Calling cameras ‘Hybrid’ is marketing nonsense – here’s what actually matters

I first heard the term ‘hybrid’ used at the launch of a Panasonic Lumix camera almost 15 years ago. With a long heritage and expertise in video, it made sense for the electronics giant to set itself apart from the pack by trumpeting that its increasingly desirable mirrorless stills cameras were just as excellent at video.

Indeed, with the likes of its 4K resolution, 30fps shooting GH4, introduced in 2014, Panasonic additionally now provided the ability to extract an 8MP still frame from a video sequence. This, it enthused to us, would mean photographers had even less excuse for missing any decisive moment.

Since then, we’ve increasingly had the term ‘hybrid’ bandied around by a range of camera manufacturers as well as photographers turned videographers themselves. That’s despite it bein…