The Best Gimbal For Lumix G85 Cameras!

The Panasonic Lumix g85 is one of the most popular mirrorless cameras on the market at the time of writing and it has a pretty large core customer base spread pretty evenly between the videography, photography, and vlogging communities. We have noticed a bunch of people on social media and sites like Reddit asking out about how they are able to improve the image quality that they are able to capture with their g85.

Depending on the niche that you are working in, outside of your camera lens, we feel that your gimbal is going to be the most impactful g85 camera accessory that you can invest in to get the largest improvement when it comes to image quality. Due to this, we have decided to publish this article where we will be going over what we feel is the best gimbal for Lumix g85 cameras on the market right now.

Now, the g85 is actually surprisingly heavy for a mirrorless camera with the camera coming in at around the 1.1 pound mark with no accessories mounted on it. Thankfully though, many of the popular lenses for the g85 are much lighter than their DSLR counterparts helping you keep your total payload down for your gimbal.

The comparison table below goes over the main points of each of the gimbals that we have chosen to feature for your Panasonic g85. We will have a short paragraph below the comparison table where we will go over each gimbal for those short on time and then we will deep dive each of the featured gimbals for the rest of the article to go as in-depth as possible.

Comparison Table

Last update on 2023-09-30 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As you can see, the Zhiyun Crane Plus is our recommended gimbal for use with your Panasonic Lumix g85. At the time of writing, we feel that it is probably the best gimbal available for mirrorless cameras like your g85. It has a high load capacity, a long maximum battery life, and a pretty low price tag for what you are actually getting with incomes to the gimbals excellent performance.

Next up, we have the DJI Ronin SC that in our opinion is a very close second to the Crane Plus. The performance, image stabilization, build quality, and design of the Ronin SC really are out of this world. The higher price tag and lower payload capacity and battery life just push the Crane Plus ahead of it though.

The final featured gimbal for your g85 is the Feiyutech AK2000 and in all honesty, if this gimbal did not have such a large user base within the community that seem to love it, we would probably have something like the Moza Aircross 3 over the AK2000 as the Feiyutech definatley has some issues holding it back.

The Zhiyun Crane Plus

Time to take a more in-depth look at our primary gimbal recommendation for your Lumix g85, the Zhiyun Crane Plus that we feel is one of the best gimbals available at the time of writing, especially for its price tag. Zhiyun essentially wanted to upgrade their older Zhiyun Crane v2 that was the previous king of the mirrorless camera gimbal market and the Crane Plus was the gimbal they came up with.

The Crane Plus had a fair amount of hype around it at launch and we are pleased to say that Zhiyun definitely delivered on their promises. That not just our own opinion either, the gimbal quickly built its excellent reputation within the community and the vast majority of people who have tried the Crane Plus seem to love it. Not only did the improve it in every aspect when compared to the old Crane v2, they also managed to reduce its price tag while improving performance!

Performance And Functionality

Now, as we said earlier in the article, the Lumix g85 comes in at around 1.1 pounds of body weight just for your camera body with no accessories mounted on it. For a mirrorless camera, this is pretty heavy but the Crane Plus has a maximum load capacity of 5.5 pounds meaning that even with your camera mounted, you have 4.4 pounds of available load capacity for your accessories.

Now, even some of the heavier g85 accessory setups that we can think of are well under the spare 4.4 pounds of available weight meaning that the Crane Plus can easily support the g85 along with pretty much any set up you can think of.

At the time of writing, Zhiyun has ensured that the Crane Plus has one of the longest possible battery life of all the gimbals on the market coming in at eighteen hours of maximum battery life! Now, as the g85 is pretty heavy, we would expect you to be getting around sixteen hours of battery per full charge of the gimbals batteries but still, this is pretty impressive.

This should ensure that you are able to get out and about with your Lumix g85 and Zhiyun Crane Plus to record all the video footage that you could ever need between chances to recharge the gimbal. When the Crane Plus does need to be recharged, the quick charge system from Zhiyun allows you to take it from empty to full in as little as only three hours too helping to minimize downtime.

