
There are two major formats that cameras save images in they are JPEG and RAW.
The JPEG format is the most common and widely supported image format in the world. It is the compressed format of the image shot by the camera.
As for RAW, it isn’t as widely supported as the JPEG. It is the uncompressed format of the images shot by the camera.
When an image is saved in its RAW format, the image contains all the detail recorded by the camera sensor.
With RAW format, you get the highest image quality that the camera has to offer. It is important to note that, with the image quality of RAW images also comes large file sizes.
This feature will be perform perfectly with these cameras as they both have pretty impressive sensor resolutions.
Face Detection Focus
The face detection focus feature is what detects and focuses on faces in the scene being shot. This feature is very great for shooting portrait. Why?
Apart from detecting and focusing, the face detection focus feature also locks down on the face. This basically keeps the face in focus at all times and ensures that the face remains the main subject in the image.
4K Video Resolution
The video resolution of a camera determines the quality of videos shot by the camera and the size of screen that the video can be displayed on.
For the cameras in this Sony a6500 Vs G85 comparison, they both have an impressive video resolution of 3840 by 2160. This is called the 2160p or 4K resolution.
This is an ultra-high definition display resolution. It is one of the highest display resolution that you can get on compact digital cameras.
With this resolution, you can shoot professional commercial/cinematic level videos.
Microphone Port
This is another feature that involves the video shooting functionality of the camera. The microphone port allows you to connect an external microphone to the camera.
Although cameras usually come with built-in microphones, you want to avoid that when shooting professional videos. Built-in mics, simply, do not produce as clean an audio as external mics. So, it’s great news that each of these cameras have a microphone port.
Environmental Sealing
An environmental sealing protects the camera from damage that coould be caused as a result of the camera being exposed to elements of the weather.
The environmental sealing, made of rubber and silicon gaskets and linings, is usually positioned at areas on the camera where there are openings that could be access points for dust, moisture, and the likes.
Do note that a camera being weather-sealed doesn’t make it water-resistant or waterproof. However, the sealing does keep out some level moisture.
Auto Exposure (AE) Bracketing
The Auto Exposure (AE) bracketing feature allows you to take a number of images at different automatically set exposure settings.
If you have ever shot scenes that have a variation in lighting or have a lot of shadows, then, you probably understand how useful this feature can be.
When shooting such scenes, applying exposure settings usually becomes a problem. However, with the AE bracketing feature, you can have multiple images with different exposure levels in one shot. You can now select from the collection, the image that is best exposed to your preference.
Smartphone Remote Control
For photographers who shoot landscape, wildlife, and nature, remote shooting is one thing that matters a lot to them.
Remote shooting allows you to trigger the camera shutter from another location without having contact with the camera, and there are a lot of tools for achieving this. For the Sony a6500 and the Panasonic G85, they come with smartphone remote control and that’s what we will be discussing here.
This is pretty much the best remote control method for various reasons. The first and most obvious is that you don’t have to buy any extra tool for remote control as you most likely have your smartphone with you right now.
Once you have the dedicated camera app installed on your smartphone, you can trigger the shutter, get a preview of the scene, adjust settings, access menus, and even download images from the camera all with your smartphone.
Unique Features — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Which allows for a one touch wireless connection: a6500 or G85?
The Sony a6500 comes with near field communication which is a feature that allows you wirelessly connect the camera with compatible smartphones with just one touch. You literally just have to have the two devices come in contact with each other.
Which comes with Bluetooth: a6500 or G85?
The Sony a6500 comes with Bluetooth. Bluetooth isn’t a foreign feature to any digital device. It is one of the oldest tools for wireless connectivity, and it has evolved with technology overtime. With cameras, Bluetooth can be used to connect with any other Bluetooth enabled devices to perform various functions including file transfer.
Which can record Time-lapse videos: a6500 or G85?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 comes with a built-in app that helps you record time-lapse videos, however, the Sony a6500 can only do that with an optional app. In time-lapse recording, the activities in the video happen much faster than they would in reality. This is achieved by shooting the video at a frame rate that is more spread out than the rate at which it will be played back. This results in time lapsing and activities happening faster.
