Panasonic's G100 vlogging camera can isolate voices using face tracking
For $749 with a kit lens, you get 4K, a flip-out screen and in-body stabilizaton.
Budget vlogging cameras like Sony’s ZV-1 are all the rage right now and Panasonic has just joined in with the G100, a budget mirrorless camera with (nearly) all the features an influencer needs. To start with, you can shoot 4K video at up to 30 fps, or 1080p at 60 fps — on par with most cameras in this price range.
It also offers a fully-articulating screen that flips to the side, letting you see yourself while still using an external microphone and tripod at the same time. Finally, it offers a five-axis hybrid image stabilizer (electronic plus optical lens stabilization) to smooth out the inevitable shakes that happen when you’re walking, talking and filming at the same time. Sadly, 4K video is cropped at 1.47x, effectively reducing the sensor to under a 1-inch size.
Other important vlogging features include a microHDMI output, external 3.5mm microphone input but, alas, no headphone port. A very cool feature is the OZO audio by Nokia that can isolate audio to a specific person by using face-detection tracking — something that can theoretically improve audio quality. You also get Vlog-L video that improves dynamic range, but no 10-bit recording like you’ll find on Panasonic’s GH5.
Other more photo-centric features include a 20.3-megapixel sensor, respectable 3.68-million dot LCD EVF and max 10 fps shooting speeds (continuous autofocus) with the electronic shutter or 6 fps with the mechanical shutter. As usual, Panasonic uses contrast detect autofocus for both video and photos and offers subject tracking and face/eye detection.
All told, the G100 looks like a solid vlogging option, other than the very unfortunate 4K cropping. It costs $750 with a 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, the same as Sony’s ZV-1 but with the option to change the lens. You can also get one with the DMW-SHGR1 tripod grip shown above for $800 as a launch promotion.
