Now that you all officially know I'd love to know - What's the biggest reason YOU choose one brand over another? Reviews? Just feels right? Your favorite photographer using it? Chance?

It's not the camera or brand why I follow you. It's what you do and how you care for the people who follow you. Thanks for what you do for enhancing the craft of photography and people relations.

Hi Mitchell, great informative video on your transition to a new system. I truly believe that a camera as tool to facilitate the photography process and not become barrier like in your case not able to go beyond certain ISO. This is based on your photographic needs. A few months ago I sold all of my canon FF gear because I am an amateur wild life photographer and I couldn’t afford a focal length in my case a 600mm. I then decided to give Olympus a try. I was surprised how well it fit my financial requirements but also the image quality was awesome. One of friend told me that maybe I have gone mad that sold FF and moved to m4/3 but only the person who is using the camera knows what he or she needs from it. 😊

Hi Mitchell, I've been following your work for years. I'm pretty sure you could shoot with a pinhole camera and still put forth some of the most amazing images I've ever seen. Your photography is second to none. Hope to see more of your work. Wishing you all the best!

Your honesty and candor is so refreshing. Instant subscribe!!!

I did purchase the Panasonic Lumix G85 and I am so happy. I completely understand you feel better with other brands and nothing is better to be happy with what you can afford

Thank you for your class of word and action regarding this move. Good call on the G-9. Good shooting and good luck in those future endeavors. I will continue to look forward to your journeys and take on our very visual world!

I use Canon EOS R but I bought GX85 and Leica 15mm F1.7 based on Mitchell's video. I still have it and I even bought his courses few years back. Thank you so much for the updates

Hi Mitchel, thanks for the update. Sorry to hear you’re no longer a Lumix Ambassador but totally understand your reasons especially in terms of the freedom to create what you want with the tools you choose. Your video on the G85 (along with Kevin Pepper's) was one of the things that helped me make the decision to purchase one back in February 2017 and I’m still loving it but agree it’s not the right tool for everything. I mostly shoot video but back then I needed something affordable that could shoot 4K and also allow me to offer clients some better on site photography than what most smart phone cameras could produce at that time and the quality of the shots you took and presented in that video proved that his little camera could punch above its weight. These days I mainly use my G85 for real estate photos but I have used it on 4K video shoots from time to time as and as a B-cam on a few wedding videos. As such I totally agree with you about the limitations of this system for certain video applications and for my budget kit I shoot most of my run and gun videos on Canon XA camcorders. There’s so many reasons why I choose that system for those projects over a Lumix camera but reliable autofocus is definitely one of the main ones. Anyway we all move with the times and use the gear that best suits our needs in the moment, I don't stick to one system just because it's a brand I've bought before so when it comes time to move on I'll see what else is out there and I’ll definitely be watching to see what you do with full frame Sony gear.

Thanks for your story! I found it really informative. Very non-biased and refreshing

Tools will never stop evolving... FREEDOM to choose the right tools at the moment we need them, is simply invaluable. Keep safe and sharing, my friend! ; )

I would totally get a GX85 successor if it has weathersealing and the new GH6 sensor.

..you are sincere,frank,and your pictures trip photos are amazing.good on you.cheers.

A very good honest report. Well done

Thanks for the informative video Mitchell! I hail from the golden olden days of film, using a Nikon F2 and a Mamiya RB67 to a very much scaled down life and budget of iPhone 12 images exclusively and it works pretty well for me. Always appreciate your passion and excellence in all your videos and look forward to what's next!

Thanks Mitchell for your sincerity and simplicity in sharing your move to Sony (for the most part). I shoot Olympus because of the small size and weight and for their great IBIS. I mainly do street stuff and seldom shoot at night so it works for me.

Great video, thanks for sharing your thought's

Hard to be Sony in the autofocus especially in video. Now as a photographer who does minimal video I just recently move from the g9 to the s5. The 20-60mm is a banger of a kit lens. The photographic features of the s5 sold me over the Sony, live composite, time lapse etc. The s5 felt better in hand and the menus are great.