The video clips in the sample video above we recorded using the Panasonic Lumix g85 mounted to the Zhiyun Crane Plus and show you exactly what you are able to expect out of the combo. As you can see, the handheld gimbal stabilizer is able to easily deal with the payload weight of the camera and its accessories to ensure you get the best image quality possible in your video footage.

The Crane Plus also comes with a bunch of popular modern gimbal modes to help ensure that it provides you with that natural-looking image stabilization rather than the robotic look of some of the older gimbals. These modes include the best intelligent object tracking mode that we have seen to date, a new and improved point of view mode, a great timelapse mode, and an improve motion memory mode too.

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User Interface And Control System

Now, one thing that Zhiyun chose to keep relatively the same is the control system on the Crane Plus, although it has been updated slightly, it is very similar to the system on the majority of the older Zhiyun gimbals. Although we would have loved to see a touchscreen on the Crane Plus, Zhiyun decided against it so we hope that this is something that they decide to implement in future gimbals.

The Crane Plus is based around the standard joystick and control panel setup as shown in the image above. As the Crane Plus is designed to be used with mirrorless cameras as well as entry-level DSLR rigs, there is a good chance that most people who purchase it will be using it as their very first gimbal.

This easy to use, yet highly efficient control system ensures that anyone who is brand new to using a gimbal with their Lumix g85 can get to grips with it quickly and easily without issue. On the flip side of this, if you have used gimbals previously, the system is very similar to what most other modern gimbals are currently using and it also allows you to quickly access the advanced features of the gimbal that the more experienced gimbal users will need.

The Smartphone App

Now, the Zhiyun smartphone app really does need an overhaul and after many months of waiting, we have started to see people saying that the updated it needs is just around the corner but we will believe it when we see it. The Zhiyun app still has issues with initial sync and connectivity as well as a pretty confusing navigation menu. Let’s just hope that by the time you are reading this, these issues have been corrected and that the app is in a better place.

Build Quality And Design

The design of the Crane Plus is essentially an evolution on the previous generations of Zhiyun as Zhiyun take all the constructive feedback on board with each generation and try to make all the relative changes to their next generation of gimbals. This has resulted in one of the best designs for a Zhiyun gimbal to date that will provide your Lumix g85 with a full range of movement even with a long and heavy lens mounted on it.

Although there is some plastic used for the build of the Crane Plus, it actually has a specific reason and is used to try get the overall weight of the actual gimbal as low as possible rather than to reduce costs. We feel that Zhiyun has managed to a solid job with this and for the performance that the Crane Plus can provide your g85, it is pretty lightweight.

Our Verdict

Don’t just take our word for it, check out what the community are saying about the Crane Plus. In our opinion, it is the best gimbal for your Lumix g85 and we feel that you would be hard-pressed to go better, especially for the price of the Crane Plus. It has everything you could ever need for your g85 and can easily provide you with excellent quality image stabilization even if you choose to use a heavier camera rig.

We would also like to point out that we have a much more in-depth Zhiyun Crane Plus review online where we go into as much detail as possible and show off some of the modes and features that the gimbal has to offer too.

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The DJI Ronin SC

Now, as we mentioned back at towards the start of the article, we really do fel that the DJI Ronin SC is a very close second to the Zhiyun Crane Plus and it is an excellent little gimbal. If you know for a fact that your Lumix g85 isn’t going to need the higher load capacity of the Crane Plus and you have the budget available, the Ronin SC is an excellent option for your g85.

It is the newest of the three featured gimbals and at the time of writing, it has only been on the market for a few months but it has made an excellent impact for itself. With it essentially being created to try and dominate the mirrorless camera gimbal market like its big brother, the DJI Ronin S dominates the DSLR camera market, it should be no surprise that it has an outstanding reputation with the community.

