Sony Alpha vs. Panasonic Lumix GH4

Don't even waste your time with the gh4, if you're going panasonic, go gh5.

eheathDon't even waste your time with the gh4, if you're going panasonic, go gh5.

Why not the gh4? As long as you don't need great low light performance or in body stabilization the gh4 still seems like a good deal deal to me, at least seeing how cheap you can get them these days.

Mar-OWhy not the gh4? As long as you don't need great low light performance or in body stabilization the gh4 still seems like a good deal deal to me, at least seeing how cheap you can get them these days.

Because the gh5 shoots 4k60, future proof. Sure you can spend less on a gh4 but in a couple years you need another new camera.

I recently upgraded to a GH4 and really like it for shooting video, I actually love it. Pictures I honestly like my t2i better but the gh4 isnt bad. Yeah the GH5 is a baller camera, but on a college kids budget, the gh4 fits me perfectly for the time being

While these cameras are both mirrorless, they do completely different things.

Sony: (mostly the S)
pros over ghX:
- full frame sensor (easier to get shallower depth of field)
- better low light (for the S anyway)

Panasonic:
pros over the sony:
- the new gh5 has the ability to do 4:2:2 prores at 10 bit (Im pretty sure sony can only export 8 bit color at 4:2:2 - could be wrong)
- better battery life (sony battery life is absolutly terrible)
- GH5 does 4k 60 fps in body
- even though the gh5 is newer than the a7sii, it is still cheaper.
- less rolling shutter than a7sii

So at the end of the day it is going to come down to how you shoot, and what you need the camera for. eheath is right, dont waste your time with the GH4 when the GH5 really is not that much more. Another consideration is the tools that you already own? Do you have a bunch of lenses for one system?

IMHO I went with the sony. I disliked the crop factor of a micro 4/3 sensor because i didn't have any glass that would really compliment it (I had a bunch of full frame glass, and would therefore have to buy some new really wide stuff to accommodate it), I shoot a lot of stuff in low light too, and that really appealed to me. My audience is mostly youtube and newschoolers, and I'm not actually sure if the increased color depth really translates well when uploading to these sites due to compression (maybe someone else has more information here though). At the end of the day it comes down to your personal preference though. Either way you look at it, you will be quite happy with either one of these cameras.

DorianFWhile these cameras are both mirrorless, they do completely different things.

Sony: (mostly the S)
pros over ghX:
- full frame sensor (easier to get shallower depth of field)
- better low light (for the S anyway)

Panasonic:
pros over the sony:
- the new gh5 has the ability to do 4:2:2 prores at 10 bit (Im pretty sure sony can only export 8 bit color at 4:2:2 - could be wrong)
- better battery life (sony battery life is absolutly terrible)
- GH5 does 4k 60 fps in body
- even though the gh5 is newer than the a7sii, it is still cheaper.
- less rolling shutter than a7sii

So at the end of the day it is going to come down to how you shoot, and what you need the camera for. eheath is right, dont waste your time with the GH4 when the GH5 really is not that much more. Another consideration is the tools that you already own? Do you have a bunch of lenses for one system?

IMHO I went with the sony. I disliked the crop factor of a micro 4/3 sensor because i didn't have any glass that would really compliment it (I had a bunch of full frame glass, and would therefore have to buy some new really wide stuff to accommodate it), I shoot a lot of stuff in low light too, and that really appealed to me. My audience is mostly youtube and newschoolers, and I'm not actually sure if the increased color depth really translates well when uploading to these sites due to compression (maybe someone else has more information here though). At the end of the day it comes down to your personal preference though. Either way you look at it, you will be quite happy with either one of these cameras.

Thanks for the feedback! Mostly interested in the Sony for the full frame sensor and low light abilities. Video is sort of a secondary priority because I honestly don't have the hardware to process lots of 4k. But I'm leaning towards sony because I want to just choose a system that can do both and start investing in lenses for both photo and video, even if i eventually need two bodies (sony alpha s and r). Does anyone use the GH5 for photography or is it pretty specific to video?