Thanks Mitchell for this. I initially bought a Lumix GX8 partly because of your recommendations. It was a great little camera, lightweight. But in latter times I have been a little disappointed too in the focusing, perhaps combined with lenses being a bit soft. So 3 months ago I also switched to Sony, but a CS A6600 because it is still lightweight (necessary as I get older). The lenses though are a little heavy, but the results are far better. Photos are now much sharper. I am pleased with the switch.

Still sounds like a great experience. Thanks for the story

Well that is life and you have your reasons. Just use the gear or the partnership you need for your own need. To be honnest I started to go into real photography after watching your promotionnal video of the g85 in Romania with Jacob James. As a traveler I was inspired by this video and the connection it created with the viewers. I got a g85 with a pack of lenses, learned on the fields and even later took one of your masterclass. Continue to travel, learn and transmit. I wish you all the best in your Journey. Greetings from France

I know your videos aren't typically very 'brand-centric' but as someone who loves your channel and content, and who has been a Sony shooter for many years now, I'm really looking forward to getting a tiny, tiny, peak at some of the gear and equipment you'll be using to capture your (very inspiring) adventures in future! I just recently picked up the A7C and thought to myself 'I bet Mitchell would love this camera'. All the best my friend!

I started with a sony a6000, used an Fuji X-T3 and now have the GX80 and G9. I liked the fuji the most, the ergonomics were good, the colors amazing and the lenses are class. The only downside was the lack of ibis. I now have the G9 for a week and GX80 for two months, but I keep thinking to switch back to FujiFilm, no other camera gives me the feeling and joy. I like doing family, friends, travel and wildlife photography. So I will use my G9 with the 75-300mm lens for now for wildlife and get myself a Fuji X100V in the future for travel photography. For the time being I will use the GX80 with 15mm 1.7 for family and travel photography, you are one of the reasons I did buy this combination. For the price it's great, but I would like to have a better evf and autofocus like the X100V. I was a Sony camera promoter in the past, but to be honest I just don't get the joy with the camera's because of the ergonomics.

Great empirically based story which I can relate to aspects of. I owned my own motorcycle service shop for 39 yrs & can't imagine having to work ' under ' someone or somethings system of rules other than my own. I started off on my photography interest with a Sony - a6000 - & liked the image quality but could not acclimate to the awful menu sys. with no touch interface. As a G 9 owner there is a lot to like & since I am not a ' pro photographer ' I can live with it's AFC limitations. Since I otherwise enjoy the Pany ergonomics, I can wait for a future ? ? Looking forward to your future postings.

I switched to the Sony A7iii from a Nikon D750 and ye that eye autofocus is pure voodoo! Great video.

Somehow am a Nikon fan though I didn't find a company in comments 😉. Love the flow and ergonomics and i love their mirrorless ones, my Z6. Good luck Mitchell for future journey!

I am a fan. You actually introduced me to Lumix gx7. I hope there is no love lost with the camera.

Good thing you can now choose your own gear 👍🏼 Keep up the good work 📸✨

Hi! In some points yes I agree with you, specially about Lumix AF. I don’t know how GH5 mark II is it but if GH5 had G9 AF (after 2.4 FW) definitely this camera it supposed to be an unbeatable one, in video terms. Other ways G9 remain the most affordable stills/video Lumix camera, with plenty lens choices for what users needed. At the moment Sony is an expensive option for more amateur or hobbies users. Panasonic remains the cheapest investment to start shootings stills and videos, with some compromises.

I love these gentle revenge and resume at the same time. Totally i am on his side.

I mainly use my tried & trusted Nikon D7500 for wildlife photography. I also dabbled with Panasonic; the G6, then the G80 plus 100-300mm lens but the AF was too unreliable for wildlife tracking. Such a shame as I do really like the Lumix systems; the menus, touchscreen functionality, ergonomics, size/weight of bodies/lenses, and great 4K video.

