Panasonic's Lumix DMC-GH4 has been described as a 'hybrid' photo/video camera by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), which recently awarded it the top place in this category.

Panasonic's DMC-GH4 is a serious camera that's designed for the most creative of minds. It's a Micro Four Thirds-based, interchangeable lens camera that packs not only an excellent ability to capture stills, but also the ability to record ultra-high definition, 4K video.

Great build quality and user comfort; High calibre stills and video capturing; Packed with features

Can take a while to get used to all its buttons and settings; but that's the case with all high-end cameras

The Panasonic GH3 is widely regarded as a great compact system camera for shooting video, but its stills capability has been rather overlooked. Despite the fact that its headline specification is its ability to shoot 4K video, Panasonic is hoping that the GH4 will gain greater respect for its...

A smaller Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor and a DSLR look make the GH4 portable and approachable with a design made for anyone to step in and take control. The camera shoots up to 4K video internally which bests some of the other major 4K players on the market.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3, the predecessor of the Lumix DMC-GH4, was a popular micro four thirds camera among videographers and bloggers in particular, thanks to its class-leading video-recording capabilities; it was even the camera of choice for AP's own videographer for some time.

It's hard not to be impressed by the Lumix GH4. It handles confidently as a stills camera and is an absolute joy for video. As I've mentioned throughout my review, it is not a low light monster: the 1:1 crop for 4k video from the relatively small sensor of Micro Four Thirds means the footage...

4k (C4k and UHD) video; recorded internally; 1080p at up to 200Mbit/s or 96fps for slow motion; Pro-level video options; controls and displays; Weatherproof body with broad customization; Very fast single AF speed.

4k footage looks noisy at 800 ISO and above; 1080p footage uses non-integer crop; Rolling shutter artefacts in some conditions; Still photo quality no better than other MFT cameras; Burst speed can slow to 5-6fps with CAF & focus priority; No phase-detect / hybrid AF; No built-in stabilization,...

Both manufacturers make clear that these cameras are both intended for videographers just as much as they are for stills shooters. Both are built around a conventional stills form-factor but with video capabilities and supporting functions pushed toward the forefront.

My footage had a very faint vertical blue line flickering from top to bottom on all mp4 footage but only in 4K. I changed all the settings that I could think of that might be causing this. Nothing worked. Then I came across the video mode for MOV as opposed to MP4.

I have been anxiously awaiting my GH4 camera and it finally arrived today. I've been reading and studying about these cameras for weeks now, and I will give updates after I get a chance to shoot some photos and videos.

It's not always the case that the launch of a new CSC heralds a major technological advancement, and quite often it's a case of an incremental progression of the models that came before it.

4K video facility is unique; Tough and weatherprood design; Impressive AF speed

Control layout a touch over-complicated; Tracking AF performance a let-down