Why the Panasonic GH4 is the Perfect Camera for Travel Filmmakers/Photographers
Ok, it’s not quite perfect, but I still love it. And here’s why…
It produces stunning photos and videos
The GH4’s 16 megapixel sensor isn’t the largest on the market, but it’s certainly big enough for my needs. Considering this camera is more renowned for its video capabilities than its photo capabilites, I am very impressed with the photo results I can achieve. The ability to shoot in RAW is great. In my opinion it produces similarly pleasing results as most Canon DSLRs I’ve used in the past. Though I wouldn’t recommend the GH4 to a dedicated photographer, it is a fantastic hybrid camera for someone who regularly shoots both photos and videos.
The fact that the GH4 can record Cinema 4K video and 1080p HD 96fps slow motion video is pretty impressive. The camera is now over three years old, yet you would struggle to find a new camera in this price range that beats these video recording specs. 4k recording allows you to either produce films at cinema-standard quality (quite impressive for a camera the size of a DSLR), or to crop in when editing and export the final film as 1080p HD. The latter is extremely useful if you need to reframe a shot or zoom in slightly without losing quality. If editing in 24fps, the 96fps slow motion video allows for 4x slowed video. This is great for capturing fast-paced, active subjects and producing beautiful cinematic shots. All-in-all, the GH4 video specs are very impressive and allow for high quality capture in an extremely small form factor. A small setup is optimal for those who travel a lot and need a run-and-gun rig to get shots with little to no warning.
The battery life is amazing
I’ve never used a camera with such good battery life. I recently travelled to Italy for a week, and I didn’t have to charge or replace the GH4 battery once. I used the camera on and off each day and it lasted the whole trip! I had two spare batteries in my bag just in case, but they remained untouched. Using a camera with decent battery life makes things much easier when travelling. It means you spend less time faffing around swapping batteries when you could be capturing the amazing people and places around you. It also means you don’t need to weigh yourself down with an endless amount of spare batteries.
It’s damn cheap
I picked up my GH4 on eBay, second hand for £630. I would be suprised if you could find a better all-round camera for that price. The Sony A7s has widely been named the main competitor to the GH4, and that is commonly being sold for over £1000 second hand on eBay. That extra £400 could be invested in a good quality lens. The newly released Panasonic GH5 is retailing at £1700. Though I believe the GH5 has many improved specs compared to the GH4, the money saved on buying the older model is definitely a deal breaker for a lot of people.
It has a handful of little useful features
The GH4 has a few handy features that make capturing photos, and particularly videos, a breeze. The flip out screen is useful for those ‘usually out of reach’ shots. The wifi function allows you to send photos to your phone. This is really useful for when you’re travelling without a computer but still want to upload high quality photos to Instagram. The peaking feature makes it super easy to see when your desired subject is in focus. The touch screen is great for ‘tap to focus’ and generally making the menus more user-friendly than only using fiddly buttons and wheels. Nevertheless, the button layout is great and very intuitive. The build quality is impressive, and the fact that the camera is ‘weather sealed’ makes shooting in the rain that much more bearable.
The lenses are great
The range of lenses available for the GH4 is actually much greater than I expected. Because both Panasonic and Olympus use the micro four thirds system, there are many lenses to choose from. I own the Panasonic 12–35mm f2.8 OIS and I love it. Because of the 2x crop factor of the micro four thirds sensor, the lens is effectively a 24–70mm. It’s well known that this focal range is very versatile. You can switch from a great wide-angle to a sharp zoom in an instant. The image stabilisation is also very impressive, allowing you to capture sharp images at low shutter speeds and remove hand shake from your video. This is particularly useful to travellers who simply don’t have the option of using a large stabilisation rig.
Admittedly, low light performance could be improved
No matter how much I love this camera, there is room for improvement. The small size of the micro four thirds sensor means low light performance isn’t the best, especially when compared with the likes of the Sony A7s. Noise can easily be introduced into your shot if it is underexposed. But with a fast lens and a knack for correctly exposing your shot, the GH4 is still more than adequate in moderately low light conditions.
It really is a fantastic camera
The GH4 ticks all the boxes for someone like me who needs a camera that is affordable, produces amazing photos and videos and can be used successfully without any external accessories. It’s a winner of an all-round camera that, in my opinion, is very underrated.