I visited all of Peru in a months trip in 2016 ❤💪 love that country ✌ I also use the Panasonic s5 now. Wanted to update and couldn't afford to continue on the sony line

Very informative and interesting video regarding being an ambassador. By the way I am a Panasonic micro 4/3 and a Sony FF user. I don't have the same needs as yours but I find your analysis perfectly valid and rational. A video for users not for lovers.

I've always liked photography, but I never imagined that it's so labor intensive and requires a range of technology as well. Very interesting these discoveries 😉

I rented a G9 to take photos of wildlife I was visiting family and have to say it was quite nice with the combination of my Olympus long lenses, and the image stabilization was amazing. Yeah to get the equivalent in full frame would’ve been many thousands of dollars and huge in size as stated

Thanks for the honest update. It does sound like you made the right choice. But while I do understand your reasons, I still love my m43 kit ;) Even got rid of my Nikon D800, because I feel my Oly suits my needs better.

Great video explaining in a rational manner your choices. The Sony system is amazing and I think you will love it. It seems any camera in your hands will produce amazing photos but some tools work better than others. You may want to consider a smaller aps-c Sony like the A6400 to add to your kit for traveling extremely light or for extra reach. I have never used a Panasonic for time lapses but I find the Sony’s work really well for them too and have built in intervalometers. Image quality is great on the Sony which is why I like them for time lapses, especially astrophotography and low light. Best of luck to you! I find your photography really inspirational and love your channel!

I chose Panasonic (G90) because I enjoy using it the most, which comes down to ergonomics, feature set, build quality/style, and just about everything really. Saving up for an S5.

Good honest feedback I added Panasonic G9 to my Pentax collection for the zoom ratio and size potability alone ironically bought it for travel in 2019 COVID broke out on my last overseas travel using it. It took me awhile to work out the focus issues I think they have made it so detailed it can be confusing anyhow long story short December last year I purchased a S5 which has excelled all of my expectations love that camera and has been used alot more than my Pentax bodies just because of its size. Its dynamic range is pretty awesome and must admit I came very close to going down the Sony path before purchasing this one. In the end the cameras are just tools and we use what we need to get the job done. Will still look forward to your videos etc.

Hi Mitchell, I still remember meeting you on Photokina 2016 at awesome Lumix booth. I followed you from using Canon 5D II and speed lite until now. I've learned a lot from your training materials. Enjoyed your recent adventure videos but KZfaq algorithm and competition is not the same as a few years ago. Therefore I suggest to talk about gear aspect a bit more to get more KZfaq search traffic, and hopefully the new viewers flow to other videos on your channel. Regarding Ambassadorship, gear industry started to slow down a few years ago, plus pandemic hits. No wonder budget is very limited for them and nothing they can do at this moment. On the other side, being free and independent should always be your style. Hope to see more of your work in the future. Cheers!

I can truly relate to your situation. I left the corporate world after serving 15 years and became a freelance photographer. Iv always hated office politics and the "system." i have created a successful photography business, and my next plan is to get into travel photography. Good luck

I was out of m43 for a few years and now back in with the g9 GM5 and GM1. I have other cameras too including the S1r for full frame. I have had all sorts of cameras over the years and at this stage, apsc is definitely a sweet spot. But the image quality difference between apsc and m43 is small. But what is most important to me is being able to get the story. Bigger lenses , bigger bodies are a pain to travel with. Bigger lenses can freak people out and people aren’t natural around them. With a bigger sensor camera you getting better image quality but you will often lose the intimacy of the story ( not always of course). I just acquired the g9 a couple of weeks ago and it did great on a video shoots. this last week. I also have a zv1 for a compact video camera, which is completely reliable for video autofocus and it travels very well. Fwiw the preamps on the g9 seem really good and it records into camera better than the Sony I have. They are all tools, somethings work better than others. Should m43 be the right tool again, it’s going to be there for you. Rumor has it the next iteration of Lumix will have phase detect… let’s see

