I’ve tested a lot of mirrorless cameras and I’ve never found one that handles as well as the GH5s for video. It’s loaded with manual controls that make it easy to adjust important settings like ISO, white balance, shutter speed and aperture.

The flip-around screen is indispensable as I need to be able to see myself when doing standup or using the camera. For other types of shots, the 3,680K dot OLED makes it easy to film in bright sunlight. It’s relatively lightweight and easy to lug around, battery life is good and it has two dual UHS-II card slots, making it possible to shoot all day without changing memory cards.

Furthermore, you can set the camera to use shutter angle rather than shutter speed, which is important for videography. That’s because video looks more pleasing if the shutter speed is a multiple of the frame rate, i.e. 1/50th of a second when shooting at 25 fps. By setting the shutter angle to 180 degrees, that’s exactly what I get, regardless of the frame rate selected.

On the audio side, you can adjust the microphone socket to line (high) or mic (low) levels and power smallish lavalier-type mics. Using a relatively cheap wireless Rode lav mic and Rode shotgun mic, I’m able to record good-sounding audio without any assistance.

For standup, I use a smartphone and Panasonic’s camera app to remotely adjust settings, check the image and start and stop recording. The camera app takes a long time to connect to the camera, but it works well otherwise.

On a typical shoot, I’ll usually set the GH5s up on a fluid-head tripod and film the review camera, with the autofocus set and locked. Then I’ll film myself using the camera with the autofocus enabled in single point, continuous mode. For standups, I use the face-detection autofocus.

There’s no doubt that contrast-detect autofocus isn’t as good for video as the phase-detect systems in Canon or Sony cameras. There’s always a slight wobble as it overshoots focus then comes back, because that’s how contrast-detect AF works. When I first started using the camera, I (and our video production team) noticed this problem in a couple of early videos.

However, I’ve got to hand it to Panasonic for improving the autofocus system on the GH5s, via firmware updates, shortly after I acquired it. For the type of shooting I do, the autofocus now works fine and rarely misses focus. For instance, when I film myself handling a camera up fairly close to the lens, it tracks focus well when I’m moving it toward the camera or flipping it around. (It might not fare as well for less predictable run-and-gun shooting, so I’d recommend doing a thorough test before buying one.)

But what about the lack of stabilization for handheld shooting, you might ask? After all, the GH5 does have excellent in-body stabilization and the GH5s has none.

First of all, this isn’t too big an issue for me because I rarely shoot handheld. However, when I do (usually with an assistant operating the camera) I simply use one of Panasonic’s many stabilized lenses. My go-to lens is the very versatile 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 lens which has excellent stabilization (plus great optics and very good macro capabilities, by the way). For stationary hand-held shooting, or with very smooth camera moves, that works just fine.

When it comes to photography, there’s little doubt that the GH5 and any other higher-resolution camera, particularly one with in-body stabilization, would be a better choice. Still, the GH5s is actually better for the dimly-lit trade shows or indoor hands-on sessions where I often need to film. I just have to be more careful about framing, knowing that I don’t have a lot of extra resolution to crop.

Also, I have to admit that I sometimes cheat on photos by just extracting them from the 4K video. This is only possible because the video is so outstandingly sharp and color-accurate.

Finally, once I’m ready to edit a video, the footage is easy to handle in post. If I’m planning to use Adobe Premiere Pro CC, I do have to convert the 10-bit 4K footage to a more easily editable format like Cineform or ProRes. However, with DaVinci Resolve 16 — which makes better use of my NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU — I can edit the footage directly with no transcoding.

The 10-bit 4:2:2 video is easy to adjust, whether I use a log profile or not. I rarely see banding or other nasty artifacts in case I need to push the footage.

So in conclusion, yes, I’m definitely happy with the GH5s and don’t regret my decision to get one. It was a good camera when it entered the market and Panasonic has made it better over time.The only other camera I would think about replacing it with is Panasonic’s full-frame S1H, which is in many ways a full-frame version of the GH5s. However, that camera costs over twice as much and the lenses are also very expensive. Until something comparable comes along, the $1,800 GH5s is perfect for my needs, and that’s what counts the most.

