This new 4K camera is almost too good to be true

In 2008. Panasonic launched the Lumix G1, the first mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Camera, but a lot of things have changed since then.

That single Lumix G line has branched into five different series of mirrorless shooters and although the original G1 didn’t shoot video, the new G7 hold it amongst its core strengths.

The Ultra HD-shooting Lumix G7 is a lot more similar to the professional-video minded GH4 rather than the basic G seies predecessors.

The new camera has 4K front and center: It has a video mode that records 3840×2160 MP4 clips at 30p and 24p, and you can use manual exposure controls while shooting video. In 1080p mode, it records at 60fps in MP4 and AVCHD Pro.

The G7 also has the same quad-core image-processing engine as the top-of-the-chart GH4, which Panasonic says it built for recording of Ultra HD video without overheating.

According to Panasonic, the system can lock focus in 0.07 seconds, which would put it neck-and-neck with Sony’s A6000 and Fujifilm’s X-series cameras.

The camera is available in gunmetal-and-black and all black variations, with a very nice $800 price as a kit with your basic 14-42mm/F3.5-F5.6 lens.

If you can deal with the smaller-than-APS-C sensor, it looks like a promising entry-level model for anyone who wants to start shooting 4K.