Much continued success to you Mitchell. I highly respect your craft! Very interesting and weird that Lumix seems to be hemorrhaging 'ambassadors' in quick succession lately. Along with them (in my opinion) not doing the best job of sustained marketing and promotions of their products (which are actually very nice) on media platforms, I'm thinking they'd better reassess their strategies in these areas. People are followers and many will follow these creators like yourself who's work they respect right on over to whichever brand they settle on. Not sure how many customers Lumix can afford to lose with it's scarce market share. I'm loving my Lumix S5, but Lumix strategies seriously confuse me as a supporter so I'm not sure whether my upgrade addition of a flagship model next year will be a Lumix or not, we shall see.

Hey Mitchell, I hope you're well! I decided based on your video some time ago to take GX80/85 and I learned this platform to its limits. To the point that I recognized some glitches in software that are not patched up to date - but nothing major, and never saw a video of someone pointing those out ;) - so again they are very minor. Still, I go to the same conclusion after years of using it. I primarily make a stills but in live conditions, so no posing, its often horses and jump competitions or staples. So, I've often bright and very dark areas, like dark horse skin tones and white suite on a rider in a very sunny day + it's a moving target. Too many shots and opportunities wasted because of lack of good focus system and I'm rarely use additional light and rely on what's out there, so many low light conditions, and I find it hard to go beyond ISO1600. I was thinking of Fuji XT4 because its cheaper than Sony 73. However, that's another sensor compromise and lenses that if I decide to switch to full frame I've no idea what to do with... and this is where my major problem starts. My biggest problem now is that I'm not a professional photographer - I'm not making money out of it. So, I've many good lenses for m43 - I've Leica 15, Panasonic 42.5, and Panasonic HD Power OIS 35-100. I've no lenses for full frame. This means if I decide to move to Sony 73 which I was considering for some time now, than I'd have to replace my whole gear which I will have to cut with a value loss and get into something else. I don't see how m43 could cut short the problems I'm facing - its just small sensor, I don't see in past 4 years or so any major improvement in m43 market and nothing that would justify moving from GX80 to other m43 without still having those low light problems. Maybe Olympus could handle in focus area but I never used their systems. Do you agree that despite it will be hard on the wallet the logic behind swap to full frame small factor/compact system such as Sony 73 would be a better move than trying to keep the lenses of m43 and find better camera that could handle low light and focus problems of Panasonic Lumix? Maybe, I'm missing something on the m43 market? The downside of that move is that I'd still need to use around 200 magnification - and such full frame optic would be massive and expensive.

Your reasoning makes sense. Since we are in a gear video today, may I ask what lenses did you choose for the sony?

...Hi, Mitchell, if l am not mistaken, l saw you holding a X100s, any comments on this camera.not comparing to the A 7 series+pro lens of course.ha3.

Thanks for that video. I switched from Full Frame to MFT in 2016 because of the size advantages and while I always loved the image quality of the pics I took with my LUMIX I got more and more annoyed about the AF in videos. That's why I switched to Olympus. While their AF might not be as excellent as Sony's it's good enough for me. Meanwhile all my lenses are from Olympus (except one) and I still LOVE my gear

I think staying independent of brands has huge value Mitchell. Shout out from locked down Melbourne.

Maybe it will be useful: A7R4 introduces interesting options in terms of lenses. Personally, I use 70-350mm apsc zoom lens. It is tiny and gives ~525mm zoom at ~26MP. I also use 24 f1.4 as a 24-40mm digital zoom lens if needed ;)

I really love your video and photo, you are very inspiring! I’am Sony user too and i Think cameras can help but it’s all in our mind, if you have ideas, passion, knoledge and sensibility you’ll get precious photograph! Mitichell can use every camera in The world and take wonderful photo which tell us stories and feelings

Hi Mitchel, congratulations on getting the new system. I am a A7 user myself and owned an Lumix/Oly back then. I remember you said/used Panasonic 15mm 1.7 and dubbed it as one of the most versatile lense in M43. What is your new favourite lens in alpha? How do you adjust/process sony color for consistency shake?