Performance And Functionality

Now, the DJI Ronin SC does have a lower maximum load capacity to the Crane Plus with it being able to support a 4.4-pound payload. This is a whole 1.1 pound less than the Zhiyun Crane Plus and as the Lumix g85 is a pretty heavy camera to start with, this could make all the difference if you are wanting to keep your g85 in a camera cage or use a battery grip with it.

Anyway, we would imagine that the majority of Lumix g85 setups would be less than the 4.4 load capacity of the DJI Ronin SC making it a great handheld gimbal stabilizer option for your camera. The Ronin SC has a maximum battery life of around eleven hours that is again less than what the Crane Plus by a potential nine hours!

If you are involved in travel vlogging or some videography niche where you may be away from a power outlet for long periods of time this may present a problem but again, the Ronin SC can be charged on the go with some of the higher capacity power banks to help keep you going while out and about anyway. When the Ronin SC is plugged into a mains output, it can go from empty to full in around two and a half hours.

Although the highlight footage above was not captured using a Lumix g85, it was recorded using a Ronin SC 3 axis gimbal for the image stabilization. As you can see, the footage is very smooth and stable and the handheld gimbal stabilizer does its job perfectly. We feel that the clips do a good job of showing the potential of the Ronin SC and what it can provide for your Lumix g85.

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User Interface And Control System

Similar to Zhiyun, DJI decided to keep the control system for the Ronin SC pretty basic as seen in the image above. It is based around the standard joystick and LCD panel system like most other gimbals on the market right now that offers the same ease of use advantage to new gimbal users as the Zhiyun system.

Additionally, though, the Ronin SC control system coupled with the DJI smartphone app that we will cover below offer all the customization that any professional level gimbal user could ever want for their Lumix g85 too.

The Smartphone App

Now, unlike Zhiyun, DJI has actually done an excellent job when it comes to their smartphone app and it can actually be a great addition to your gimbal accessories, better yet, it is free! It is easy to pair with your gimbal, it actually stays synced once paired, the navigation menu of the app is easy to follow, and it allows you to quickly and easily tweak the settings of the Ronin SC within seconds.

All this helps to enhance the performance of the gimbal that in turn helps to improve the overall image quality that you are able to capture with your Panasonic Lumix g85.

Build Quality And Design

Well, just like every other DJI product ever made, the Ronin SC has one of the best designs going with the build quality to match. The design team really have done everything that you would expect from a top contender for the title of the best mirrorless camera gimbal. Everything just works and not only does everything work, it works well and professionally too.

This ensures that all moving parts on the gimbal move independently and freely of each other ensuring that there is no friction build up during use that may lead to any potential problems with overheating. The handle has also been designed to be as comfortable as possible too, this ensures that if you need to record with your Lumix g85 for a long time without a break, mounting it to the Ronin SC will not cause problems.

The actual build quality of the gimbal is also excellent and it is very robust while also being very lightweight too. This makes it the ideal Lumix g85 gimbal if you know you will have to travel and have restrictions on your luggage allowance.

Our Verdict

The DJI Ronin SC is a great bit of kit and in our opinion a very close contender for the top spot when it comes to your Lumix g85. Depending on your circumstances, the Ronin SC may actually be a better fit than the Crane Plus but only you know what you will be getting up to with your g85 and what you will need out of your gimbal.

Although the Ronin SC is more expensive than the Crane Plus and also has a shorter battery life and lower load capacity, its performance and build quality are second to none. The image quality that it can offer your Lumix g85 via the image stabilization it provides can make it a great addition to your camera accessories.

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The Feiyutech AK2000

The final gimbal that we have decided to feature for your Lumix g85 is the Feiyutech AK2000 and although it is a pretty popular 3 axis handheld gimbal stabilizer with a solid reputation within the community it definatley has a few issues that hold it back compaired to the two gimbals above.