Which has 4K photo mode: a6500 or G85?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 has the 4K photo mode which extracts great photos from videos. With this feature, you can shoot a video, and afterwards select any of the frames that interests you and save it as an image.
Which comes with focus modes: a6500 or G85?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 has a lot of interesting focus features. The first is the focus stacking/bracketing feature. This feature allows you to take multiple shots at different focus distances and then merge all the images in order to achieve a greater depth of field – that is more blur in the background.
The G85 also has a focus feature known as post focus mode. This focus mode is one of the most interesting focus modes that any camera can possibly offer. In this mode you can adjust/change the part of your image that will be in focus after the shot has already been taken.
Which supports UHS memory cards: a6500 or G85?
The Panasonic G85 supports UHS (Ultra High Speed) memory cards, while the Sony a6500 does not. A UHS memory card is a storage card type that allows you to read and write to the memory card at ultra-high speed. There are different levels to the UHS card, and the G85 is compatible with the UHS-II level card.
This simply means UHS level 2. This card type is a high speed SD card. The UHS card version is known to transfer files at a rate of about 156 MB/s and 312 MB/s for full and half duplex respectively.
Unique Pros — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Pros Of The Sony a6500
Higher sensor resolution.
More focus points.
Shoots more frames per second in continuous shooting mode.
Longer battery life.
It is lighter in weight.
Higher color depth and dynamic range.
Larger sensor pixel area.
Higher auto-exposure bracketing range.
Compatible with Near Field Communication connection.
Has Bluetooth connection.
Pros Of The Panasonic G85
The LCD screen of this camera has a higher screen resolution.
Timelapse recording feature built-in.
Higher viewfinder resolution.
The articulated screen of the G85 is great for taking selfies.
It has the 4K photo mode feature.
This camera has focus bracketing, focus stacking, and post focus mode.
Supports UHS-II memory cards.
Sony a6500 Vs G85 – Unique Cons
Cons Of The Sony a6500
This camera doesn’t have a selfie-friendly LCD screen, although it is articulated.
It doesn’t support any version of ultra-high speed cards.
Cons Of The G85
This camera neither has NFC compatibility nor Bluetooth connectivity. So without an internet connection, it cannot communicate with other devices.
Check out these other articles:
- Sony a7 Vs Nikon D5300 – Detailed Comparison
- Sony a9 Vs Fuji XT2 – Detailed Comparison
- Sony a7S Vs Leica M240 – Which Is Better for You?
- Sony a5000 Vs Canon T5 – Which Is Better for You?
- Sony a7 Vs Nikon D7100 – Detailed Comparison
- Sony a6500 Vs Canon 6D – Detailed Comparison
Common Pros — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Sony a6500 | Panasonic Lumix G85 | |
| Built-in Wi-Fi | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Image Stabilization | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Articulating Screen | The screen of this camera tilts slightly upwards and downwards. | The G85 has a fully articulated screen that tilts and swivels. Plus, it’s great for selfies too. |
| Built-in Flash | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| External Flash Shoe | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Touchscreen | With this, navigation and editing becomes more flexible. | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Viewfinder | Electronic viewfinder | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| RAW Support | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Face Detection Focus | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Microphone Port | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Environmental Sealing | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Auto Exposure Bracketing | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
| Smartphone Remote Control | Present | Same as the Sony a6500. |
Common Cons – Sony a6500 Vs G85
Sony a6500 | Panasonic Lumix G85 | |
| Short Battery Life | After a full charge, the battery of this camera can last only 350 shots. | After a full charge, this camera can last just 330 shots. |
What Users Think About Both Cameras — Sony a6500 Vs G85
Our Take — Sony a6500 Vs G85
| Sony a6500 | Panasonic Lumix G85 |
| The Sony a6500, for us, is a fantastic camera. There are so many interesting features on this camera to satisfy everyone no matter what you shoot. These features secure you high quality images. Now, this camera might not be perfect as there are some issues that could use some resolving. However, it still doesn’t wipe the fantastic features we love this camera for, and it deserves some level of respect for them. | The G85 without an iota of doubt is an impressive camera. This camera also has a good number of impressive features and features you don’t regularly find on cameras. If you do photography, it offers high quality. If you do video, you’ll also get the best out of this camera. Nonetheless, this camera could use a few upgrades in a few areas as it has a few cons and shortcomings. Still, we have to agree that the pros completely outweigh the cons with this camera. |
Sony a6500 Vs G85 — FAQs
Which is better: Sony a6500 or a6400?