Mitchell, no matter what sensor size your photos are great. Although I prefer APS-C or FF, somehow I like more your photos from M4/3 than from Sony FF. They have more humanistic touch.

Odd. I never knew you were an "ambassador." Learn something new every day.

It's amazing to see professional photographers who only in 2021 understood what would be gained by using full frame mirroless equipment, in particular eye AF which, since 2015, changed the game, 2015!

I use MFT and the Lumix full frame S5 together for stills and video. It's true MFT is not good in low light but the size/weight/lens advantage is incredible when you've got a lot of gear. The face/eye detect is actually very good on both systems and the body detect is a lifesaver for long range shots on the S5. The savings of staying with Lumix for FF was thousands upon thousands of dollars less than going to Canon R and most of the photo-centric Sony's not having an articulating screen is a deal breaker for me. Nikon wasn't even a consideration without dual card slots. The Lumix time lapses, natural colour profiles and easy usability is also keeping me glued there. They are bombproof too. Thanks for the informative vid.

While I strongly believe gear doesn't matter. There are a bunch of camera and once I narrowed down exactly what's important for me to do the photography I wanted to do - there were only a few left. Like a year ago you answered a comment I had and I partially took the advice. My compact Sony broke down and became my webcam. My main stills camera is now a Panasonic GX9 and I used the 14mm exclusively. It's really on the edge of what size works out for me. My overall photography has slowed down but it's slowly starting up again. Panasonic is similar to other large family owned Japanese. It's a corporate culture that doesn't work for everyone.

Hi Mitchell, as i should leave next year travelling all around Europe in a nomadic way, using Olympus Micro 4/3 (that i love for its size and features), i am concerned about the low light situations that i will have to deal with ( the AF is far better that Panasonic BTW)... I am not surprised that you switched regarding the better AF & Low light performance Sony brings you

Hi mate! Agreed with all your thoughts! Including the choices always tending towards freedom than the shiny "success". We're still lumix users (1. Price, 2. Super tele lens, 100-400 in this case) but the AF is really disappointing... Anyway, very nice thoughts in this video! Cheers!✌🏻🙂

I shoot with a G9, bang for buck it is amazing, the AF is "okay" but I shoot a lot of sports. Honestly, if price wasn't an issue I'd already be using Sony. But, I am am acutely aware of the G9 limitations and use it accordingly; and yes lenses are a huge bonus on the long end. My favourite lens is my 100-300; far more cost effective than a FF equivalent, and for social media (which is where most of my images ultimately end up, with a few prints also) the G9 is perfectly acceptable. But this isn't my job, if it was I'd be upgrading to tools that make my job easier, as you explained. If Lumix weren't so stubborn and went hybrid phase/contrast like Olympus/Sony etc, I'd be less inclined to change when funds allow. Having said that, I shoot better images than some using top end gear from Nikon and Canon, so it's not just about the camera. It's just a tool, and you can get great results (as you have shown!) but being just a tool, it means if there's a better one within your grasp.... you use it. Good explanation video, matches my experience with the G9.

Thanks for your frank discussion of which camera is best for your needs. I'm seeing that in recent years the technical demands of professionals are moving more and more away from traditional photo capabilities and towards video. I also found interesting your remark that you increasingly see the need to produce video content and thus need a suitable camera. I'm curious as to how technology has changed the journalistic and travel-documentary fields. Is it reasonable to say that the change in popular consumption media (from print media to online platforms) has reduced the demand for photographic stills, which is being replaced by demand for video content? As a fan of the art of photography. I find it a shame that high quality photo-content has not been able to find an effective, sustainable, and monetize-able online platform akin to what youtube has done to video-content.

