GH4 Discussion : GH4, "is this the best camera ever?"

"Best" and "worst" (and everything in between) are inherently subjective, and are dependent entirely on one's own criteria. Your criteria for "best" is not going to be the same as mine.
 
......till the next best thing comes along =) I mean I like it and all, got one coming in the mail tomorrow actually, but is it best cam ever...nah not in my books. if i was to think like that i would be disappointed every time lol
 
I don't know if it is the best, but I am pretty impressed so far. As a nature videographer it checks several boxes for me.

- Lightweight compared to my former camcorder.
- Very nice resolution and image quality.
- Good menu design.
- Feels good in my hands.
- Video integrates well in my NLE.

My kit consists of the GH4, Panasonic 14-45, 45-175 and Olympus 60mm macro.
 
Dan Keeble said:
is it the best 'dslr' camera at it's current price?
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I'd say yes. It's currently the only DSLR to shoot 4K recorded internally and 96fps 1080p. It's got a plethora of video recording options, way more than any other DSLR. For stills its shutter goes up to 1/8000th second which is in league with the big boys like the 5D and D4s. The autofocus is the fastest that I've ever experienced. I'd be curious to see a comparison between the GH4, 5D, and D4s in terms of frame rate burst mode with continuous autofocus tracking. I bet the GH4 is a close third place to those beasts.
 
while I don't plan to use my GH4 for stills, I did look at the DPReview site which presents image quality comparisons, and looked at the GH4 vs the Nikon D4s (which is also a 16mp camera). I could barely see any significant image quality difference between those two cameras.
 
Once you get your settings dialed in its okay... Is it the best well that's a personnel preference, but I do like the following after playing with it the last couple of weeks.

2-96 FPS (I like the slow motion the best)
10 bit 4:2:2 output
Menu System
 
I think a more realistic question is, is it a game changer?

1. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 was a game changer - First solid state recording HD affordable camcorder.
2. The Canon 5D MKII was a game changer - First Popular DSLR that shot quality video with a FF sensor
3. The Sony FS700 was a game changer - First true high speed, high quality, affordable video camera

Is the GH4 a game changer? Without a doubt. It has broken the 1080 96 FPS threshold in a sub $5k camera, it has broken the affordable 4k threshold and it is already acknowledged as a great all around video camera. It has more of the features that video shooters want and need than any other small video camera to date. I think Panasonc has changed the conversation and raised the bar in what manufacturers will have to offer to stay competitive. I can imagine that there have been lots of sleepless nights at Canon Japan about what they can do to keep their pro video market. Compare specs on the GH4 to the C100. The C100 is a fine camera, I was going to buy one this year but instead bought the GH4 and if I like it, I will buy another GH4 body. I will have two fully featured 4k cameras for less than Canon's nice, but neutered C100. We live in amazing times, everything is just going to keep getting better and better, smaller, lighter and less money.

What would there be to stop someone from making a theatrical feature that could compete with the big boys with a GH4? Sure, operationally, it's no Alexa or RED but it is an incredible camera for the money. There is no best camera ever, as the other posters stated but there are milestones and game changers. The GH4 changes everything.
 
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I'm waiting to see what Phillip Bloom says. He's currently writing an "evolving" review on his blog and will make a final recommendation soon. From the most recent closing paragraph of his evolving review:

I am excited by this camera. It’s small, is packed with astonishing features, gives me a terrific image and is bloody cheap. I need to do a lot more testing before giving my “Should I buy it” sort of opinion, not that I am ever black and white like that, but so far the biggest issues are the low light performance and the usual rolling shutter issues. Those issues aside from my experience with it the past 5 days I can see this camera becoming THE next big thing for low budget filmmakers..
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For me one of the most interesting things I read in another review is the possibility of grabbing still frame images from the 4K video that might be just as good as images shot with a DSLR. Now that would be a game changer... imagine just rolling video during a photo shoot and grabbing all the stills in post. That could revolutionize the way we take photos.

By the way, I think its interesting that B&H has the GH4 listed under their camcorder section. You won't see the Canon or Sony DSLR's in that category on B&H, only the GH4.
 
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