The Sony a6400 is basically a more improved version of the a6500. They belong in the same series and the a6500 was released 3 years earlier than the a6400, so, it should not be surprising that the latter is more improved.
The Sony a6400 has a better low light performance and a longer-lasting battery. It is also selfie-friendly, has an in-camera time-lapse app, and animal eye autofocus tracking, all of which are absent in the a6500.
These two cameras share a lot of similarities, though. But the a6500 manages to outdo the a6400 in some areas, however; it has image stabilization (the a6400 does not), better color depth, wider dynamic range, larger buffer, and faster startup time.
What is the difference between Sony a6500 and a6400?
| Sony a6500 | Sony a6400 | |
| ISO range | 100 to 25600 (expandable to 51200) | 100 – 32000 (expandable to 102400) |
| Camera weight | 453 grams | 403 grams |
| Image stabilization | Yes | No |
| Estimated startup time | 1.3 seconds | 1.8 seconds |
| JPEG buffer | 231 shots | 87 shots |
| RAW buffer | 110 shots | 42 shots |
| Selfie-friendly | No | Yes |
| Animal eye autofocus tracking | No | Yes |
| In-camera time-lapse | No | Yes |
Is the Panasonic G85 a good camera?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 is a good camera, and you will see this if you can just manage to look past its 16 mega pixel Four Thirds CMOS sensor (weakest link in the camera, for us). This camera has a 1.040k dots screen resolution and a fully articulated screen which makes shooting very flexible and super conveneint.
Speaking of convenience, its LCD screen is touch-sensitive, which means that you can operate the G85 just like you do your smartphone. It also has built-in Wi-Fi which makes the transfer of files away from the camera super easy.
You can also get creative with this one as it comes with focus stacking, focus bracketing, and a time-lapse app.
What is the sensor type used in the Panasonic G85?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 comes with a Four Thirds CMOS sensor which has a maximum resolution of 16 megapixels. Now, we will not blame you if you have never heard of this sensor type as it is not a very common one. Anyway, you probably know of full frames and APS. Well, compared to these two, the Four Thirds sensor is even smaller.
More specifically, it is just about 30 to 40 percent smaller than the APS-C sensor. The advantage here is that sensors like this make for lighter and more compact cameras. But in spite of this, it is not a sensor type desired by many photographers because of the inferior quality of pictures it produces.
Is the Panasonic G85 good for video?
The Panasonic Lumix G85 shoots 4K UHD. That alone tells you that it is great for recording videos. Now, along with a guaranteed awesome visual quality, this camera comes with an external microphone jack, thereby giving you an option to get equally awesome audio quality just by using a good external microphone.
More so, recording videos with the G85 can be creative and fun as it allows you connect your smartphone and record with it. You can also manipulate time in your recordings, thanks to the in-camera time-lapse application it comes with.
Is the Panasonic G85 good for beginners?
Although the Panasonic G85 was not designed specifically for beginners, an amateur photographer should not have much problem using it. First of all, it is not so expensive, so, your pocket is safe, lol. It can easily fit into the budget.
Furthermore, it is not very difficult to get a hang of. It comes with a touch screen, so, operating the G85 will feel just like handling your smartphone. It is also pretty lightweight, so, you can carry it around with you everywhere.