If it gets the job done to your satisfaction, carry on. 👍 🥂

All good. It's just gear. (Shooting Canon full frame and Lumix MFT)

Got two panasonic cameras. I love the quality of them and the menus. I just feel its so easy to pick up and use any panasonic. Got 2 nikon too and I find they are really sharp. But everything else I don't like as much. Sony and fujifilm wise it just seemed on the face of it that lenses were expensive and I'd never have a good collection.

That’s fair enough. The new LUMIX AF updates work really nice on the new S5. it would be my personal choice over the A7iii

Me as well. I've used the Lumix system for 7 years, but have been burned too many times by the focus, not just AF but Peaking as well. Many time the peaking is not accurate to the final image and I'm left with very soft shots. MDT corrupt files have cost me money and clients. The stabilization is sometimes jittery. And I've never been able to use the 10-bit options in my workflow, just too cumbersome. I just can't trust the system anymore. So like you, I'm switching systems. But it is going to hurt my wallet.

Different tools for different tasks. As a non-videographer, video capabilities have never influenced my decisions. In the digital era I started with Sony, because I used Minolta for film, swapped across to Olympus m43 for the compact size, added Sony again because I preferred it for some tasks, dabbled in Leica because i tried one and loved it (oops), and finally transitioned my Sony from A- to E-mount. I still have one Olympus body in use, still love the Leica, and use the Sonys for sports, landscapes and wildlife. I’m in no hurry to restrict myself to one system if i dont need to. As an enthusiast, I have the advantage that I don’t have to justify new gear on its ROI or how it might grow my business. I might make different decisions if my income depended on it.

LUMIX GX8 and G9. New firmware for G9 is terrific.

Was Nikon user for many years just upgrading bodies from time to time but got enjoyed with them for adding the features I was waiting for and removing something else from the spec. Wanted something small for my car when working as a cab driver in London and this is how my story with E mount began. Apsc a6000 and a6500 later. Now ready to get a full frame and looking at A7RIV so I could use apsc lenses I own and still get 26+ MP. I guess many of us had to switch to Sony just so Nikon and Canon would take fingers out of their asses:)))

Most visionary/ambassadors that I know are dropping out: you are there to promote a product, not for improving your photography, which often clash with creativity and options. I also saw most of these ambassadors dropping out of the program, improving their content because they feel free to talk about what they really care whether it is in the interest of the brand or not. Gear should be just a tool, not the focus of a photographer

I don't care about brands. I've used Samsung before they got out of camera bussiness, Sony, Canon and Nikon. I just what I think has the best price/performance for what I want to do and fits in my budget.

You are a professional photographer and you certainly have your reasons. Sony's focus is certainly more powerful, but the depth of field that the M43 can give you at wide apertures in photography is a must. You can shoot at f2 as if it were a 5.6 and consequently work at 1600 ISO instead of 6400. Good job

I came from nikon then Fuji then Olympus then Lumix. I'm now stock in sony. I do more videos nowadays because of my vlogs and the Sony Eye-AF is just somthing that works flawlessly. I now have numerous sony lenses and bodies and I do not think I will be changing system anytime soon. I even tried the latest from Canon but the overexposed highlights just makes me cringe everytime.

That's funny. I went the opposite route... had a Sony, then went to M43. I have to wonder how your A7iii holds up in the jungle. My A7rii was famous for its lack of weather sealing and poor build.

I’ve recently become a LUMIX shooter and love the cameras/menus….Sony has the reputation of releasing products/features that are untested, and letting the consumers do the field testing, leaving folks out in the cold…..I hate the way Sony does business and that’s my beef with them…..

Honestly I never knew what was really behind the photographs. You photographers need a great deal of knowledge to do a good job.