Another big change is a new mechanical shutter that Fujifilm calls “the fastest and most robust in the history of the X Series.” It’ll let you shoot bursts at up to 15 fps with the mechanical shutter with full autofocus and auto exposure (or 20 fps with the electronic shutter), while lasting for up to 300,000 actuations. That kind of speed and shutter life is pretty incredible for a camera in this price range — by comparison, Canon’s 1DX Mark III can shoot at 16 fps with the mechanical shutter, but it costs $6,500.

The autofocus system is a lot faster, down to about .02 seconds, nearly matching what Sony can do. Tracking and face/eye detection performance has also seriously improved, with Fujifilm claiming the X-T4 has a success rate double that of the X-T3.

The rear display not only has more resolution (1.62 million pixels compared to 1.1 million on the X-T3), but it finally flips around fully so that you can see yourself for selfies or vlogging. There’s also an updated electronic viewfinder (EVF) if you prefer to shoot that way, but it’s got the same 3.69 million pixel resolution and 100 fps refresh rate as before.

You’ll be able to shoot for longer, too, thanks to a much bigger 2,200 mAh battery (compared to 1,260 mAh on the X-T3) that can shoot 600 shots on a charge, compared to 390 before. Despite all the new additions, the X-T4 weighs has only gotten a few millimeters deeper, and weighs just 607 grams with a battery and memory card, compared to 526 grams for the X-T3.

The X-T4 doesn’t have 6K video as was rumored, but it can still shoot 4K at 60 fps and now handles 1080p at an 240 fps — double what the X-T3 can do. As before, 10-bit video can be recorded internally and externally with F-Log mode to maximize dynamic range. However, Fujfilm has introduced a View Assist function that boosts contrast and saturation for shot previews when using F-Log. Continuous autofocus subject tracking now works in lower lighting conditions (down to -6EV).

Video can be recorded to both UHS II SD cards at the same time for a backup, while the microphone setting can be switched between input and line levels. The bigger battery, image stabilization and fully-articulating screen will obviously also be a big help for cinematographers and vloggers, too.

The launch of the X-T4 makes me wonder about the future of the X-H1 lineup, as the new model is just as capable while being more stylish and compact. What’s more certain is that Fujifilm is now well ahead of Sony in the APS-C category, as this model roundly beats Sony’s APS-C flagship A6600 in terms of specifications (albeit at a higher price).

The X-T4 will go on sale in spring of 2020 for $1,700, which is $200 more than the X-T3 cost at launch. Given the extra features, though, it looks to be worth the price — we’ll know more once we do a full review.

Other features include a tilting rear touch display, 5.76 million dot interchangeable EVF, dual UHS-II card slots and dual batteries. The focal plane shutter has springs to reduce shutter shock that can result in blurry images.

You’ll be able to capture 16-bit RAW images, making it easy to draw detail out of shadows and highlights. All of Fujifilm’s usual filters, like Velvia, Eterna Cinema and Monochrome are available.The GFX100 also has a new “Smooth Skin Effect” function to flatter your portrait subjects without the need for any post-processing.

The GFX100 is weather sealed “to ensure an exceptionally high level of dust and moisture resistance,” Fujifilm said. While it’s obviously not small, it’s about the size of a full-frame DSLR and weighs about 3 pounds including two batteries, a memory card and the EVF.

You’re probably now bracing for the price, and rightfully so, as the Fujifilm GFX100 costs $10,000 without a lens. That’s actually reasonable for what it is — for instance, Hasselblad’s X1D costs $8,500 but has less than half the resolution. The GFX100 goes on sale starting June 27th.

I wish it was smaller because I often need to lug gear around trade shows and on the streets. But the size has some advantages, and when you see the technology Panasonic packed in there, the extra pound or so is worth it.

It has a weather-sealed body that feels very rugged and a huge grip that makes it comfortable to hold for long periods. The S1 is covered with buttons and manual dials, letting you set things like the autofocus and burst shooting modes without diving into menus. It has a better control layout than any other mirrorless camera I’ve tried recently, including Fujifilm’s excellent X-T3. Controls like the ISO and joystick toggle are even textured so you can find them by feel. It’s just very easy to operate this camera without taking your eye from the viewfinder.