That said though, the large customer base of the AK2000 so seem to feel that it is a solid gimbal even in spite of its issues so we decided to feature it in our article for your consideration but we would recommend the Zhiyun Crane Plus or the DJI Ronin SC instead. Due to this, we will only be skimming over the AK2000 rather than doing a full feature of the gimbal to try and save our readers time.

Performance And Functionality

Now, when the AK2000 is in full working order, it is able to support a maximum payload of 6.17 pounds giving the gimbal the highest load capacity out of all of the three featured gimbals for your Lumix g85. Additionally, it can also provide you with a battery life of around twelve hours but it does have a slow recharge time of at least five hours when empty.

Now, the video above showcases exactly what the Feiyutech AK2000 is able to provide your Lumix g85 when it is working as intended. As you can see, it is fully capable of providing your camera with some solid image stabilization that can help to improve your image quality.

Now, onto two of its three main problems. There is a confirmed hardware issue that causes vibrations with around twenty percent of AK2000 gimbals and although Feiyutech has uploaded a video going over how to fix the issue, you have to implement the fix yourself, you may have to do it multiple times, and there is a small chance that it may not actually fix the issue anyway.

As you can imagine, if the head of your gimbal randomly vibrates when recording video footage with your Lumix g85 mounted to it, your footage is going to be ruined. The fact that an issue this big made it through testing on a gimbal with this price tag just makes us recommend the Zhiyun Crane Plus over the Feiyutech AK2000 even more.

Additionally, there is another issue that has been well documented by owners of the Ak2000 where it will randomly start to pan to the left at a very slow speed when you run the gimbal in smooth mode. We are hoping that Feiyutech AK2000 are able to push a fix for the issue out soon as it totally ruins any timelapse footage that you may record in smooth mode.

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User Interface And Control System

The control system of the Feiyutech AK2000 is excellent in our opinion but unfortunately, if your gimbal is going to randomly vibrate and pan during use then having an excellent control system on it is pointless in our opinion. That said, the AK2000 does use a touchscreen that we feel is going to end up being to future of the gimbal industry and we can wait to see touchscreen controls on the Zhiyun and DJI range.

The Feiyutech Smartphone App

The Feiyutech smartphone app has its fair share of issues too just like the Zhiyun app. That said, these issues are between the app and the whole Feiyutech gimbal range, not just the AK2000. If Feiyutech were to release an update and totally overhaul their smartphone app, we feel that this could easily correct the issues with the app and bring it in line with the better smartphone gimbal apps out there.

Build Quality And Design

Now, in addition to the issue with random vibrations and the issue with random panning covered above, the Feiyutech AK2000 also has an issue with the handle grip that can inadvertently lead to a problem with the performance of the gimbal. As your Lumix g85 is pretty heavy for a mirrorless camera, there is a good chance that your setup will be heavy enough for this problem to occur for you.

The image above shows the lip of the handle grip folding over onto itself as it slides up the handle. With heavier camera setups, this issue becomes more prevalent as the handle grip will slide up at a faster pace making the issue occur more often. Basically, the grip ends up sliding so far up the handle of the gimbal that it ends up touching the control panel and causing your gimbal head to tilt or pan as it thinks you are pressing the buttons.

Our Verdict

At this price point in the market, and with these three issues, we really don’t understand why the Feiyutech AK2000 is such a popular gimbal stabilizer. In our opinion though, it should be avoided and you should pick up with the Zhiyun Crane Plus or the DJI Ronin SC for your Lumix g85 instead.

We also have our full review of the AK2000 where we go into more detail of these issues as well as our Feiyutech AK2000 v Zhiyun Crane Plus article that we decided to publish after seeing so many people claiming that the AK2000 was a solid competitor to the Crane Plus.

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Wrapping It Up

That concludes our article going over what we feel is the best gimbal for Lumix g85 cameras on the market right now. We know that the article is a little long but we hope that you have found it helpful and that our article has helped you settle on your new gimbal. If not, we also have our ultimate guide to mirrorless camera gimbals that compare five gimbal stabilizers to each other that may be helpful.