With all it's bad press about the "Cripple" axe that Canon wields on its latest cameras I have hung in with Canon for the past 20 or so years and held off jumping to a Mirrorless till Canon had a reasonably good camera to replace my 5D Mk IV and I pleased to say the R5 has met my expectations and I am glad I held off, tempting as it was, to make a leap to Sony having owned several iterations of the Sony RX100 series, and they are exceptionally good pocket cameras. I was invested in many EF lens and it just made sense to stick with Canon. The other perhaps more important factor is being used to a Menu system and layout of controls. Canon does have a very good and easy to navigate menu system and consistent controls through its range of cameras making it easy to transition from one model to another.

yep, panny finally lost me to oly just on crappish autofocus... got rid of panny glass (not top notch one, just 4 avegage all doers, 12-60, 45-150; 42.5, 14 2.5) except 100-300 (got it cheap, for 300e) and leica 15 f1.7, traded gx80 and g80 for em1 mk2 with 12-40 f2.8, and just happy about doing so

I like to go for A 6400 of Sony. What is your feedback

Eye auto focus was the reason I switched to Sony when the A6000 came out. And never looked back.

I enjoyed your video and especially examples of your work ...You are clearly an expert .I mainly make videos but have some stills.Right now weight is a problem and i can't use touch screen ...Have been wondering about the Nikon new systems .They are light weight .What is the weight of the Sony and the Panasonic you use ..Hope you can let me know ..👍 and subscribed

I shoot Nikon. My 2nd 35mm camera (1st was a Kowa in 1968) was in 1977 - Nikormat. I started acquiring lenses that I could still use when I upgraded bodies over the years. I now have a D810 and I have been waiting somewhat patiently since December 2020 for the price of a D850 to go down to make my next upgrade. COVID is still running rampant here in Thailand greatly which diminishes the need to upgrade now and eliminates any travel opportunities.

Canon FF and Fuji X-Trans crop I used the Sony A7R3 for a while but found it soulless and not fun to use. But you do you. The quality of the images and video is very good, and you can obviously do good work with any brand. Cheers. Elia Locardi uses Fujifilm for landscape. I guess Peter McKinnon is a big Canon guy, for whatever that's worth.

I like my Panasonics but I’m an amateur and no one cares what I shoot. I use them for easy menus and ergonomics that suit my hands. I enjoy your photos for the photos. Shoot them on whatever you want. I’m glad I make my money outside photography.

Glad to see you back to full frame world~ Was kinda hoping you’d try out the R5 tbh 😄

Not it matters due to the AF but did you try the LUMIX S5 ?

I used Nikon since the mid-60s. I've used Canon digital and now use a Lumix G9. The autofocus can be quick but all to often it gets confused. I like the menu and the lighter lenses. The smaller sensor cannot compete in low light or image quality with full-frame. Time to go with Sony full-frame. I will keep and continue to use Lumix. But the autofocus cannot compete and low-light situations call for a larger sensor. Tracking birds in flight requires better autofocus. .

I'm still shooting on Lumix, I prefer the compact size of the cameras and lenses as opposed to full frame benefits.

I follow you for years because most of your images have the " a picture is worth a thousand words" feeling but I never understand how can you use a micro 4/3 camera on your mostly dark images. Well, I think you now can do much better with that Sony A73 but above ISO 6400 the images will be noisy too. I'm using that camera for almost 4 years and so far no complaints. I have the 24-105 F4 (excellent), the Sigma 100-400 (highly recommend it, not as good build as the Sony GM but the image quality is the same, much lighter and is under $1000), lately, I use it around 70%. My last lens is the 90mm f2.8 macro for portraits and some macro. My choices were. Nikon aps-c, Sony aps-c, Fuji aps-c and now Sony A73 FE, and I waiting for the new A74 just for minor improvment.

I kinda feel like some kind of AF improvement is coming from Panasonic very soon ... dpaf ... but I have no hard info. If they can do it, they'll jump to number one for most video!