Speaking of, the Panasonic S1 has the best electronic viewfinder of any mirrorless camera, period. It’s an OLED model with a 5.76-million dot resolution, 120 fps refresh rate and .005-second lag rating. It’s brilliantly sharp and quick, making it possible to judge focus and accurately preview photos and video. For me, this nullifies any argument for an optical viewfinder, putting the S1 on an equal footing with DSLRs.

The rear touch display lets you control not only focus and other camera functions but the entire menu system, as well. It’s sharp, responsive and reasonably bright, though it gets washed out a bit in sunny conditions, much like the display on the GH5. Both Canon and Nikon, I found, have brighter displays on the EOS R and Z6/Z7.

Camera menus are typically the worst part of many camera systems, but Panasonic has done a great job here. They’re arranged logically, making it easy to find a given function, and are fully controllable via the touchscreen. Once you set up the customizable Q menu and buttons the way you want, you should be able to operate the camera without even touching the menus.

Unfortunately, the display only tilts up and down and at a 60-degree angle to the right, and not all the way around. I can’t quite understand why Panasonic did this, as the GH5/GH5s both have fully articulating displays. The S1 will therefore never make a great vlogging camera, though you could argue that it’s too heavy for that purpose anyway.

One of the main reasons for the extra size and weight is the 5-axis in-body stabilization (IBS). Alone, it offers an impressive 5.5 stops of shake reduction, compared to 5 on the Sony A7 III and Nikon Z6, and zero on the Canon EOS R. That means you can shoot — conditions and luck permitting — at 1/8th of a second and lower and still get a blur-free photos. In concert with stabilized lenses, you get up to 6 stops. Panasonic’s goal was to match the IBS capabilities of the GH5, and it succeeded. Because the S1’s sensor is so much larger, however, the IBS system needed to be very large and heavy. That’s one of the reasons the camera is so big.

The S1 has two card slots, one SD UHS II and the other XQD. At first, I wondered why Panasonic would use different, incompatible systems, but it makes sense considering the dual use of the camera. Photographers who need a reliable backup can use both slots at once, while videographers can shoot on XQD. The latter is significantly faster, running at up to 440 MB/s, and will hit a blistering 1,700 MB/s when Panasonic brings CFexpress support via a future firmware update. That will make video recording more reliable and large file transfers faster.

As for ports, Panasonic hasn’t skimped there, either. The S1 packs both headphone and microphone ports, and it will support XLR via a dedicated hotshoe, just like the GH5. You also get a fast USB Type C port and HDMI output to external recorders or monitors. The S1 supports both Bluetooth and WiFi remote control, and the new Lumix Sync app for remote shooting and photo transmission is actually pretty good.

Performance

Panasonic has stuck with its contrast-detect “depth-from-defocus” AF system (DFD) for the S1, rather than using phase-detect like all its other rivals. It does that, it said, to retain image quality, because phase detect pixels can add banding and other artifacts to photos in some (fairly extreme) shooting conditions.

The slight boost in image quality isn’t worth the downsides of contrast detect, though. The S1 does feature a rapid .08 second focus lock-down time, and burst speeds of 9 fps in single AF mode, or 6 fps in continuous AF mode. That’s not bad, but doesn’t compare favorably with Sony’s A7 III, which can handle 10 fps in continuous AF mode, even with eye AF turned on. On the plus side, using a high-speed XQD card you can shoot 90 RAW images without stopping and infinity (“999”, according to Panasonic) JPEG photos continuously.

The S1 is also less reliable than Sony’s A7 III, failing to lock autofocus at times. That results in a relatively low “hit” rate of usable shots, particularly during continuous shooting. The system tends to pulse, or hunt back and forth, to try to nail focus. That’s particularly disconcerting when shooting video, as it can render some shots unusable. By comparison, Canon’s excellent Dual Pixel system usually locks focus without any hunting, making it much more useful for video.

On the plus side, I found that Panasonic’s subject-, face- and eye-tracking system works extremely well. Powered by deep-learning AI, it locks onto your subjects’ eyes nearly instantly and can follow multiple people at once. I also tested it on animals, including chickens and dogs, and it had no problem tracking them, even when they went behind shrubs and plants.