Nikon 1 J5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 J5 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon 1 J5 was introduced in April 2015 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 was introduced in April 2016. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J5 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 over Nikon 1 J5.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon 1 J5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 have 3.0" Tilting screens with 1,037k dot and 1,040k dot resolutions respectively. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic Viewfinder on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,765k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 1.39x (0.70x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J5.

Nikon 1 J5 features a 20.8 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 116.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 features a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Nikon 1 J5 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon 1 J5 is equipped with EXPEED 5A processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4:3 (3232 x 2424, 2272 x 1704), 3:2 (4592 x 3064, 3232 x 2160, 1824 x 1216), 16:9 (4592 x 2584, 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080), 1:1 (3424 x 3424, 2416 x 2416, 1712 x 1712) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 J5 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J5 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on either of the cameras. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g 2.4 GHz on Nikon 1 J5, 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC

Cameras have Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon 1 J5 has a Micro HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 J5 comes with EN-EL24 battery pack with battery life of 250 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 J5 has a single MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J5 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on both models. Nikon 1 J5 can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 J5 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 171 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 has 49 focusing points..

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Nikon 1 J5 and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 J5 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon 1 J5 and 6.00 m at ISO 200 on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85.

Nikon 1 J5 body has dimensions of 98 x 60 x 32 mm (3.86 x 2.36 x 1.26") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 body has dimensions of 122 x 71 x 44 mm (4.8 x 2.8 x 1.73"). Nikon 1 J5 weighs 231 g (0.51 lb / 8.15 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 weighs 426 g (0.94 lb / 15.03 oz).

Nikon 1 J5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85

98 mm

60 mm

122 mm

71 mm

60 mm

71 mm

32 mm

44 mm