Great perspective. I feel like I can almost tell now which youtube videos I see are Sony, because they have that "Sony Look" - few stops washed out, ultra high dynamic range, unerring snap focus to the eyes. Is that ... Bad? Objectively no! People like bright images, Sony provides. It's an interesting problem to have; the best quality but hard to make your own "look". (I notice this much less with photographs, probably because how much more likely post processing is.) I'm no pro, but I got a Lumix GX85 in 2019. I am committed to using it until I become much more fully able to leverage all its capabilities, which are impressive in scope vs the low price. I love the size and cost of m4/3! But it locks me out of any real astrophotography (not a surprise, just the wrong tool), and the autofocus is killer ... I can notice who makes videos with Panasonic now, too! When someone glances away from camera briefly and the AF decides the most interesting thing in the shot is something way off in the distance and its going to stay that way...

Good talk. Yeah the G9 with a long lens. Stick the 100-400 on it and it's hand held point and shoot wildlife specialist. The insane stabilisation allows the AF to lock instantly. Latest firmware sorted subject identification and follow focus. Good for video but not the best, it has lost the plot on me, flickering back light that would give most cameras the willies (that means passing kidney stones). Imo they gave it too many focus points, sublime to ridiculous, it fails at dusk when there is little overall contrast, where the GH4 with far less spots will still nail it. As an amateur I've bought in to the MFT lens system and cannot really afford to swap horses now. With main interest being wildlife that G9 is the killer. I have not met another camera that does full manual with auto-ISO and allows +/-EV adjust on top of that. Not our only MFT camera though. Personally I'd like better dynamic range from any camera with no blowing out at all. Higher resolution for portrait and better graduation but it's a play off against other capabilities.

Regarding that ad campaign... why are all the cameras in the center of the photographers face, rather than aligning the viewfinder with the photographer's eye?

Depending on the work you do the Lumix cameras can either be a godsend or a pain in the *** due to missing autofocus. For me the Lumix cameras, GH5 and G7 are amazing, the lack of autofocus is annoying but not to the point that it would actually impact anything outside of me just being annoyed. Let's wait and see what the GH6 brings. If this camera is good, it will be just a crazy leap forward, like the GH4 and GH5 were back in the days - insane price, insane performance, only minor drawbacks but so many important features and super robust. They are still the best for so many things, the interface alone is worth it, with Sony i would want to punch the camera anytime i need to change the settings... :)

Great video I’m in the same boat Love many of their features They will fold on using their DFD. So stubborn There is a rumor that their gh6 will have PDAF But just a rumor and only 1 camera model I was all LUMIX but hardly ever use my lumix cameras because of poor continuous auto focus The lcd is very good in showing cross hairs on eye :) But when looking at images and videos focus somewhere else Sony and canon are the afc masters Nikon then Fuji and Olympus If Panasonic does not embrace PDAF or their own dual pixel system they are history

It took sometime but eventually you saw the light :-)) and I’m not a Sony owner, just never invested in anything other than 35mm.

Yeah, I had both also. Sony A7C and Lumix S5. I kept the S5 because of the image quality of 4k VLOG 10bit 422 is unbeatable...better even than my $6000 Sony FX6. The S5 is a bargain.

Welcome to the Club :)

i remember a while back you talked about using the m43 and liked it because it was small, and that let you be more discrete. This meant people were abit more comfortable around you having a camera. Sony cameras are pretty small but i found most of the good lenses are quite large. Have you just accepted using bigger lenses for the e-mount (sony/sigma/tamron) or do you have some fav small lenses?

As an enthusiast, I still find Olympus delivers on all levels and I have hundreds of gorgeous images to my credit. I guess when the sky goes dark I am out partying with the girls, although I have collected some nice bedroom shots, Oh yes, thats when the Sony would be a plus!

All cameras 📷 from the major manufacturers are good. Being a 'brand ambassador' never has a happy ending, you just have to move with the flow.